7.30: Aftermath (with Scott Fitzgerald) - Hour 2

It's time for coffee and company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day.

Now here's Nick Coffee.

Turn my mic on. You'll find out it's not Nick Coffee. I'm Scotfence. Geraldie.

Is John Olden Nick Coffee enjoying a well deserved vacation. He'll be back on Monday, and it's John Olden and I taking you home afternoon. Underdogs'll be with you Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. John speaking of doctor Pat Carroll with exceptional dentistry. Who is my Dennis? Tony Cruz's Dennis. He's awesome. Talk about a small world. Said he ran into Nick Coffee on vacation today. Oh really ran into Nick? Yeah right,

When was the last time you were on vacation? Bro?

So we my wife and I we went to Delaware. I do believe I told you did in to Coastal Delaware back at the beginning of June. Went to a rehobe with beach.

Okay, okay, that's right, yeah, I remember you telling me that. Good for you.

I mean, look if you've got that vacation time, people take it. I mean, I'm taking a vacation day from the show tomorrow morning so I can go to the.

Low City game.

And because we opted, we opted out of the family vacation this year, we think we're gonna We're gonna try to brave it and go out and see my folks in Michigan for Thanksgiving. The problem is when you head up to Michigan for Thanksgiving, you never know if you're coming.

Home or not.

Fly. Yeah, we dry okay.

But you just don't know if you're gonna make it back.

Yeah, if you can get the unlucky snowstorm at that time of the year, because it is hit or miss in November.

It is it is and then and then nice. It's actually now.

Last time I went to Michigan, I went up for the NFL Draft in April. I flew, And if it's just me, it's easier. It's a little bit easier now that my kids are older. It's easier to fly. But it's just something about flying over the holidays. It'd almost rather be stuck on the roads than I would in airport flying back for the holidays.

Nick talks about airport anxieties all the time. But he's pro, he's pro flying on vacation. I haven't been on an airplane in maybe fifteen years. Yeah, it's pretty it's been a long time. And that's not because of anything like a maybe it's a personal bad experience I had. I'm not a fan of being in the air. I don't like turbulence on like, none of that stuff. So if I can avoid being on a plane, which again I've done so for quite some time now, especially as an adult,

I don't blame you there, I don't. I know.

Nick is an airport bar officionado. He is his favorite beer.

It is. I'm with him.

I mean, there is no beer that tastes better than that beer before you get on that plane, before you go on vacation.

I mean that is amazing.

And really, do I have it on the way back, because by the time I'm on my way back, I'm ready to come home. I'm ready to just kind of get back into the routine. You know, there's no need to prolong it. I'll though, this time was nice. When I came back from the draft, my wife picked me up at the airport and I flew back on a set. That's how you do it, dude. You go on a Saturday.

And my buddies.

We had to check out by ten, So my buddies, I said, hey, guys, can you swing me by dtw on the way out? And they said, sure, man, I'm doing that. I mean, I didn't sweat getting through TSA. I already had my boarding pass and the way I waited a good forty five fifty minutes to get through TSA. But I wasn't sweating. At one, I was by myself. Two my flight didn't leave till four o'clock. So I'm just like.

Whatever, I'll tell you what I do. I do think there is something to be said about it. When you're by yourself traveling, it feels like you're automatically just going to be more patient. I don't know why that is. Maybe it's because you don't want to make a fool of yourself in front of a bunch of people no one else around. But maybe it's maybe you feel more at peace because the only thing you have to do is it's just you and your thoughts. I don't know.

I don't know it is.

It definitely is because you feel like you either have to entertain your spouse or if you have young kids, you got to entertain them.

And so my buddies dropped me off.

I went and found my gate, plugged in my Hulu, watched the ball game, sat there, had a little lunch, and then I timed it out so I get back right at five. My wife picked me up at the airport and we went out for dinner. I mean, that's the way you do it. Saturday traveled to me is awesome. I have always and even when I was younger, and I traveled a lot when I was younger. By myself,

One or two kids? Two kids? Okay? So, but he's a pro added I mean, he's got it.

Down pat and uh, it's just nice and and for me, I'm an ab gig. So I I love airports and I like people watching and I like it. I like airliners, I like jets, I like I like that whole scene. In fact, my favorite places in the world to go to plane spot and plane spot nerds, you'll know this. What I'm talking about is Skipple Airport in Amsterdam. And that's why I'm looking forward to having my brother in here. He's a pilot. He's a pilot for American and he knows,

Tole aviation nerd coming out of me.

