It's night time with Dan Ray.
I'm Deeli Easy Boston's Radio.
Gabby Gas Gay Thomas.
Is an.
How you Like Them Apples? Gabby Thomas, Massachusetts own Gabby Thomas getting another medal for the Bay State, a gold one in a track and field at the Olympics in Paris, dominating the women's two ordered me to race, finishing first with a time of twenty one point eight three seconds. She runs awful fast, as the world found out today. Northampton raised and a Harvard student, Gabby Thomas. So, congratulations Massachusetts showing up on the world stage once again, and
it is Olympics time. Maybe you're watching, maybe you're not. Maybe you're just getting periodic updates either from the news or online, or maybe you don't care at all. I don't know what's up to you. You didn't do it. We want, but it is Olympics toime, and don't forget, by the way, the twenty twenty four Paris Olympics. Once upon a time, a long long time ago. People wanted to have them in Boston and they didn't, so Paris has them, and good for Paris. They wanted them and
they got them. And there you go. Speaking of Olympians from Massachusetts. We have a very special guest tonight and really special well for me to a degree, and I'll explain why in a second after I tell you who's joining us. An Olympic gold medalist himself did it with a big team effort in nineteen eighty at the Winter Olympics, Winthrop's own Mike Ruzione, the captain of that team. And welcome, Captain. Good to have you with us.
Good evening, Yeah, welcome, Thanks for having me.
Don I'm going to tell you one thing here, and I did talk to you off the year about something, and I'm gonna tell this story to everybody because well, look, you and the Olympic team of nineteen eighty hold a very dear place in my heart. And now you'll all
be able to tell how old I am. But I was thirteen years old in nineteen eighty and it was February vacation when you guys took on the Russians and then eventually went on and won the gold medal, And everybody knows the backstory, so I don't really have to tell it again. But because of my age and because of the fact that you beat the Russians and come on, we were in the middle of the Cold War and
everybody hated the Russians. Then. I know we've grown and matured since then, but boy, I mean, right in the back of my heart there's Michael Ruzioni and the US Olympic Hockey team and no one will ever dislodge it from there. So thank you for that and a great memory from my childhood.
Well, thank you.
It was a special time, obviously for my teammates and I and a little did we know the world was watching the way they were. It surprised us the reaction from our country, and you know, I said, somewhere we could use in nineteen eighty right now, But it was a special time and something that you know, we still cherish and a great pride in being a part of.
Well back then, of course, you know, beating the Russians. You didn't need anything more than beating the Russians to bring in the United States together, that's for darn sure.
Right, yeah, But I always tell people, if we don't beat Finland, you and I are having this conversation.
That that's correct, and a lot of people, you know, forget that, and they remember the Russian game, and of course you know, people always talk about in sports, in professional sports, this is our World Series, this is our super Bowl. Even if we don't make it at the super Bowl, if we beat these people, I mean, you know, I know we're not having this conversation certainly not the same conversation. But you beat the Russians. I mean, you know that, right, right? That was big. That was a
big deal, regardless of what happened after that. By the way, I'm glad everything that happened after that happened after that too. So I digress. But are you paying attention to these summer games over there in Perry?
Oh? Yeah, I'm kind It'm back and forth between the Red Stocks and the Summer Olympics.
And talking to me, so media, what's that.
And talking to me so it's the Red Sox of the Olympics and talking to me, Well, I feel honored, really.
But I love watching the Olympic Games, you know, summer winter. You know when to me, it's it's the greatest sporting event you can be a part of, when you represent your country, when you put a USA years, you know, and it means so much more than just you know, a Boston team or an LA team or super Bowl over a World Series, and I think that's why I just love watching it. And it's not always about gold,
bronze and silver. You know, some of these athletes trained for years for that one race, that one moment, and maybe it's not a gold medal or a bronze or a sober, but maybe it was their best time, you know, maybe they performed at a level that they dreamed about doing. And still maybe you didn't win, but still partaking it and being a part of it is is pretty special.
