A Loose Cannon

the podcast world. We are not restricted by the Federal Communications Commission because this is only available in the podcast format. A spinoff of the Ben Maller Shaw Heard five nights a week syndicated on Fox Sports Radio through My Heart all over the United States and a hundred and sixty five countries and ships at sea all over the globe. There because the American Forces Network. But this podcast is

an interview podcast, and we are joined this weekend. Amazingly, I thought he wasn't gonna be here, but David Gascon in the house for these own ten sound effects. If he makes his way to the Mincros final, I mean, I got people that are here and near and dear to my heart. You've got some fan boys and boot liquors and sicko fans on the overnights. So it's a it's a perfect comment. I have people that respect quality radio. That's it. That's all that. Nothing more than that, nothing

more than that. Yeah, they call it fanatics. Maybe if you were good, you'd have something. Maybe that I got that. I got lovers, that's all I got. I'm I'm excited about this guest today. We um, well, that really gets a friend of the podcast, friend of the part. We don't do guests. We have friends of the podcast people we like, people we want to talk to. And I figured like we we need to get back to our roots because now I love Dave Parker and that was

great and flashback to my childhood with Dave Parker. But I love talking radio. You know the business of radio. I love it. I'm a radio nerd, and I love the great people that are on radio that do such a great job and having some of them on and people we know, and we are excited because not only do we get to talk to a colleague at Fox Sports Radio on the weekends, but also a guy I've

known since I was a kid. I started in radio and I was nineteen years old and this guy was one of the big stars at the at the mighty six ninety when I started, and I didn't intern on his show. I interned on Lee Hacks on Hambleton's show. But we're talking about Steve Hartman, the man that has been the loose cannon of Southern California and syndicated radio for forever pretty much, right going back to the late

eighties early nineties. He's been on on radio and so we're gonna we're gonna catch up with Steve, which I'm excited about because a lot of stories with Steve, and Steve's been on television and radio and done it. Had a Hall of Fame crew. He's actually in Uh maybe we'll bring this up. Maybe maybe not, but he's in the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. And it's funny because Arnie Spanier he's trying to get into that Hall of Fame. He's very upset that he's not in it.

We've had Arnie on the podcast and uh, I'm not in it either, But Steve's in there. He's a Hall of Famer. He had a verified bona fide Hall of Famer here. Yeah, he's joining us right now. He's a beast. I So I worked as an intern for him back in the day, back when I was at San Diego Stand. I think it was like two thousand four, two thousand five, and and I was one of those loggers. I don't know if you you did this back in the day, Ben, but I had a log tape, and this is when

they did tape to tape editing. So whenever I was given a cassette tape or a VHS tape, i'd had to log the time from when like let's just say it's Major Baseball, I don the lot of the time from when a pitch was thrown to one the pitch or the play was over with. So I had logged times so when they did their television spots that they'd be you know, enough time in there for when they had obviously sound on tape. So I was logging all

the buroll for them. So I knew Steve only from Afar because everyone said he was pretty much like the class nerd. He was just like in and out, perfectly parted hair. It was loud, he was he was just he was just that guy, and uh, pretty surreal to all of a sudden fast forward the clock a decade and a half later and I get to be working with him. That's pretty cool. And Steve is authentic. You know some of these guys in radio and I'm pretty quiet off the off the radio, guess and I'm pretty reserved.

