1 00:00:04,755 --> 00:00:08,995 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:26,795 --> 00:00:30,075 Speaker 1: And now the Trial of the Proud Boys begins today 3 00:00:30,075 --> 00:00:33,315 Speaker 1: in Washington, Wild Jury selection continues in the trial of 4 00:00:33,395 --> 00:00:37,035 Speaker 1: the Oath Keepers. The oath Keepers who will defend themselves 5 00:00:37,435 --> 00:00:41,515 Speaker 1: paranoid far right vigilantes by claiming they were just following 6 00:00:41,515 --> 00:00:44,195 Speaker 1: what we're about to be legal orders from a president. 7 00:00:44,915 --> 00:00:48,515 Speaker 1: In Florida, Hurricane Ian has hit so strongly that, after 8 00:00:48,595 --> 00:00:52,315 Speaker 1: decades of fake ones, there was an actual shark swimming 9 00:00:52,435 --> 00:00:55,555 Speaker 1: on the flooded streets of South Fort Myers. But when 10 00:00:55,595 --> 00:00:58,515 Speaker 1: a television news anchor asked if the intensity of these 11 00:00:58,555 --> 00:01:02,035 Speaker 1: storms was somehow connected to climate change, the far right 12 00:01:02,075 --> 00:01:04,635 Speaker 1: came down on him as if he were crazy. Why. 13 00:01:04,995 --> 00:01:08,275 Speaker 1: Virtually the same hour, one of their TV news figures, 14 00:01:08,275 --> 00:01:12,395 Speaker 1: Tucker Carlson actually insisted that the likeliest suspect in the 15 00:01:12,435 --> 00:01:16,395 Speaker 1: sabotage of the nord Stream one and two natural gas 16 00:01:16,435 --> 00:01:21,515 Speaker 1: pipelines off Denmark was President Joe Biden, and then Carlson 17 00:01:21,595 --> 00:01:24,835 Speaker 1: listed a series of things the Russians could do as retaliation. 18 00:01:25,635 --> 00:01:30,155 Speaker 1: So this question for you, when did much of our 19 00:01:30,235 --> 00:01:37,035 Speaker 1: country go crazy? Where does this come from? People like 20 00:01:37,155 --> 00:01:40,355 Speaker 1: Tucker Carlson He was once just a despicable, run of 21 00:01:40,355 --> 00:01:44,555 Speaker 1: the mill conservative, but he wasn't crazy. Same for Laura Ingram, 22 00:01:44,635 --> 00:01:50,395 Speaker 1: Rudy Giuliani, Elie Stefanic, Lindsey Graham, Dozens more terrible, reactionary, 23 00:01:50,435 --> 00:01:54,835 Speaker 1: destructive conservatives, but not crazy. I sat at an anchor 24 00:01:54,915 --> 00:01:59,355 Speaker 1: desk at MSNBC once and I heard Tucker Carlson, then 25 00:01:59,395 --> 00:02:03,355 Speaker 1: a new MSNBC host, rattle off a list of conservative 26 00:02:03,395 --> 00:02:08,235 Speaker 1: conspiracy theorists he thought was damaging the United States of America, 27 00:02:08,595 --> 00:02:14,955 Speaker 1: Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, and Glenn Beck. Laura Ingram has 28 00:02:14,995 --> 00:02:17,995 Speaker 1: a brother who is out. When I knew her, she 29 00:02:18,155 --> 00:02:21,075 Speaker 1: was proud of him, defended him, even claimed he was 30 00:02:21,115 --> 00:02:23,715 Speaker 1: part of what she called the not so vast right 31 00:02:23,715 --> 00:02:27,235 Speaker 1: wing conspiracy. And for all her political vitriol, she was 32 00:02:27,315 --> 00:02:33,035 Speaker 1: utterly accepting about orientations and lifestyles and rights. What sent 33 00:02:33,155 --> 00:02:37,795 Speaker 1: these people who pretty much lived their lives well balanced 34 00:02:37,835 --> 00:02:42,075 Speaker 1: on the edge over the edge? Believe it or not, 35 00:02:42,195 --> 00:02:45,355 Speaker 1: I think I know. I think I've a known all along, 36 00:02:46,195 --> 00:02:48,915 Speaker 1: and I think what sent them over the edge was 37 00:02:49,075 --> 00:02:52,795 Speaker 1: nine eleven. I have never been satisfied that we have 38 00:02:52,875 --> 00:02:57,555 Speaker 1: correctly gauged just how much undiagnosed PTSD there was in 39 00:02:57,595 --> 00:03:00,875 Speaker 1: this country after those attacks. I don't mean just among 40 00:03:01,035 --> 00:03:06,595 Speaker 1: conservatives or just among political figures, but consider their particular cases. 41 00:03:07,355 --> 00:03:10,995 Speaker 1: Go back to Labor Day two thousand one. Laura Ingram 42 00:03:11,075 --> 00:03:13,155 Speaker 1: was in her fifth year as a member of a 43 00:03:13,195 --> 00:03:17,035 Speaker 1: small group of conservative blonde women who basically took up 44 00:03:17,235 --> 00:03:20,915 Speaker 1: half the guest slots on cable news from Fox to 45 00:03:21,075 --> 00:03:25,075 Speaker 1: MSNBC to CNN. Ingram and and Colter were the ones 46 00:03:25,115 --> 00:03:28,595 Speaker 1: you called first. Then maybe Mary Mattlin. If you couldn't 47 00:03:28,635 --> 00:03:30,555 Speaker 1: get them and you were desperate enough, you went to 48 00:03:30,635 --> 00:03:34,755 Speaker 1: Kelly Anne Fitzpatrick. You know her now as Kelly Anne Conway. 49 00:03:34,755 --> 00:03:39,155 Speaker 1: But if you wanted somebody with the same venomous conservative viewpoint, 50 00:03:39,435 --> 00:03:41,835 Speaker 1: but who actually seemed like a pleasant person who would 51 00:03:41,835 --> 00:03:45,315 Speaker 1: occasionally let you convince her she might be wrong, you 52 00:03:45,435 --> 00:03:49,475 Speaker 1: called Barbara Olsen. There were literally dozens of liberal pundits 53 00:03:49,475 --> 00:03:51,675 Speaker 1: whose names would be pitched to me as guests, and 54 00:03:51,795 --> 00:03:54,915 Speaker 1: I would have said, add, rather talk to Barbara Olsen. 55 00:03:55,995 --> 00:03:59,875 Speaker 1: Barbara Olsen was on the plane that went into the Pentagon. 56 00:04:00,715 --> 00:04:03,675 Speaker 1: And whatever explanation of nine eleven you subscribe to, from 57 00:04:03,715 --> 00:04:07,115 Speaker 1: reality to the wildest of truth or pipe dreams, you 58 00:04:07,235 --> 00:04:10,875 Speaker 1: must admit this is true. Having somebody who does your job, 59 00:04:11,515 --> 00:04:15,195 Speaker 1: is your age, lives in your city, looks like you, 60 00:04:15,555 --> 00:04:20,035 Speaker 1: is your professional colleague, is your friend. Having that person 61 00:04:20,075 --> 00:04:24,515 Speaker 1: get killed in a terrorist attack unprecedented in this nation's history, 62 00:04:24,595 --> 00:04:28,235 Speaker 1: is enough to give you several doses of PTSD, especially 63 00:04:28,235 --> 00:04:31,275 Speaker 1: if you never seek help, as if Laura Ingram or 64 00:04:31,315 --> 00:04:34,355 Speaker 1: Rudy Giuliani or Kelly and Fitzpatrick Conway act like the 65 00:04:34,435 --> 00:04:37,875 Speaker 1: kind of people who would willingly seek professional help. How 66 00:04:37,915 --> 00:04:42,315 Speaker 1: many more Americans who, on September two thousand one already 67 00:04:42,315 --> 00:04:46,995 Speaker 1: had the exact kinds of personality disorders and the authoritarian, sadistic, 68 00:04:47,115 --> 00:04:51,315 Speaker 1: and dominating tendencies that comprise being a conservative. How many 69 00:04:51,355 --> 00:04:55,155 Speaker 1: of them were driven around the proverbial bend the next 70 00:04:55,235 --> 00:04:58,675 Speaker 1: day or more slowly, perhaps over the course of years. 71 00:04:59,435 --> 00:05:02,995 Speaker 1: This mixture of terror and personal loss coming up hand 72 00:05:03,035 --> 00:05:07,155 Speaker 1: in hand with the heavy opportunity to enforce the kind 73 00:05:07,195 --> 00:05:11,515 Speaker 1: of restrictive regime they always wanted to impose on this country. 74 00:05:11,755 --> 00:05:17,115 Speaker 1: That mix must have been utterly destabilizing for them. And 75 00:05:17,195 --> 00:05:20,035 Speaker 1: yet what happened five years and two months after nine eleven, 76 00:05:20,635 --> 00:05:24,235 Speaker 1: this nation gave the House and the Senate to the Democrats, 77 00:05:24,275 --> 00:05:28,235 Speaker 1: in large part because the Republicans had clearly manipulated the 78 00:05:28,355 --> 00:05:31,195 Speaker 1: terror threat to fit their political needs. It had become 79 00:05:31,275 --> 00:05:34,355 Speaker 1: so obvious that even the Republican's own choice to lead 80 00:05:34,435 --> 00:05:37,395 Speaker 1: the new Department of Homeland Security admitted that even he 81 00:05:37,475 --> 00:05:40,875 Speaker 1: was convinced it had become political. And two years after that, 82 00:05:40,995 --> 00:05:44,955 Speaker 1: this country chose an African American president over an XPOW 83 00:05:45,155 --> 00:05:48,395 Speaker 1: war hero, something that would have been unimaginable on nine 84 00:05:48,435 --> 00:05:51,555 Speaker 1: eleven or nine ten, for that matter, and then they 85 00:05:51,595 --> 00:05:55,955 Speaker 1: re elected him over generic milktoast Republican number thirty seven. 