And I agree with that. And I am the biggest you know, flag waiver an American that there is, and and I but the one thing that I have and this is why I wanted to ask you, And by the way, feel free to disagree with me. I lived in the era of amateur athletes in the Olympics, and I know there was always the argument all the Russians are center their pros and the Germans and their pros and blah blah blah. But I like the fact that you, and I'll use your team as an example. You guys
did that whole you know, David Goliath thing. You were not supposed to win because you were the amateurs and you were the college kids. And there's part of me, and maybe it's just because I'm getting old, you know, but there's a part of me that really would like to see the Olympics be all amateurs again. And God bless Lebron James and all the players you know who are playing in basketball. But they have their they have their their platform, they have their championships, they have their
television appearances. I just think it would be nice if we could make sure that all Olympians were amateurs. So maybe, maybe, just maybe we could capture a nineteen eighty hockey miracle again.
Well it's you know, it's it would be nice to have that, but you know, I can't see ever happening again. I mean, you look at the world of sports in general, look at how much college athletes are being paid and out of play, you know, at the nil money and professional athletes to track and field athletes for years have received moneys to compete. So it's a it's a whole different mindset now than it was, you know, obviously in nineteen eighty. I mean, basketball is a totally different sport.
Other countries aren't as powerful and as dominant as we are. But when you look at all the other you know, the track and field athletes, and you look at some of the other athletes that are competing in the Olympic Games. Uh, there's a lot of money out there. There's a lot of endorsement deals, so everybody's kind of a professional in many ways.
Now, Yeah, and I don't you know, I don't disagree. Obviously, money is the king or the root of all evil, depending on how you look at it. And probably I'm an old sentimental softy getting older there and and you know, kind of want to hold on to one little more piece of my younger days. I get that, you know, I'm the I'm not quite a boomer, but you know, my kid calls me that, so I guess, you know, I'm I'm just kind of trying to hold onto the
path I suppose, but I just I don't know. It just it was something special from my childhood, and boy, I'd love to be able to bring it to someone else's childhood. When those you know, those college kids go over into and beat some team they're not supposed to beat because they have a lot of heart and they're wearing that red, white and blue.
So I don't know, Yeah, you know, and I think to you, if let's just take hockey as an example, the other countries are so much better now than they were years ago. You know, the Swedes defends the Czechs, the Russians, obviously, obviously Canada, United States. I mean, these players are so good, and the pros in the games, the skill level is just off the charts. And I was curious how it would be if the pros played against each other. Would they play hard against each other?
And I talked to some NHL players and they put their differences aside. When you put the USA jersey on in the Olympic Games, it means something special and they go after each other just as hard as they would in the Stanley Cup games. So when I saw that, when I saw the intensity, it makes me, you know, proud that we have so many great American players now in the National Hockey League that play at such a high level.
Obviously we're not doing a hockey during the Summer Olympics, but and you've been watching them. Is there a sport that Michael Rouzioni really likes to to watch on the Olympic.
Stage from the summer games? Yeah, I love the gymnastics and I love. The swimming, track and field is probably third. And I was pretty excited to watch the golf to see Scotti Scheffler stand in that podium with that gold medal around his neck and what it meant to him. You know, you saw his response and you know the tears in his eyes when the anthem was being played.
I mean, that's that's pretty special. So it means a lot of the athletes that are competing and when you get to see that, he kind of enjoy it even more. But those of the probably the sports that I that I like to watch more in the summer games.
He's not an American, but I got to tell you, and you must have seen it, that that that guy from Turkey with the pistol shooting, who had just had his hand in his pocket and just like a casual guy doing his thing. Hey here I am at the Olympics. So what are you gonna do about it?
Right? Well?
You know, and then and then the women's rugby game, I mean that was absolutely incredible how they ended that game, you know, scoring at the very end to win I win a bronze medal. So you see those kind of moments and the joy that the athletes are having it, can't help but embrace it and want to watch it.
I'm gonna bet you and and uh, I would put even money on it at least that after that happened, that that rugby finish that got the US the bronze medal. I guarantee you a lot of Americans are sitting on their their computers that night looking up rugby rules and how do you score? And what's it worth? And you know, because you know hockey and basketball, we know how the scores that though those are our sports, but rugby, come on, really, I got to figure that out.