But Steven, he's he's non stopping and he doesn't look like it. That's I know he works every day and but it's just his personality. I try to kind of wind down and but he he does not. He does not believe in winding down. Enough of that, let's welcome in the man, the mid the legend fs R colleague. He's doing morning drive in San Diego. But he is the ultimate loose cannon, a man who has seen and done everything, Steve Hartman. So, Steve, it's great to have

you on. We've been trying to get you on the podcast. Actually, Guesscott hasn't been trying to get anyone on the podcast. But let me begin with this. Now, you've had many great accomplishments. You've covered Super Bowls, all Star games, You've interviewed the biggest name in biggest names in sports. So where does this appearance on the Fifth Hour podcast rank in your hierarchy of career accomplishments. Well, this doesn't take a lot of thought then, because it is absolutely at

the top. And let me say for the record, we make this perfectly clear for the record. And I say this in one honestly, and I've said this from the first time I've barked Ben Mallor on the radio. Ben Mallor is the best at what he does. Now, you can qualify it that in any way you want, but I believe that Ben Maller is the best at what he does. And I just want to state that for the record, so twisted anyway you want, you do what you do better than anyone else. That's it, period, exclamation

point wow. As a ring endorsement. As you know, Steve, I started at the station you started. I was just a merely know lowly intern at Extra Sports six ninety and the Mighty six ninety and I interned for Hacks. We've had Hacks on the podcast a couple of times. But I remember i'd get there early because I was a radio nerd, Steve, and I would see you in check Fordy doing your thing. They're doing the show and

I love the vibe and that whole thing. And obviously I've gotten into the business all these years and been in it and whatnot period. But what was it like? I want to know before I got there. I saw what it was like when I got there a few years after the station had launched. But what was it like when you guys first went on the year and launched that thing? Alright? So ben I, I mean, I don't want to go ahole history listen, but we have time.

It's a podcast. So um As you know, back in the eighties, I was working as a PR guy for the l A Raiders. I had no interest in being a broadcaster that I thought about being a broadcaster. You know. I was working as a PR guy and I got frustrated because Al Davis wouldn't give me a raise to thirty thousand dollars a year. This is literally why I quit the Raiders. As I asked. I wrote a letter to Mr Davis saying, you're you're paying me twenty four thousand,

three hundred dollars. I'm doing a cropload of work paying me the thirty thousand, he said, thousand, we are five and tenders yere, you want me to give you a raise. That was enough done finished. I took a non sports job for four months. I had seen the movie Wall Street one too many times and I was convinced I was working for Gordon Gecko and I was Bud Fox. Four months later I quit that job, so I was

back at ground zero. And as you know then, my radio career actually started at this little k Fox radio with my mentor but for Willa. But for my whole career is due to a man named but for Willo, the steam Namer, long time newspaper radio guy in Los Angeles. He took me under his wing when I was twenty years old. He said, you're freaking kid. I don't know how you retained so much crapp in her head that I could use you. So I was working at this little radio station k Fox when but got contacted by

a man named John Lynch. And it was amazing to me because this John Lynch was in San Diego. He had the station six. It was the flagship of the Chargers, and they had an afternoon radio guy named Lee Hacks on Hamilton's. And I've never heard of Hacks. So you know, Ben, how it is if you don't understand that's from the southern California standpoint. There are three distinct markets. There's l A, they're Sandy, Orange County, and they're San Diego. The well events of San Diego sports in l A is no

different than Buffalo. There is no relevance of San Diego sports in Los Angeles. So I've never heard of this hacks I guy. So but calls me and he says, look, listen to this actor. You can hear the signal up in LA. So I'm listening the first time I hear HACKSA. I called back, but he goes, what do you think I said? I literally count of twelve things this guy made up, completely made up, Like there's he's he's stating things on the air that are not true. I mean,

absolutely not true. So we went down to do an audition show on the weekend, and you can you can figure this one out. Then, So we drive down to San Diego. This is old Pacific Highway Studios and we do a Saturday audition show and Budded lined up all these guests and I was gonna do like updates that's the bed Folo show, right, And none of the guests showed up. It was a catastrophe. I mean it was the worst radio show ever. I show I had a

tape of. This show was an absolute bomb. So we're driving back to l Igo whether it goes that opportunity in San Diego. But they stayed in touch and the next thing you know, I get called down to San Diego. They tell me, look, we don't want but we want you, and like, what are you talking about? But for a bullshow, Well we got this young guy, brad Cess matt Or, We're gonna put you with him. And I'm like really, So they hired me and then seven months later Brad

