Radio Alert

takes break free for something special. The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller starts right now that it is well, come into the beginning of the Fifth Hour with Ben Masse. My name is on the marquee there because four hours are not and off and we now do this thing eight days a week. The question is will we continue to do it eight days a week and obviously spin off of the radio show. But you've found it, you've downloaded it, you subscribed, you've told your friends, you've told

your enemies about it, and we welcome in. It's it is a gas bag chat, a chat with our friend podcast. We'll get to him in a second. We welcome in David Gascon from West of the four or five I have in front of a studio audience here and wonderful Sherman Oaks, California. It is interesting that you are able to get that particular SoundBite. But I don't really get any drops. I don't get any rim shots. I don't

get any applause, any laughter, any of that. It's a pretty good job of, you know, patting yourself on the back, you know, making it all about you, as you know liquently said, uh, it's all about you during your shows. Well, no, I was the Tom Looney school of radio. That's not my school of radio. But I did take advantage of a situation that was bad and turned in into a positive.

Because anything that you learned that after he gave you advice on how to invest in the real estate market and that turned out to be a dudd you'd stop listening to him. But here we are in the month of September and appears to be no slowing down. You and Tom Leney, Well listen, I don't actually talk to Looney much. We text, which is not really talking, it's texting, and we go back and forth in that. But uh, but he is wrong about everything, certainly as politics are

all messed up. So we go back and forth on that but enough enough about me. Oh wait a minute, Wait a minute. We have Gascon tonight if you're listening anytime early in the day on Friday, this podcast, the Friday Podcast. We made our maiden voyage last week. We did Benny versus the Penny YouTube stars YouTube stars only on the YouTube and it went better than I expected.

There were only limited mistakes by you um and people seem to enjoy it, and we had a live crowd that was interacting with the show on the chat on YouTube. It was a lot of fun and more importantly, we won. At least I won on my my bet, so we came out ahead, which is the most important thing. And we're gonna do it again tonight, same situation on the YouTube, and it is at nine o'clock Pacific on Friday, which

is midnight Eastern. That's the Witching Hour. Guestcount. We're gonna be on on the Witching Hour on the East Coast. We'll do it live, so that'll be fun. I'm looking forward to will pick every NFL game from the weekend card against the spread. We'll have winners on every single game and we will attempt again to win some money and the and the best part is is is we will unveil something a little special for for those that

are actually watching the uh the stream too. So you and I had talked about this for the last couple of weeks and it's a little give back to to those are participating in in the broadcast tonight. So what do we give? What are we giving them? Um? You know it's it's something that has to I'll give him a hand. It has something to do with your Iowa Hawkeye hat. Oh yes, all right, well I have you. I wore that the other night the Iowa hawk Eye had.

It's good looking at that's good looking at. So I took some notes from from the first broadcast because I know that typically when you go on the air, you don't wanna you don't want to listen to what happened after when it's all said and done. So, um, I have fourth wall, Christmas and economy. Those are the three things I like. I like that you're doing monolog that's

because typical West of the four or five. Absolutely, and love with breaking the fourth wall, like that that live feed with with viewers typing in comments, you could not get away from. It was like a kid in the fucking candy still it was like your first Christmas unwrapping a nice g I Joe or Transformer, and you were just fixated on it until you broke it. Like the broadcast went nearly two hours, which you didn't give me any credit for because I helped you through that two

hour fast that you needed to complete. And then on top of that, you said, this thing is gonna suck. I know it's not gonna be good, it will not be technically savvy. And then all of a sudden you got to flame Mignon as opposed to you know bull. But a couple of things. First of all, I like that you made this all about you and just to

celebrate yourself, which is which is good. And as far as the chat uh a, it was unexpected, so I didn't expect that to be an option, so I didn't think we'd have any real time feedback and and be it kept me from having to just focus on you. I could focus on other things, which is good. That's good. And see this is the difference again, you are proving yourself what's as not being a man of the people. I am a man of the people, and I like

to interact with the unwashed. You do not uh, you think these people are below you, the riff raff right, and all those scum and the lowest common denomena and all the mean things you say about the Mallard militia. You call them vermin and rodents and all that. But these are my people. These are my people. There. I like hanging out with the peasants. I like hanging out with the hoi poloi and all that, and uh, you

know these are my guys. Well, I mean, like you, like you said, is that if you're performing, which this is a performance, there's a there's a stage, and then there's an audience. And you never have the stage and the audience run parallel to each other. Usually one is on top of the other or vice versa. So I think in this point the audience is behind the stage

of what we're doing virtually. So if you don't mind for the future, let's temper this down a little bit, because you know we've got business schedules here, and I know you've got two hours to spare when you're at home doing shows from your bed and and broadcasts. Well yeah, not in my bed. I mean a professional radio studio which has top notch equipment. I have better equipment than i'd say five percent of the sports radio stations that

are all raggedy and all that. So so uh yeah, I mean I I've been to a few radio stations. I've been blown away. I remember one in Oklahoma. In Norman, Oklahoma, I went to a radio station there because I had to record something. I was there for a college football game, and the radio station was at the transmitter site and it was like a portable like when I was in school, in elementary school, you know, I had those portables out in the back of the school. It was the radio