I had to follow it myself. So it was pretty interesting to watch. So it's again, uh to see their girls and their performance to win it like they did at the end was a highlight so far of the game.
Michael Rouzioni joins us he has quite the knowledge of the Olympics and has a gold medal to show for it. We'll continue to talk about the Olympics with Mike and a little bit about what I think about the Olympics, which nobody cares about. But I'm gonnay it anyway, because I'm the host of the show tonight. I'm Ben Parker. And I'm filling in for Dan Ray on Night's Side on WBZ. Now back to Dan Ray Mine from the Window World Night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio. Yes, yes,
we do. We believe in miracles. Al Michaels with that famous call from the end of the Russia US game in the nineteen eighty Winter Olympics, and one of the people on that ice that game, and of course the game winner, Michael RUZIONI. You know, I wasn't gonna play that because I said, well, that's too cliche, but then I figured I gotta play it right. How many times have you heard that call in your life?
Quite a bit. It's funny when I played golf once in a while with Al Michaels, some of these charity events or celebrity events. I'll look at him, I'll go, okay, let's see how long before something happens and we know what it's going to be. We're walking off the tee and someone five seconds in says, hey, Mike, do you believe in miracles? I like, I told you, how wouldn't be wrong before somebody yells it.
Of course, when we all heard it, you didn't. You guys were on the ice, and you were trying. Look, here's the thing, you were counting down. Al Michaels is doing that famous countdown of his to the end of the miracle on ice. You guys are just trying to make sure that the Russians don't get a goal because you're only up by one. You don't care what al Michael's is saying.
And I didn't hear it till till about a week later. So, I mean a lot of my teammates saw the game right after I had gotten taken away by ABC, so I never got to watch the game and didn't get to hear his call till till a week later.
Yeah, it was I mean, obviously for those who heard it, it was great. And again, as I mentioned, I mean, I'm a young teen in nineteen eighty and this is something that just you know, hangs with me and will tell the day I die. So thanks again, thanks for that, and thanks to Alan Michaels for one of the you know, obviously greatest calls in the history of hockey, if not
all of sports in American history. So, so you're watching the Olympics, Michael Ruzioni, and you're you're you're you're trying to decide, well, not who to cheer for, obviously, but I mean there's a lot of sports to pick from, and you've got to watch one of them. You mentioned you like the swimming. Is that just because it's a it's a melted ice and it was easier for you to relate to.
No, you know, over the years, I got to know a lot of our swimmers, you know, obviously Michael Phelps. Got to know Michael really well. And when you see some of our athletes, when you see a Katie Ladecki perform the way she did this this time around and even the last Olympic Games, you get to kind of know a little more about the athletes. And as like I said, I think the swimmers, you know, rowdy games, who's doing the commentating. I got to know Rowdy over
the years. So I guess by just knowing some of the athletes makes you probably want to watch it a little more, I guess.
And this is where maybe I don't know, A couple of people will be like, you're a jerk, Ben, But so I like watching sports, all sports that I know, right, like hockey, got it, understand it, baseball, got it, Football, got it. Even you know, even when you get to like archery, well, I know, you got to put that arrow in the middle of that thing down there, so I understand it. But there are certain sports like I just I don't get and so I'm not as enthralled
by them. And it always strikes me funny when somebody comes up to you know, and we talked about the rugby thing, but when people come up to me and say, hey, did you see that you know, dark throwing competition? No, did you? Yeah, I didn't know what the heck they were doing, but I watched it, and I'm thinking, okay, but I'd rather watch something that I like. Maybe, and maybe that's why I like the sports from the Olympics that I actually understand rugby aside, and I didn't watch
that game in live time or real time. I mean, I saw the highlights like a lot of other people who did. And by the way, let's be honest, I might not want to sit down and watch six hours of gymnastics. I might not want to sit down and watch an entire match of I don't know, rugby or something like that. But I'm rooting for the Americans just because I don't know or like your sport particularly, doesn't
mean I'm not cheering for you. I mean I'm not all of a sudden like the fan of the you know, some other countries rugby team, because I don't understand rugby.