was out and Chet forty shows up. How much interaction do you happen with Chet? Did you have much? Yeah? I only met him a few times. It was very nice. Uh little guy, right, A little guy remember, and uh you know I I talked to him a bit in the newsroom with a high speed sports wire in the sports tick, right. But yeah, I didn't talk to him too much. There's only a few times I talked to him back in those days. But he was great. You You and Chet were wonderful. He had all here. I

don't when he was the money. I'm like, yeah, I don't like this novice Right, seven months on the radio, I'm still trying to figure out if this is anything I have any interest in doing, and they stick me with you know, Chet forty, and I'm thinking, didn't we interview him talking about how he was facing a prison sentence for federal tax evasion, like he was going to go to prison, And now we're gonna hire this guy

to be my partner. And I remember John Lynch of the gather on ran our station, looked at me and he goes, you better make this work. And I'm like, so my whole career, as short as it was at that point, is writing on me trying to figure out how to do a radio show with a guy that he had even less radio experience than I had. So

we who are really two guys? And then, you know, back in those days, like sports talk radio was pretty mild, wasn't too much noise going on, but early on Chet Night just started screaming at each other like he wasn't ready for a young guy to challenge anything he had to say. I was like, if you say one more stupid thing, I swear to him a knock in tomorrow. I mean, we got so heated on the air. All I kept thinking is my radio career is going to

end before even begins. And then there was an article in the Union Tribune Dwan in San Diego did this glowing review of our radio show. I'm radios think is this guy listening to what I'm listening to? And from that point on, and of course we got the name of loose Cannons from ax Off, who was getting inundated with phone calls on his show, which came on after ours, the people complaining about our show that these guys are off their charts, are ripping the chargers and everything else.

And he called us a couple of loose cannons. And you know how nickname works, and like, you don't give yourself a nickname. So somebody called the facts that had said this, and the next caller said, hey, loose cannons, and that's how it started. I just want like wildfire from that point on, so those five years would said, it's hard to believe. Now it's going to be twenty five years since he passed away, coming up here on May eighteen, the team then, is the anniversary of Chet

passing away. I can't believe that. I can't believe it's been that long and you guys did so well, and then you've you've kept the Loose Cannons brand going all these years. How many different Loose Cannons? I know you did the show after Chet passed away, you changed it up, and then you went to l A and you did the show with Victor Brick and Michael Thompson and Pat O'Brien, and uh, how many different incarnations have there been of

the Loose Cannons. Well, let's let's be I I don't know if I have any real standing in the history of sports talk radio, but I can safely say that no one has hosted a show with more co host than I have in sports radio history. I mean, I've done shows with you who have a Night and on his show with in my career, so I guarantee you I hold that record without a doubt. But the true Loose Cannons after Chet forty was Philly Billy morn Dell.

Then I came up to Los Angeles and Michael Thompson and Victor Brick, and then they got rid of it. When I did the National show with Chris Myers, it was Myers apartment. I hated that we went back to the Loose Cannons and we brought in Paddle Brian and then after I went down to San Diego, they brought the Loose Cannon brand back that you're not gonna believe this.

You readed for this, Ben, So I get moved. In December, the Morning show in San Diego, the Fox affiliate got taken out by budget cuts, so sort of like when the pandemic began, and was sort of like, uh, you know, we're gonna flatten the curve for a couple of weeks, I like Boston San Diego said can you just temporarily fill in on the morning show. I'm still on the morning show and like partners rich Ornberger and John Shaeffer who did the afternoon they're still called the Loose Cannons.

