Aug 3rd- Tom Brady, Ryan Lochte, Nate McMillan, Marcel Dionne, Rod Beck, Lance Alworth, Co-Host Tyler Polk

0:17 Well, hi everyone, I am Jeff and welcome to Sports History Today. We're going to talk about everything that happened in the world of sports today on August third. Now I have a really cool co host today is an up and coming star broadcaster Tyler. Why don't you produce yourself? Hello everyone, I'm Type Polk. I'm from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and uh yeah, I'm a local broadcaster around the region as well broadcasting WPIL high school sports Division three and two and just recently breaking into Division one college sports and also a broadcaster of a regional MMA promotion two for seven fighting Championships. And I'll shout it out with this August ninth on pay per view.

1:04 They had their first ever show in their new personally owned venue on August ninth, and it's been a long time coming for that. That sounds absolutely awesome. So do you remember have you always been in sports? What got into it? Just as being a kid. Yeah, I was always a sports kid around town for reasons. That's more on my end. I didn't really play any sports out past age six, with soccer here here in America, but for the most part, my first memory was picking up the post Gazette and seeing Allen iverson the Philadelphia seventy six ers on the sports page. You just had another great game in the NBA Finals in two thousand and one, and that's really one of the first memories of sports that I have in my life.

1:55 Well, let's good. We probably broke your heart then when they traded him here to Denver. Huh nah. I mean, I'm still a little bit of a generalist when it comes to it. Being with Pittsburgh, I guess I've kind of transitioned into a Lebron fan or Brudos who are. More terminally online, a Heat fan. But it's always it's always fun to catch up with basketball. It's been a sport that I've covered the most as a broadcaster. Yeah, the Pittsburgh area, man, that's an awesome sports area for just about every sport you can think of. Yes, so so many great championship moments. Of course, you have the two time back to back. Stanley Cup champions in ninety one ninety two, and then of course sixteen seventeen with nine right in the middle of the Penguins. The Steelers always a perennial team that's successful in its own right. And then of course you got the Pirates, which they're currently down, but they have one of the best pictures in the game in Paul Skins.

2:52 And what you don't really know about Pittsburgh that at one point it was the first ABA champions, the Pittsburgh Pipers. They were the first ever ABA champions. So there's a little bit of basketball professional basketball history with Pittsburgh, but it's been long dormant. Yeah, between the Steelers and the Penguins. Though, you guys have been pretty dominant. Out there, very very dominated. Well, I guess you had. The Pirates are pretty dominant in the seventies and eighties too. Though, yes. And also congratulations and rest in peace to Dave Parker to Cobra. He just got named to the Baseball Hall of Fame today. He was inducted. Oh well, that was long overdue.

3:33 Yeah, very long, very long overdue. There's a lot of controversy with that, and it's a shame that he couldn't get to do his own speech. Right, he got his family. It was beautiful. I just seen it about an hour ago or so. Oh cool, God bless Dave. All right, let's see what happened in history on August third, eighteen fifty two, the first intercollegiate sporting event went down. It was on Lake Winnipesauke up there in New Hampshire, Yale. They competed in a two mile rowing race. Harvard won by two boat links. Nineteen oh six, Washington Nationals pitcher Tom Hughes. He had a home run in the tenth inning that broke the tie between the Saint Louis Browns. They won one nothing.

4:13 Tom he's the only Major league pitcher in baseball history to hit an extra inning over home run. Yeah and win win nothing. So that's how you get and gave the game ball to if he did in hitting and pitching. Nineteen o nine umpire Tom Hurst. He started a riot. See he's spat in the face Philadelphia's second basement. Eddie Collins. Now Eddie, he was arguing one of his calls. Hurst. He ended up getting banned for baseball from life. Eddie. Yeah, he's in the Hall of Fame. Nineteen fourteen New York Yankees catcher Less Nanamaker. He threw out three Detroit Tigers for trying to steal base second base in the first inning. Now, this is pretty interesting air tie. Now we looked it up that's the only time any catcher has ever thrown out free batters trying to steal in the same inning. Twice pitchers have picked off three base runners in an inning.

4:55 Though, Yeah, that has that has to be a really fantastic stat And I think there's I think there's always a common trend that if paketcher gets too caught stealings, I think you should stop running on that guy. So whoever whoever was running the third base side over there really liked the test is luck that day. Exactly. In nineteen thirty Philadelphia Philes his Chuck kline. Now he had Hitten safely in his twenty sixth straight game. What came the end and the next end of the doubleheader twice that season, though Chucky had two twenty games six game hitting streaks, The longest before that has been two twenty games. You Olympic fan, Yeah, yeah, of course.

5:37 The Olympics really excited about the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics. In the nineteen thirty two Los Angeles Olympics, it was the first time ever that they used automatic timing and photo finished cameras in track and field. That technology was actually developed in horse racing. Now in the nineteen thirty six Olympics in Germany. Now in front of Adon Hitler American spinner Jesse Ewens. He won the gold medal one hundred meter dash. Of course, Jesse went on to win four in that Olympics. They don't talked about it, but Hitler when he would look that morning if Owens was racing, he would not go to the stadium this. Oh wow, have you ever heard anything like this? Now? This is the only time it happened in baseball was in nineteen sixty Troy Tigers they traded their manager Jimmy Diyke's to the Cleveland Idiots for their manager Joe Gordon. Yeah, there's been a couple.