No, I think you're right. I mean, clearly, we're watching how US athletes compete at whatever sport it might be. You know, I just found out not long ago that breakdancing is an event this year, and I know nothing about break dancing, so I'm sure that's something I'm not going to sit around my TV and watch. But yet I congratulate those athletes who trained so hard to get here, and you want to see.
Them do well.
So yeah, there are a lot of sports in the game, especially now in the summer games, that I don't know a lot about. But again, when I see a US athlete representing our country, you want to you want to follow him and support him as much as you can.
I thought when you said I just found out that, uh, break dancing with a sport, and I'm gonna I'm gonna sign up next year, I thought that's what you.
Were going to say, which you got. Well, it's like curling. I think I'm I'm you know, I think I got a chance to maybe do curling because I don't have to work out every day. And I know curling is a very difficult sport because I've tried to play it. But that might be a game that maybe if I wanted to come back in the Olympic Games, maybe I could try that.
You know, I you know, I've seen it. I know a few people who played it. I still don't know how to score it or how to do it. I mean, I know you got to you got to brum and you got to roll that thing down the ice and all that. But but yeah, I mean that that is one of those sports that I don't know anything about. But you will catch me going what are they doing over there?
Yeah?
Yeah, right, so absolutely right.
We have a we have a caller. Let's let's go to the funes, as they say, Tom's in West Virginia. Welcome to Night's Side with Ben Parker and Michael Ruzione.
Hey, Mike, I want to tell you something. Uh my roots are from Boston, can you hear me? Well?
Yeah, I got you?
Can you? Okay, So let's wind the clock back. You guys won if I'm not mistaken. On a Sunday afternoon Eastern Standard time, somewhere in early afternoon. I was working in Boston as a busboy at a restaurant called TGI Fridays on the corner of Exeter and Newbury Street. And I was going to technical school back then. And if I wind the clock back to age twenty back then, I'm sixty four now. And that time in America was
a really bad time in this country. High gas prices, high inflation, the Iranian Crisis of fifty two, Americans held hostage. And you guys were nothing more than college athletes. You didn't get paid to go to the Olympics. The Russian team was the cream of the crop. They were like the Boston Bruins, the Montreal Canadians of the Toronto maple Leafs over in Eastern Europe. They were professionals. That was their job under the old Soviet Union. And I will
never forget. I didn't watch the game. I was working as a busboy that afternoon, and as a matter of fact, I worked with WBZ former radio host Bradley J. And all of a sudden, I hear our manager call out under the microphone. Ladies and gentlemen, the United States Olympic hockey team has now defeated the Soviet Union in the Olympics,
and the place went wild. And for a twenty year old kid that didn't know what had life had in store for me back then, it was an incredible high of believing in America.
We all we all felt that way. Tom, I got let you gocause we run up against the clock. I mean, you let your stories like that like all the time.
Well, it's a great to hear that, And Tom, thank you very much for looking, you know, remembering. I guess, but it was one of those moments that touched the lives of our country. It was an athletic event and we did. Like I said to you, we didn't know it was going to have the impact that it did. And as he mentioned, at a difficult time in our country, we were looking for something to feel good about in
a long week time. I know a bunch of you know, young young you know, our Olympic team in nineteen eighty would be the youngest team in college hockey today. So I just think when you put on that jersey, your whole country fails a part of it. People come up to me and they'll say, I remember where I was when we won, and I always go WEE. I didn't know you were on the team, but that's what it felt like for people, everybody, you know, proud to waive the flag and take great pride in our country, which,
like I said, I can't stress it enough. Other than being in the military or a firefighter or a police officer, putting a USA jersey on is the ultimate thing that you can be a part of because you do represent your country.
You don't, Mike, if you had lost, it would have been you guys lost. We won, but you would have lost.
Yeah, right, Yeah, that's how it happened to you, guys.
Yeah, what happened to your guys? You were going to win.