My dream is I want to stay at the TWA hotel in New York at LaGuardia, and I want to stay there just just because it's old school and just to do that. But traveling's fun, dude, because then you go you find different foods that are there, the different foods that you can partake of.

And yea, I had crab leggs the first time when I was in Oh really good. I've never had crab leggs, but a good place to have them right there was delicious, you know.

And it's funny you bring that up because I tell my wife, I said, when I went to Paris, I spent the summer ninety four, like I was talking about yesterday, in France. First place I ever had lobster was Paris. First place and we went with a group of people and they're like, hey, we're gonna go get seafood. And I'm like, guys, I'm not a big seafood guy. Now they're like, look, you're in Paris. You don't get here but once in your lifetime. So I find I'll go, I'll get a salad or something.

Whatever.

We get there and they go get the lobster. Like, oh, guys, I hate seafood. They're like, get the lobster. I was like, okay, whatever. After a couple of whites and I was like, all right, fuck, give me the lobster thing I ever had. Dude, I'm like, why have I missed out on this all my life? And now I can't get enough seafood. We're big seafood

Give me all the seafood. Give me the shrimp fish you can name right, frog legs, give me whatever the heck you got. All you eat lifit's seafood.

I'm right there with you, bro, I mean I am right there, but I'm not. There's certain chains seafood restaurants that.

I won't go to. That's fair. That's fair because it feels like it feels like you're getting food out of.

A bag, grease pit kind of.

Well yeah, and it's it's like there's a couple of national chains that are out there.

In fact, somebody who.

Worked in the restaurant industry told me about a certain Italian food chain. And I'm not gonna name a these, but they told me because they used to work there. A lot of their stuff comes out of a bag and it's like add water to it, and it's really popular. And so now whether that's true or not, I can't verify, but I can't also at the same time can't unsee it. And I've heard some of these things about some of

So when I go to eat the food, I'm kind of like.

Local seafood, though, amen aude.

Even when we went to my family drugged me down to Florida. I'm not a Florida guy. I'm definitely I'm definitely no offense to those of you who loved Deston.

I hate Deston. My grandparents lived in Tampa. They lived in a nice part of Tampa. I didn't mind it, but it wasn't my cup of tea. Too humid, too hot. It's like what it is out there now. I'm not a fan of that.

It's crowds too, maybe especially crowds.

You got it.

But I will say this, the family drugged me down there because they had been going I make them go up north to Michigan. They drugged me down there. I said, okay, my turn. You know, I gotta I gotta suck it up. I'll take one for the team. We went to some seafood place and I don't know what it was. I can't remember the name.

Best seafood I ever had, best seafood.

And it was a mom and pop place. It wasn't a chain. It wasn't like a tourist trap either, if that makes any sense. It was just a mom and pop place hidden away some shopping mall. Somewhere some strip mall like. It wasn't because if you go to Florida, those of you who go to Florida, you know that along the coach there there's that. There's the tourist traps that are there. They jack up the price of your meal at dinner time, they do all that. Well, I was sitting at this place we went to. They had

Where do you all go when you want seafood?

And he told me, And it was in the strip mall way Inland And it took us about twenty minutes.

To get there, but oh man, it was the best seafood. So long story short.

Now bring that up because we were talking about food at the ballparks earlier. I don't know if you've heard, John, but Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, big fancy stadium, YEP, A lot of big venues, a lot of big acts play there. Well, they're known for their bargain prices at their concessions. If you go to Mercedes ben Stadium, and I know Cardinal fans may have gone there, I think, yeah,

I paid.

I paid nine No, I paid eleven bucks for a souvenir soda the Reds game. But you can get But what's interesting is they do the bacon or the buffalo cauliflower wraps eight dollars, which isn't bad.

They say, all things considered, I mean, if you buy that anywhere else, it's probably double the price.

That's exactly right now. Beer is a little bit more realistic. If you want a large premium draft fear you got pay ten to fifty. But this is sort of becoming the trend. Fresh Like I get a lot of popcorn, right, I go to the stadiums because it's it's just better.

It's just better for you. I don't fill up on it, and I don't do this, this and this, so, but you're looking at popcorns two dollars.