6:23 Yeah, one one thing. One thing about that, though, I think it would be interesting to look up in history how many times a coach or manager ever got traded. I know it's a little bit more common in the NBA. I remember Doc Rivers that's being traded away. But yeah, there's a rumor always around town that you know, the Steelers or the NFL is looking into someone to trade Mike Tomlin and it's always talked about, but it never really happens. Wonder if that would be one of the first times in NFL history. The only one that comes to mind, and I'm not even positive it was, but when Gruden traded from Tampa Bay to h Yes, yes, I. Forgot about that.

7:04 Ironically, he's ironically that super Bowl championship team Mike Tomlin was a defensive backs coach. May that's kind of interesting, isn't it, oh Man, No, because I think of that one. I know, Doc, I mean that that was pretty kind of surprising when they got he goes traded, But I think Gruden has probably been a bigger surprise. The probably the biggest one. I think it was that it was after I think the Tuck Roll game for for for Gruden, but it. Was a lot of there was a lot that went on to it. I even remember as young as I was that there was a lot of I guess feelings in Oakland that, you know, the time it passed for the team. So so that's why they elected a trade event. And the ironic thing is he goes to face the Raiders in the in the direct next Super Bowl and beats him soundly.

7:54 Yeah, that's got to be a little salt in your wounds there. But being in Denver, anything that they the Raiders suck. That's good in the for us out of here. Hey, my dream's one day to work in in Las Vegas with one of the teams out there, probably UNLV like one of my mentors actually is the all time leading steals all time leader for steals in UNLD women's basketball, doctor Karen Hall. Okay, that'd be cool. Yeah, Vegas would be a good home base anyway. Too hot though, but it's hot here. Yeah, I guess if we did that's so bad in the f No, it's hot in the round there, right, it's gonna be odd. Yeah. Nineteen sixty nine, in the fifth inning that Cincinnatti Reds, they got twenty five hits and ten runs. They still only beat the Phillies nineteen to seventeen.

8:39 Like golf, yeah, I play it not very well. In nineteen seventy nine, Sam Snead he was sixty seven years, two months and seven days old. He is still the oldest man ever to make a cut in a major tournament. Yeah, he made it in the PGA, So I guess there's help for us yet. Still, huh. I don't think I have a chance in there. I mean I have to. I have to number one, get the drive out of the tea box first. Yeah, and that's kind of embarrassing when you hit one and didn't get past the ladies teas. No, it's a hit. It's a hit or miss. Sorry about that. Of course, we have a very loud entrance schime. But yeah, for the most part with it, it's either I drive it a ton and it goes totally right, I hit a ground to a short or it actually goes in a fairly good distance straight. So it's always a it's always a hit or miss.

9:27 That's true. You pretty much summed up the mic off game too. Let's go back to the nineteen eighty four Olympics in Los Angeles. It was when Mary lou Retten became the Darling of America. She hit a ten on her final vault of the competition. She won that gold all amount redtle. Now she was the first American woman to ever actually win any kind of medal in the Olympics period. Wow, in nineteen eighty oh, I know. And and she had a and she had a sprained ankle. Now that this is before your time, that was this was an eighty four you're thinking of Kerry Strugs, But pretty much almost identical situation. Wow, yeah, because that little girl, man they're carrying around walking it you, I don't know how you could do a vault with the sprain ankle, though that seems impossible.

10:10 I've done. I've done a few people who've done gymnastics, you know, going to high school, a few girls and stuff like that. They're tough. They're they're tougher than you think because, I mean, you have to deal with number one, the judges, and and that pre judging is just so crazy. But exactly, yeah, when. How they're able to pull it off with it? I mean they go through all types of screens. They might get the flips, they might have some mysteries there, but more often not, you don't really you don't really ever see them really in too much trouble out there, right. And those girls are really tough. Don't get me wrong. I've never had a little girl, but I think gymnastics would be the hardest to watch my little girl. And I don't know, I just think I think that would be the most uncomfortable I could possibly be watching them up there on that balance me.

10:55 Yeah, I think a lot of that, A lot of that stuff. I mean, if you're if you're sitting there watching, especially with a vested interest in being a parent or a close friend, You're just sitting there and every time that they let go of the balance beam or you know, they. Do a flip, you're like, are they gonna land that? Okay, we're good. And not only that, not only performs, but you just know they have to be as nervous as hell every single time before they do whatever they do. I mean, this is I mean, there's world championships, and more often than not the NCAA, especially with college gymnastics, you see them. You see them more than you ever do in the four year stretch in between. But man, whenever the pressure is on like that, the whole world's watching.