That's that's why you played the game. And clearly we we we, as our assistant coach said after the Olympics, that our team we deserve and that was to win that tournament. And hopefully if we had to play the Soviets ten times, who knows what would have happened. But that's not the way the format is. You play one game at a time, and we were able to put together a two week span of some pretty good hockey by a team that turned out to be some pretty good players.
Yeah, and we're as Americans were all happy that you did that. Mike. Listen, thanks for joining us. And let me know when we're going to start training for the curling because I'm ready.
I'm going to go the I'm going to go to the rink next week and see if we can put a you know, one of those curling facilities in the in the building.
All right, I'm expecting a call from you, Mike. Thanks, you got it, all right, Michael Rouzioni. He really needs no introduction or anything else, And thanks for what he did for so many people's childhood memories, adult memories, memories, memories and lasts a lifetime. Really, we'll be back. We'll take some of your calls too. Are you watching the Olympics. Maybe you want to give me one of your favorite
Olympic memories from the past. You can do that by picking up the telephone as we move here six one, seven, five, four, ten thirty. We'll take your calls and we get back from News and the Break about the Olympics. Do you like it? Do you watch it? Are you excited about it? Ben Parker filling in for Dan Ray on Night Side. It's Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio. Hello there, Hello, Oh, that's all Yeah, when it's on, it's on. Hi there, it's Ben Parker filling in for
Dan Ray here on night's side. Just coming off a nice conversation with Michael Rouzioni, the captain of the US Olympic hockey team from nineteen eighth that won a gold medal and catapulted everybody to hysteria back then. Really and and and Tom inventioned to the guy that called in from West Virginia. Look at that time, and if you weren't around, then maybe you don't know. If you were, you do. We were at a weird time in life
that the Gold War was going on. The Russians were public enemy number one, two and three, and everybody knew they were senting their professional athletes there. And here's these college kids from all over the place, a lot of them from the Boston area, Uh, going over there and kicking some Russian hockey pucks and winning gold. But not against the Russians. They had to beat Finland later. So anyway, we're taking your phone calls if you want to call
in and talk about the Olympics. At six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty. You can join in on the conversation are you watching the Olympics? NBC comcasts. The people who were showing the Olympics set a statistic or came out the other day that like the seventy nine seventy six percent more viewership this time around than the twenty twenty one games in Tokyo, which is interesting, except I found it kind of weird that nobody watched the Tokyo Games. It's
like the lowest ranked Olympics in history. So of course this year should be better. No knock on the fine folks at Comcast, but it's nobody watched this year. A lot more people are watching. Well, yeah, of course, and it was a weird Olympics, that Tokyo Olympics. I mean I only vaguely remember it. Anyway, they had to postpone it because of the pandemic, and so it was in twenty twenty one and not in twenty twenty. So it's kind of weird the way things played out anyway, But
I guess folks are watching the Olympics. Thirty four million Americans I think was the number they had thrown out something in that vicinity, which is only a little under ten percent of the population of America, so you think there'd be more. It's the Olympics and the United States could win the medals and everybody would be happy. Are you watching the Olympics? And if you're not, you can call in too and tell us why you're not. And if you are, and you can tell us why you are.
Patrick's in Charlestown. What's going on? Patrick? Good evening?
Hey, how you doing.
I'm good? Are you? Are you an Olympics fan?
Uh? Well, you know when I was a kid, I certainly was. I remember the eighty Olympics. I actually, I'm so happy to speak to you. I was hoping to speak to Mike too. I'm sorry he's gone, but that's right you. I'm so thrilled that you picked this topic. It's a great topic. You know, if I may I talk a little bit about the eighty Olympics or is that?
No?
No, no, no, no, we're not you you may because and of course of anybody of a certain age, as you apparently are. It's it's it's it's a big memory.
Yeah. Just a couple of things. Number one is you know I didn't hear your whole call with Mike, But uh, you know one thing, uh you know that we have to remember too, is that in the Boston area was intimately involved with winning with with winning that thing. Like there were four kids from Great Boston that were on that team, including Jack o'calliyan from Charlestown. I might add, so I was like ten years old. I was playing, you know, hockey in Charlestown at the time. Was a
big deal. Mike's from Winthrop and jeez, there were a couple other guys. Is that Jack Silk and who else? It was on the fourth guy?