Now, this is becoming the trend. I see Dallas has done this too. At and T Stadium does this, although their hot dogs are running a little bit more. The hot dogs are about six seventy five, but they have sort of that bargain.

I know the Lions tried this too as well.

You can get discounted foods, and everybody knows about the Masters, right, they know about them. The Masters has the cheap food prices, so you're seeing the start to catch on with folks. But if you want the more expensive then you can go get those. So I was looking at some of the different baseball foods that are out there.

Fair warning if you're hungry. It's like you ever watched Diners, Drive In and Dives?

Oh, any of those shows that are on Travel Channel, And I know travel channels kind of mostly turned into like ghost shows and that type of thing, like paranormal activity, those types of shows. Yeah, but I remember I used to come home from school pretty regularly and I would turn on Travel Channel because it was either Man Versus Food one of those other eating type shows, because you want to eat a snack we get home, and so it's sometimes it's fun to snack while you're watching somebody eat food.

Yeah, exactly.

Well my mistake to your point, my mistake is turning on guy Fiery and Diners driving and dies late at night when I.

Am just craving something bad. I had a few brews. I want that. So now I'm going through and I'm looking at these and I told you I'm in that little hungry zone right now.

They talk about the different ballparks, Great American Ballpark. I forgot. They've got the Get mac Doog.

This is a.

Grilled brisket sausage topped with macaroni and cheese as well as barbecue sauce, and to top it off, they put it in a toasted pretzel bun.

Man.

I mean, dude, I'm gonna post this up on social media on my x feet s Fits Underscore eight forty whas you gotta look at some of this stuff. Petco Park. Okay, home with the Podres. I saw the Podres, and Qualcum I didn't see him. There they've got basically a Maria egg roll. It's an egg roll served with Fresno chili sauce, and it's got uh it's a Barrio dog.

It's got a it's basically a.

T One inspired hot dog, and it's got bacon wrapped up in it.

It's got bacon, all that stuff. So you can get that at Petco Park.

Then I'm taking a look at Yankee Stadium, and so Yankee Stadium is not only bragging on their chicken wings, their desserts.

Dude, you know the iconic Mister Softy ice cream?

No certain?

Okay, Well you get it. It's like the Mister Softy. It's like the classic ice soft service, Okay.

Which is awesome.

Well, they now take that stuff and they whip it up and they put it into a cookie shake and so you can get that there. And I'm talking about just some of this stuff Fenway Park. Now back to the lobster, dude, Fenway Park. Has have you had a lobsterole a good lobster.

I've never had a lobster roll.

Oh my god, dude, They're amazing.

It's one of those things like I kind of mentioned, you mentioned this while you were in Paris. Like if I'm ever up in New England or even further north like Maine, that type of thing. I think I need to save my first experience with lobster or a lobster roll for up there to get an original one. R Yes, yes, you can get you can get that if you want. Well, Fenway, they're known for their lobster roles. Now you go to Dodger Stadium and Dodger Stadium has the Dodger dog. Okay,

On a Dodger dog.

Now this has changed a couple of venues, but not only because you have the Dodger dog, which you have sho hee o Tani.

Are you a sushi guy? You said you I'm not a sushi guy.

My is she?

Yeah, I'm saying way. My wife likes it. I don't like it. For some reason, it just doesn't attract me. But you can get like the sushi at and you can get that along with a hot dog at Dodger Stadium. So you start digging into these, and then you go up to Toronto, up in Canada and you can, Dude, I'm telling you, I'm gonna post this here. When we go to break you can get yourself a hot dog topped with marinated maple bacon. I mean, if you're a bacon guy and you like maple, those two go together

Have you ever had good poutine? I haven't.

That's that's Canadian, right, Like, yeah, that's basically you take you take French fries and you pour gravy over it.

Okay, and now there's plenty of ways you can do your own thing with it. But it's dude, if you've been out to can beer, poutine is amazing. I mean it just soaks up all that alcohol. I mean, nothing tastes better than that. But you can get a dog with and now I actually want to go home and try this. I'm gonna figure out how I can put marinated maple bacon over my hot dog and throw some ketchup behind that, throw a little mustard. Although I'm not

So I'm not a big condiment guy in general. So I'm anti not anti, but I don't put ketchup mustard really on anything. I don't even put syrup on pancakes or waffles.