What so the lud Cannon so and people are like, where's horror? How can you have a show called the Loose Cannons without Hartmen? But that's that is right now. The afternoon show and I think thirteen six D in San Diego is called The Lewis Cannons with rich Overberger, John Paper and I'll do on the Morne Show. Oh wait wait see see see if I went on I went on the podcast. I was I went through the thirteen sixty page and I was like, all right, I want to see what's going on here and do my

due diligence. And I saw the Louis Cannon's name, and I didn't see your picture, and I thought, well, maybe you just didn't want your picture used or something. I didn't I didn't realize that you weren't even part of that show right now. That's crazy. Yeah, it's it's unbelieving. People are confused, like and there are people like, have you left the stage and I got in there, Oh, I'm on the mornings. You know how this works, Yeah,

he'll got your audience. Then people people have a certain show, whether it's the mornings, mid day's, afternoons, late night, whatever that they're walking into. They don't necessarily know the entire line up at the station. They just know the shows that they listened to. And so they're people like you know my Twitter at cafase, but too if you let the stage, I go, oh, I'm on the morning. I'm doing a morning show now for six to nine. So

it is. It is one of the great revelations though Steve and I learned that over the years being in radio, that you know, you think you're the most important person to somebody's life, but really it's just the time you're on they happen to be listening. And if you're not there there, you know they they might like you, but they're not gonna really most people are gonna go out of their way, you know that. It's it's like, if you're there, it's convenient, they'll listen. If not, sorry, I

wonder what happened, but I'll move on. Its crazy today today, literally today on our text line during the morning show, I've been doing radio for thirty two years now, NonStop, thirty two years, much of this time, seven days a week, right, And somebody texted me and goes, I've never heard this Steve Harpin guy, but I really like what he has to say. So yeah, two years somebody today hit in, let's see in the morning show saying I've never heard this Steve Harpin guy before, but I really like what

he has to say. Um, I think he's got a chance to make it. I think Steve Hartman can have a long career in a Hall of fame career in radio. That's what I think, yes, I guess I don't think it's great. You always think like everyone's followed your entire career oligiously. And you know, I've had people Michael Thompson, believe it or not, came in our show. I have Michael every once in a while, and he was upset

that we were calling the show loose cannons. He goes, we were the original loose Cannons, and I'm like, actually, weren't. Michael forty was the original loose Gannon. He got hammered on social media. No, you're loose cannon history. Be sure to catch live editions of The Ben Miller Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart Radio app. Be sure to catch live editions of The Ben Meller Show weekdays at

two aim eastern eleven pm Pacific. Guys, I I know a little something of something, but I'm gonna make an educated guest here, and I'm gonna say that guy that made that compliment to Steve was not was not Don Martin Martin moment, so I have to go third rails. So Steve like it's not been all like smooth sailing sun rainbows. You wouldn't Don Martin have had that, You guys have gone back in forth in year's rain Well, let's let's talk about the whole John Martin association. So

here's what happened, guys. So we were sailing along at six ninety quite nicely, and they launched eleven fifty. Then you're obviously very familiar with the eleven fifty back in seven. Yet I'm sorry. In seven they launched Mark. What was Marty Mark was going to be the l A counterpart at six nine, and this is when JA Corp. Had acquired uh the from what was called was our original Stations for Dead anyway, you So this require did car

eventually get swallowed up by Clear Channel. So the idea was they had a guy named Jack Evans, and Jack Evans was running the show, and he was saying that six ninety would be San Diego and eleven fifty was going to be l A. And I remember asking, why would they stop listening to six nine in l A because we had a huge l A Orange cadey audience. He goes, they will, Well, I guess what they didn't. So we get the two thousand and two and it's right around the time of the World Series when the