I think, you know, it's funny you said. I feel bad. I could look it up, of course, but I you know, back back in the day when it right after it happened, I mean, we all knew every one of those players names because they were they were our heroes. They really were.
Yeah, and uh so the one other thing I wanted to bring up was on I think, you know the movie Miracle. If anybody hasn't seen it, I would highly recommend. Yeah, it Herb Brooks's Motivate motivational Methods. That's one thing I was hoping that Mike is listening. I'd love to hear him call the back and talk a little bit about
Herb Brooks's motivational methods. There's this one scene where he has the the uh they lost the game, and he keeps them on the ice after the game so late that the guy cleaning up and closing up the arena had to give the keys of the well.
One of the things that I would like to know too. You know, if I ever told when when Mike and I are training, uh for for doing the curling, I will ask him these questions. But uh No, what I'd like to know is, just like every other movie, right, there's always some poetic license that's taken by Hollywood. So how much was taken, uh and and run with by Hollywood? And how much was what that team actually did go through leading up to winning gold?
Yeah? Absolutely, Well that the next time you're on it would be a great show. Thank you for a great show, and go USA. Jim Craig, I think I think that was a fourth Massachusetts kid.
Yeah, well, and of course Jim Jim Craig. Yeah, well, Jim Craig was the you know the backstory there with you know, looking for his dad and and and draped in the American flag and all these things. Is they when? When they when they won? There were so many backstories to this, and of course the biggest story of them all was this group of college age kids went and beat up on the Soviet Union, which we of course all loved so.
And the Soviet Union's hockey team, people might not realize, was basically the equivalent of playing like the nineteen ninety two USA basketball team.
Yeah, they.
Had beat all the NHL teams to a pulp. They were a superstar team. It was so improbable that it's almost on an ague. What a beautiful moment. Thank you for the show, all.
Right, Patrick, thanks a lot. I appreciate the call. And the Russian team, the Soviets team in the Olympics there they were good, I mean really good, and they knew they were really good. See, I think that that did play against them a little bit. And again I was thirteen at the time, so I wasn't really analyzing hockey games as a as a hockey analyst. But yeah, that was the deal. I mean, you know, when you're that good and you think you're that much better than somebody else,
that's when stuff like that happens. And we're glad it did it made. It made for great theater in nineteen eighty and it has made for some great books, some great documentaries, and some great movies ever since. We are into the Olympics. Now you know who I'd like to hear from if you want to give us a call, that would be a fan tab. Well, anybody can give us a call. I don't want to make it sound like I'm limiting it to people, but six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty is there anyone? Is there anyone out there who was big into wanting Boston to get the Olympics. Remember there was a time I have a wristband that says Boston twenty twenty four, when it was being pushed for Boston to host these very Olympic games. Of course it all went away and it didn't happen. Former Mayor Marty Walls wanted to make sure that the Boston was going to get a fair shake, which of course we probably weren't.
So it all folded up and went away, and that was fine, and I think most people are fine with that. But is there anybody out there who who wanted the Olympics to come to Boston? And more importantly, perhaps is there anybody out there who still wishes they'd come to Boston. We have traffic problems and transportation problems and all kinds of other problems. The only thing we might have that's that that's better than Paris for handling an Olympics is
the river. Like I would rather swim in the Charles than the said, So, I mean, maybe that's our our leg up next time around. Our water is not as dirty as your water. We have cleaner water in our rivers. So I would love to hear from someone. Are you watching the Olympics and if you are favorite sports? I mean there have been some pretty dynamic moments. I'm not gonna lie to you, I'm not watching the Olympics religiously.
I do the news here at wbz's so I kind of need to know what's happening, our Americans winning, who's doing what and whatever? And speaking of Americans winning and people from this area winning gold medals, Gabby Thomas Northampton and harrived one today a goal medal running in the track and field event. It was the women's two hundred meter race, and she came in first twenty one point eight three seconds two hundred meters twenty one seconds. Wow, I couldn't do that in my car. I don't think Rob,
I don't think I could drive that fast in my car. Really, how fast she ran two hundred meters? All right, maybe I could, But good for her. Congratulations to Gabby Thomas, another Massachusetts gold medal winner. Favorite sports. I mentioned it with Mike and every but look, if you're on the social media, if you're on the web, it was viral.