11:42 I mean, it takes a lot to not shrink like a valulate. That's what makes sports great though, too, I mean because people basically overcoming everything in order to be their best. Yeah. I can't imagine. I can't imagine being a part of a sport in which, in between four years, you're you're near anonymous, and then out of nowhere, here comes the biggest event in your life, the biggest event in the world, and suddenly every single eye in the world is watching it. Yeah, that is incredible, especially when you when you when you do it. Gee, that's the way. He even makes it even more. I think these days the only thing that makes me more nervous is whatever I'm the one providing the captions to some of those moments.

12:28 Oh sure, yeah, because that's a lot of people are going, what is he talking about. That's a lot of pressure because people are going to remember that, you know, like not only the captions, but like some of those calls and stuff. You know, when they they've played him from fifty years ago and everybody still remembers the call that was made when that play. Oh yeah. I think the most important war was do you believe in miracles? Oh? Yeah, that's I mean, that's usually Yeah, that's got to be the biggest one is sports period history, I think easily in the nineteen eighty seven, let's go back and do some baseball. I'm an empire. He was doing the Minnesota Twins versus the who was it the Los Angeles Angels game? Well, the dumbire He kept noticing that, you know, the pitcher Phil nekro He was acting really funny up there.

13:09 He was like, what's this guy doing? Then? He kind of noticed his pitches seemed a little weird. So finally the umpire walked out there and he just went up and he said, hey, Joe, you know what's the deal. Joe said, I don't know nothing. What's going on with you? He said, what do you got there? And Joe's nothing. He had a file and he was filing the balls down for throwing basically kind of a spitball out there. So he got busted and he got suspended from that game, and then he had suspended for ten more games. Joe, he uh, actually not Joe, but the Twins. They actually beat the Angels eleven to three that game. They let all those runs count. I guess, well, you were around in some history by two thousand and four, weren't you. Yeah? Of course, Cardinals legend Albert Poolhols became only the only player in MLB history it's hit at least thirty home runs in his first four seasons, at least thirty home runs.

13:58 And you know, being being a. Pirates fan, and actually during that season, I got a chance to seapool holes in person. I don't I don't often go to Pirates games, believe it or not, but man to see how he did his business, especially in his prime, was one of the more fantastic experiences you'll ever see. Oh, I believe that. And because I was like, that can't be true, so I looked it up. I thought, what about Aaron Judden. You know, he's got to be up there now. He hit like fifty something his rookie year. Then he didn't get He didn't even get thirty for like four more years. Which which now that you think you look up, you look up and see all those highlights, you would have thought that thirty home runs is a given right.

14:39 Not even Alonzo is close. Huh wow, no boo. I guess. I guess consistency really really does matter in the in the sport. That's why he's so great. M got all the tools. You like WNBA basketball. Of course, I think everybody in the world's watching WNBA basketball these days. Phoenix Mercury Diana to became the first WNBA player to score ten thousand points, and to this day she is still the only one scoring ten thousand, six and forty six points. Right behind her as Tina Charles at eight thousand and sixty four. And it's say to assume with the rapid expansion the WNBA, and of course one Caitlin Clark. But also there's a lot of other great scorers in that league. If you take a look at it, I don't think she's going to be the only player to score ten thousand points for long.

15:30 I agree with you. I'm also to give you a to give you the idea of where in Pittsburgh I'm from. I'm about ten twelve minutes from the home of Swing Cash. Yes, Swing Cash went to McKeesport High School. Of course at the court, the very court that she played, they renamed its Swing Cash Court. That's pretty good. The chance to. Broadcast a few games up in McKeesport. It's a great venue and it's a great it's a great high school. Well, that'd be fun. I mean, getting it getting named already, that's pretty impressive. Yeah, I mean there's there's really no there's really no one comparing her. I mean there's a lot of great players that played high school basketball in the Pittsburgh area.

16:17 It gets again, it gets lost as a basketball town. But when you take when you really take a look at it, I mean she's one of the top scorers in wp IO history, boys or girls. Ever. Yeah, that's how great she was, that's for sure. That's a lot of talent. In Paris Olympic twenty twenty one, American swimmer Katie Ladecci, competing in her third Olympics, when her nine gold medal, which tied her with a Russian gymnast for the most Olympic gold medals won by a female athlete. She's won fourteen Olympic medals total. Yeah, we talk swimming is one one big thing here. Of course in the United States you got Phelps, and I think Ladecki gonna get up there even more. I mean this is twenty twenty one.

17:04 Now we're going into twenty twenty eight. She's still going strong. Yeah. Amazing. The swimmers though, they I mean they'd go like three or four Olympics and you look at their first Olympics and their little kids almost you know, sixty and eighteen, they don't have any muscles. Then about the third Olympics, man, they look like you can tell now they're actual women and. Men, Yeah, you can, you can. Actually, I think back to the Athens Olympic with Michael Phelps. I mean who would have gone on, who would have gone on to think that he would garner the most medals by an Olympian period, and I think he only won a silver in that Olympics if I were called correctly. Probably about right. Yeah, of course. Also in that same Olympics, we were mentioning gymnastics, and here's the greatest Gypnists ever in Simone Biles won the vault, giving her three golds in Paris seven total goals over three Olympics. She's also won two silver or bronze, silver and bronze medals, making her one of the winning its gymnast in American history, male or female. Simon Biles, when you I mentioned the flips earlier, if you remember, I want to say the Olympics.