Yeah.

I take things as is. Ill had seasonings at you know, little ingredients here and there, but when it comes to the condiment game, I typically stay away from that.

See and you know, if you get because I'm getting ready to go over to an American family field where the brewers play, you can imagine what they serve their right brides and sausages.

Yeah, so I'm with you. You get a good bride. I just made Broughts this weekend, spicy spicy brides.

Oh absolutely, Yeah.

If you get a good bride, you don't need to put anything on it. I mean, it stands on its own. But they've got what they call the Dog of the North. And this is a brought top with apple krout. Now, I'm not a big krowd guy. I can do without the crowd, but I know a lot of people that like it. They drop yellow mustard on that jalapeno mayonnaise, chopped bacon, and a secret sauce. So I mean it's

Have you had a good Philly cheese steak?

You know?

I think I don't think I've had a good one. I'll say that I've had some Philly cheese steaks, but I've not really had something that really wowed me.

Yeah, I start to get into the Philly cheese steaks starts to kind of all taste the same to me. Just give me that green pepper flavor with the Swiss cheese and the roast beef and I'm good to go. Now, before we get out of here, it is Oracle Park. Okay, that's the home of the San Francisco Giants. They've got an amazing ballpark. They serve up ballpark crab fries. They've got their garlic fries and their old Bay seasoned dungeon,

I dropped that stuff on everything. Man, I love. I can do Old Bay till the cows come home.

So I mean, when you're looking at some of this food, which and this goes back to what we were talking about, when you look at some of this food, you know you'd be that person. You can just take whatever you think works, throw it, see what sticks up against the wall. In fact, that's how I find, like I'll post desserts on Sunday night. I've just found cool ways to make desserts with nothing more than whipp cream and whatever your

I just throw stuff in there.

My wife just says, measure with your heart. You don't need it exactly. She's right.

And you know when you use spices and they give you that silly little shaker thing at the top with a bunch of little holes in it, Rip that thing off the top of there, dude, don't use that.

Don't use that. But we live in.

Such a great culture. And it kind of dovetails again before we're going to break it, kind of dovetails what we were talking about. We get caught up in the worst part it was was the TBT, and we have moments like that in sports. But then we bring it back full circle with great ballpark menus and food and cultures and all that stuff. And as we saw here, there's good food to be had, and I know there's some down as you mentioned at the Lynn Family Stadium

Just had a whole segment about food and snacks. Stand Tyler not come back to something like cheeseburger.

And now when you do that, I'm looking at I gotta post this. I'm gonna do it that.

I said I was gonna do it in a break, but my little bro is in town and he just walked in, so we were yapping.

I'm gonna post this up here. You can see it.

It's eat this. Not that posted their best baseball stadium food. And as you were playing cheeseburger in Paradise, I'm looking at this burger they serve at Mets games at City Field, and it's in addition to the Chicken Palm heroes they have.

It is Adam Rickman. You know him. He's from Man Versus Food. Yes. Yeah, he's got his own concession stand at the ballpark.

Okay, that's pretty cool.

And he's got Adam Rickman's Burger Hall of Fame. And this thing looks amazing. It is the French onion burger. It is a six out patty mixed with onions and onion soup powder. Topped with sauted onions and shredded greare cheese.

Dude, that looks amazing. Dude, those are you a mushroom guy?

By the way, You know, I don't think I would be against mushrooms. I've never had them, but yeah, I know a lot of people are. It's pretty divisive mushrooms. I think I would try them in the right you know, with the right combination of whatever it is. You might be combining them with maybe a good burger. But you know, I know, I know they're the mushiness is what drives people away from the mushrooms.

I feel like sometimes I know, yeah, I see, and I love stuff mushrooms like I ain't taking MUSHes, big old fat mushrooms and stuff them up and uh and do what I will with him. So needless to say, when I get a second here, I'm gonna post this up and you can take a look at yourself and see what you think. But uh, that said, we're talking

You're with me?

I think he's a pilot for American Airlines, so he's used to talking. So you guys don't have Mike's that big in the aircraft?

Do you? No? No, if we do, something's gone wrong?

How are you? Bro? So you left? Where did your day start today? So?

I was supposed to be here in Louisville this morning, but weather in Charlotte kind of curtailed that. So I spent the night Charlotte and then flew in this afternoon.