Still is out there. I don't even know his name, who cares, mom probably, but the guy from Turkey doing the shooting event, the pistol event with his hand in his pockets, just kind of like, hey, whatever, I'm shooting, just leave you alone. Wins a silver medal. Good for him. And those are the by the way, those are the kind of stories that real are exciting. The US men's basketball team, for example, is probably gonna win a gold, right,
I mean they should, Okay. Anyway, that being said, that's great, and of course, as an American, yes, yay, we want another gold. But some of these sidebar stories, the little ones, the people you don't know of, And even though this guy's from from from Turkey and not from America, it's still, you know, these great stories of people you don't know who are winning medals doing things you didn't even know
they did. And and Simone Biles want won more medals at the Olympics, and the US women's gymnastics team got some medals, and and and great for them. And I'm really happy that they did. Obviously, why would it be mad that they did well, darn it, they won more medals. That's terrible. No, of course, I'm happy that they won more medals. But we know who they are, right, I mean,
most of us do. We've heard about them. But every once in a while, you get somebody who nobody knows about, and even if it's from you know, in this case with the with the with the Turkish pistol shooter guy, Look, that's a cool story. I don't care. It's cool. And those are the types of stories that we see in the Olympics sometimes, and that's what makes it kind of all worthwhile for people watching it at home. Look, I know what you know, good basketball looks like, right, I
mean I do. I see it all the time. We have the Celtics. They just won an NBA title. I don't know if you were sleeping through it, but that just happened this year. We know what good hockey looks like. We've had championships in Boston. We talked about, obviously the Olympics in nineteen eighty, so we know all this stuff. You don't know anything about pistol shooting, all right. One guy's gonna call up and says, yeah, I tried pistol
shoot all the time. Most people don't. Most people don't know anything about like the rugby, right, I mean, I know what rugby is, but I don't know the scoring routine and regimen, and most people don't. But then the US women's team goes on and wins that last second play, winning the bronze medal. I'm telling you a lot of people were on the computer that night going rugby's goor ring? What is it? And how do you win a game? And please So those are the things when you go, hey,
that's kind of cool. I didn't know that. Anyway. If you want to give us a call and chime in. Watching the Olympics, not watching the Olympics, don't care about the Olympics, don't care that we're talking about the Olympics. You can call in and say that too, if you want six one, seven, two, five, four, ten, thirty. Ben Parker's filling in for Dan Ray tonight on Nightside on WBZ. Now back to Dan Ray Live from the Window World Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio. Hey there, Ben Parker
filling in for Dan Ray on night Side. For those who don't know who I am. I do Afterdrew News here on WZ from two to six in the afternoon, occasionally filling in for Dan Ray as I am right now, and we would love to hear from you at six one seven, seven eight seven. Uh sorry, I'm giving you the wrong number. What am I dumb? Yes, six one seven, two five four ten thirty. I was going to give you the news room phone number. Let's call me there
later if you want. John's and Hopkinson. We're talking about the Olympics and whether you're watching or whether you're not watching, don't care? Do care? Love something? Don't love something? John? What's going on? Hey Ben?
How are you?
I am?
Well? Thank you? What do you got?
I mean the Olympics. I mean I've caught a lot of the Olympics, and it's one of those things that sometimes as uh as American sports.
Fans, we don't we forget like it's not.
A yearly thing.
This is every four years. I mean, so this is pretty significant time in sports history. And uh, you know, those of us with American you know, sports fandom, if you will, we just we assume that it's just gonna happen again every year. So this is this is a pretty sigficate thing being of enjoyed all of it.
Do you have a do you have a sport that that you like and I mean maybe one that you would never normally be watching.
So I actually I've quite a couple.