18:12 It was the Olympics in Japan. She had the bile out right afterwards and get her mind right for the next Olympics. And again it proved that it's it's a mental game more than anything else. You have all the physical ability in the world, but if you're not mentally in it, it can it can sting even the greatest athletes ever. Oh, I agree with you on p that's didn't So if you're going to watch something you know you know, I know you said you've done a lot of basketball covering it. But if you just want to watch something, what do you do? What are you going to flip on? I've covered every sport. Basketball is the one main one. But I grew up a hockey fan here here in Pittsburgh. That's that's kind of like the biggest, the biggest sport around here in terms of success in the last twenty years.

18:59 Right with however, with Sidney Crosby of. Guinea, Malkin and Lettang joining up earlier flurries of the World and stuff like that, there was especially in that nine season, there was just a there was just a joy right any time the Penguin scored. I remember for that year, you couldn't take the smile off my face. I was smiling like a Butcher's dog every time. It was amazing just seeing that team go go to business. And it wasn't as good as the eight team which made it to the Cup final a year before, but you just had that feeling, that belief, that belief in hockey that anything happened, and it was Pittsburgh's time and I'm glad to see that I got. I got the chance to see more great moments, including two more after that.

19:47 It wasn't even really my favorite Penguins team of all time. Now this is gonna sound there's nothing wrong with it, but it just doesn't sound right to me, you know, for the NHL of Stanley, it just doesn't sound right to have the champions in Florida all the time. It's gonna be up north. To be honest, when you when you really think about it, it's going back to Florida starting in in the Cup. In the Cup finals back in nineteen ninety six, you kind of had a feeling. You kind of had a feeling that if Florida got everything going they were they were gonna go well. And the crazy thing about this is, Jeff, if it wasn't for the Pittsburgh Penguins missing the playoffs in twenty twenty three, there's an all likelihood no Florida dynasty.

20:36 The Penguins just missed the playoffs in twenty twenty three. They missed it by one game for two straight years, and they they kind of spread it out a little bit more this year. But if that doesn't happen Florida, if they win that final game of the season against Chicago, Florida's eliminated Pittsburgh's in in the Stanley Cup playoffs and who knows what happens from there. Maybe it's another golden age for the Penguins. Maybe someone else comes up through. Maybe Corey Perry finally wins the Stanley Cup again. Who knows. So we can blame Florida all on Pittsburgh. In away, Yes, I don't know about Tampa Bay. But but.

21:17 I mean the Penguins denied them a few times, but they died them a few times the next year after they they made a Cup final in fifteen, So it's it evens out. It evens out a little bit. Right, Well, at least the Avalanche kept up from three peaton That was nice that year. They Yeah, the Avalanche. That's That's always a rumor with Crosby, is he gonna go join his fellow Nova Scotia and Nathan McKinnon. I know there's some Penguins fans that want the opportunity for him to win a under Stanley Cup. I personally wouldn't mind it for him to win it in Colorado with McKinnon, but hey, just state of course Washington rebuilt, why not Pittsburgh?

21:58 And who knows that they get that? Uh? Gavin McKenna, guy from Penn State. Could be that could be possible. Yeah, Yeah, we'll take it. When we took ray Borg from Boston to win and Standley Cup, so we'll think. We'll think Cosby. I don't know about that one. Chief, all right, let's see. He was born on August the third, Harry Hellman. They just called him slug. He was a Sanford He was born in San Francisco in eighteen ninety four. He's in the Hall of Fame now. He played right field in first base. Played in the majors for nineteen years nineteen fourteen to thirty two. Seventeen years were with the Detroit Tigers. Two years with the reds Now He had a career three forty two batting average that ties him eighth of all time for highest career batting averages. Surprises me, he's died with Babe Ruth.

22:42 I didn't know Ruf was a regular hitter. Now, Harry. He is the only one of six players in all of baseball history to hit over four hundred for a season. Yeah in four oh three hit in nineteen twenty three. After retired, he did play by play on the radio for the Tigers from nineteen thirty four and nineteen fifty. Now he died from un cancer nineteen fifty one, on fifty six years old. All of fade wide receiver Lance Alworth. He's eighty five. He was born in Houston, Texas in nineteen forty. At the University of Arkansas, he was a three time academic All American. He led the nation of punt returns twice. He was consensus All American as receiver a senior year, got drafted in the first round by the San Francisco forty nine ers in the NFL, decided to go to the AFL. Yeah, when played for the San Diego Chargers. He was a Charger from nineteen sixty to nineteen seventy six. Time All Star led the AFL in yards after catch, catches and touchdowns three times. He played his last two years in Dallas. But that was pretty much kind of just to win himself. Get a Super bowling. Now he's a member of the NFL All one hundred and that team that they had with with the one hundred US. Now get this Lance. After baseball, he formed you know those mini storage companies where you can go rent the little sheds and all that kind of stuff. He formed one of those in California. Sold it in twenty thirteen. Oh no way, yeah, sold it in twenty thirteen for one hundred and ninety six million bucks.