86 00:05:57,595 --> 00:06:00,995 Speaker 1: All the time, the PTSD and the Giuliani's and Ingram's 87 00:06:00,995 --> 00:06:04,155 Speaker 1: and Carlson's and millions of other conservatives just kept multiplying 88 00:06:04,155 --> 00:06:08,915 Speaker 1: and multiple lying. So when Trump appeared, offering strongman rule 89 00:06:09,315 --> 00:06:12,595 Speaker 1: with just enough of a thin veneer of policy excuses, 90 00:06:12,995 --> 00:06:15,635 Speaker 1: that the Republican Party saw the perfect bill of goods 91 00:06:15,675 --> 00:06:19,275 Speaker 1: to sell to racist conservatives shattered by nine eleven, shattered 92 00:06:19,275 --> 00:06:22,275 Speaker 1: by a black president. They had found their personal savior 93 00:06:22,355 --> 00:06:25,595 Speaker 1: and their ticket to power, and somebody who would also 94 00:06:25,675 --> 00:06:30,395 Speaker 1: beat up all their PTSD ghosts for them. Do not 95 00:06:30,595 --> 00:06:33,515 Speaker 1: get me wrong about this. Not for a moment am 96 00:06:33,515 --> 00:06:37,755 Speaker 1: I saying that Osama bin Laden made Tucker Carlson imply 97 00:06:37,875 --> 00:06:39,835 Speaker 1: that the President of the United States blew up a 98 00:06:39,915 --> 00:06:45,235 Speaker 1: Russian pipeline. Nine eleven just eliminated the self imposed restraint 99 00:06:45,675 --> 00:06:50,915 Speaker 1: Tucker Carlson and the others had once maintained. People didn't 100 00:06:50,915 --> 00:06:53,115 Speaker 1: believe it at the time, but when Nuke Gingrich was 101 00:06:53,195 --> 00:06:56,275 Speaker 1: Speaker of the House, he really did think that he 102 00:06:56,315 --> 00:07:00,035 Speaker 1: could impeach and remove Bill Clinton, and then before the 103 00:07:00,115 --> 00:07:02,755 Speaker 1: new president Al Gore had a chance to appoint a 104 00:07:02,795 --> 00:07:06,355 Speaker 1: new Vice president, gang Rich he could impeach and remove Gore, 105 00:07:06,955 --> 00:07:08,955 Speaker 1: and then the new president of the United States would 106 00:07:08,955 --> 00:07:13,835 Speaker 1: be the Speaker of the House himself. When everybody who 107 00:07:13,875 --> 00:07:17,675 Speaker 1: heard this laughed, Newt read the room took a beat, 108 00:07:17,715 --> 00:07:22,115 Speaker 1: and Newt laughed too. But he really really thought he 109 00:07:22,275 --> 00:07:26,315 Speaker 1: was America's personal strongman savior and that the country would 110 00:07:26,315 --> 00:07:29,635 Speaker 1: swell up in righteous indignation and let him undo the 111 00:07:30,715 --> 00:07:33,515 Speaker 1: presidential election. I mean, where do you think crazy Trump 112 00:07:33,555 --> 00:07:38,235 Speaker 1: and his minions got the whole de certify, overturn, restore 113 00:07:38,395 --> 00:07:42,555 Speaker 1: redo nonsense. As late as two thousand six, Newt Gingrich 114 00:07:42,635 --> 00:07:45,475 Speaker 1: thought we were one terrorist attack away from having to 115 00:07:45,515 --> 00:07:48,595 Speaker 1: repeal most of the first Amendment so we could prosecute 116 00:07:48,675 --> 00:07:51,555 Speaker 1: or at least sue people who said on popular things, 117 00:07:51,995 --> 00:07:55,475 Speaker 1: and that we'd need a president willing to do that him. 118 00:07:55,515 --> 00:07:59,795 Speaker 1: Where do you think crazy Trump got that idea from? 119 00:07:59,795 --> 00:08:02,515 Speaker 1: And Rudy Giuliani was a try to stop me in 120 00:08:02,595 --> 00:08:05,795 Speaker 1: court thug during his first term as Mayor of New York, 121 00:08:05,875 --> 00:08:08,515 Speaker 1: long before he walked through the ashes of the city's 122 00:08:08,515 --> 00:08:12,075 Speaker 1: emergency Response Command, which he personally ordered built inside the 123 00:08:12,075 --> 00:08:16,795 Speaker 1: World Trade Center against everybody else's advice, and shortly after 124 00:08:16,875 --> 00:08:20,635 Speaker 1: the one good week of his life, he was crazier 125 00:08:20,675 --> 00:08:24,395 Speaker 1: than ever before. People gloss over this, but he tried 126 00:08:24,395 --> 00:08:26,755 Speaker 1: to get the scheduled expiration of his term as Mayor 127 00:08:26,755 --> 00:08:29,955 Speaker 1: of New York on January one, two thousand two, postponed 128 00:08:30,715 --> 00:08:33,435 Speaker 1: because clearly the city could not spare his leadership in 129 00:08:33,435 --> 00:08:38,115 Speaker 1: the post terrorism world. And when that didn't work, Giuliani 130 00:08:38,155 --> 00:08:40,835 Speaker 1: proposed that he and his newly elected successor, Mike Bloomberg, 131 00:08:40,835 --> 00:08:44,395 Speaker 1: should be co mayors for a month or two months, 132 00:08:44,515 --> 00:08:50,035 Speaker 1: or six or thirty six. And Laura Ingram always had 133 00:08:50,075 --> 00:08:53,115 Speaker 1: that streak of fascist madness running right down her middle. 134 00:08:53,635 --> 00:08:57,715 Speaker 1: You know the famous story of her living boyfriend he 135 00:08:57,835 --> 00:09:01,035 Speaker 1: kicked her out and was taking down from the walls 136 00:09:01,035 --> 00:09:03,835 Speaker 1: all those framed pictures of them together. So she made 137 00:09:03,875 --> 00:09:07,475 Speaker 1: replacements of the photos and took the spare key she 138 00:09:07,515 --> 00:09:10,595 Speaker 1: had secretly gotten duplicated. Waited until he left his house 139 00:09:10,595 --> 00:09:12,795 Speaker 1: one day, and she went back in and put nearly 140 00:09:12,835 --> 00:09:17,395 Speaker 1: all the photos back up on his wall, and so, 141 00:09:17,595 --> 00:09:19,715 Speaker 1: upon seeing what could have been a deleted scene from 142 00:09:19,715 --> 00:09:24,075 Speaker 1: the movie Fatal Attraction, the boyfriend wisely replaced all the locks. Thus, 143 00:09:24,115 --> 00:09:26,315 Speaker 1: when Laura went back to finish the job and could 144 00:09:26,315 --> 00:09:28,595 Speaker 1: not get into the house, she went around back to 145 00:09:28,595 --> 00:09:32,275 Speaker 1: where he kept his garden hose, stuffed the business end 146 00:09:32,395 --> 00:09:34,795 Speaker 1: in through the mail slot of his front door, and 147 00:09:34,835 --> 00:09:37,755 Speaker 1: then turned it on, destroying ten thousand dollars worth of 148 00:09:37,875 --> 00:09:42,475 Speaker 1: hardwood floors. You never heard that story. You know where 149 00:09:42,515 --> 00:09:46,115 Speaker 1: I heard that story? She told me. She told me 150 00:09:46,195 --> 00:09:49,955 Speaker 1: on a date, and she was proud of it. No, 151 00:09:50,955 --> 00:09:54,395 Speaker 1: Laura's trolley did not suddenly jump the tracks on nine 152 00:09:54,435 --> 00:09:58,395 Speaker 1: eleven in April of this year, when she explained her 153 00:09:58,395 --> 00:10:01,555 Speaker 1: opposition to college loan forgiveness. I shuddered. I mean I 154 00:10:01,555 --> 00:10:04,835 Speaker 1: shuddered twice the first time, just like you shuddered. Then 155 00:10:04,835 --> 00:10:07,035 Speaker 1: I shuttered again because of a phone call she made 156 00:10:07,035 --> 00:10:09,875 Speaker 1: to me a scant twenty three years ago. If you 157 00:10:09,915 --> 00:10:12,635 Speaker 1: have forgotten when she came out against loan forgiveness, what 158 00:10:12,755 --> 00:10:15,715 Speaker 1: she wrote was, quote, my mom worked as a waitress 159 00:10:15,795 --> 00:10:18,635 Speaker 1: until she was seventy three to help pay for our college, 160 00:10:18,955 --> 00:10:22,955 Speaker 1: even helped with loan repayment. Loan forgiveness just another insult 161 00:10:22,995 --> 00:10:26,275 Speaker 1: to those who play by the rules. First of all, 162 00:10:26,355 --> 00:10:31,835 Speaker 1: Laura's mother worked until nineteen four, but by nine, and 163 00:10:31,875 --> 00:10:34,835 Speaker 1: it was probably early, maybe as early as nineteen ninety two, 164 00:10:34,995 --> 00:10:38,955 Speaker 1: Laura Ingram owned her own duplex in Georgetown, while mom 165 00:10:39,435 --> 00:10:42,995 Speaker 1: was still a plate jockey at Willie's Steakhouse in Connecticut. 166 00:10:44,675 --> 00:10:46,955 Speaker 1: That was only my first shutter. My second shutter came 167 00:10:46,995 --> 00:10:48,995 Speaker 1: for this flashback to the phone call in the spring 168 00:10:49,035 --> 00:10:52,115 Speaker 1: of nine. She and I were still kind of friendly, 169 00:10:52,555 --> 00:10:54,395 Speaker 1: and I used to go on her radio show and 170 00:10:54,435 --> 00:10:58,075 Speaker 1: talk baseball and promote my cable sportscast and the Game 171 00:10:58,115 --> 00:11:00,755 Speaker 1: of the Week, which I hosted for Fox. So when 172 00:11:00,795 --> 00:11:03,115 Speaker 1: I heard her mother had died, I called to offer 173 00:11:03,195 --> 00:11:06,595 Speaker 1: my condolences and she called me back. Do you know 174 00:11:06,675 --> 00:11:09,675 Speaker 1: what her last words to me were, This will tell 175 00:11:09,715 --> 00:11:13,195 Speaker 1: you everything you need to know about me. I nearly 176 00:11:13,275 --> 00:11:17,315 Speaker 1: hung up right then, I wish I had She quoted 177 00:11:17,315 --> 00:11:21,875 Speaker 1: her own mother's dying words, Laura, why are you so bossy? 178 00:11:23,475 --> 00:11:28,515 Speaker 1: I mean, she told me that, and like the garden 179 00:11:28,555 --> 00:11:31,475 Speaker 1: hose through the mail slot story, she was clearly proud 180 00:11:31,515 --> 00:11:34,195 Speaker 1: of it. Who does that? I mean, if you're going 181 00:11:34,235 --> 00:11:36,515 Speaker 1: to tell people your mother's last words, do you make 182 00:11:36,555 --> 00:11:39,835 Speaker 1: them good? And when we make them sound like Mom 183 00:11:39,835 --> 00:11:42,355 Speaker 1: didn't think you were nuts? I mean, how is anybody 184 00:11:42,395 --> 00:11:48,475 Speaker 1: gonna check? Finding my way back to my point, I 185 00:11:48,515 --> 00:11:51,675 Speaker 1: am not suggesting that the madness of two thousand twenty two, 186 00:11:51,715 --> 00:11:54,515 Speaker 1: the willingness of the same people who once believed in 187 00:11:54,595 --> 00:11:58,235 Speaker 1: elections and democracy, at least to the degree that they 188 00:11:58,275 --> 00:12:00,715 Speaker 1: filled out all the paperwork and slapped on a fake 189 00:12:00,795 --> 00:12:04,355 Speaker 1: smile as they did so, to just shed that and 190 00:12:04,475 --> 00:12:09,235 Speaker 1: in brace dictatorship more enthusiastically with every passing day. No, 191 00:12:09,435 --> 00:12:13,155 Speaker 1: that did not start on nine eleven. But the guard 192 00:12:13,315 --> 00:12:16,155 Speaker 1: rails we all have in place to keep our crazier 193 00:12:16,235 --> 00:12:19,995 Speaker 1: thoughts from staying too long, or god forbid, getting out 194 00:12:19,995 --> 00:12:24,395 Speaker 1: where other people can hear them vanished on nine eleven. 