Beautiful metropolis that is Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina.

Right, yeah, you spend a lot of time in Charlotte.

I try not to, Like I said, if I do, something's gone wrong. It's just so humid there.

It's it's not here. That's not Florida, Florida. So when you get here, when you get here, they put you up where you're staying at staying at the Galt House right down the road.

Yeah, four blocks down the road. It's a pretty nice deal. It's pretty nice setup.

You didn't get the Gene Simmons suite. You ever see the movie Family the show Family Jewels, John, have you seen Family Jewels yet?

I haven't. Okay, he did Family Jewels. It was a favorite in our household. Oh no, it was behind the scenes. Look.

Well, he came in for Derby one year and he stayed at the Gold House. Somebody was geeking the Gold House, so he was.

So he came in for Derby and you were texting me a picture of the pillow in the hotel room. Horses.

Yeah, it said something like horses are or I forget what it said.

Yeah, it was horse, a big horse on it. Yeah, I said, oh.

Ma in Kentucky. Well, I walk into a nice hotel room and it's got a big, old couple of horses there.

But I thought it was cool.

I thought that's classic Kentucky. Right.

Well, you know, to your point, we did a segment on this show because I hosted just before Derby, and we did a segment on Airbnb rentals and that's a big issue here in town and one of the things the airbnb folks said, if you're designing an airbnb here in Kentucky, because we had the Derby and then right after that we had the Hall of the PGA Championship. He said, if you're going to redo your house, do it in horses and or golf, because when people come in, they want that experience.

Yeah, so they're you know, you got the horse experience.

They're probably willing to pay top dollar for those events.

That's exactly right. It's all about So we were talking about ballpark food. You spend a lot of time in airports.

Yes, is there any specific airport that sticks out to you that it has good footers at all?

The same You know, we've talked about this last year or so of trying to eat healthier. So I actually when I first started in the airlines, it was easy just go to Wendy's, McDonald's whatever, get a French fries and a burger. I actually gave up French fries, try to give up fast food, and so now I actually like healthy, like you said, salads and San Francisco has some pretty good food there, but you're gonna pay like a ridiculous amount of money. But they have some pretty

You know it's also what's funny is is on TikTok, I'll be scrolling to my I've seen an influx in my TikTok videos of airline people like you posting here's my day in the airlines. And it's actually I think it's pretty cool. I was just watching one of the pilots got off one time and he went and walked around.

So life for you is a pilot. You fly in somewhere.

Obviously you're visiting with us today because you're here in Louisville, but you fly into another city, what.

Do you what do you all do? How long do you guys usually stay?

Well, that's a good question. The answer is it all depends. Right. So today I was supposed to be here for two nights, thirty hours. I was supposed to have all day off here and it was going to be great. Landed in San Diego last night and they said, oh, by the way, you're going to Phoenix. You're not laying over in San Diego.

So they still go through the whole drilling.

Now, you and I served together in the military, lived together in San Diego for a little bit, and you moved on to bigger and better things. You're now an airline pilot. I'm stuck here in radio. So we definitely went two different ways. But you know, being a pilot now you've been. You were an etube guy.

Okay, when you were in the Navy, Yes, started as an air traffic controller. When you and I were together on Constellation, and I was just a straight up badmint guy.

You were. You were the one that had all the fine You were the air traffic controller. You decided to go to college on the Navy's die. Pretty cool deal, wasn't it.

Yeah, it wasn't a You know, our our twin brother Jason kind of showed me how to get good grades because I didn't in high school. So Jason went through the same program. I went through an ROTC program and then ended up going into the Navy. You know, being a navigator, and I knew I wanted to be a pilot, so ended up working my way through all my pilot ratings and whatnot, and then still serving in the reserves in Pennsacola, Florida. But you know, it's funny because you

It's also Scott.

Was on shore duty, living the good life. Yeah, and I went straight to an aircraft carrier that was deployed. I'm living with two hundred other men in that early but we had some really good times. We would go down to Tijuana and what a sports scene in San Diego. Yeah, a lot of people, you know don't realize that Southern California. But going to the Chargers games. And remember when we went to the Super Bowl in nineteen ninety seven. Yeah, it was Green Bay and Denver, Denver, Yeah, and we

You know. I tell that story.