23:52 That's a smart move, very smart. Root. Do you know how many of those little mini sheds you could see all around, all around Neighborhoodssburg. They're surprisingly popular, especially in a town that gets about as hilly as it gets in some places. Really yeah, it's yeah, it's weird. And you'll find them on like on like Steve Streets and I'm like, how is this thing not moving and crushing the cars? Those people say? And this guy he came up at like thirty years before those guys, that was really seeing. Yeah. Back to hockey. Canadian Hall of Famer Marcel Dion is before your time. He's seventy four. He is born in Drummondville, Quebec in nineteen fifty one. Now. He was drafted number two overall in nineteen seventy one and then ahl draft.

24:36 He played from seventy one to eighty nine, but for the Red Wings, the Kings and the Rangers. Most of his career was with the La Kings, though he was a ten time All Star, ended up with one thousand and seven and seventy one points. That's sixth all time. In two thousand and four, they even put him on a postage stands up there in Canada. Now, I don't know who does the rankings. When they put the rankings out, he's raised in the thirty eighth greatest hockey player in all time. Now he's the highest ranked player to never win a Stanley Cup. He is married since nineteen seventy four and they have two sons and one daughter. Good, we've got a Pennsylvania got close to you coming up. Well, well about two and a half hours out there. But Todd Christensen born in Belfont, Pennsylvania. We mentioned before the show that that's almost in the middle midpoint of it, just.

25:17 Past State College in and around that area. Grew up in Oregon, though, was a member of the Church of the Latter Day Saints and went and played his ball at BYU. He played fullback and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round in nineteen seventy eight. Todd Brooke is put in the. Preseason and spent the entire season on injured reserve. The Cowboys decided to cut him and he went to the Oakland Raiders off of waivers. He was there long stapper for a couple of years, then they moved on the tight end. Went on to win two Super Bowls, three time first team All Pro, two times a second team All Pro, and he twice led the NFL in receptions. He would go on to retire and go into football commentary in nineteen eighty eight. He did both pro and college games. Christiansen, however, passed away at fifty seven years old in twenty thirteen during a liver transplant surgery.

26:10 You probably never saw him in call games. No, I'm trying to remember that I did. I end up seeing the game that he broadcast. It's weird, you know. You You always think about the play bit by play guys, but seldom the color guys outside some very special special circumstances. Usually it's the top TV guys or maybe your local radio guys you tend to remember, or or an All Star player or a Hall of Fame or even trying can'mberly go through my mind. I'm gonna have to look that one up see see where he commentated. But moving on to basketball, Nate McMillan the current assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers turned sixty one today.

26:53 Born in Raley, North Carolina, in nineteen sixty four, he played his college ball at nearby North Carolina State under Jim balbomno It was drafted in the second round thirty overall by the Seattle SuperSonics, played all twelve seasons with them, including that nineteen ninety six NBA Finals. He led the league in steals at nineteen ninety four and was a two time All NBA Defensive second Team Retired and winning the coaching. He's won two Olympic gold medals in two thousand and eight and twenty twelve under Mike Krzyzewski coach K McMillan went on the coaches coached those very Seattle SuperSonics for five years, then went down to Portland for seven years, Indiana for four years, in Atlanta in three years.

27:40 He was fired in twenty twenty three, and he is now currently Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach. McMillan was part of McMillan's one of those guys that when I think of his last tenure whip Atlanta, how they turned around the Atlanta Hawks. And I'm pretty sure you remember with this Trey young who's still for some reason almost hated in in Madison Square Garden in New York City. They still put an explanet of right next to his name under there, So you know how much basketball means to those Knicks fans up there. Oh yeah, kind of crazy, Yeah it is. It's kind of crazy. And even even even now, when you know if you're if you're Boston Celtics, they they have an actual reason to say something like that, but they still haven't felt like it.

28:28 Right, you know. And if you're the coach of the Lakers, you've got it. I mean, probably help you out a lot. Don't get me wrong, but those coaches have such an insecurity. You have Nate McMillan sitting on your bench behind you, you got to be a little nervous of your team stumbles. I think. I think Los Angeles with JJ Reddick has been pretty pretty secure with and he's got the uh, he's got the green light from Lebron James, and that's half the battle, really. Pretty much all the battle. Lebron says, I like you, then. You're in for the most part. Yeah, I mean, hey, hey, JJ Reddick. Has got a chance, and he's looked pretty good I mean, you think about right down the road in Los Angeles with Inglewood Tyron lou He was the head coach of that legendary comeback from three to one down in twenty sixteen, and he's evolved into a pretty good coach once he got out of his way of trying to get Eric Spolsterra fired and wanting to put pat Riley in there.