station was in that Like, oh my god. I was like, this is my profession here and I but then you go to like New York or l A and then these big massive skyscrapers and you've got show showcase studios and all that. But there's more radio stations like the one that was at the transmitter in Norman, Oklahoma, in a little portable building than there are other places. But then I don't beat the knocking the home studio. I have great equipment here. I'm gonna upgrade the studio later

this month. I got some things coming in here. They're gonna make it even better. So I'm all about that man, all about that action. That's good. We have one show in the book, we have another show tonight, and I think this is I think this is important because the more feedback the better, but also the the activity level, because we're gonna be giving some things back to the audience, so they need to be aware of like what's like. If you like what we're doing, great, there's ways to

support that. But if you don't like some of the things, that make sure that you you voiced those through the live feed or through the comments section or even the podcast you can rate, you can subscribe, and then you can chime in as well. Because and I think what you're really saying is we need more people watching. I think that's what you're really say. I think we and the most effective advertising. Yes, and you know this, and this has always been my thing. I have no ad budget,

there's no marketing budget zero. The most important thing is what I call guerrilla marketing, word of mouth advertising, and that that is I don't need billboards, I don't need tvmercials. They'd be nice radio commercials. I don't need any of that. But the real hype, the real advertising, is just you saying, hey, so and so this is this is one of the reasons this is important, like one of the cool things.

Is one of the reasons that I Yelp is so popular and and and Amazon people buy products based on the reviews is because we value other people's opinion. Obviously it's human nature. But really, if people we know, right, people you know who are in your circle, not in my circle, but in your circle, your your family, your co workers, you go to school, people around you say hey, I got it. I got this thing on YouTube that's

like kind of cool, but nobody knows about it. See that that adds some some drama their guest because and really nobody knows about this, right Well, it's not like lights camera action. It's like, all right, turn on the little dusty candle or you know, like the little candle and here we are. Yeah, which is fascinating to me because I don't know why you had a problem with my avatar picture that if nobody knows, what's the issue with you and my back I don't get that. No, listen,

I think that's great. I know you use that on grinder and I think that's pretty cool there, and I know you've had success with that picture, but uh, you know, I just thought maybe it was unprofessional. How about that you have multiple pictures sent out to all these radio stations and their photo shot pictures of you. No, no, no,

not photoshow. Those are just old pictures. Well there's one fat, there's one skinny, there's one and they so well the problem is, and if if you really hate me and want me to get fat again, tell tell scotch Aapiro and management of Fox Sports Radio to have a photo shoot, because I guarantee you I will gain eighty to a hundred pounds before said photo shoot. It happens almost every single time I've very rarely in radio do they do

photo shoots for the talent. And I have timed it, I believe probably seven out of the eight times I've had to do those things over the years, roughly ball park figure. I have ballooned like a turkey before Thanksgiving. Uh and it never ends. So uh, you know, whenever I'm lean and mean, very rarely do I get my photo taken for those photo shoots. So it's only when I'm fat. So then if we go, if you're on a video feed, then does that mean you can clean

up a little bit? Can we get you, like in a suit and a tie or at least a dress shirt and rolled up sleeves. And you want me to dress up? Oh why not? It's better than being in pajamas. Look like No, I wore a nice T shirt. I had a cap. Again, I'm relatable. I engage with the people, all right, I engage. You're Johnny one note over there. Let me dress up here, I'm gonna look all I'm gonna be like Cramer from the CNBC, and I'll do that. And all the shots of the Speaker of the House

this week, I saw that. I did see that. All right, we're going very long. This is an interview situation task on this is a chat. You're so long winded here. It's a bad job by you. You have buried the lead, my man. So we're excited we're gonna have here right now. He is standing by Bernie Fratto. You know him. He's on Fox Sports Radio on Saturday nights, my old time.

So I just one hour show Saturday nights, eleven pm in the West, two am in the east, straight out of Vegas, all the inside dirt, right in the middle of the weekend. So essentially, when you lose your ass on college football. You listen to Bernie. He gives us some info, some important info on what's gonna happen on Sunday in the NFL. So you can get your your your money back, conceivably get your money back and all that.

So let's welcome in now. He's worked in radio and Detroit and uh, he's a soap cow guy, so he's he's lived an interesting life in the radio business. Let's give it up now for Bernie Fratto and Bernie, why don't we start with this, How the heck is that show doing? Then? Uh? And David first, thanks for having me. It's going great. He's having my two year aniversary this week and donal looads have increased and uh, no one's

tried to shoot me yet. But you're at eleven pm Saturday night, Pacific time, and it's a one hour show and the center piece of the show, and of course it's called Straight out of Vegas. The centerpiece of the show us of course sports betting. However, the content is a little bit more broad based and eclectic than that. I like to offer a journalistic commentary. I like to give insights. Uh, you know, give my cake as they say. Uh, it turns out that we're finding that about the people

who listen to the show don't even bet. However, they like to hear what we're talking about and maybe have brightening rights over their friends and such, and we try to drop a lot of knowledge. We try to be keen observers have been at this a long time and I used to have a joke. You know, if you go to medical school and finished last in your class, they call you a doctor. If you go to betting school and finish last in your class, that might call

your books. So we'd like to intertwine and common sense strategies as well, like money management and various things like that. So we tryd of make it a correct I guess we can then within the framework of being betting centric, because you know, people want to hear your opinions on games and events. Well and Bernie, uh, and I'm sure you are because you do a professional show. I didn't.