I tell that story every year at Super Bowl time because there's people that still hadn't heard it. And when you look at the Super Bowl now, you can't get within you know, three miles of the place. Yeah, And like you said, you and I grabbed the cooler that morning and just decided, let's stop off at seven to eleven, grab ourselves a few bruis, put them in the cooler.

In fact, if I remember right, some people were offering us money for it.

Yeah, and just walk around the stadium and take it all in.

Yeah.

And you can't get anywhere near Super Bowl now. That's how big the game has got in the NFL at least it's got.

Yeah. In two thousand and three, I went to the Super Bowl and sold programs with my rotc Oh.

Yeah.

Yeah, and that was just seven years from when you and I were there, and you couldn't you know, the parking lot was like an amusement park. It wasn't just tailgate, you know, pull your car up. And I did end up walking around the field that morning because I just snuck in and somebody eventually told me I should probably not be there, but right, but yeah, San Diego was a was a really good and it still is a good sports town. You were talking about the Padres and

So and and Jim Harbaugh story that you're close to was he at the University of San Diego when you were there.

He that's where you went to school.

His first job was University of San Diego. He started the year after I graduated. Okay, so, yeah, and nobody knew him. University of San Diego does not have a scholarship football team, and he ended up making a quarterback out of there who went to the NFL. And this is a non scholarship I mean you go to a game there, it's like going to a local high school game. Yeah, and yeah, he did really well. Then he went to Stanford in Michigan.

You know, if I'm not mistake, Yeah, because if I'm not mistaken, Moorehead State plays San Diego Moorhead States in the Pineer Football League. Yeah, and they make that trip to and from and San Diego come out here to play too. But yeah, and I knew that Harball was there about the time you were there.

Yeah, he started a year after I had left.

So and and you know, we were talking sports and again my little bros in town, and he just got in here, probably about nine minutes ago. He flies for American Airlines. He's got to lay over here in Louisville. So we're visiting for a little bit, kind of doing it on the air, so you get to hear a little bit of that as we do. I remember you and I were on a Western Pacific cruise and we pulled into Singapore. We were in Singapore and you somehow

Yes, And I think every time I see this on the Olympics, I think of you. And I remember we.

Met a couple of ladies that were there with us, and I stayed back with the ladies.

You went out and the one lady told me, she goes He's gonna get killed, and you did.

I just remember your face just being bloodied by the time you were done.

It was kind of like that scene and Friends where Ross goes out to play rugby. Uh yeah, I was literally we were watching videos on the ship. I had no idea how to play rugby, and we're watching videos on how to play rugby. But the good news was there was free beer afterwards.

That's right, That's right, they threw that one.

Not like a country club we went to. It was like the equivalent of a country club. It was some sort of club.

It was pretty big. Yeah, I'm not sure what it was, but it was. Yeah.

It was a bunch of British speaking people. Yeah, never, but but you did.

And see that's what we talked about when we were talking about we had the Olympics on here in the studio and you know, just some of the international sport that we've been able to partake of and at least witness through our travels and whatnot. But it certainly has been fun. Now, so just some folks kind of paint this picture. You and I came in and listened together. I was already in the navy. You graduated ninety four,

Oh is it?

We were in the Persian golf in July, hottest time of the year to be there, and you literally had to change your bedding almost every hour because you were sweating that much.

In cramped in areas. Yep. And but you know, when you look back on it, you look where it got you. Here, you are flying Now what what do you fly for? American? Now?

What do you I'm on the airbus three twenty okay, so okay, yeah, And it's definitely, I mean, it's a it's a far comparison from where I was then, did.

I'm saying at the Gould House?

But those were those were good times, you know, those were what got us through to where we are. But I think without those experiences, you know, you can't.

And when you were you always wanted to be a pilot. But when did you know you know, you were a navigator on a need to But when did you know what point along this journey I'm talking about, from when you left high school to where you are right now, did you say, hey, I think I'm onto something.

I think it was going back to those days that you're talking about when I was on the aircraft carry I actually have a little journal I wrote in and it was from like nineteen ninety five and we were finishing up my first deployment and I said, what I really want to do is write be a pilot. Yeah, and I have a picture of that somewhere. But I think when we were on deployment, I actually bought a book this out naive I was, and it said how

And you you almost made it here for thunder over Louisville A couple of times, almost just missed it. That would have been.

Last year to try. I'm gonna I think I'm gonna try next year and then I think I'm gonna be retired out of the reserves.