29:20 You don't want pat Riley as your head coach unless you want to be ran up and down the floor. Spolstra has become a pretty good coach. So he hasn't exactly killed. Careers outside of David Blatt, but I mean, Mike Brown keeps on getting jobs. Yeah, that's true. Keeping up with the birthdays. Baseball relief pitcher Rod Beck was born in Burbank, California, in nineteen sixty eight. He made his Major League debut with the San Francisco Giants in nineteen ninety one. Over thirteen years, he pitched for the Giants, the Cubs, the Red Sox, and the Padres. He was a three time All Star and was the relief Pitcher of the Year in nineteen ninety four with the Giants. He sadly passed away at thirty eight years old in two thousand and seven due to cocaine and heroin addiction.

30:04 And those people who know him that, I mean, it was sad and they were surprised he died at thirty eight, But it sounds like the reason that didn't surprise anybody who knew him. Good. Yeah, you think about you think about it, well, a little bit before that time, I was watching the New York Mets thirty for thirty with Darryl Strawberry and Doc and all that stuff. You think back about that. I mean, it was a weird time for baseball, no doubt. Yeah. Went from that to steroids. They just couldn't win. Good day, Okay, Well one you could argue worked out for him a little bit, bud, Yeah, a little bit. Good Now, that's when most of you guys aren't going to know. It was a defensive line. His name is Trevor Price. He was born in nineteen seventy five in Brooklyn fifty today. He was drafted in the first round by the Denver Broncos in nineteen ninety seven. Came out of Clemson, got here to Denver, didn't play his first year at all. Said, I mean he played a couple downs, but didn't play hardly all. The second year, well he won two Super bowl That was when Elway took him back to back. Well after after Elway retired, then he got a play. So he made four Pro balls, his one time first time All Pro and to one time second team All Pro. So then he decided he was going to cash in and went to Baltimore. That didn't work out. He entered retiring in twenty ten. But he does those first two years when he didn't play. He's got super Bowl rings. That's all that matters, right, and Trevor that big back he.

31:21 Had to go. So those Pittsburgh Steelers up in Baltimore, he was a pretty good defensive lineman. He still had it. Huh, Yeah, he still had it. I mean they were they were switching off with helloity not to then of course he had Ray Lewis right behind him. So he was always a really good defensive lineman. Yeah, that was he was good. I mean obviously it was. He made the All Pro team, so yeah, he was pretty good. Any idea what he's doing now. I think he's also in broadcasting, if I recall. For a little bit with his main thing. Yeah, he's a children's author still learn book. Oh yeah, I did see. I think I did see a book once he made. Whether we liked him or not, I think you're gonna talk about the goat, aren't you hey? I'm hey.

32:02 Unlike most Steelers fans can, I can admit Tom Brady. He's forty eight, born in San Mateo, California, in nineteen seventy seven. A star baseball player in high school, he was a catcher, and he was drafted by the Montreal Expos after his senior season in the second round, but he forgoed that the go play for Michigan, and he managed to win a national championship in his final year over Alabama. Went on to be drafted by in the sixth round by the New England Patriots in two thousand and Obviously, he holds just about every quarterback record. There is seven Super Bowl rings, most all time, and no one else has even six, and I think it's Charles Haley that's the closest with five, and he played defense.

32:49 So I've needless to say with Tom Brady. I have been on the. Business end of a lot of his comebacks. I mean, I mean a lot of You can talk about all of it to flategate, spy game, whatever it is. But he still got to play the game, and I was always in of how seemingly, even whenever the pocket was at its most chaotic, more often than not, he would be able to step up, make a play. And just the way that he conducted business, especially in his first season with Tampa Bay, Yeah, a deck was probably a little bit stacked. I mean that team, all they really needed was a quarterback that.

33:29 That wouldn't kill them. And you know, even Tom Brady at any age, he wasn't going to be the issue. So naturally I got to give him a salute. He's he's the goat, can't I can't really deny. It, I'll agree. And when you look at him now, though, honestly, don't you think he looks like he's more in shape now than an entire time he played. I think whatever he already was clean living for the most part. But I think if you don't have to. Worry about someone about two point fifty or more coming after you in hot pursuit, you feel a lot younger and you feel a lot stronger. That's true. You talking about swimming, Yeah, swimmer Ryan Lochte is now forty one. He was born in Rochester, New York. He is the third most decorated US swimmer of all time.

34:17 Only Mark Phelps or Yeah, Phelps and Spitz are behind him, and also Ladeci. Oh wait, Katie Michael Phelps and Katie Ladecci. I was thinking of Spits as well, has twelve. Yeah, I think he's ahead of him. He has twelve Olympic medals, seven Goldenee, still holds two world records. He also plays seventh place in Dancing with the Stars and also had a reality show. Really yeah, it was it was sort of like, you know, just showing showing how goofy he was. I think it also. I think it also was a kind of like. A flavor of love situation and a lot of a lot of times. So so yeah, he was a character, no doubt. Ryan Lockey.