I do an amateur show. So you don't have to worry about the crazy people that call up right and harass you on social media at that time and not because that that is a party time slot. Bernie. I know that downloads are good and all that, but in real time doing the show live at that time that is right in the middle of the weekend, and that

is party central. And I know from years past, Bernie, that the people that are listening at that time live, they are feeling no pain, if you know what I'm saying, No doubt, many folks are just exiting their favorite watering hole that might have had a couple of creamed emments and learn a certain type of mood. And what's interesting about that is I get people tweet at me during

the show. People tweet at the show, um, and what surprises me, never ceases to surprise me, is how many of those tweets are coming from the Eastern time zone, Philadelphia, New York, Virginia, Beach, Virginia, wherever. And so as you know, uh liter hours, there are always listeners out there. The guy text me is listening from Sydney, Australia. So what's interesting is because of the wonderful platform that Fox Sports has, and you know, you've got a hundred and sixty eight

hours in the week, I just do one. All you guys do such a great job. People have it keep it locked on Fox Sports. So I find that more people are listening sometimes and we realize, oh, I agree with you, and and the cool thing about that it's a lot of fun is that these people listening around the country. We're on Fox Sports radios on the American

Forces Network or whatever they're calling it now. So we have a lot of military, uh and non military that happened to be working for the government that are in you know, Asia or different countries around the world where US military is and they listen on the American Forces Network. So it's pretty cool. But that's cheating, Bernie, because it's like an afternoon show. It's not an overnight show for these people on these different parts of a life. Ran

once said, we're in the air everywhere. I don't know who would say something like that. I have no idea, Bernie, who would say that. But now do you consider I think of you as a radio guy. That's one of the reasons I like you, Broke. I think of you as a radio guy, But you've done a bunch of other stuff as well. Now do you consider yourself part of the Rob Parker radio tree or is that incorrect?

It's correct, So let's unpack this. I began my radio career in at w t K in Ann Arbor and the first night I ever and I'm gonna build up to the Rob Parker thing. I'll get there on a second. But the first night I ever had a credentia was Friday, June seventeenth, was at the Old Tiger Stadium. They were hosting the Toronto Blue Jays, and that was the first year they put martyrs in the press box and watched

the game. But there was no sound. Well, that night we were watching the game, we were watching a little thing that became known as the Yo J Bronco Chase. And then later on a fine gentleman's faith kept popping on the screen, a guy you made it out a world named David Gascon And I'm watching the screen and my first night in the press box, and all these things are hitting me, and I couldn't hear what he

was saying. So when I got home about eleven thirty that night, I made sure I watched all the replays,

and of course the rest is history. I spent several years at w t K covering Michigan football, had my own show on Sunday called The View from the Chief Seats, another show called Inside the Frattle house, and then Rob Parker and I became friends and started corresponding on things, and I found all the way over to CV yesterday eight won the flagship station w k r K Detroit, which is now w x y T. And not only did I work with Rob, we covered the World Series,

the super Bowl, the NBA Finals. Also was a part of the Lions pre and postgame show broadcast team from two thousand and eight and the fall people in that period. Then I saw everything. It was Barry Sanders last year and to all the way until two thousand and eight, which when the lines went Owen sixteen under Rob Marinelli

and I saw everything in between. So I lived three lifetimes covering the Lions, and then I left Detroit in two thousand ten February, came to Las Vegas, joined up with the ESPN Radio here co hosted some shows, also hosted rube Lextra, which is a post game show for you and of you run a rebel basketball Along this whole way, Rob and I kept in touch. We've known

each other for twenty five years. And worlds collided because R J. Bell had started a show called UM Straight out of the Guts, and they wanted to add a Saturday night show, and I got into Scotch Shapiro, and as I said, the planets aligned. And so about this time in two years ago now they created the Saturday show. They said, can you make the commitment? I said absolutely, And here we are. Look at that and the rest is history. And will you do a great job, Bernie

on the show. And now you're a big national radio star. You've become international, right, international radis. But I love Rob. I went out. You know, I've known Rob not as long as you, but I've always been a big Rob Parker fan. I like this style, He's no nonsense style, and how he's willing to tear it people down and all that. A lot of these guys don't do that, uh,

you know, the athletes and whatever. So when I went out one time, we do not have a meal with Rob, and we were just trading stories about like nineties radio and how different it was compared to what we can do now. Do you have a really good Rob Parker story, Bernie from back in those Detroit, those wild local FM radio days in the Motor City. Well there's a tell.