Are you? But you're gonna try to get it on the E two?

Well, there's a T six that's what I'm at right Pensacol and they got a training airplane, so it's a smaller airplane out at school. But but yeah, so we'll see because I thunder over Louisville is ridiculous. Kind of a kind of a party, kind of a big deal.

I remember one time you came in here and you're you're the E two and you came in you guys stopped here at the at the Ater National Guard, and it's a big deal because people don't see the E two in here in Louisville. In fact, if you go out there, did you see the the is it the C five that's out there right now?

I think I did see something the Pittsburgh International Guard.

Yeah yeah, And but you don't see the E two, which for those that are listening, that's the one with the radar dome on top the prop. But you came in here, and what people don't understand is you can't just pull in here, stop off, go use the bathroom, grab something out of the vending machine, and leave. You guys need certain things to get it's going, don't you like power units?

Yeah, it's a it's a pretty old airplane, so you know when you pull up now, you got to have a Huffer car. Just start an electrical plug in Huffer car.

That sounds like our old man.

It's just a fun word, right, right, and the old Huffer car. Right.

But no, when you were here, you didn't know if you had one.

Right, So you have to call ahead, and then you got to if you do have to land, you don't have one, you got to start calling around different places and trying to piece something together that might, you know, get your airplane to start. But yeah, that was, yeah, that was a while ago. It was about fifteen years ago, I think.

So, So tell me all this as much as you can tell me. I don't want to put you on the spot because it is your mainstay in your job, and I want you to get you in trouble with any corporate folks.

But what's all this airline melee stuff about what is going on? Dude?

I think just more people are traveling and that's that's stress in the system. You know, you talk about the pilot shortage and then the way airlines are being managed. The airlines are growing as the airline murder. I mean, if you look at American airlines, their history is just murder after merger after merger, and now there's fifteen thousand pilots, sixteen thousand pilots and trying to manage all that. I will say this, at least we're not Delta.

At least round one. Yeah.

Now, I think it's just growing pains. And you know, air travel, you know, when we we were traveling as kids, was a lot different than it is now, much different. I think it's just trying to keep up with technology. We saw two weeks ago how technology can shut everything down pretty quick. So but at the same time, it's a double edged store because it helps, you know, it makes the airline run a lot more efficient too.

So we're spending we're spending some time with my little brothers in town on a layover.

We're talking a little airline busins. I got a couple more questions for you about the airline biz. John and Alden is with us too as well.

John is just sitting back there, just chilling out, listening to us, taking it in. I know, brother, I appreciate you, man, And I'm gonna get this, eat this, not that ballpark menu up there.

We'll talk some more of my brother visit with him.

We got about another hour and fifteen minutes to go here, and then we're gonna get out of here and me and my little brogram gonna get something neat Now I'm head over Lynn Family Stadium. But we're having fun. We're just you know, shooting the you know what around here. Right Hey, we're back after this on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Oh.

Look at you, John Alden. You're Johnny on the spot with the music.

Bro.

That's you your best you do you do such a great job with that. Hey, John Alden's down there, he's in Studio E. I'm Scott Fitzgerild over here in Studio B, busying with my little bro for a little bitty flies for American Airlines. Just came into town, and I gonna be here for just a little bit. We're gonna visit, go have some dinner. I'm gonna head over to the Low City game. Speaking of the Olympics, you heard that theme.

I did not.

It wasn't pretty, Oh man, it wasn't pretty. And of course they're defending gold medalists. Hailey Haley, she she was Hailey. I mean, she was tough, she was she was pushing her way around Ryan. Now, Ryan Howard has been dealing with injuries. You know, she was coming in as the Atlanta Dreams leading scorer, one of the top scores in the w NBA, and then she messed up her ankle, and you can tell that's kind of Quase still bothering her a little bit. But Hailey, I thought we'd see

I always say the name wrong again.

I want to say gone, gone, God, I get it wrong anyway, Team USA won to day three nothing okay, Guinea, So I'm thinking about Guinea.

GINNEYA thank you.

Hey, we're gonna take a break when we come back, plenty to talk about one hour left. We're gonna take you on home on this Tuesday. We're getting a hump day tomorrow. I'm Scott Fitzgerald filling in for the vacationing Nick Coffee. We're back after this on Sports Talk seven night