195 00:12:24,715 --> 00:12:28,915 Speaker 1: For Laura Ingram, for Rudy Giuliani, for Newt Gingrich, for 196 00:12:29,235 --> 00:12:34,355 Speaker 1: Tucker Carlson. I'll say this much. We know without question 197 00:12:34,515 --> 00:12:37,835 Speaker 1: any sense inside these fascists that they could never get 198 00:12:37,875 --> 00:12:41,675 Speaker 1: away with their authoritarian wet dreams that faded in the 199 00:12:41,675 --> 00:12:44,275 Speaker 1: weeks and months and years after nine eleven as they 200 00:12:44,275 --> 00:12:46,995 Speaker 1: saw what Bush got away with. Let's use nine eleven 201 00:12:47,035 --> 00:12:48,835 Speaker 1: as an excuse to invade a country that had nothing 202 00:12:48,875 --> 00:12:51,795 Speaker 1: to do with nine eleven. Who's gonna stop us if 203 00:12:51,795 --> 00:12:55,115 Speaker 1: we want to respond to terrorism by forfeiting two centuries 204 00:12:55,115 --> 00:12:57,315 Speaker 1: of refusing to use torture in the name of the 205 00:12:57,395 --> 00:13:00,315 Speaker 1: United States America? Who's gonna stop us? Half the people 206 00:13:00,315 --> 00:13:02,715 Speaker 1: in this damn country don't even know where Canada is, 207 00:13:02,795 --> 00:13:06,035 Speaker 1: let alone Iraq. What are they gonna? What do they care? 208 00:13:08,555 --> 00:13:11,475 Speaker 1: As they saw all that, somewhere a key turned in 209 00:13:11,675 --> 00:13:14,835 Speaker 1: all their minds. We got away with the presidency in 210 00:13:14,875 --> 00:13:17,715 Speaker 1: two thousand. Sure the election was raised or close. Sure 211 00:13:17,715 --> 00:13:19,795 Speaker 1: we had a legitimate case. But did you see how 212 00:13:19,875 --> 00:13:24,235 Speaker 1: fast the Democrats folded? I bet we can do it 213 00:13:24,315 --> 00:13:28,555 Speaker 1: sometime when it isn't close. De certify the electoral College. 214 00:13:28,595 --> 00:13:32,355 Speaker 1: Good idea. We can win without the popular vote or 215 00:13:32,435 --> 00:13:37,955 Speaker 1: the electoral vote. That means we're electoral geniuses. What you're 216 00:13:37,995 --> 00:13:40,235 Speaker 1: saying that, then it's not a democracy anymore, and there 217 00:13:40,235 --> 00:13:43,635 Speaker 1: aren't any elections anymore, so we're not electoral geniuses. Well, 218 00:13:43,635 --> 00:13:45,755 Speaker 1: they will just make it illegal to teach anything we 219 00:13:45,795 --> 00:13:50,675 Speaker 1: don't like in school. That'll show the bastards. So here 220 00:13:50,675 --> 00:13:55,035 Speaker 1: we are. What happened on nine eleven burned permanently all 221 00:13:55,075 --> 00:13:58,875 Speaker 1: the elements of post traumatic stress disorder into their minds, 222 00:13:58,995 --> 00:14:01,315 Speaker 1: and what they got away with after nine eleven made 223 00:14:01,355 --> 00:14:05,955 Speaker 1: them realize they could get away with anything. So Tucker 224 00:14:06,035 --> 00:14:10,155 Speaker 1: Carlson can say what he wants without consequence, and the 225 00:14:10,195 --> 00:14:12,995 Speaker 1: Proud Boys and the oath Keepers can go into court 226 00:14:13,035 --> 00:14:16,875 Speaker 1: in Washington today thinking they will be exonerated because they 227 00:14:16,915 --> 00:14:19,995 Speaker 1: simply throw out the name Trump. And when the President 228 00:14:20,115 --> 00:14:24,035 Speaker 1: slips and asks if a congresswoman is there for a 229 00:14:24,075 --> 00:14:26,435 Speaker 1: conference about the issue that mattered the most to her 230 00:14:27,075 --> 00:14:29,435 Speaker 1: and she died in a car accident last month, we 231 00:14:29,555 --> 00:14:32,995 Speaker 1: actually have to listen to Joe Biden getting bashed by 232 00:14:33,035 --> 00:14:36,915 Speaker 1: conservatives and fascists and q and ons and Trumpists, whose 233 00:14:36,955 --> 00:14:42,355 Speaker 1: principal political tenant today is that John F. Kennedy Jr. 234 00:14:42,555 --> 00:14:58,235 Speaker 1: Has come back from the dead. Yeah, it's Biden with 235 00:14:58,275 --> 00:15:01,195 Speaker 1: the cognitive problems. No, JF K Jr. Is over there, 236 00:15:01,195 --> 00:15:03,755 Speaker 1: and he's also he became a conservative and now we're 237 00:15:03,875 --> 00:15:08,235 Speaker 1: stupid hats and forgets to shave. Still ahead on countdown, 238 00:15:08,355 --> 00:15:12,475 Speaker 1: Marjorie Trailer Park Green wants you to go hog hunting 239 00:15:12,555 --> 00:15:16,715 Speaker 1: with her. The jokes they write themselves in sports the 240 00:15:16,755 --> 00:15:20,195 Speaker 1: Aaron Judge watched never stops, and in Things I promised 241 00:15:20,195 --> 00:15:23,395 Speaker 1: not to tell. It was the new Coke of television 242 00:15:23,435 --> 00:15:28,715 Speaker 1: sports ESPN two launched twenty nine years ago Saturday, and 243 00:15:28,875 --> 00:15:32,315 Speaker 1: I've still got all the scars, Buddy, and I have 244 00:15:32,475 --> 00:15:35,115 Speaker 1: one more detail of that story that I have never 245 00:15:35,595 --> 00:15:39,955 Speaker 1: previously revealed. There were two reasons I went along with 246 00:15:39,995 --> 00:15:42,995 Speaker 1: this crazy scheme to take me off Sports Center to 247 00:15:43,075 --> 00:15:48,515 Speaker 1: do that instead. Reason number two, the secret reason, as 248 00:15:48,635 --> 00:15:52,155 Speaker 1: personal a reason as there could ever be, I will 249 00:15:52,315 --> 00:15:59,195 Speaker 1: finally reveal to you on this podcast that kids is 250 00:15:59,235 --> 00:16:11,555 Speaker 1: a tease. That's next this discountdown. This is countdown with Keith, 251 00:16:16,755 --> 00:16:19,715 Speaker 1: Thank you, Larry. Still ahead on Countdown. Finally, with the 252 00:16:19,795 --> 00:16:22,755 Speaker 1: Judge thing and the late baseball great Earning Banks, it 253 00:16:22,875 --> 00:16:24,595 Speaker 1: was he used to say, it's a beautiful day, Let's 254 00:16:24,595 --> 00:16:28,155 Speaker 1: play two. But who would ever say let's play six? 255 00:16:29,155 --> 00:16:31,995 Speaker 1: Coming up first. In each edition of Countdown, we feature 256 00:16:32,035 --> 00:16:34,355 Speaker 1: a dog in need whom you can help. Every dog 257 00:16:34,395 --> 00:16:38,035 Speaker 1: has its day. Gonzo may die in the New York 258 00:16:38,035 --> 00:16:41,595 Speaker 1: Pound today because there's something wrong with his human. Time 259 00:16:41,635 --> 00:16:44,595 Speaker 1: and time again, this large seven year old brindle mixed 260 00:16:44,635 --> 00:16:47,795 Speaker 1: breed is put on death row, and time and time again, 261 00:16:47,835 --> 00:16:51,035 Speaker 1: his human reclaims him at the last minute, and then 262 00:16:51,235 --> 00:16:53,555 Speaker 1: his human dumps him back at the pound or on 263 00:16:53,595 --> 00:16:56,795 Speaker 1: the street, or just lets him wander off. If Gonzo 264 00:16:56,835 --> 00:16:59,955 Speaker 1: is not saved by a rescue, this is probably it. 265 00:17:00,515 --> 00:17:03,195 Speaker 1: You can help prevent this needless tragedy with a pledge 266 00:17:03,235 --> 00:17:06,035 Speaker 1: to help defray rescue spences. Just go to my Twitter 267 00:17:06,075 --> 00:17:09,755 Speaker 1: account for Dogs in Trouble Tom Jumbo Grumbo and look 268 00:17:09,835 --> 00:17:13,035 Speaker 1: for Gonzo's tweet and thank you very much for doing so. 269 00:17:29,675 --> 00:17:32,835 Speaker 1: Post Scripts to the news, some headlines, some commentary, some snark. 270 00:17:33,035 --> 00:17:37,955 Speaker 1: Dateline Los Angeles artist Leon Ivy Jr. The rapper Coolio 271 00:17:38,075 --> 00:17:43,275 Speaker 1: Gangster's Paradise has died in Los Angeles. Dateline Holland, Ohio Oops. 272 00:17:43,315 --> 00:17:47,915 Speaker 1: More trouble with Republican House candidate j R. Mjewski's military record. First, 273 00:17:47,955 --> 00:17:50,755 Speaker 1: he said he was an Afghanistan combat veteran acclaim his 274 00:17:50,795 --> 00:17:54,075 Speaker 1: official records does not support. Then he said he was 275 00:17:54,155 --> 00:17:56,835 Speaker 1: denied permission to re enlist by the Air Force because 276 00:17:56,875 --> 00:17:59,915 Speaker 1: he'd gotten into a brawl. No, the records show he 277 00:17:59,955 --> 00:18:03,155 Speaker 1: was stopped for drunk driving on a US air base 278 00:18:03,275 --> 00:18:08,235 Speaker 1: in Japan. Dateline, Floyd County, Georgia. Perry Green has had enough. 279 00:18:08,355 --> 00:18:12,675 Speaker 1: It is irretrievably broken. He says, what is his marriage 280 00:18:12,755 --> 00:18:16,635 Speaker 1: to Congresswoman Marjorie trailer Park Green? He filed on her 281 00:18:16,715 --> 00:18:19,315 Speaker 1: last night. Guess she'll just be Marjorie trailer Park now 282 00:18:19,515 --> 00:18:23,515 Speaker 1: stateline Twitter. Trump almost fired his own daughter and daughter 283 00:18:23,515 --> 00:18:26,955 Speaker 1: in law as White House aids and wanted to let 284 00:18:26,955 --> 00:18:30,275 Speaker 1: them know by a tweet. Talked out of it by 285 00:18:30,315 --> 00:18:33,875 Speaker 1: Chief of Staff John Kelly and Representative Debbie Dingle says 286 00:18:33,915 --> 00:18:37,275 Speaker 1: she got a two thousand nineteen phone call from someone 287 00:18:37,355 --> 00:18:40,435 Speaker 1: purporting to be a Washington Post reporter whose name she 288 00:18:40,555 --> 00:18:44,155 Speaker 1: did not recognize. The more the man talked, the more 289 00:18:44,275 --> 00:18:49,275 Speaker 1: she believed the caller was actually Trump. These tidbits are 290 00:18:49,315 --> 00:18:51,795 Speaker 1: from What Else, an excerpt from a new book by 291 00:18:51,835 --> 00:18:54,915 Speaker 1: Maggie Haberman. The good news here is, with all of 292 00:18:54,915 --> 00:18:57,475 Speaker 1: these excerpts, you no longer have any excuse to buy 293 00:18:57,675 --> 00:19:00,475 Speaker 1: or read the new book by Maggie Haberman, since it 294 00:19:00,515 --> 00:19:05,635 Speaker 1: has now been excerpted by every outlet except eesp end deportees. 