Angels beat the Giants. I'll never forget this. So I had gotten a phone call a couple of months earlier from this Robin Berta Lucci, and she was running Camp five, but she was sort of overseeing the eleven fifty operation. There seemed to be transition, you know, like Dave Smith had been let go, and you know some of the

guys you all know from those eleven fifty days. So we were assuming as soon as the season was over, because their contract with the Dodgers was running out, that that would be end of eleven fifty and at six Mammy would just hold as we had been before eleven fifty. But I get this phone call from this Robin Berta Luci and she says, yeah, could you fill in on the afternoon show on eleven fifty this week? And I'm like what. So we had our boss, Bill Pew, who

happens to be the brother of Dan Patrick. Dan Patrick's real name is Dan Pew, by the way, as you guys know. So anyway, I go to a Bill pe Are, our programming guy at six man Ago I get the weirdest phone call from this Robin burta Lucien, she wants me to do the afternoon show. This will be line. I don't want to overstate my importance, but it was sort of like the Clippers calling the Lakers saying, can we ball Kobe for a game? You know, like you know, just good? He could he work for us, and his

reaction was sort of like what do you think? I'm like, what do you mean? What I think? If you look at midday show here? You want me to do the afternoon show on that other station will never happened because they got into the World Series and everything else. And then the day will all remember was the day that

it was Halloween two thousand two. Billy Wendell and I just finished doing our midday show and we finished the show and we get called into Bill Pugh's office and he tells us that day six nineties dead as we know it. We're gonna merge six fifty to create a superstation and right now, you guys are not a part of it. And I'm like, okay, so what are we doing here? When are we going to find out whether we're a part of it? He wanted to bring in a show he had created down in San Diego, Scott

and b R, Scott Kaplan, Billy ray Smith. But when they notified the l A people, They're like, who the hell is Scott and b R? We want Hartman, we want the loose Cannons. So I got the call and then Philly Billy blindsides me because I thought hard to keep him on the show. He it's because John Lynch our old Bots at six ninety was starting a new station that was going to be based in San Diego. So the next phone call I get is sort of a guy who's just been hired to run the new superstation,

Don Martin. Don Martin, So I've never met Don Martin. I find out that he's engaged to Robin Berto Lucci and we're gonna meet and I'll put this way. With Don, it was a challenge, no question, and obviously Don has had a highly successful career in radio management. But we did butt heads. If I didn't like things that were happening, I told him, and he didn't always react all that well to that. So that's just the way I've been

throughout my career. I mean, I lived to my loose candidate Hannon Monicker, and we had episodes, many episodes over the years, we had good times, we had bad times, but that the bottom line is this is going to happen in any industry, guys. I mean I could give you one specific story. It's not exactly a secret story. It was a very public story, uh, where Don and I had it out at a Dodger game and it

pretty much cemented our situation. But I'll also tell you this, Don Martin when he got back in a position of power wanting the network for Fox Sports Radio and no hesitance and bringing me back to do the weekend So um, the last time I saw it done was at the Southern California Sports Broadcasters luncheon. They were honoring VIC before

the pandemic. Uh, and we were cordials. So everything is good as far as I'm concerned, and you know Ben as well as even Mr Dave gascon If you're in this business, if you want to survive in this business, you can't be making enemies. You can't be burning bridges. If you have disagreements, move on and just get back to the business of doing good radio. No, but I gotta tell you, see, that's one of the great accompetitions. I remember that night and everyone was My phone was

blown up. Did you hear what happened in the in the luxury box a Dodger stadium? No, I didn't hear what happened, and everyone had a different version. You know. It's like that that phone game where you you you passed the message along and all right, here, I'll give you a very quick what happened. So here's what happened. I was It was a Dodger Yankee game. Okay, so the Yankees were at Dodger stadiums. Even know it's a massive crowd of Dodgers stadium. I was actually at the

Dodger game doing television work. So I was on the field doing a live shot and I run into Dave Us, emotions director and Brian Blackmore, you know, open working for the station. So I'm doing the national radio show at this point, and I don't have a whole lot of time in Burbank. Don had just been let go as running the Fox Sports radio network the week before, and