I'll tell you a couple of classics. No, we're uh in in two thousand nine, Rob used to joke with rod Man and Elly, uh you know that his uh southern law when we began a eventsive coordinator marry his daughter and and Rob used to joke with Rob. I used to I bet you wish your daughter would have married a better defensive coordinator. And you know you might not have gone in sixteen and both the room down,

Rob Mary Milly didn't think we still have funny. But the paper one I was going over forget Ben was when Jim Leland take over the tires. And in the fall of two thousand and five and the first year out of the gate, they go to the World Series and there wasn't a person in town. They played the same Louis Cardinals that you They were e three and seventy nine, and that was the David uh the shortstop but David x x xteen, Thank you very much, sir, thank you. So they are all story longer. The Cardinals

beat the Tigers four games to one. And before the series, while I was the only guy in town that predicted the Tigers would not win the World Series, and man, you'd here to think he would have assassinated, you know, the president or something they were coming at him right and left. And you know, Detroit is a very provincial sports town. There's not a transient population there. So if you go on the airways and you're not being a slappy fandboard and one of their teams, Rob and I

didn't do that, and Rob especially didn't do that. So time and time again he would be a contrarian like he has with Tom Brady, now what. He would do that all all the time in Detroit, and so he you know, he became sort of this caricature of himself. But obviously he's still one of the most popular guys

in media there. But I'll never forget the O six World Series when he predicted the Cardinals would win, and even after it happened, people called us up and just roade Rob red Rob the riot after he was at Jason go back to New York. He never lived it down. Wow, and I gotta go back. You mentioned you saw everything.

When you're doing the Lions post game. I have buddies of mine that have done Baltimore Orioles post game recently the last couple of years, I've been terrible, uh Clipper post game back and what you're doing the Lions coverage there? What what would you do in a call in show, Bernie, What is that like when you're losing every game and they don't win a game and you're taking a Lion Fans have to be used to it, I would imagine after all these years, But what was that like for you?

It was amazing because it was the biggest love hate relationship I've ever seen with any team in my life, and I saw it up close and personal. We would sign onto the postgame show, get the particulars, do a couple of livories, and we'd open up to the phone line just a post game. We didn't have callings in the pregame. We definitely have Paul Collins in the post game. And what you would have it was inevitable. Mark Wilson,

will you also know he did shows with us. We would write down we would do an over under six minutes, nine minutes. How long will it take for a someone to say fire the coach? B Ford sell the team right? Never ended and of course the years under mad Millan, which were absolutely disastrous. They wrote him like a rented mule. So one of you know, one person after another would call in and they would berate the Lions. We found me was to lose. I mean, they just did it

again this last Sunday. It's incredible. But the Lows he was there, and they'd sell out the following week. And every now and then someone would call in and say, I'm getting ready my season tickets that said I've had it, and I would pick certain callers and I would fire back and I said, no, you're not, No, you're not. This is a football time, and you know it. We've got eight home games every year. Okay, you're not gonna

move to quarterline Outah. Yeah, they got a nice bed and breakfast there, but there's no NFL football there, you know. Damn Well, oh yeah, you're right. Well, I love my Lions. One football or excuse me, one playoff win ben since nineteen fifty seven. January six and Dave Craig and the de Trade Lions beat Dallas and Jimmy Johnson though do you eight to six? And that day on National TV, John Madden said, we're looking at the two teams of

the nineties. Well he was half right. The Lions got to the playoffs a couple of times under way in Fons, but then he was gone. And then Bobby Ross came in, and then Gary Moore, and then Dick You're Run, and then Rob Marinelli, then Mike. Before that, it was Marty morning Wig and Steve Mariucci had like six coaches in

ten years and it was a constant circus. But the biggest takeaway, Ben was the incredible love hate relationship because colors would be raped in three they never go to a game again, but they'd be right back the next week because they couldn't break away. Bernie, what's the wildest

story that you can tell? Denn and I because we've heard some doozies from athletes of the last couple episodes on podcasts, But you mentioned the relationship with Rob, and Rob had has played me some old tapes of when he was in Detroit, and I said, hey, you have the ship that's on this tape you could not get away with. Now. Is there anything that comes to mind, whether're working with him or anybody else that you thought like, I can't bring that up now because I get pulled

right from the radio station. Well, we crossed the We danced across the line a couple of times in a minute, and I'm gonna tell you about the night and Rob was some dirt of that night. Rob. Rob had begun a pretty a pretty big career in earnest with the Four Letter Network. So but on November nineteen, two thousand and four, there was a little thing Detroit called a

mouse at the Palace. I was there. We covered the game from the a concourse, Mark Wilson and I. But before that, there's one thing, and I can't mention this guy's name for obvious reasons, but I happen to be in Vegas in July and say of two thousand seven, and I'm getting out an elevator. I'm getting off an elevator in one particular starting offensive lineman for the Detroit and with getting off the elevator, and he had his arm around two females and they you know, it might

not have been his wife. It looks at me, and I looked at him and said, this is between us, right, And I said that day I was in Chicago that day. I don't know nothing. I'll tell you guys name off the air sometime, but I can't tell you his name on the ear. But back to the malice at the Palace. It's the most incredible story because none knows the backstory guys that that the Indiana Pacers were coached by Rick Carlisle and he'd been unceremoniously fired by the Pistons the

year before. He was angry and they brought him Larry Brown, and so you have revenge on his mind. And they were leaving that game by about thirty three points. And you remember that the Pacers had one, I think sixty games the year before, but I know four of the Pistons knocked them off in the conference semifinals and Casehaun Prince had that famous block and they were supposed to win that series either. So Indiana comes to town spitting venom.