295 00:19:18,075 --> 00:19:24,355 Speaker 1: This is Sports Center. Wait, check that, not anymore. This 296 00:19:25,355 --> 00:19:31,875 Speaker 1: is Countdown with Keith in Sports. So finally Tim Maza 297 00:19:31,995 --> 00:19:35,395 Speaker 1: has done it. Who's Tim Masa. He's the fifth year 298 00:19:35,475 --> 00:19:37,915 Speaker 1: veteran middle reliever of the Toronto Blue Jays, and he 299 00:19:37,995 --> 00:19:40,435 Speaker 1: is the guy who gave up Aaron Judges record tying 300 00:19:40,755 --> 00:19:43,635 Speaker 1: sixty one homer in the seventh inning against the Toronto 301 00:19:43,675 --> 00:19:46,475 Speaker 1: Blue Jays last night for the New York Yankees. Yep, 302 00:19:46,635 --> 00:19:48,955 Speaker 1: Judges home run might have been caught by a fan 303 00:19:49,155 --> 00:19:51,595 Speaker 1: leaning over the Blue Jay's bullpen, but it wasn't. He 304 00:19:51,635 --> 00:19:53,355 Speaker 1: won't see that again in his dreams for the next 305 00:19:53,355 --> 00:19:55,915 Speaker 1: seventy years. It went instead into the bullpen and was 306 00:19:55,955 --> 00:19:59,435 Speaker 1: caught by Toronto coach Matt Bushman, who is the husband 307 00:19:59,755 --> 00:20:02,915 Speaker 1: of sportscaster Sarah Walsh. And yes, by the way, I 308 00:20:02,955 --> 00:20:05,995 Speaker 1: subscribed to sixty one being the all time home run 309 00:20:06,075 --> 00:20:08,595 Speaker 1: record and Aaron Judge having tied it. As I noted 310 00:20:08,635 --> 00:20:11,155 Speaker 1: the other day, the all times strikeout record is three 311 00:20:11,635 --> 00:20:14,555 Speaker 1: eighty three by Nolan Ryan and the Angels in nineteen 312 00:20:14,675 --> 00:20:18,635 Speaker 1: seventy three. Even though Matt Kilroy of the Orioles struck 313 00:20:18,635 --> 00:20:22,115 Speaker 1: out five thirteen and eighteen eighty six. The records are 314 00:20:22,115 --> 00:20:26,115 Speaker 1: not just numbers, they are numbers in context. Kilroy was 315 00:20:26,155 --> 00:20:28,995 Speaker 1: pitching from fifty feet away from the plate, Ryan from 316 00:20:28,995 --> 00:20:32,715 Speaker 1: sixty six inches. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves lost three to 317 00:20:32,755 --> 00:20:34,755 Speaker 1: two in ten innings at Washington, and the New York 318 00:20:34,795 --> 00:20:38,195 Speaker 1: Mets beat the Miami Marlins five four in ten, all 319 00:20:38,355 --> 00:20:42,315 Speaker 1: five runs driven in by Met third baseman Eduardo Escobar. 320 00:20:51,955 --> 00:20:55,635 Speaker 1: Thank you, Nancy Faust take five. The Mets now lead 321 00:20:55,675 --> 00:20:58,155 Speaker 1: the Braves by a game in the National League East, 322 00:20:58,155 --> 00:21:00,595 Speaker 1: going into their three game series in Atlanta over the 323 00:21:00,595 --> 00:21:04,115 Speaker 1: weekend with the storm. The Mets offered to play game 324 00:21:04,195 --> 00:21:07,595 Speaker 1: one of that series in Atlanta, not on Friday, but today. 325 00:21:07,995 --> 00:21:11,475 Speaker 1: The Braves said no thanks. Mets manager Buck Showalter joke 326 00:21:11,555 --> 00:21:13,475 Speaker 1: the Mets would be ready to play a triple header 327 00:21:13,515 --> 00:21:17,275 Speaker 1: if the weather demanded. It sounds farcical, but baseball used 328 00:21:17,315 --> 00:21:20,195 Speaker 1: to have triple headers. The Pirates and Red's played the 329 00:21:20,275 --> 00:21:24,955 Speaker 1: last one on October two. Baseball's official historian, my friend 330 00:21:25,035 --> 00:21:28,955 Speaker 1: John Thorne, noted that in nineteen oh three, the Hudson 331 00:21:29,075 --> 00:21:32,755 Speaker 1: Marines of the Hudson River League, a minor league in 332 00:21:32,795 --> 00:21:37,155 Speaker 1: New York State, played a quadruple header against the Poughkeepsie 333 00:21:37,275 --> 00:21:41,515 Speaker 1: Colts and won all four games in turn. Minor league 334 00:21:41,555 --> 00:21:47,155 Speaker 1: historian Tim Haggarty then noted that on September four, Manchester 335 00:21:47,355 --> 00:21:49,915 Speaker 1: needed to win six games to clinch the second half 336 00:21:49,955 --> 00:21:53,515 Speaker 1: title in the New England League. They somehow talked the 337 00:21:53,555 --> 00:21:59,555 Speaker 1: Portland's Phenomens into playing a sex tuple header six games, 338 00:21:59,915 --> 00:22:03,915 Speaker 1: two in the morning, four in the afternoon. Manchester needed 339 00:22:03,915 --> 00:22:20,475 Speaker 1: to win all se x. They won all six, still 340 00:22:20,515 --> 00:22:22,795 Speaker 1: ahead on countdown. Every year about this time I get 341 00:22:22,835 --> 00:22:26,075 Speaker 1: the urge to put on a green silk floral shirt 342 00:22:26,155 --> 00:22:29,035 Speaker 1: and a brown leather jacket and say good evening and 343 00:22:29,075 --> 00:22:32,995 Speaker 1: welcome to the end of our careers. The anniversary of 344 00:22:33,035 --> 00:22:37,595 Speaker 1: the infamous launch of ESPN two in things I promised 345 00:22:37,675 --> 00:22:40,475 Speaker 1: not to tell. Coming up first, the daily roundup of 346 00:22:40,475 --> 00:22:43,515 Speaker 1: the miscreants, morons and Dunning Kruger f X specimens who 347 00:22:43,555 --> 00:22:49,315 Speaker 1: constitute today's worst persons in the world. Lebron's, MSNBC's Chris 348 00:22:49,355 --> 00:22:53,035 Speaker 1: Hayes answering somebody on Twitter who asked how the average 349 00:22:53,115 --> 00:22:57,435 Speaker 1: citizen could reduce the risk of nuclear war. Quote. I 350 00:22:57,475 --> 00:23:00,435 Speaker 1: think probably the best answer is cut off weapons to 351 00:23:00,635 --> 00:23:03,915 Speaker 1: Ukraine and lean on them to sue for peace now. 352 00:23:04,675 --> 00:23:07,355 Speaker 1: But if that's the way forward, people should make the case. 353 00:23:07,755 --> 00:23:10,475 Speaker 1: I'll always be grateful to Chris because the night MSNBC 354 00:23:10,595 --> 00:23:13,555 Speaker 1: tried to suspend me for those political donations to candidates 355 00:23:13,595 --> 00:23:16,155 Speaker 1: who had received a rash of death threats. They asked 356 00:23:16,235 --> 00:23:18,715 Speaker 1: him to anchor in my place, and he refused, but 357 00:23:19,395 --> 00:23:22,315 Speaker 1: cut off weapons to Ukraine and lean on them to 358 00:23:22,475 --> 00:23:28,155 Speaker 1: sue for peace. Congrats, Chris, you've become Tucker Carlson the 359 00:23:28,235 --> 00:23:30,995 Speaker 1: runner up. Martha McCallum of Fox nudes. For twenty six 360 00:23:31,075 --> 00:23:34,275 Speaker 1: years now, Fox has adamantly proclaimed that it has opinion 361 00:23:34,355 --> 00:23:37,835 Speaker 1: hosts and it has news anchors, and they are separate. 362 00:23:37,875 --> 00:23:39,675 Speaker 1: One part of the equation they always leave out is 363 00:23:39,715 --> 00:23:42,995 Speaker 1: that whereas the opinion host are evil and racist and 364 00:23:43,035 --> 00:23:47,675 Speaker 1: fascist and Tucker Carlson, the news anchors tend to be idiots. 365 00:23:48,235 --> 00:23:52,515 Speaker 1: Martha McCallum on Hurricane Ian quote, you feel terrible for 366 00:23:52,555 --> 00:23:55,595 Speaker 1: people in Puerto Rico who were just hit and Cuba 367 00:23:55,635 --> 00:24:00,035 Speaker 1: who were just hit. Thank god, we have better infrastructure 368 00:24:00,115 --> 00:24:04,875 Speaker 1: in our country. You hear all the time about news acts. 369 00:24:05,315 --> 00:24:09,635 Speaker 1: Martha mccadum's bio notes that after she took her undergrad degree, 370 00:24:10,035 --> 00:24:14,315 Speaker 1: she studied at the Circle in the Square Theater School 371 00:24:14,515 --> 00:24:22,155 Speaker 1: and founded the Miranda Theater Company. But our winner, Marjorie 372 00:24:22,195 --> 00:24:25,835 Speaker 1: trailer Park Green. She is out with a new ad 373 00:24:25,915 --> 00:24:28,715 Speaker 1: offering you the chance to go up in a helicopter 374 00:24:28,955 --> 00:24:33,355 Speaker 1: with her while she tries to shoot Ferrell hogs. With 375 00:24:33,755 --> 00:24:36,715 Speaker 1: Ferrell hogs, I said fair, I said Farrell Hoggs, I 376 00:24:36,755 --> 00:24:40,555 Speaker 1: said Farrell Hoggs Son with a machine gun of some sort. 377 00:24:41,315 --> 00:24:46,115 Speaker 1: We've got skyrocketing inflation, high diesel fuel, and Democrats America 378 00:24:46,235 --> 00:24:51,195 Speaker 1: last policies. Democrats aren't the only one destroying farmer's ability 379 00:24:51,275 --> 00:24:54,555 Speaker 1: to put food on the table. We've got wild hawgs 380 00:24:54,635 --> 00:24:58,115 Speaker 1: destroying farmer's field. So we decided to go hog hunting. 381 00:25:00,955 --> 00:25:10,275 Speaker 1: Let's help American farmers out. Sign up Hello and let's there. 382 00:25:10,315 --> 00:25:17,475 Speaker 1: Then appears this web address MTG hog hunt dot com 383 00:25:17,635 --> 00:25:24,915 Speaker 1: MTG for Marjorie Taylor Green Hog. Marjorie Taylor Green Hog. 384 00:25:26,475 --> 00:25:29,635 Speaker 1: Sometimes any jokes that I might offer would be superfluous. 385 00:25:29,915 --> 00:25:36,355 Speaker 1: Marjorie Trailer Park completely self unaware Green two days, worst 386 00:25:36,675 --> 00:25:55,555 Speaker 1: person in the world to our number one story in 387 00:25:55,595 --> 00:25:58,035 Speaker 1: the countdown on my favorite topic, me and things I 388 00:25:58,115 --> 00:26:00,315 Speaker 1: promised not to tell, And this one will take a while. 