I hadn't spoken to him since. So I asked Wete, not knowing if Don was going to be at the game, whether they had the Sweet there, and we said, oh yeah, go down and get some food. So I walk into the Sweet and as I'm in the sweet I see Don Martin and but he's got his back turn and he's getting some food. So I walk up to him and I manx us to find out what happened, right, And so I walk up to Don and he turns around and I said, what's up to mar And he

looks at me. He goes, if I were you, I would turn around and walk out of here right now. And I'm looking at him, like, you know, we'll face to face, like a why would I do that? He goes, I know. And basically what happened was this he was blaming Pattle Brian for his being outstit by the network. Obviously I had nothing to do it, I had, I had,

I want no power at all. Zero. All I know is is that at the bosses at clear Channel at the time, I had decided to flip our show and make it really the Paddle Ryan Show again someday I had no control over and neither did John Martin. So but Don was angry and he took it out on me. And it was in front of a lot of people, a lot of people, and so you know, I can't I just I can get past all this stuff. It really doesn't phase me, but in reality it was. It was pretty much the end for me as far as

working Monday through Friday at the network. And I feel fortunate to have continued my career after And it was it was just a very unfortunate situation. Steve, does this rival in comparison to when you you gas lit a colleague of ours a few years ago prior to the

to the NFL draft. It was the draft that saw Baker may Field, Sam Donald's, Josh Rosen amongst many others, Josh Allen as well, and um, and you decided to poke and prod and and spearhead a knife into the side of Brady Papinga, thus catapulting him into my studio ready for a fist fight. Well, first of all, David, you I have nothing to do with that. That was you. And then let me let me take caskon. Is unbelievable about that? You talked about revisionist history. I had nothing

to do with that. Now yet, m I ind antagonist. Ben's an antagonist. That's what we do. We if we if we see its spark, we put the blowtorch on it. And the thing was, I did get Brady for thing a former NFL linebacker, a big man, big man really agitated with Gascon then you could have he couldn't believe that. He literally walks out of the studio, right through the control studio, turns the corner into the update studio. I didn't get to see the expression on space from where

I was sitting, said, they do you tell me? It was great? He was, He was standing, what do you? Brady Pepina is one of like the mellow when I've been around him, he's been mellow, and you know, and what did you do? What? He he goes from zero to sixty and the blink of a NYE, something just goes around and h we were talking about Josh Rosen and Baker Mayfield, and I said, Josh Rosen has been the better quarterback, you know, going through high school to college.

It's not his fault that he's had an offensive line that's just been decimated. He's got no coaching staff. And you know, Baker Mayfields had all these thing the riches given to him in Oklahoma. And then I had seen Josh Rosen in high school and in college, and I knew Brady didn't monitor him like growing up. So he thought like Rosen was aloof and all these other things, and I pretty much said, like, you don't know what

the hell you're talking about. And then we come back from break and he tries to start undressing me, saying, you don't know what defenses are, you don't know how to read coverage, and they starts asking me all these things, and I started answering on the air, but Steve continues to like poke at him on air. And then right after that he came into the into the studio on break and he got my face and I got right up at him too, and um and yeah, well and by the way, when he got back in study, I

totally backed him up. You know that I wasn't gonna go. You were you were, you were gone. You were happy to me at that point, David, that's that point. I was all Papa, Steve. And now the one thing that we'll get behind you on is despite the fact that you're a couple of years older than both been in myself, Um, you look like a forty year old man with you look better than than I do. I know that, Steve. But it's amazing and so I believe and you have

not you know, you've got a little. Uh Like. I was telling a friend I was watching on TV, and I said, you know, he's kind of become like he Jim Hill. You know, Jim Hill hasn't aged at all, exactly Hill five by tied for twelve years. So that's the whole point. Another way I learned from Jim Hill how to basically freeze yourself in time is what you do when Because I was looking the other day at a show that we did, Jim and I about fifteen years ago, and yeah, I have to admit both of

us pretty much like exactly the same. It's it's it's it's amazing for those for those listening that aren't in l a. Jim Hill has been on TV since I was a kid, and he looked exactly the same as when I was like eight years old watching him on TV. And see if you know, as you said, you looked the same. So he let you in on the cheek code. He let you in on how to not use to stop it. Well, the one thing Jimmy used to always say to me all the time was keep fooling them,

keep fooling them. I will say this about Jim Hill and just his hair, his frow. So I sat next to this man every weekend for twelve years in a row. Twelve years in a row. And let's see, Jim now is seventy I'm gonna say he's at least seventy three years old. But in the years that I sat next to him, I never saw a single gray hair, not one. So I if you know a little touch up that you know, that's it's sort of passable. But it was amazing to me. I kept thinking, there's gotta be one,