35:01 Yeah, so you're saying, he's colorful, very. Color very colorful. Got himself some trouble in Brazil, if I recall correctly. I think you did. I don't remember what it was for, but yeah, he got in a lot of trouble. I think he was just you know, that's what happens whenever there's always a line whenever year, whenever you have a funny personality and sometimes just step. Over it, and that's what happened with Locktey. I definitely agree. You know what, this has been really fun. Thank you for joining us today. Oh no, I've had fun reminiscent about some old players, some who have who have been a big part of sports, and others who might have crushed a few of the Pittsburgh teams overhall, like Tom Brady, Tever Price. I'm pretty sure he had a couple. He had a couple of sacks to get the Steelers. They got to look it up.

35:46 But no, this was a nice trip down memory lane for a lot of these guys. And I'm going to look up a few of these guys, and especially Todd Christiansen see what games Whenever I was younger, he happened to be broadcasting see. Him, Well, he was a raider out here den where we didn't like him. But when he was a national sportscaster, his his parents were like college professors up in Oregon, and so Todd always felt himself, you know, really educated, and so when he would do his broadcast, everybody would drive him crazy because he would not only use multi syllabic words, but he was like, try and use super silly, isn't you know off of big words you can mostly think of for describing the football games that drive everybody nuts.

36:27 Oh, he liked, he liked, he liked the flex the big vocabulary. Yes, very much. So he loved the vocabulary. I think I think I try that a little too much by sulfit at times, but I think after a while, what's the speed of the game catches up? You just he just kind of used simple words, right. It's more of the color commentator type deal. But we're prejudiced too out here. You know. It's kind of like see now with the Raiders being in Las Vegas, it doesn't seem to be the same as when they were in Oakland and La. You know, it's like it kind of took the staying out of the whole rivalry almost in length. There was there was a lot of talk during the time in which all three all basically all the California franchises we're trying to and Saint Louis of course they were trying to figure out all right, So we got two teams going to Los Angeles and the other goes to Las Vegas. I mean, you'd have to imagine how different would have been if the Raiders go to Los Angeles and said the Chargers, and the Chargers go to Las Vegas, or they stay in San Diego or something like that. I mean, when you think about it, I always think of Los Angeles as more of a Raider town than a Rams town. But the Rams were really got lucky in that situation.

37:44 Right and then in modern football. Now see last year Denver, we knew you guys are we knew you guys are going to regret who you signed from Denver at your quarterback. We knew Russell Wilson and Vegley was going to come down to earth for you guys. So what's the thing about your What do you guys think about you go back this year? So Aaron Rodgers, I'll also open up with this a little bit. I also work for the local sports radio station in town. I at first was against was against it. I thought that you could go younger with justin Field, you could you could run it back with russ and and we're all Rudolphs here, so why not? But when you really think about it, for the money that eventually got settled in so far, it's been decent with Aaron Rodgers, and it seems like he's really committed into not going out the way he did in the last two seasons with the Jets, and you can argue his last season with with the Packers. He's committed to the process. So I'm all right with it now. I got to really sit down and take a look at the guy, and of course look at the film, and there's still meat to the bone. I mean, maybe it could be a Minnesota type situation with Brett Barb in which you know, he goes back to the future a little bit and he goes back to some sort of some Hall of Fame level with it.

39:05 There's a lot to it there, but there's a lot depending on that as well. They got to figure out the left tackle situation in Pittsburgh with Broderick Jones. So far, at the time of this recording, we're about three four days into the training camp and I've been talking to a lot of reporters around the station, of course who call in and hearing what they're saying right now there right now, it's not looking good, but pads aren't on. Yeah, Jones was a big part of the Georgia. The Georgia Mini run in the in the CFP as a left tackle. They're just finally moving him to left tackle. His first few years was the right was at the right side and he was out of position and it was hit or missed.

39:46 So that's the that's the depending thing. That line is stronger than what than what they than what they've looked over the last few years, then that's all that matters for Aaron Rodgers. Well, that'skind of spread that Rogers went there just because of the coach, Tomlin. I didn't think that he would want to to go to a team where basically he was going to be just a quarterback. That coach wasn't going to tolerate anything. I think that's I think that's where we kind of got got kind of flummixed in the situation. I mean, Tomlin's got a lot of cash shay there. I will say this Minnesota elected to take to get started with JJ McCarthy, and it seems like the Jets kind of ambushed them a little bit. So there was a little bit of stability wanted in that situation for Rogers if he wanted something in which he knows that he get the opportunity to end on his own terms.

40:41 There was a quote yesterday that that I overheard today covering as a producer. He wanted, effectively, he wants to end these things on his own terms, and he wants to go out. I guess he wants to go out looking good. And when you think about it, with the Steelers, everything that done in the last few years, I know that this was even before I was born, in a little bit when I. Was too young. They passed up on the opportunity to get Dan Marina. They passed up on the opportunity to get Joe Montana. So what do they do to next two times? It's just a coincident. They get the quarterback from the University of Pittsburgh that at the time was shocking the world in Kenny Pickett, and they elect to get after That doesn't work, and they go through a few other tries elsewhere, they elect to go after the Hall of Fame quarterback that could they could potentially lead them. You know, we're just they're just looking for a playoff win right now.