389 00:26:00,875 --> 00:26:07,795 Speaker 1: Twenty nine years ago, Saturday, October one, we launched ESPN two. 390 00:26:08,035 --> 00:26:10,475 Speaker 1: They talked me into becoming the face of this first 391 00:26:10,515 --> 00:26:14,395 Speaker 1: of ESPNS endless clones of its television self. I wore 392 00:26:14,475 --> 00:26:16,995 Speaker 1: a brown leather bomber jacket and I said the first 393 00:26:17,035 --> 00:26:19,435 Speaker 1: words in the first actual program, and those words were 394 00:26:19,475 --> 00:26:21,515 Speaker 1: good evening and welcome to the end of our careers. 395 00:26:22,195 --> 00:26:25,755 Speaker 1: And that's pretty much all anybody remembers of this unmitigated disaster. 396 00:26:27,075 --> 00:26:30,835 Speaker 1: ESPN two exists today, of course, and successfully, but it 397 00:26:30,875 --> 00:26:33,115 Speaker 1: only became successful when they stopped trying to make it 398 00:26:33,155 --> 00:26:37,555 Speaker 1: something different from original ESPN, and management, with genuine heartbreak, 399 00:26:38,115 --> 00:26:42,315 Speaker 1: accepted the idea that all the nation wanted was more ESPN, 400 00:26:42,675 --> 00:26:49,515 Speaker 1: not different kinds of ESPN that begat ESPN News, ESPN U, 401 00:26:49,995 --> 00:26:55,155 Speaker 1: ESPN plus ESPN. The oh Cho Tarter control ESPN. But 402 00:26:55,275 --> 00:26:58,195 Speaker 1: that's not what they wanted ESPN two to be. They 403 00:26:58,235 --> 00:27:02,155 Speaker 1: wanted it to be hip and cool, you know, for kids, 404 00:27:02,835 --> 00:27:05,275 Speaker 1: And they were gonna make it hip and cool and 405 00:27:05,355 --> 00:27:07,875 Speaker 1: forced it to be hip and cool if it killed 406 00:27:07,915 --> 00:27:12,795 Speaker 1: them and you and for that matter me. It is 407 00:27:12,835 --> 00:27:15,875 Speaker 1: why they took the co anchor of their most successful 408 00:27:15,995 --> 00:27:19,115 Speaker 1: sports center ever and broke up the partnership and moved 409 00:27:19,155 --> 00:27:21,235 Speaker 1: him to a new network that almost literally had more 410 00:27:21,235 --> 00:27:22,955 Speaker 1: people who thought they were in charge of it than 411 00:27:22,995 --> 00:27:27,515 Speaker 1: watched it. And why three months later, when Sports Illustrated 412 00:27:27,555 --> 00:27:32,035 Speaker 1: magazine chose ESPN two as the seventh worst thing to 413 00:27:32,075 --> 00:27:35,475 Speaker 1: happen in sports in the year, only the seventh worst, 414 00:27:35,835 --> 00:27:39,715 Speaker 1: we were grateful, and I then scurried back to Sports 415 00:27:39,715 --> 00:27:43,235 Speaker 1: Center and we all pretended like ESPN two had never happened, 416 00:27:43,235 --> 00:27:46,915 Speaker 1: and we almost never mentioned it again. But the saga 417 00:27:47,035 --> 00:27:50,755 Speaker 1: of why it went so desperately and immediately wrong is 418 00:27:50,795 --> 00:27:53,875 Speaker 1: worth telling in brief, and if you will listen to it, 419 00:27:53,995 --> 00:27:58,235 Speaker 1: I will tell you something I have never admitted publicly before. 420 00:27:58,875 --> 00:28:02,235 Speaker 1: Why when they asked me to leave Sports Center after 421 00:28:02,275 --> 00:28:05,475 Speaker 1: a very first successful year on Sports Center to go 422 00:28:05,555 --> 00:28:10,355 Speaker 1: do this cockamamie new network thing. Why on earth given 423 00:28:10,395 --> 00:28:17,435 Speaker 1: the choice, I actually said, yes, nobody knows this, you 424 00:28:17,515 --> 00:28:22,315 Speaker 1: will in a few minutes. But first, by the time 425 00:28:22,355 --> 00:28:25,315 Speaker 1: I went to work there in ESPN had finally moved 426 00:28:25,315 --> 00:28:27,835 Speaker 1: out of its perennial status of near bankruptcy and near 427 00:28:27,875 --> 00:28:31,515 Speaker 1: irrelevancy to profit and prominence. From a launch in nineteen 428 00:28:31,555 --> 00:28:33,715 Speaker 1: seventy nine through the mid nineteen eighties, the place had 429 00:28:33,755 --> 00:28:36,995 Speaker 1: always either had a new owner, or a new schedule, 430 00:28:37,235 --> 00:28:40,755 Speaker 1: or a new plan to avert bankruptcy. When I joined 431 00:28:40,875 --> 00:28:44,595 Speaker 1: the fledgling sports department at CNN in I used to 432 00:28:44,595 --> 00:28:48,195 Speaker 1: watch my high school classmate Chris Berman do his show 433 00:28:48,275 --> 00:28:51,355 Speaker 1: called Sports Center from what was obviously a closet with 434 00:28:51,435 --> 00:28:55,235 Speaker 1: one light, no air conditioning, and no teleprompter. Sometimes it 435 00:28:55,235 --> 00:28:57,715 Speaker 1: would be twenty minutes long. Sometimes it would be two 436 00:28:57,755 --> 00:29:00,915 Speaker 1: minutes long. Each time I'd look at poor Chris sch 437 00:29:00,955 --> 00:29:03,955 Speaker 1: fitzing and looking a little claustrophobic, and I'd say, well, 438 00:29:05,075 --> 00:29:10,355 Speaker 1: hooray for CNN Sports. We're not the worst. But by 439 00:29:11,035 --> 00:29:13,755 Speaker 1: ESPN had begun to be willing to spend a little 440 00:29:13,795 --> 00:29:17,115 Speaker 1: money to bring in a prominent local sportscaster from Los 441 00:29:17,195 --> 00:29:20,915 Speaker 1: Angeles me and give him the keys to the eleven 442 00:29:20,955 --> 00:29:23,395 Speaker 1: o'clock Sports Center. And this company, which did not have 443 00:29:23,435 --> 00:29:27,315 Speaker 1: any merchandise, did not sell anything with its logo on it, 444 00:29:27,755 --> 00:29:31,475 Speaker 1: finally decided to expand and launch an all sports radio 445 00:29:31,555 --> 00:29:34,635 Speaker 1: network and When those plans did not go very well, 446 00:29:34,675 --> 00:29:36,515 Speaker 1: they spent a little extra money and they talked me 447 00:29:36,555 --> 00:29:39,595 Speaker 1: into moving to Connecticut three months earlier than planned to 448 00:29:39,755 --> 00:29:42,515 Speaker 1: launch the radio network, and it was an instantaneous hit 449 00:29:43,435 --> 00:29:46,955 Speaker 1: by early n Then there were rumblings and then rumors, 450 00:29:46,955 --> 00:29:49,635 Speaker 1: and finally an announcement that they would build upon the 451 00:29:49,715 --> 00:29:53,995 Speaker 1: radio success by starting a second television network, ESPN and 452 00:29:54,435 --> 00:29:59,075 Speaker 1: ESPN two. But and from the beginning, this was the point. 453 00:29:59,715 --> 00:30:02,595 Speaker 1: It was not going to be just another ESPN or 454 00:30:02,595 --> 00:30:06,155 Speaker 1: the ESPN spillover channel, or the channel for when there's 455 00:30:06,195 --> 00:30:08,875 Speaker 1: a great basketball game and a great football game at 456 00:30:08,875 --> 00:30:11,195 Speaker 1: the same time and we want to cover both. It 457 00:30:11,315 --> 00:30:16,955 Speaker 1: was going to be different. There'd be live broadcasts of games, 458 00:30:16,995 --> 00:30:19,475 Speaker 1: just like ESPN. There'd be a studio sports show just 459 00:30:19,635 --> 00:30:22,875 Speaker 1: like Sports Center, but it be hip, you know, for 460 00:30:23,075 --> 00:30:27,715 Speaker 1: kids in the Sports Center newsroom. The assumption was the 461 00:30:27,715 --> 00:30:30,475 Speaker 1: face of ESPN two was going to be Mike Tariko. 462 00:30:31,195 --> 00:30:34,875 Speaker 1: Mike had had a very tough Nino and it seemed 463 00:30:34,915 --> 00:30:37,115 Speaker 1: like something that could re establish him in the company, 464 00:30:37,515 --> 00:30:39,915 Speaker 1: or if he had a tough nineteen something he could 465 00:30:39,955 --> 00:30:42,875 Speaker 1: be jettison from. If the whole thing went up in flames, 466 00:30:43,755 --> 00:30:46,435 Speaker 1: I heard Robin Robert's name mentioned once or twice, and 467 00:30:46,555 --> 00:30:48,515 Speaker 1: I don't know if they ever approached Robin, and I 468 00:30:48,595 --> 00:30:50,955 Speaker 1: think Tariko told me once they had mentioned it to him, 469 00:30:50,995 --> 00:30:53,795 Speaker 1: but never seriously. So when they called me into my 470 00:30:53,875 --> 00:30:56,995 Speaker 1: boss's office in the spring of nine, I just assumed 471 00:30:56,995 --> 00:30:59,275 Speaker 1: they were yelling at me for something I said, since 472 00:30:59,315 --> 00:31:01,835 Speaker 1: that's what they usually called me in for, or called 473 00:31:01,835 --> 00:31:04,555 Speaker 1: me and Dan Patrick in four or called Danny just 474 00:31:04,715 --> 00:31:09,115 Speaker 1: yell at him for something I had said. Instead, they 475 00:31:09,155 --> 00:31:13,115 Speaker 1: offered me ESPN two. We want you to be to 476 00:31:13,515 --> 00:31:17,195 Speaker 1: ESPN two, said John Walsh, who basically ran everything ESPN 477 00:31:17,235 --> 00:31:19,195 Speaker 1: did that was not a ball game. We want you 478 00:31:19,275 --> 00:31:22,515 Speaker 1: to be for ESPN to what Chris Berman is to ESPN. 479 00:31:24,395 --> 00:31:27,035 Speaker 1: They explained that there would be younger sports on their 480 00:31:27,315 --> 00:31:30,075 Speaker 1: X games stuff and mountain biking. They kept talking about 481 00:31:30,075 --> 00:31:33,675 Speaker 1: mountain biking and a lot of stuff with trees, but 482 00:31:33,755 --> 00:31:37,475 Speaker 1: that the flagship program would match my sense of humor exactly, 483 00:31:37,515 --> 00:31:40,395 Speaker 1: that it would be snarky and flip and with it 484 00:31:40,435 --> 00:31:44,675 Speaker 1: and hip and cool, you know, for kids. They said 485 00:31:44,675 --> 00:31:47,315 Speaker 1: they would let me continue on Sports Center until August 486 00:31:47,555 --> 00:31:50,315 Speaker 1: and then have me work for two months helping them 487 00:31:50,355 --> 00:31:54,755 Speaker 1: design and rehearse the new show. They actually wanted my opinion, 488 00:31:55,675 --> 00:31:59,675 Speaker 1: and they offered to give me like a raise. Understand, 489 00:31:59,675 --> 00:32:03,635 Speaker 1: the ESPN would fight you over an eleven dollar cab 490 00:32:03,755 --> 00:32:06,435 Speaker 1: ride on an exper report. They would call you into 491 00:32:06,435 --> 00:32:09,315 Speaker 1: a meeting, they would spend thirty minutes on this. They 492 00:32:09,355 --> 00:32:13,155 Speaker 1: would then offer you eight dollars. A twenty five percent 493 00:32:13,515 --> 00:32:22,315 Speaker 1: raise was the n ESPN equivalent of eternal life. Still, 494 00:32:22,355 --> 00:32:24,795 Speaker 1: I had my doubts for one thing. As it was, 495 00:32:24,875 --> 00:32:27,915 Speaker 1: we seemed to be pretty hip and cool on Sports Center. 