Like what right you can see? I can see his whole air everything. Never once, Steve, did you never once with Jim Hill? Speaking of Jim Hill, did you ever enjoy the experience that Jim Ill had at night on those party butts? So when I started working with Jim, this is in the beginning. So I started working a

channel two in and I'm a radio guy. I mean, I've been doing l A t V now for it's gonna be twenty three years in June that I've been doing l A t V between cbsk CAL and kt L A where I'm now, and but I've never looked at myself as a TV guy. I'm a radio guy who happens to do a weekend gig on TV. It's stealing money. I can promise you that anyway. So Jim Hill immediately and I we we hit it off. Jim. Jim doesn't get buddy buddy with a lot of people, right,

everyone knows Jim Hill, but he doesn't know everybody. If you actually hear him say your name, that's a miracle, Like even for me. It took probably a few months working on every week before he actually could say Steve, Like I mean, he's not great with names. So as soon as we hit it off though, we felt like, hey, we're pretty good together here. And in those days, Jim had the fun Bus. And the fun bus was exactly as advertised. It was one of those custom busses like

celebrities have. You got to have some pretty serious coin to get one of those. And he would bring let's say, adult entertainment onto the bus with us, so it would be like me and a print of his and some girls and it was a fun bus. So we did this everywhere. I want to have fun times in a lot of different places at Jim Hill, and he's a really fun guy and knows how to entertain himself. So yes, we had quite a few excursions on the fun bus. Legendary stories to say the least, huh like Jerry Jones

party bus, the Jim Hill Fund Bus. I remember seeing. I have a great Jim Hill story. I don't think. I don't know if I've told this before, but we were doing a remote at the eleven fifty when when I was doing eleven fifty from Bob's Classy Lady out in the valley of Strip Club, which they put us. They put us they put a sports bar behind the Strip Club and they wanted us to get people to go to the sports bar. Did not work out very well. But we go into you know, after the show, we

go into Bob's Classy Lady. You know that's we were done with our shift and we're you know, enjoying it there, and uh, it was. It was so funny because the manager had come over and given some some gift cards out. And I guess the legend you know, to us, because we were, you know, we were the radio guys. But I guess the legend is and I don't think this is true because I think that was too far from where Jim lived. But the legend I heard was that

they gave him like a gold Card. He was. He was yet the Hollywood Tropicana, which used to be right across from where CBS was. I remember back back in the day, not that I went there, Steve, unless I might have gone there a few times. But well, I'll put it this way now again, this is no secret about Jim and so yeah, he likes adult entertainment. Who doesn't. So um, But one night we were out on the fun bus and we made we made a stop to a uh a stript place that I've never seen before.

I still to this day do not know if this place exists, Like it was a private club. We walk in it. Everything was really upscale, like not your typical place. And Jim was just classic, like he everybody knows Jim. Who doesn't know Jim Hill in Los Angeles. So basically he hold them uns to me, just take care of my boy Hartman over here. And to say that they did. They had like they had like a menu like you do you you order what kind of girl you want to be in the company of. You know, what kind

of physical features do you find most appealing? And so I made my order and a girl came up to me that was so beyond it's like literally ordering a Hamburger and you get prime rip, like it was like whoa we wah wah yah yah um and and Jim took care of everything. And I just remember I was up there, you know, multiple dance of the whole thing. I was sudding, hear, hey, hardman, we gotta get going here. And of course I was in a fog. I don't