Rick Carlisle's man. The whole team is man. That was a great team, Jamal Tinsley, Uh, you know, draw on our test, the whole deal and when that cup came full until we let me back up, when Bennel Wallas was filed by around our tests and he shoved him and our tests ran over late on the table and an empty beer cup. Never people always tell the story wrong. It wasn't a beer. It was an empty beer cup landing on our test hands and he went up on the stand. That scene was so surreal. I don't know

if I can do it justice. I would take me a four hour or till the whole story. But I'll tell you one little rooming detail. But no one ever talks about all of the referees on the floor that night. Tim donaghe wow. Uh. And I was at Bernie. I was that here at Fox Sports Radio after that game, we were doing the overnight and uh, that's all we talked about. We did like we tried to use the brewery film style coverage, breaking it down frame by frame. It is right up there with my top moments. And

I wasn't even there. You were there, You were lucky enough to be there. But I was just watching on TV and I couldn't believe what I was watching. I was. I was like, it wasn't it like a Friday night or something like that. And it was a Friday night ESPN game. It was a Friday night at uh. And the reason that I I remembered so well is our show from seven to eleven PM, and we were going to our final break to sign off, and I walked to the concourse into you know, look at the game and

see what's going on. You know, it's a miracle because it precisely that moment Ben Wallis was going in for a meaningless layup, and that's when Artest Foblem and everything broke loose. We had about a four minute break. I watched as much as I could, and I ran back to the micat You're not gonna believe what's happening here, and and then you know, as as they say, the rest is history. And that game set back the Indiana piece or franchise I think ten years. I mean there

were five million dollars in fines idiot games missed. You know, it ruined their season. The Pistons ended up making it back to the files that you're losing to the San Antonio Spurts and seven games thanks the big shot, Bob. But the funny thing is is that the Malice at the Palace has become one of those infamous stories that everybody seems to know about. And last Novelber nineteenth, which was the fifteen year anniversary, I asked to go on

several shows. But I can imagine what it must have looked like from your in Ben as well, because you've you've pretty much seen it on the world of sports. But how do you describe that when you're watching it. Yeah, it was crazy. He reminded me a little bit of I don't know if you remember. This is often forgotten the Dodgers in I think it was the year two thousand. We're in Chicago and somebody stole one of the I think it was one of the pictures hats Catcher's hat,

Catcher's hats. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, So that was my That was my thought because I was actually with the Dodgers when we went back. I wasn't with him on that trip, but when we went back to Chicago and they had like extra security because they were those big, mean cub fans, We're gonna mess with the Dodgers and stuff because they were That was their first trip back since that happened. But that was the closest And I don't even think that's a good comp to tell what

that that is so un unpressing. I mean, there there have been situations where maybe one or two guys went in the crowd. We've all heard those stories of the years, maybe back in the early days of baseball, or even more recently with Verdon Maxwell or Tony Phillips, the baseball player that win the crowd in Milwaukee have to have half the team. And remember Jermaine O'Neil throwing that haymaker. I thought he killed the guy Germaine on neil with

that punch. So that night in the mouth in the palace, Yeah yeah, right, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, the punch he threw the guy that came on the court and he through the punch was just there was left foot head and slipped on some sort of moisture on the floor. He would have killed the guy. If you go back and watched the film's left foot slips. It's like a kicker when your pivot foot slips. And he was unable

to really launch. But yeah, you remember that's pretty good detail. Yeah, that was amazing, Bernie, real quick and for you and Ben to the catcher was was Chad Cruder with the Dodgers. I don't know if you guys remember him, but remember, no, no, I remember. Listen, he that Chad Cruder. Let me tell you something, all right, that blankety blank, I was sitting in the press box at Dodger Stave. He he hits a foul ball and he hit my laptop and destroyed

my laptop in the press box at Dodger Stadium. And then I. I was all pissed, you know, because I'm a struggling radio guy and I can't I I asked the diet. I said, you gotta pay for this, you know. And at the time, I was doing Dodger postgame stuff. They had a big meeting and they decided after like five executives and the Dodgers got together. This is back in the end of the O'Malley No I might no

Omalley must have been going. It must have been the Foxox the Fox here and uh they got together and they said, oh, sorry, bet you're on your own head. You know. One of the things that I enjoy about listening to your show and the guys Bryan Family can attest I'm I'm a radio junkie. Is then, because you have have this rich history of l A sports, which I can completely relate to because I grew up in

SoCal before I moved to Michigan. Um are the events that have marked at marked times in l A sports history. And herego I'm going with this, guys. I've loved this odd, idiosyncratic, unexplainable life that I had been at these sporting events and odd things have happened, and I guy local writer here who just retired Norm Clark. He was like Las Vegas version of Ron the archer um will article about me, and it's out there somewhere. I'm gonna give you an example.