496 00:32:28,355 --> 00:32:30,795 Speaker 1: As it was, Dan Patrick and I had an on 497 00:32:30,835 --> 00:32:34,115 Speaker 1: air relationship that you could not practice, nor design, nor cast. 498 00:32:34,875 --> 00:32:37,915 Speaker 1: It was just there or it wasn't. We were the 499 00:32:37,955 --> 00:32:40,275 Speaker 1: two guys in the World War One bunker who knew 500 00:32:40,275 --> 00:32:43,595 Speaker 1: that the Jerry's would eventually get us right in the psalm. 501 00:32:43,635 --> 00:32:46,355 Speaker 1: So all we could do was first take out as 502 00:32:46,395 --> 00:32:48,755 Speaker 1: many of them as we could and sing and laugh 503 00:32:48,835 --> 00:32:52,075 Speaker 1: while we did it. But I had two reasons for 504 00:32:52,155 --> 00:32:54,995 Speaker 1: saying yes anyway, and I'll save the one I've never 505 00:32:55,075 --> 00:32:59,115 Speaker 1: told anybody at all for the end of this recollection. 506 00:32:59,755 --> 00:33:06,075 Speaker 1: The other reason was believe it or not, I'm I'm 507 00:33:06,115 --> 00:33:09,555 Speaker 1: a team player. I am not the guy who will 508 00:33:09,595 --> 00:33:12,235 Speaker 1: come in and lie on behalf of the team. And 509 00:33:12,275 --> 00:33:14,115 Speaker 1: I am not the guy who will turn away and 510 00:33:14,155 --> 00:33:16,835 Speaker 1: say nothing when the coach is slapping the crap out 511 00:33:16,835 --> 00:33:20,075 Speaker 1: of one of my teammates. But if you say, we 512 00:33:20,155 --> 00:33:22,555 Speaker 1: are management, we have thought this through. We want you 513 00:33:22,595 --> 00:33:24,835 Speaker 1: to leave Sports Center to go do ESPN two and 514 00:33:24,835 --> 00:33:28,315 Speaker 1: be hip and cool, you know for kids, I will 515 00:33:28,355 --> 00:33:35,235 Speaker 1: say yes, plus money. Only they had not thought it through, 516 00:33:35,395 --> 00:33:38,595 Speaker 1: as it proved. The first problem was the new network 517 00:33:38,635 --> 00:33:40,755 Speaker 1: that was supposed to be different from ESPN, and the 518 00:33:40,755 --> 00:33:43,035 Speaker 1: new show that was supposed to be different from ESPN. 519 00:33:43,075 --> 00:33:46,795 Speaker 1: Sports Center was going to be run by John Walsh, 520 00:33:46,955 --> 00:33:50,995 Speaker 1: the guy who ran Sports Center and basically created what 521 00:33:51,155 --> 00:33:52,955 Speaker 1: you saw then and what you see now, And to 522 00:33:53,035 --> 00:33:56,595 Speaker 1: actually produce the show, he chose Mike Bogad, who was 523 00:33:56,635 --> 00:33:59,435 Speaker 1: the coordinating producer of the eleven o'clock Sports Center that 524 00:33:59,475 --> 00:34:02,355 Speaker 1: I was doing with Dan Patrick, and Norby Williamson, who 525 00:34:02,395 --> 00:34:04,675 Speaker 1: was the line producer of the eleven o'clock Sports Center 526 00:34:04,835 --> 00:34:07,235 Speaker 1: with me and Dan Patrick. And although they would not 527 00:34:07,315 --> 00:34:09,995 Speaker 1: give me a title other than anchor, the other guy 528 00:34:10,075 --> 00:34:12,515 Speaker 1: running it was me the co host of the eleven 529 00:34:12,555 --> 00:34:18,035 Speaker 1: o'clock Sports Center. To add to this, crowd of rebellious, innovative, 530 00:34:18,075 --> 00:34:22,235 Speaker 1: anti establishment thinkers who yesterday had been the establishment. John 531 00:34:22,235 --> 00:34:26,155 Speaker 1: Walsh hired the sports editor of the Boston Globe, Vince Doria. 532 00:34:26,355 --> 00:34:29,675 Speaker 1: To my mind, Vince would cover himself in glory at 533 00:34:29,915 --> 00:34:33,995 Speaker 1: ESPN two by once proposing a really bad idea, a 534 00:34:34,155 --> 00:34:37,275 Speaker 1: laugh track for the Nick mackay comedy segments. And when 535 00:34:37,315 --> 00:34:41,075 Speaker 1: I said, that's a really bad idea, it's still a newscast. 536 00:34:41,075 --> 00:34:43,275 Speaker 1: What if we have a laugh track someday when some 537 00:34:43,395 --> 00:34:48,315 Speaker 1: teams plane crashes, he said, you're right. I'm thinking maybe 538 00:34:48,315 --> 00:34:50,555 Speaker 1: I don't know as much about this TV stuff as 539 00:34:50,555 --> 00:34:52,355 Speaker 1: I thought I did. Will you tell me the next 540 00:34:52,355 --> 00:34:55,315 Speaker 1: time I have an idea that's that bad. But at 541 00:34:55,355 --> 00:34:58,955 Speaker 1: this point, Vince was thinking maybe we could defferentiate ESPN 542 00:34:59,035 --> 00:35:02,875 Speaker 1: two from ESPN by showing baseball and basketball box scores overnight. 543 00:35:03,195 --> 00:35:05,515 Speaker 1: There was an opinion and Inns held it that we 544 00:35:05,515 --> 00:35:10,515 Speaker 1: should be the Christian science monitor of sportscasts on ESPN two, 545 00:35:10,875 --> 00:35:14,755 Speaker 1: which was definitely not, you know, for kids. The show 546 00:35:14,795 --> 00:35:17,555 Speaker 1: producers they brought in were also mainstream. My friend and 547 00:35:17,635 --> 00:35:20,675 Speaker 1: producer Ron Growning came in from Los Angeles. He actually 548 00:35:20,675 --> 00:35:23,755 Speaker 1: thought they met the stuff about younger sports. He bought 549 00:35:23,755 --> 00:35:27,115 Speaker 1: a magazine rack and subscribed us to all kinds of 550 00:35:27,115 --> 00:35:31,515 Speaker 1: biking magazines and hiking magazines, and nobody ever read them. 551 00:35:31,595 --> 00:35:34,715 Speaker 1: They hired producers from Madison Square Garden Network. They hired 552 00:35:34,715 --> 00:35:37,715 Speaker 1: associate producers from Sports Center and made them producers to 553 00:35:37,835 --> 00:35:40,795 Speaker 1: join me on the anchor desk. They hired a newspaper 554 00:35:40,835 --> 00:35:44,355 Speaker 1: columnist from Detroit named Mitch Album, and they hired all 555 00:35:44,395 --> 00:35:46,875 Speaker 1: the local sportscasters they did not have room for on 556 00:35:46,995 --> 00:35:49,475 Speaker 1: Sports Center, and among them was a guy named Stu 557 00:35:49,835 --> 00:35:52,995 Speaker 1: Stu Scott, and Stu was great, but Stu and everybody 558 00:35:52,995 --> 00:35:55,835 Speaker 1: else just came in and did regular sportscasts just as 559 00:35:55,875 --> 00:35:59,795 Speaker 1: if they'd been on regular flavor ESPN. Finally to be 560 00:35:59,915 --> 00:36:03,595 Speaker 1: my real co host, they were going to hire, well, 561 00:36:03,635 --> 00:36:05,315 Speaker 1: we never found out who they were going to hire, 562 00:36:05,435 --> 00:36:07,555 Speaker 1: because one day the word came through that the chairman 563 00:36:07,595 --> 00:36:11,315 Speaker 1: of ABC Cap Cities, which owned ESPN and everything else, 564 00:36:11,555 --> 00:36:14,555 Speaker 1: had seen this weekend sportscaster in West Palm Beach doing 565 00:36:14,555 --> 00:36:17,395 Speaker 1: a tennis tournament of some sort or raindelay during a 566 00:36:17,395 --> 00:36:20,115 Speaker 1: tennis tournament or something, and thought she was great, And 567 00:36:20,195 --> 00:36:22,515 Speaker 1: overnight there was a bidding war for her, and we 568 00:36:22,555 --> 00:36:25,555 Speaker 1: had just hired her to be my co host in 569 00:36:25,555 --> 00:36:29,675 Speaker 1: Her name was Susie Colder. Everybody on this renegade network, 570 00:36:29,715 --> 00:36:34,435 Speaker 1: including me, was thoroughly non renegade. It became rather apparent, 571 00:36:34,555 --> 00:36:38,995 Speaker 1: rather quickly that management's understanding what made something cool and hip, 572 00:36:39,595 --> 00:36:46,115 Speaker 1: you know, for kids, was you're ready, what clothing we wore. 573 00:36:47,435 --> 00:36:50,555 Speaker 1: This is the story of the infamous leather jacket I 574 00:36:50,595 --> 00:36:53,795 Speaker 1: wore the first night, which you will hear when countdown continues. 