know where I was at that point. Um, but yeah, to be in the company of Jim Hill is rarefied air. And you know, I've I've been insanely fortunate. I seem like accident after accident after accident in my career to be in the company of like really big time people and just started being dragged along to all their fun times. And I've never complained about it. It's always good to me, always work. I know, I know you gotta go, Steven in a couple of minutes, but I just wanted to

get a good Al Davis story. I've heard you tell the tale about Irwindale and this is this is one of my favorite stories. Where the Raiders were for like two days gonna move to Irwindale when they were the l A Raiders. What went on? Give me that story? It's one of the greats. When when Al Davis went out, they had a news conference and what went on with

that episode, Well, here's here's what happened to Irwindale. So if you don't know a Raider history, when the Raiders moved to Los Angeles, all kinds of promises are made by the Colosseum Commission that they were going to build luxury suites. We even had a prototype luxury suite at our headquarters in El Segundo. And then the Colosseum Commission came under new leadership up and they did the whole idea of luxury boxes. They wanted to go with a

multi level parking lot. I know you guys have been with call seem Do you see any multi level parking lots that never obviously happened either. So, all of a sudden, this guy named Zader her mass Celio Zaber, who is Zelia representing the city of Irwindale, had a presentation of the idea that they would build a stadium in Erwindale

for the Raiders. Well, Al Davis's official reaction was no chance. Okay, no, no, we're not He didn't even know what Irwin, none of us knew where Irwindale was, like, it's north North Okay. So what ultimately happened here was is that her Masteria came back and said, I tell you what, We'll give you ten million dollars non refundable if you just consider our offer. And by the way, you know what happened with that ten million dollars. That's how we signed both Jackson.

That's where the money came for the waiters to entice Bo Jackson to create a double life as a Major League Baseball player and as an NFL player. That money was probably used for that upgrade that our our stations. So yes, we had a press conference out in Erwendale to announce the Raiders were probably going to be making Irwindale our new home. When the bottom line was he had no intention of ever doing this. Ever, that whole is still there where they foundation of that stadium. You

can drive to Irwindale. It's never been filled in. It is absolutely actual. Well I have an update now I go by this, do they actually did just recently fill it in? Finally finally filled the anycause I've end up in Irwindale years. Every time I used to drive up there was still big hole. No No, this was in the last during the whole COVID thing. The I think it was last year. They they go by there on

my way home and they filled it in finally. But yeah, every time I drove by there, I thought of Al Davis. And I remember the news conference when somebody showed up with an Irwindale Raiders jacket. I still remember, like a silver Irwindelle Raiders jackett. Listen to me, they're going to happen. But once they handed him ten million dollars, he spent it immediately, of course, and all left there The following

year in nine, and I remember telling him. I actually did a sit down Mr. Davis, and I said, look, I was like the only l A guy there. All these guys are people that came down from Oakland originally. And I told him flat out, I said, you're never gonna survive in l A if you don't start stepping up your game. It's not just about winning games. What do you do when you lose games? And then all

of a sudden, that's what was happening. We had lost about twenty thousand fans poor game after they had won that Super Bowl in l A. Because they were losing. Nobody l l A is going to support a loser and and unfortunately Raiders found out the hard way. All right, Steve, we love you, thank you. We gotta have you on again. You're wonderful. You're great. I have a million stories. I'm just getting started. But Ben, it's always very Mr Gascon Love you guys, Ben Keeper. I get to listen to

you Sunday night. I leave Hollywood at midnight. It takes me two hours to get back to San Diego. I listened to every second, so shot out to you. That's Sunday night into Monday morning. I laughed my ass off constantly listening to your show. Best ever. Love you all right, the legend, the Great Steve. Be sure to catch live editions of The Ben Meller Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the

I Heart Radio. Be sure to catch live editions of The Ben Miller Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm Pacific.