41:37 But the high end, it's at least a conference championship, maybe a Super Bowl appearance somewhere. With this team, did pick A get a fair shot, or did they get rid of them a little too early before they actually had a shot to actually prove themselves. It's a mix. I think that this team wasn't built at the moment the way it was to except a rookie quarterback, no true receiver room, the tight end situation. Friarmof was there, but he had injury problems, no reliable receivers outside. Ironically, Pickens Deontay Johnson was a mess the end and is a complete mess now. The offensive line just really wasn't any good. They were cheap offensively, and they really didn't try to shore up their offensive line. So I think in a way that hurt him. But I don't know if I don't know if he really had it like that, because naturally being fit in the University of Pittsburgh in the same stadium, I got to see him that It took Pickett really until his fifth year to start coming on.

42:44 He had some he had some spurts in the first four years, but he was an upper classman, so he really got a chance to show out, and I think the Steelers reached in that situation. Yeah, I was always wondering because well, because we even't talked about him. The guy you guys sent to the Jets, I can't think of his name from Chicago Field. Feel I was thought because now, well you're younger, but before you picked a quarterback in the first round, you didn't even plan on see him until least their second year. Now, these guys come in, expect him to play, and one or two years then they're already a bust, and it's like going, wait, you know, I think they like feels and maybe pick I didn't know about that. Some of these quarterbacks I don't, Well, look at a Minnesota last year.

43:28 I mean, I mean some of these quarterbacks. I mean, it takes him a while, and I think they just pulled pull it too fast on him anymore. Well, I'm not that young. I mean I do remember the times in which in which they would give a quarterback a few years ironically, the very quarterback that Steelers have, but Aaron Rodgers was a guy who had a few years. Behind Brett Faarr before he came on. So yeah, three, I think these days, these days, with the rookie, with the rookie quarterback and the wage scale in general for rookies, that the honest is really in that. Four or five year stretch, you got to put a team together immediately. And and also the NFL has changed, I mean, gone are I can't I still can't believe in my heart of hearts that people didn't think that an option style offense in which you make the defense react was ever not gonna work in the NFL.

44:22 You're you're you're. Effectively putting the chess match on them. You're you're dictating the terms. And once the NFL started switching that way, in which what was the college style offense has now become the pro style, it's it's accelerated things. Yeah, Andy Reid doing that either. I mean, hey, Patrick Mahomes had a year, had a year to sit behind Alex Smith. But still, let me tell you this, Patrick Mahomes is not Patrick Mahomes without without having, you know, at least an early scheme, especially in those first couple of game to get themselves some confidence. I mean, confidence is everything. You can have no confidence and be the best quarterback in the world. But if you have it all, it can it can make Duck Hodges look like the man in Pittsburgh for a few weeks, right, I mean, you can anyone can be the man at they're at their confident Yeah.

45:19 Okay, well thanks once again, and on our show notes for today, if we're gonna put a link over to where you can watch that UFC fight was the UFC. Uh, It's it's two Poor seven FC. It's where I'm the blow blow by blow. I call it play by play, but really for fights it's blow by blow, but that just doesn't sound right in my opinion, but play by play for that two Poor seven Fighting Championships. It's UH. It's the first it's the first show at our new venue. It's UH sunny days at the venue. It's in UH North for sales, Pennsylvania. It's a it's about twenty twenty five minutes out from downtown Pittsburgh. It has some of the best up and coming fights. One big fight there is I don't know if you have any viewers that that UH watch the UFC. But the main event is a rematch for Comma Worvy. Tomma Worvy thought this guy in his first ever UFC fight on about a few days notice and he got the knockout. Now there for the first time since I guess, first time in five years.

46:23 They're rematching only this time it's a pro kickboxing match in the main event at this brand new venue. It's a really great opportunity to come in, come. And watch some great m m A. And if you're in the Pittsburgh area, I highly recommend you you buy some tickets at two four seven FC dot com. All right, man, we're gonna put a link over there. You can go check that out. That sounds really cool. And then yeah, make sure you watch out Todd Doo Man. I think he's gonna be one of the big wigs in the sports casting business win these days and we can say we know him win. Yeah, I look forward. I look forward to checking out this episode.

47:05 Of course, it's not just MMMA for me, and also broadcast football, basketball, hockey, lacrosse, looking at field hockey, baseball, softball, volleyball. I mean, whenever I get an opportunity to do it, be it with Chatham University, Carnegie, Mellon, the President's Athletic Conference in d three, Wheeling, University, Saint Francis, and maybe maybe universities all across the world sometimes in the future. Cool. And I think your website shows some of your clips, didn't it. Yes, it has all Yes, my resume website Tyler Jhpolk dot com sports casting. It as all of my clips. It also has my written pieces as well. Definitely check it out and you know, hire.

47:51 Me, so we'll put a link to that too. So when we were talking about vocabulary and all that, do you remember in a center played for the Sixers named Charles Shackleford. That's much too that's much too old for me. All right, We're gonna end with our quote of the day. It's from Charles Shackleford. Charles said, I can dribble with my right hand and I can dribble with my left hand. I'm amphibious. You guys have an awesome dad. We'll talk tomorrow. I think I remember that one, phibious