575 00:36:53,835 --> 00:37:01,675 Speaker 1: After this, back to the number one story on the 576 00:37:01,675 --> 00:37:04,275 Speaker 1: countdown and things I promised not to tell on Saturday's 577 00:37:04,315 --> 00:37:08,875 Speaker 1: twenty ninth anniversary of the launch of ESPN two, or 578 00:37:08,915 --> 00:37:12,875 Speaker 1: as I described it to Kenny Maine for his podcast yesterday, 579 00:37:13,555 --> 00:37:17,555 Speaker 1: the Titanic Only It's on fire first, as I said, 580 00:37:17,555 --> 00:37:22,315 Speaker 1: the organizing principle was forced hipness, and the organizing principle 581 00:37:22,435 --> 00:37:26,995 Speaker 1: of forced hipness was the clothing we war. And that 582 00:37:27,075 --> 00:37:29,995 Speaker 1: brings us to the primary image that still appears whenever 583 00:37:30,075 --> 00:37:34,075 Speaker 1: the launch of ESPN two is broached or googled. My 584 00:37:34,355 --> 00:37:41,315 Speaker 1: infamous brown leather bomber jacket. Fall comes early to Bristol, Connecticut, 585 00:37:41,515 --> 00:37:43,115 Speaker 1: and if it were not cold enough there at the 586 00:37:43,195 --> 00:37:46,675 Speaker 1: end of September, there was also something wrong with our 587 00:37:46,755 --> 00:37:50,075 Speaker 1: new ESPN two studio. No matter what they did to 588 00:37:50,155 --> 00:37:52,955 Speaker 1: the air conditioning system in there, it was like forty 589 00:37:52,995 --> 00:37:57,435 Speaker 1: eight degrees all the time. So I was standing outside 590 00:37:57,435 --> 00:38:01,995 Speaker 1: one day trying to get warm, contemplating the succession of 591 00:38:02,115 --> 00:38:05,195 Speaker 1: train wrecks that had been our first five verse pilot 592 00:38:05,195 --> 00:38:07,435 Speaker 1: shows and dry runs, and I was wearing my brown 593 00:38:07,515 --> 00:38:10,635 Speaker 1: leather bomber jacket because it was cold. When another of 594 00:38:10,675 --> 00:38:14,355 Speaker 1: the many executive producers, John Lack, came over to say hi, 595 00:38:15,195 --> 00:38:17,075 Speaker 1: and he was in mid sentence when he looked at 596 00:38:17,075 --> 00:38:22,395 Speaker 1: the jacket and went stone cold, silent. Wait. He finally 597 00:38:22,435 --> 00:38:25,635 Speaker 1: said the word eureka forming over his head. Would you 598 00:38:26,755 --> 00:38:30,195 Speaker 1: could you? If I asked you, would you wear that 599 00:38:30,315 --> 00:38:36,635 Speaker 1: jacket on the show? I pretended to hesitate. I realized 600 00:38:36,635 --> 00:38:39,155 Speaker 1: only the jacket could save me from freezing to death 601 00:38:39,195 --> 00:38:41,795 Speaker 1: in our winter on the TV version of The Donner Party, 602 00:38:42,075 --> 00:38:45,515 Speaker 1: And so I said, I suppose, And that's why I 603 00:38:45,555 --> 00:38:48,155 Speaker 1: was wearing that jacket. It was called in the studio. 604 00:38:49,195 --> 00:38:51,875 Speaker 1: Why they gave Steve Buckley from the Boston Herald a 605 00:38:51,915 --> 00:38:54,275 Speaker 1: baseball cap to wear on the air for his segments 606 00:38:54,275 --> 00:38:58,155 Speaker 1: and where backwards why they put other guys in football 607 00:38:58,195 --> 00:39:01,435 Speaker 1: helmets and insisted that nobody wear a tie ever, not 608 00:39:01,555 --> 00:39:05,515 Speaker 1: even former Boston College football coach Jack mcnell. That should 609 00:39:05,515 --> 00:39:10,715 Speaker 1: be obvious, you know, for kids. It became rapidly apparent 610 00:39:10,795 --> 00:39:15,995 Speaker 1: that all ESPN two was ESPN dressed up differently. I 611 00:39:16,075 --> 00:39:18,635 Speaker 1: had a leather coach, the on screen graphics were in 612 00:39:18,675 --> 00:39:22,115 Speaker 1: lower case letters only. The camera was not on a tripod. 613 00:39:22,195 --> 00:39:24,355 Speaker 1: It was carried around by a cameraman who soon had 614 00:39:24,355 --> 00:39:28,875 Speaker 1: a bad back. The other problem was exemplified by that fellow, 615 00:39:28,955 --> 00:39:32,715 Speaker 1: John Lack. I liked him. He had run MTV News 616 00:39:32,995 --> 00:39:36,675 Speaker 1: and he actually had some ideas about differentiating presentation and 617 00:39:36,795 --> 00:39:40,755 Speaker 1: content for younger audiences. But by the time he suggested 618 00:39:40,795 --> 00:39:43,955 Speaker 1: the jacket, he also had a second message for me. Listen, 619 00:39:43,995 --> 00:39:46,075 Speaker 1: he said, I can't get through to these people. They 620 00:39:46,075 --> 00:39:48,315 Speaker 1: tell me I'm in charge, and then they tell me 621 00:39:48,355 --> 00:39:50,795 Speaker 1: our first new hip revolutionary story is going to be 622 00:39:51,235 --> 00:39:53,835 Speaker 1: a profile of Doug Flutey, the quarterback. And I say, 623 00:39:53,835 --> 00:39:55,675 Speaker 1: how's that different from Sports Center? And they look at 624 00:39:55,715 --> 00:39:58,515 Speaker 1: me like I'm crazy, and they say, he's playing in Canada. 625 00:39:58,755 --> 00:40:01,355 Speaker 1: What we're doing a story about Canada? Who would believe 626 00:40:01,355 --> 00:40:04,395 Speaker 1: we're gonna do a story about Canada. But I know 627 00:40:04,675 --> 00:40:07,715 Speaker 1: you get it, Keith. So when we're actually on the air, 628 00:40:08,315 --> 00:40:10,675 Speaker 1: you have to keep it different. You have to be 629 00:40:10,715 --> 00:40:15,115 Speaker 1: in charge. When we're on you are the executive producer. 630 00:40:17,195 --> 00:40:22,995 Speaker 1: This was extremely bad news because by my account, this 631 00:40:23,035 --> 00:40:25,995 Speaker 1: would have made me the fifteenth or sixteen different person 632 00:40:26,035 --> 00:40:29,595 Speaker 1: who believed they were in charge. There was John Lack, 633 00:40:29,755 --> 00:40:31,995 Speaker 1: There was Walsh. There was a new vice president named 634 00:40:31,995 --> 00:40:34,675 Speaker 1: Howard Katz. There was Vince Doria. There were the two 635 00:40:34,675 --> 00:40:37,955 Speaker 1: Sports center guys, Norby and Bogey. There were the line producers. 636 00:40:37,955 --> 00:40:40,035 Speaker 1: There were a couple of consultants. There was the president 637 00:40:40,035 --> 00:40:42,875 Speaker 1: of ESPN, Steve Bornstein. There was the chairman of ABC 638 00:40:42,995 --> 00:40:45,235 Speaker 1: who had discovered Susy Colbert. There was the guy who 639 00:40:45,315 --> 00:40:47,355 Speaker 1: put in the state of the art air conditioning system 640 00:40:47,355 --> 00:40:50,555 Speaker 1: in the studio. There was the other guy, Walter Cronkites 641 00:40:50,635 --> 00:40:53,195 Speaker 1: lighting director. As he kept telling us who put in 642 00:40:53,235 --> 00:40:55,595 Speaker 1: the state of the art lighting system. All of us 643 00:40:56,315 --> 00:41:02,755 Speaker 1: individually in charge, so nobody was in charge. The night 644 00:41:02,755 --> 00:41:08,675 Speaker 1: before the premier's September, John Walsh, the Sports Center man, 645 00:41:08,715 --> 00:41:11,155 Speaker 1: saw me in the hallway and said, listen, I just 646 00:41:11,235 --> 00:41:14,395 Speaker 1: got some amazing information from audience research. Do you know 647 00:41:14,475 --> 00:41:17,835 Speaker 1: which show in all of television has the highest percentage 648 00:41:17,875 --> 00:41:21,795 Speaker 1: of viewers who are aged eighteen to twenty four. This 649 00:41:21,955 --> 00:41:25,835 Speaker 1: was an important question, a relevant question, because these were 650 00:41:26,395 --> 00:41:30,315 Speaker 1: the kids, you know, for kids. ESPN two had been 651 00:41:30,355 --> 00:41:33,915 Speaker 1: created to get that eighteen to twenty four year old audience. 652 00:41:33,915 --> 00:41:36,275 Speaker 1: So I guess the answer was, I don't know some 653 00:41:36,355 --> 00:41:41,715 Speaker 1: show on MTV. No, Walsh said, gleefully, it's Sports Center. 654 00:41:42,555 --> 00:41:47,595 Speaker 1: And I froze, and I said, wait, John, if if 655 00:41:47,635 --> 00:41:50,635 Speaker 1: we already have the eighteen to twenty four year old audience, 656 00:41:51,075 --> 00:41:54,155 Speaker 1: why are we starting a new network to get the 657 00:41:54,235 --> 00:41:56,835 Speaker 1: eighteen to twenty four year old audience. Do you really 658 00:41:56,875 --> 00:42:00,635 Speaker 1: think they're gonna give up the show they like and 659 00:42:00,635 --> 00:42:03,755 Speaker 1: and move to a news show on a new channel 660 00:42:05,035 --> 00:42:09,915 Speaker 1: just cause? And Walsh laughed and shrugged and shuffled down 661 00:42:09,955 --> 00:42:11,955 Speaker 1: the hallway, and I called a cab to take me 662 00:42:11,995 --> 00:42:14,115 Speaker 1: to the Hartford Airport so I could leave the country. 663 00:42:15,115 --> 00:42:18,515 Speaker 1: Only at the last minute I chickened out. The premiere 664 00:42:18,875 --> 00:42:22,355 Speaker 1: October one began with me, I swear this is true, 665 00:42:22,795 --> 00:42:26,755 Speaker 1: going to shave in my house and instead dropping and 666 00:42:26,835 --> 00:42:30,675 Speaker 1: breaking a mirror. The network signed on at seven pm 667 00:42:30,675 --> 00:42:32,555 Speaker 1: with the national anthem and some sort of statement from 668 00:42:32,635 --> 00:42:36,155 Speaker 1: Chris Berman blessing it, and then a very long sketch 669 00:42:36,275 --> 00:42:38,595 Speaker 1: parody of the then hit film The Fugitive, in which 670 00:42:38,675 --> 00:42:41,475 Speaker 1: I was the fugitive from Sports Center. Get at the 671 00:42:41,515 --> 00:42:44,235 Speaker 1: Fugitive from Sports Center, you get it. Then the lights 672 00:42:44,275 --> 00:42:47,115 Speaker 1: came on. The poor guy with the camera staggered in 673 00:42:47,155 --> 00:42:49,395 Speaker 1: and I said, good evening, and welcome to the end 674 00:42:49,395 --> 00:42:53,635 Speaker 1: of our careers. The television sportswriter of the Associated Press, 675 00:42:53,715 --> 00:42:58,475 Speaker 1: John Nelson, was there in the studio. He immediately flashed 676 00:42:58,475 --> 00:43:02,155 Speaker 1: that quote to a not waiting world, and ESPN two 677 00:43:02,155 --> 00:43:07,755 Speaker 1: and Sports Night were born, you know, for kids. The 678 00:43:07,755 --> 00:43:11,355 Speaker 1: first night seemed okay, largely because ESPN threw a party 679 00:43:11,395 --> 00:43:15,475 Speaker 1: in the parking lot under a gigantic tent, free food 680 00:43:15,635 --> 00:43:21,915 Speaker 1: and booze, hundreds of staffers and guests and celebrities