Ben December ninth, nineteen seventy seven. The Floor. I'm there, Rudy tom Janovich is punched by current Washington And my biggest takeaway is when Kermit said Rudy's head at the floor, it sounded like someone dropping a bowling ball from six bat because I had I in turn at the Forum for four years. July of nineteen seventy four, I'm at a baseball camp at pepper Dyne. The coaches take us out to this game at Dodger Stadium. I see Tommy

John walking off the mound holding his left shoulder. That's the game that hurt his arm and ended up getting Tommy John surgery. The other night, Jason Smith and Mike Carmen, we're talking about the Miracle Bowl. December nineteenth, nineteen eighty B y U and S m U. We're b y U trail forty five to twenty five with five minutes to go, fourth and five Lazella where Edwards b y Us coach tried to send the punt team on the field.

McMahon yells at him and said, get the f off the field, and b y U scores three more touchdowns and beats Craig Jans and out Dickerson. I'll is at that game. I've been recruited to play baseball b while year two years earlier and made funs with a bunch of the guys. I didn't go there, And I'm right behind the bench and I'm looking at this and saying, we just we're about to have the forty year anniversary of this game. And I remember, like yesterday, all three

of those events took place in California. And then you had in situations like, well, the what I just told you about, the mouse in the Palace, how about a sixty band octour of eighty six, the Donnie Moore game. I'm got one foot all the rail and Dave Henderson hits the home run, the ball goes up and the sky stays up in the sky fifteen minutes and comes down on the end of the side of the fence. Three months later, Donnie Moore kills himself. So I could go out all day about that. But one of the

reasons I had brought it up. Is because when you reference some of those l a historical perspective takes you have, I absolutely relate to them. And I'm like a little kid looking through the fence saying this is cool. Yeah, well, we both appreciate the great Jim Healey, the radio guy. That's one of the reasons Bernie I got in the race.

You I loved the Jim Healy radio show and I thought he was amazing and all the drops and they weren't even dropping, they were they had carts, you know, back in those days in radio, you had these big, bulky carts and it was so good, and I I loved every day, you know, five thirty and then the dread the dreaded six o'clock tone that would be played.

And there's a website that still has all the old Healy clips on it, and there's some YouTube videos of people because people who didn't live in l A or you know, young people have no idea who the hell Jim Healy is because he's been gone for a while. But you remember Jim Healy when he got he got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and they had this big ceremony, right it was a big deal. I just started in radio at the time, so and

I couldn't go. I was working in San Diego. Uh but as I remember the story, uh, that was the day that Magic Johnson announced he was HIV positive and so all the media that was gonna be covering this Jim Healy thing all had to leave to go to the Forum because they had a press conference. And that was like one a big I'm a stunning story, right, it was Oh my god, I remember how crazy that was at the time. But that's uh, that was the day that Jim Healy had his star on the Hollywood

Walk of Faith and his kid his kids. Yes, yeah, yeah, I worked with Hacksaw. I interned with hacks and think you know, you know, I'm gonna say that's probably issue you're what you're talking about that vintage there, and of course those are really some of the real golden days of of l A radio. I mean, if you were driving, if we all know him, the traffic in l A is what it is, and that's what sustained me. And I would listen to Heally and I listened you know

who could forget has? All? Right? Okay, San Diego, let's get back on the jam pack four line. Ratuel Pascadis first time calling. Might stay here from you. You could disagree with me, but you'd be wrong. But Roally we got it over the hockey line. I mean that was our l a radio then and then he would come on and it was just thirty minutes of just pure bliss. Yeah, it was great. It was I'll tell you a funny story, Bernie.

When I first actually, as I looked back at the timeline, I was not working in radio at the time the Healy thing happened, but I was still in school. But then when later on, when I got into radio a couple years after that, and I was going to these games in the in the press box and stuff, and I I met Stud Nahan and I, yeah, exactly. And every time I saw ste May he Rest in peace.

He was in the press dining room eating and I was just laughing because the Jim Healey Show used to play, uh, yeah, as you said, the drop, so they called them silver tips stew and all that. It was. It was hilarious because it was always, uh, you know, freeloaders update and all that, and uh, it was quite it was quite impressive. And you mentioned Norm Clark Bernie and I, you know,

I know Norm a little bit. I actually I I had a meal with him years ago in Vegas when I was doing my website, my gossip site, and he was like to go to any any for years, anything in Vegas. You know, he was the page s He was the TMZ of Vegas. And you know what the catchphrase, the marketing phrase, and it happens in Vegas and stays in Vegas. Well not if, not if Norm found out?

Not if Norm found out? And uh he was he was so good and and as I'm sure you know too, he was a baseball wasn't He worked for the associate He told me the story. He worked for the press. He didn't he went many years from Denver. You come to town and we'll we'll grab Norman. I have dinner onund me. Norm is a great guy, a wonderful guy.

Was a black eye patch the Norman. I became friends in two thousand and twelve, purely diaccident, because well those years Ben we were I was doing a radio show and Kell Polly San Luis Obispo got a bid for the Big Dance in the NT Tournament. And this guy calls in and says, who were I don't known? In the bottom I said, that's all you need to know

about him. It's in nineteen seventy six. They're starting shortstop on the baseball team was Ozzy Smith and the starting right fielder with Danny Gams, who I'm sure you know. Ben had a great show. You're in Vegas for many years. Got risted his soul as well, and Norman heard that on the year called me. We became friends and said that's some that's some pretty good minutia there, because he knew that right. But you're right, normal was the go to.

I mean, when Britney Spirits was married for fifty hours, she called him and said, I want you to call I've read a comments at the Record Street. Wow it's pretty good, Bernie, I I was reading online. Did you play minor league baseball? Is that right back in the days? Or yeah? I did silent a Sincina where as Larry Barton Senior signed me. He since passed away. They might have shot him. There's a short lived career. Back in the day. I had I end up having done chips

on my elbow and had trouble hitting a slider. But yeah, I did I did? I played? Yep, I had a great inficincinator re organization. Did you spent a year or two years? Or what is seven games? What are you seven games? You're like Moonlight Graham a little bit right, you know the mood like? And uh and did you play with anybody that made it? Did any of the guy? Oh? My goodness? Well as certainly ant more. In college, I played with Tim Flannery and Marty Cass studio J Petty

Bone played against everybody in southern California made it. And then in the organization played a bit with Eddie Milner, Paul Householder, um, and uh see Dave Van Gorder um. And then what's interesting is is then back in the day, they used to have these winner teams, and and Larry Barton Jr. Put together this winner team and we would play colleges on weekends. We go to USC and play a doubleheader. You go to Cypress College and play a doubleheader. I don't know if they do that anymore, but this

is we're talking. This is nineteen seventy nine, and all the right before spring training, a lot of the big leaguers would come out and work out with us. So Davy Collins came out, Eric Davis came out with Actually no excuse was before Eric Dave this his time. He might have he went in the big league yet though, But I caught Frank past story for three intings. One day, I caught Mike Lacrosse. They'd come out when they get ready.

I don't talk about it much because it comes off like Al Bundy, you know, and or it comes I come off like you don't want to come off like Uncle Rico in uh Napoleon nine of Mike. You know, you could have won the championship back in eighty two. No one cares, but yes I did. Well, that's this is that's interesting man, that's that's cool. You know who also didn't make it in the minor leagues. With Scott Morris,

who has become the greatest agent of all time. I used, he's yeah, I know, it's been an afternoon with him. There's actually a picture. I mean, I finally put it on. What happened was back there in the last band. Um. I'll remember when Michael Jordan's signed with the Burningham Barons. And I'm telling you Ben and I know you guys know sports as well as anybody. If you go to a double A and hit two or two. You got some jump in your trump. People will realize that what

a good level of baseball it is. I'm shocked looking at Jordan's swing and the way he transferred is way too quick and it was really armed. How did he too too, I meaning, even hit a couple of home runs. The only thing that Jordan did that I liked was he went first to third like a meniac. However, he was such an incredible competitor. Ron Schouler said, if he hadn't gone back to the NBA in their administrate, he

probably would have gotten September call up. But anyway, uh, some guy to do that, I mean, said Jordan saw he couldn't play it. That's not fair, that's not fair. He he competed. If it neverould have been any Kazinsky, he never would have signed because he didn't have any one tool that made you love him. But he could compete, I said. But having said that, I still think I would have beaten Michael Jordan at home on Derby contest, and I stand by that. And then I sent him

a picture of me. You can go to my Twitter account on the right. You'll see a picture of me in a Tampa tropons since NAID uniform the longer held there in a pressure looking faith and then I put a picture of me up there and still that's enough of that. I guess that's enough of that, he Bernie. I wanted to ask you because you mentioned Vegas earlier,

with what's going on? What's the climate like? Because you know, we've all talked about sports eventually returning back in full form, and now the NFL is king and you know Ben and I have have have done some other things with with Benny versus a penny. We're doing some streaming live now. But there's a ton of dudes that are putting money and and good action on these on these NFL games, whether it's on Thursday and football or just then affairs.

So have you seen any kind of uptick or is everything else pretty much the same in terms of of action across the gambling lines. Yeah, it's a good questions. So it's not where it was last year at this point, they're still done about but it's far above what they thought it would be coming out of COVID. Uh. The handles on games have been extremely healthy. Um a lot of people betting and one of the things, and it's

not just Vegas, guys. One of the things that has really um enhanced the impact of sports bidding in general is legalized sports betting, as you know, may passed by the Professional Amateur Sports Protection Act of was overturned and since then, the hipocritical Roger Goodell, who wouldn't even take Vegas is advertising money back in the Super Bowl thirty eight two thousand four, I mean in the NFL and their teams are from twenty eight marketing and data sharing

partnerships with various enterprises. Eighteen states are now legal for more states have ratified it, they just don't have the brick and mortar set up yet or the app technology set up. In seven other states have legislation. So to answer your question, uh, thirty three million people in one form of fashion that on an NFL game last Sunday,

and here in Vegas. If you come to town during football and walk into a even though the social distancing is a little different and the way the books are set up now are following protocols and people are wearing masks. If you were never here before, you would never know the difference. The traffic is robust, the betting on the game is heavy, and I mean heavy, heavy betting on the game last Thursday along there's a there's always big bets, right. A guy put a hundred and ten thousand on the

Chiefs minus nine and a half at the Mirage. Another guy put a hundred thousand on the under a fifty three and a half at Aria, and you saw Atlanta on fifty four. So there are big bets. You've got the US open and then you brought up a good point. What was it like during COVID, Well, believe it or not, even in the casinos were shut down on the sports books were shut down for seventy six days, people could still bet on apps and about six of all betters

in Vegas now that through their app. And back in March and April they were stuck with Korean baseball, Russian Ping Pong Boom, This League, Soccer UFC. But even in spite of that, people were still looking for action and they were still betting, even though the four majors weren't back. Now that they're all back, it's Bonker's now, Bernie. Can't we set a line in Vegas for when a certain guy will throw up after he eats bull testicles. Well, here's the thing people always ask, you know, what is

Vegas say about the election? What is Vegas say about the Academy Awards. There's a simple rule here in Vegas, in the Gaming Commission's bylines. It's got to be in a box score. Uh, there's got to be a final result in the box score. Because if anybody can control the outcome, or anybody if an outco them could be predetermined by someone's information, you can't get it. Now, that's funny. Maybe somebody will get to something like that, right, but

they're not. No regulated gaming establishment would set a line on something like that. Offshore, sure, why not? You can do just about you know, you go to some of these offshore sites which I'm sure you've heard of, you know, Pinnacle and Bovada and such that you can bet all kinds of stuff on that. But here going to regulate with considered a regulated market, it's got to be in a box score. Well, and Bernie, there's no reason to put a line. There's a hundred percent. I'm gonna do it.

I'm gonna tell you what's gonna happen. I'm gonna eat the damn bol test. He goes my my wife's going out to the butcher shop because I'm told you can get those at a butcher shop. Who knew that a butcher shop, any butcher shop supposedly has those. But so I'm gonna I'm gonna pick those up and I will I'm I guarantee I'm gonna make a YouTube video. I can't get to Denver obviously because of COVID and all this.

I'm not traveling anywhere. But when when I eat, these people are gonna claim that they're not what they are, that I'm I'm faking it or not. But I guarantee you, all right, I'm gonna eat one. That's all. I'm meeting Bernie. One bull testicle. I don't need to one, and then that's it, And so I don't. I'm gonna get crap for it. But strew all the haters. It's gonna happen. If not this weekend, it's gonna happen in the next

couple of weeks. And I I'm not sure if we'll be able to get it done this weekend, but we're gonna try. So it's gonna happen. But if I could share something worthy, I'm sure you know Hank Goldberg right hammeron Hank, you know, yeah, Miami language. Yeah. So he moved to Vegas two or three years ago. And I don't Hank pretty well, and I've been on a couple of betting panels with him. I like him, and I'm pretty sure I got his phone number and I'll get

it to you, because we did. We did a seminar here at SS the station, UH two years ago of NFL preview, and we all had dinner afterward, and Frank asked, Hank asked me a couple of questions about Detroit because I spent seventeen years there. Actually I was born there. Then we moved to California. My mom actually went to University of Michigan. But here's what I'm going with this, Hankers,

I have one distinct memory of Detroit. I was down toomp somewhere blah blah blah back in the mid seven He's I went to this restaurant and it's allegedly served bull testicles, and I ordered them and had them, and I go, how were they? They're little tough. I don't think that it up. So we gotta get connected. Well, Listen, I I was reading online, Bernie, because I have no life of like how to properly prepare the bull testicles, and so you gotta like take the vein out, which

sounds disgusting, and then you gotta cut it thin. My my buddy Bob, who does radio in Kansas City, Hughes had him. He said, you gotta come thin, and then you gotta bread them and deep prium. So my theory is if I cut them thin, I bred them and it's like eating a chicken nugget and then I just dip it in barbecue sauce. How bad could that be? It can't be that bad, right, it's gotta be okay. Well, I'm with you. I think maybe throw a little a

one or catch up on it. And then, you know, I've always said, no matter what, you put a one on, it tastes like a one. You know, he put it on a boot, taste like a once. So well, throw a little late one on there. And no one said you couldn't do that, right then? Yeah, exactly, See that's there were no real rules on this. There's no real rules on this. It's just that I have to consume the bull testicle. How I consume the bull testicle, that

is a different situation. That's a different all right. Listen, Bernie, I love you man. Continued success. You're dominating their Saturday nights. Everyone needs to listen to to you if you haven't heard Bernie show straight out of Vegas. And remember the most important number in gambling, right, Bernie, fifty two point four Right, isn't that the most important number? Yeah, there's a man with knowledge. If you that's your break even point.

Because if you can win more than fifty two point four percent of your games, you you can be profitable. That's exactly right. Then, Yeah, you gotta make money. It's all about making money, all right, Bernie, Thank you man, I appreciate it. Pleasure being with you, guys, Thank you very much. Thanks. Be sure to catch live editions of The Ben Maller Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm Pacific