I mean, and you know, for whatever entertainment value, I find that the kayak cross, I'm not sure if any much's caught that has been really uh that's been entertaining. I mean I've watched it all. But these you know, there's the other sports you don't normally get to see, uh like that obviously, all the track and seals, all the gymnastics, I mean they're just I mean those are athletes, right, incredible athletes.
But but yeah, just a couple of things stood out for me from what I've been able to watch. But uh, the kayak cross, those kind of emerging sports has been interesting.
Yeah, I mean some of them certainly have been interesting. I mean track and field. We see, I mean, we're familiar with track and field, you know, the one sport that a lot of people probably aren't familiar with the broader sense of gymnastics. Yes, but most people probably aren't sitting around their house, uh, breaking down the odds on the pommel horse. And we we've got that guy from Worcester, Stephen the de Rozaak or how you say his name.
I probably mispronounced it, and I apologize, but he won a bronze in the in the in the pommel horse, and won the bronze with the with the team as well. When was the last time, John, you talked about the pommel horse competition in your life? I did? There I have.
It's actually, you know, it's interesting because I was watching the women's you know, the women's competition, and you sometimes forget, I mean, they're completely different techniques or what they call skills in any particular event, and the women and the men have different ones.
But yeah, of course the.
Pommel horse is a perfect example for you. Right when do you see it? But every four years unless you're really tuned in, so perfect example.
Ben.
Yeah, John, listen, I appreciate your calling in and if I feel free to do so anytime. And by the way, you can call in and tell us what you think about the Olympics and the sports that are going on. Maybe you're watching, maybe you're not. We did see that about was about two thirty four million Americans that watched. These were some of the numbers that came out. NBC Comcast has the Olympic Games and the ratings for this
year's Olympics. The twenty twenty four games seventy five percent, seventy six percent higher than they were in twenty twenty one when they were in Tokyo. But that's because the Tokyo Olympics were the lowest ranked or watched Olympics like ever, like in history. Like more people watched the Olympics on TV in eighteen fourteen than they did in twenty twenty one. All right, not quite, but you get my point. So a lot of people are watching compared to the last Olympics.
But are a lot of people watching and it's under ten percent roughly. I mean, if you do the math on how many people there are in the United States and how many people were watching, thirty four million, less than ten percent. You'd think there'd be more are you watching six, one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty? If you want to chime in, I want you to put your thinking caps on too, because later on this evening we have special guests coming up in the eleven o'clock hour.
But at eleven thirty, we're gonna pick your brain and maybe you'll know why we're doing this. Maybe you won't, but you'll find out at eleven thirty. If you could put any one person, one additional person on Mount Rushmore, who would it be? And I don't want to be I don't want to be boring and leave it to well, just presidents or just politicians or no, anybody got to be American. And you've got to defend your decision. Who would you put on Mount Rushmore to honor someone else?
We'll talk about that at eleven thirty, because I'm interested in what people think could By the way, it could be a president or a politician, but it doesn't have to because I don't want to limit it to that. There might be someone in American history, maybe even someone is still a lot doing whatever they do, that deserves to be up there as the fifth person on Mount Rushmore. We'll do that at eleven thirty. But coming up in the next half hour, we're going to take trip to Maui.
Did you know it's just over a year ago that the that the Maui wildfires took place, the ones that devastated Lahina. Just just over a year now they're starting to rebuild, although they have big problems there financially, people don't have places to stay because well, their houses burnt down. I spent time in Hawaii many many years ago. I worked in Hawaii for a while and spent two days a week on Maui every week that I was there. And so we're gonna talk to somebody from Maui who's
gonna give us a litt update on that. It was one of those stories that gripped the world really, I mean, everybody was interested in it, right You were hearing about it on the radio, seeing it on TV, it was on the social media, it was everywhere, and rightfully, so, it was a huge story and a lot of devastation and death and injury and just just wild times. And they're trying to rebuild there. It's been a year. Let's get a let's get a little bit of a uh
a check there on how things are going. On in in Maui and if anybody could do it, why not I will. So we're gonna we're gonna take it to Maui. Coming up in the next half hour here on WBZ, Ben Parker, I'm filling in for Dan Ray in his night side stay with us. What did that h