and 681 00:43:22,115 --> 00:43:27,875 Speaker 1: free booze. That place later became known as the Tent 682 00:43:28,275 --> 00:43:31,635 Speaker 1: of Consent. Don't ask me. I was on the air 683 00:43:31,675 --> 00:43:33,475 Speaker 1: and three hours I had nothing to do with this. 684 00:43:34,035 --> 00:43:37,195 Speaker 1: Later that night, near the tent, the network president stumbled 685 00:43:37,235 --> 00:43:39,755 Speaker 1: crossing a little bridge over a stream and wound up 686 00:43:39,795 --> 00:43:43,115 Speaker 1: in the water. And he still had a better night 687 00:43:43,155 --> 00:43:47,115 Speaker 1: than we did. The show's bounced from topic to topic 688 00:43:47,155 --> 00:43:50,155 Speaker 1: and mood to mood once with Bill Pito anchoring with me. 689 00:43:50,195 --> 00:43:53,115 Speaker 1: Sports Night ran a mini documentary on a high school 690 00:43:53,115 --> 00:43:56,595 Speaker 1: basketball star who chose which college to go to to 691 00:43:56,675 --> 00:44:01,075 Speaker 1: play ball at entirely by letter and telephone. Only when 692 00:44:01,075 --> 00:44:04,635 Speaker 1: he arrived did he discover he was the only white 693 00:44:04,795 --> 00:44:09,155 Speaker 1: guy in an entirely black conference. We showed the first 694 00:44:09,155 --> 00:44:13,155 Speaker 1: ten minutes of this extraordinary story, then we promised to 695 00:44:13,195 --> 00:44:16,315 Speaker 1: show you the rest of it, and then we welcomed 696 00:44:16,355 --> 00:44:21,835 Speaker 1: to live studio guest, Eddie Layton, the organist from Yankee Stadium. 697 00:44:21,875 --> 00:44:24,435 Speaker 1: He played a few tunes, and then we went back 698 00:44:24,435 --> 00:44:27,075 Speaker 1: to part two of this very grim documentary about this 699 00:44:27,195 --> 00:44:31,555 Speaker 1: very dim basketball player, and that hour was kind of 700 00:44:31,595 --> 00:44:36,155 Speaker 1: good compared to the rest of them. Eventually, we moved 701 00:44:36,195 --> 00:44:39,435 Speaker 1: Sports Night from Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights to Monday 702 00:44:39,475 --> 00:44:42,195 Speaker 1: through Friday at five pm, so Sports Night was on 703 00:44:42,235 --> 00:44:46,475 Speaker 1: in the afternoons. Though it was December, the limitless air 704 00:44:46,475 --> 00:44:50,355 Speaker 1: conditioning continued. Susie Colbert began to wear a blanket on 705 00:44:50,435 --> 00:44:53,355 Speaker 1: her lap just out of camera view. I begged to 706 00:44:53,395 --> 00:44:56,395 Speaker 1: be returned to Sports Center, and they agreed provided I 707 00:44:56,435 --> 00:44:59,435 Speaker 1: gave back the Rays and extended my contract for a 708 00:44:59,515 --> 00:45:03,355 Speaker 1: year and gave back a little bit more. Sports Illustrated 709 00:45:03,475 --> 00:45:05,915 Speaker 1: at that point, still the lead and most influential sports 710 00:45:05,995 --> 00:45:08,795 Speaker 1: media outlet in the world, warned us it was going 711 00:45:08,875 --> 00:45:11,275 Speaker 1: to list in its year end issue the worst things 712 00:45:11,275 --> 00:45:14,115 Speaker 1: to happen in sports in nine and we ESPN two 713 00:45:14,115 --> 00:45:16,795 Speaker 1: we're gonna be on it. And when the magazine came out, 714 00:45:16,835 --> 00:45:19,315 Speaker 1: there on the list, behind the stabbing of the tennis 715 00:45:19,355 --> 00:45:22,155 Speaker 1: star Monica Sellis by a fan of her rival, stephie Groff, 716 00:45:22,435 --> 00:45:25,475 Speaker 1: and behind Michael Jordan's retirement, and behind a college football 717 00:45:25,475 --> 00:45:28,835 Speaker 1: player suing his coach because somebody else became the starting quarterback. 718 00:45:28,875 --> 00:45:32,875 Speaker 1: There we were Sports Illustrated's choice as the seventh worst 719 00:45:32,955 --> 00:45:35,835 Speaker 1: thing in sports for ninetee And the reaction of the 720 00:45:35,875 --> 00:45:37,995 Speaker 1: anchors and the staff and even the management and all 721 00:45:38,075 --> 00:45:40,675 Speaker 1: eighteen people were in charge of ESPN two Sports Night 722 00:45:40,715 --> 00:45:45,315 Speaker 1: was unanimous, Hooray, We're not the worst. We're not the worst. 723 00:45:45,635 --> 00:45:51,915 Speaker 1: We're not the worst. In my last week anchoring the show, 724 00:45:52,755 --> 00:45:57,955 Speaker 1: we discovered that Walter Cronkites lighting guy had never spoken 725 00:45:57,995 --> 00:46:00,355 Speaker 1: to the guy who put in the air conditioning system. 726 00:46:00,395 --> 00:46:04,075 Speaker 1: Walter Cronkites lighting guy had focused the principal backlight in 727 00:46:04,235 --> 00:46:07,355 Speaker 1: his state of the art lighting system directly onto the 728 00:46:07,395 --> 00:46:10,395 Speaker 1: principal monitor for the other guys state of the art 729 00:46:10,395 --> 00:46:12,755 Speaker 1: air conditioning system, so the state of the art air 730 00:46:12,795 --> 00:46:15,315 Speaker 1: conditioning system had spent six months thinking the temperature in 731 00:46:15,315 --> 00:46:19,635 Speaker 1: the studio was two ordered seventeen degrees. They let me 732 00:46:19,675 --> 00:46:22,035 Speaker 1: go back to Sports Center, providing I gave back all 733 00:46:22,075 --> 00:46:25,955 Speaker 1: the extra money, and I happily did it and a 734 00:46:25,955 --> 00:46:29,595 Speaker 1: little more. Sports Night staggered on for a few more 735 00:46:29,635 --> 00:46:33,875 Speaker 1: weeks before being canceled, and all the talent Stuart Scott, 736 00:46:33,955 --> 00:46:36,875 Speaker 1: Susie Calbert Bilpedo, and the guy they hired to replace 737 00:46:36,915 --> 00:46:39,275 Speaker 1: me when I escaped back to Sports Center, Kenny, Maine. 738 00:46:39,555 --> 00:46:44,035 Speaker 1: They all went on to do Sports Center. As to 739 00:46:44,355 --> 00:46:47,955 Speaker 1: ESPN two. We all pretended that never happened, just a 740 00:46:47,995 --> 00:46:51,915 Speaker 1: bad dream. And then there was that other reason I 741 00:46:51,955 --> 00:46:56,555 Speaker 1: had agreed to try it. I have not told anybody this. 742 00:46:57,235 --> 00:47:00,635 Speaker 1: I don't even think I told the other person involved this. 743 00:47:01,795 --> 00:47:05,035 Speaker 1: But the night before ESPN management called me and said 744 00:47:05,035 --> 00:47:07,115 Speaker 1: we'd like you to leave Sports Center and become the 745 00:47:07,115 --> 00:47:10,275 Speaker 1: face of ESPN two. A woman I worked with at 746 00:47:10,475 --> 00:47:12,635 Speaker 1: ESPN said yes, she would like to go out with me, 747 00:47:13,155 --> 00:47:16,555 Speaker 1: but that doing that while we worked together would be 748 00:47:16,595 --> 00:47:21,195 Speaker 1: a disaster. So after management's offer, I asked her if 749 00:47:21,275 --> 00:47:23,835 Speaker 1: my new schedule, which took me away from her department, 750 00:47:23,915 --> 00:47:27,795 Speaker 1: was sufficient professional distance so that she'd feel comfortable dating. 751 00:47:27,995 --> 00:47:32,915 Speaker 1: And she said yes. So I said yes, and and 752 00:47:32,995 --> 00:47:49,795 Speaker 1: we started dating. And that didn't work out either. A 753 00:47:50,155 --> 00:47:52,715 Speaker 1: part of life's rich pageants have done all the damage 754 00:47:52,755 --> 00:47:54,395 Speaker 1: I can do here. Help me out. Give this thing 755 00:47:54,435 --> 00:47:56,755 Speaker 1: a good review, or rating her heart or a smiley 756 00:47:56,835 --> 00:48:00,555 Speaker 1: emoji or whatever. Forward it to somebody, Tell somebody about it. 757 00:48:00,755 --> 00:48:04,115 Speaker 1: The Countdown theme from Beethoven's ninth Arrange, produced and performed 758 00:48:04,115 --> 00:48:08,475 Speaker 1: by Countdown musical directors Brian Ray and John Philip Chanelle. Guitarist, 759 00:48:08,515 --> 00:48:11,795 Speaker 1: bass and drums by Brian Ray, all orchestration and keyboards 760 00:48:11,835 --> 00:48:14,555 Speaker 1: by John Philip Chanelle. Produced by t k O Brothers. 761 00:48:15,155 --> 00:48:17,635 Speaker 1: Other Beethoven selections have been arranged and performed by the 762 00:48:17,675 --> 00:48:22,315 Speaker 1: group No Horns Allowed Our sports music. The Olderman ESPN 763 00:48:22,435 --> 00:48:25,475 Speaker 1: two theme, not from the original shows, from the two 764 00:48:25,475 --> 00:48:28,355 Speaker 1: thousand thirteen show that was written by Mitch Warren Davis, 765 00:48:28,355 --> 00:48:32,475 Speaker 1: and it appears courtesy of ESPN Incorporated. Musical comments throughout 766 00:48:32,555 --> 00:48:36,595 Speaker 1: by Nancy Faust, the best baseball stadium organists of all time, 767 00:48:36,995 --> 00:48:39,035 Speaker 1: and our announced you today was Larry David. Everything else 768 00:48:39,075 --> 00:48:41,915 Speaker 1: is pretty much my fault. Let's countdown for this the 769 00:48:41,995 --> 00:48:46,075 Speaker 1: six thirty second day since Donald Trump's first attempted coup 770 00:48:46,355 --> 00:48:49,315 Speaker 1: against the democratically elected government of the United States. Arrest 771 00:48:49,395 --> 00:48:53,075 Speaker 1: him now while we still can. A new episode tomorrow 772 00:48:53,195 --> 00:48:55,835 Speaker 1: till then on Keith Alderman. Good Morning, good afternoon, good night, 773 00:48:56,475 --> 00:49:07,355 Speaker 1: and good luck. Countdown with Keith al Reman is a 774 00:49:07,355 --> 00:49:10,955 Speaker 1: production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I 775 00:49:11,075 --> 00:49:14,555 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 776 00:49:14,795 --> 00:49:16,795 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts.