I'm not JG Preston, but this is sportfolio Minnesota public radio's weekly sports call-in show tonight. We have Bob Kurtz the voice of the Minnesota Twins and Tom ryther sportscaster from Channel 11, and we're going to talk about what they do and what makes them great. I guess we'll talk about really whatever you want to talk about tonight at 2276 thousand here on ksjn sportfolio. I'm Howard Sinker. I'm not JG Preston.Hello before we talked to the aforementioned famous human beings. Let's talk about what happened in sports today for the 16th time in the history of the franchise. The Boston Celtics are NBA champions. They beat the Houston Rockets 114 to 97 to win their best-of-seven series 4 games to to Larry Bird and Kevin McHale the Hibbing native University of Minnesota basketball player and so on each scored 29 Points, they scored 37 points in the first half one less than the entire Houston team.Bird was named the series most valuable player is second. Such a Ward Houston was led by Hakeem Elijah one with 19 points and Rodney McCray with 16th. Ralph Sampson was 148 in the field in the first half and finished with a whopping total of 8 points. He was soundly booed by the Boston Garden crowd every time he touched the ball the results of hitting someone considerably smaller than himself in game 5. Boston had a 67 and 15 regular-season record and including their postseason play went fifty and one at the Boston Garden this year a home record that team such as Lea Minnesota Strikers in the Minnesota Twins shouldn't be Elsewhere and sports the world's top-ranked tennis player. Yvonne Lendl used a powerful forehand and strong serve. We are told to defeat unseated Mikael pernfors of Sweden the NCAA champion in League finals of the French Open. It was Wendell's first third Grand Slam Tournament win, and I really was not unexpected the match took about two hours and now they're really was never any doubt that Lendl was going to win. In baseball where there's been a lot of Doubt as to whether the Minnesota Twins are going or going to win the Twins won their second straight game yesterday or today. Was it this afternoon? They beat the Kansas City Royals 522 behind a five-hitter by Mark Portugal and Frank Pastore who picked up his first twins save and slowly is becoming the answer to the question who made Ron Davis obsolete elsewhere in the American League the Chicago White Sox beat Oakland. 825 Toronto beat Detroit 422, Cleveland 11, California for Milwaukee 7 Boston 3 and Baltimore 18 the Yankees 9 and the national league the Reds and Giants split a doubleheader. The Reds won. The first game 723 San Francisco. One II 3 2 1 Montreal beat Philadelphia 12 to nothing the Mets beat Pittsburgh 423 the Cubs beat St. Louis XIV to to San Diego. Beat Atlanta 421 at Houston beat Los Angeles 322 a couple of interesting things that happened today in those baseball games Lee Lacy of the Baltimore Orioles started the day with two home runs and ended it with v. That means you hit three home runs in the Orioles 18 to 9 victory of the Yankees described on the report in front of me is a pasting it was the longest 9 Inning game in American League history took 4 hours and 16 minutes Brad Havens. The former twins pitcher walked in two runs for the Orioles with the bases loaded. So I there were lots of dull moments in that game. We can promise you that. Elsewhere. Let's see Cleveland Indians manager Pat Corrales says starting shortstop, Julio Franco left the ballpark about 45 minutes before the Indians played California today. Keralis says, he has an idea why Franco left but said he would wait until he heard the whole story before making any statements friend Mullins were placed Franco in the lineup. Julio has a habit of Disappearing last year. He didn't show up for a game and afterwards all we were told was that he called in sick and One More Story the Cubs has put together a 20-hit attack to Route St. Louis XIV to to it was the biggest single inning in the National League. This year is the Cubs sent 13 batters to the plate in the sixth inning and scored nine runs off St. Louis starter Greg Matthews and two relief pitchers. Steve trout was the winning pitcher a game that Bob hurts or Tom ryther could have one and finally there were several World Cup soccer games today and in one of them Denmark beat Uruguay 6 to 1 Okay enough of that. We're going to talk about sportscasting I have in the studio with me Bob Kurtz Lee voice of Channel 9 or the voice of the Minnesota Twins on Channel 9 the voice of the Minnesota Gophers and other voice of a lot of other things that he'll tell you about and by telephone from the studios of Channel 11, we have a timer either from WUSA or ka-ari or what's it called this week, whether Joe soucheray likes it or not. Okay, okay that we can talk about that later. We can talk about anything that you guys want to talk about. We can talk about anything that the listening public wants to talk about. Our phone number here at ksjn is227 6000. You can call us collect if you live in Wisconsin or Afghanistan or Canada or anywhere where it's not a local call but to 276 thousand these guys will talk about why they are great sportscasters. At least. That was the theme that Bob suggested when first we're talking about doing on your golf game, Tommy. I played golf with Kurtz last week and they just pass hold open and Kurt is telling everybody that he's getting 30 yards more out of his drives he is but he hits the ball runs backwards and I don't think that's fair. Well golf is kind of an individual owner has a lot to do and golf and it is Bob feels like he needs to do that to enhance his golf game. So Bao honor in sportscasting. How did you guys I mean, yeah, they're probably a hundred thousand little kids out on the street who pretend that they're sportscasters when they're playing Wiffle ball in the mid. The street. How did you guys get into this Bob? Were you a kid who went up into the top of the bleachers and did high school basketball games and hope that nobody would notice I was a kid that went to my room and did the games in private and I always something I always wanted to do but I never really knew how to get into it. I know if I've ever related the story to you before my dad worked in Michigan and he drove a truck for Borden's ice cream and I didn't really have any connections as far as family or friends who knew anybody or anybody in sports are in a medium General at all. I went to Michigan State and I had some difficulty in the business college and it wasn't going particularly anywhere nor was I particularly interested in it, which is probably why it wasn't going anywhere the Vietnam War was on at the time. So it was it was imperative that you stayed in school. Otherwise, you know, you were going to be a soldier. So I felt it at that point is about my sophomore junior year. I can't remember now that I better get into something that I was interested in order to get my grades back up until I got out of the business school in and got into sport. Eventually connected with the sports information office and then you know just took it from there. What was your first job working for for sports first radio or TV a job that you already got money for? Well, it wasn't a radio job, but I work in the sports information office at Michigan State with red state but Nicholas to go I think you're probably familiar with but that's what got me started. That's what got me my first radio. My first radio job was at a place called wjim in Lansing Michigan and I just happened to walk in off the street. But because of my connections in the sports information officer, it was not exactly off the street. They knew who I was and they were more inclined to give me a chance but they they hired me based on no experience at all guy named Tom Jones hired man is a guy who's about maybe 511 weighs about four hundred pounds and smoke cigars. Looks like the old-style Hollywood producers and he was always fond of saying that he found me in the back room of Packer food, which is close to the truth and he listened to the first newscast I ever. He was so nervous. He was born nervous and I was he pulled his car off the road just to listen to it. So he wouldn't crash in case I crashed did you make big money right from the start? I made of the I made $90 a week with translate. I think the $4,680 a year and that was at a time that most of the college that's what the time the average starting salary out of college then which was 1970 was about $7,500. I was making maybe 60% of my classmates were making but you had you a temporary happiness. I never cared about the money. I never made any money in the business at all until I came to Minnesota. What about you time? Where did the how did this become your calling? Muhammad in the 1948 and I don't want to give away my age. I was just a kid growing up in St. Louis and Commercial television head-to-head just hit the markets. We could go out in the end by a television set my dad brought a 7-inch motor, which I wish we had to list day because it would be worth a fortune as a collector's item, but I can remember we went by a television shop and I happened to look in and there was a basketball game with Saint Louis University playing Bradley University, and I I listen to the sportscasters and of course I listen to the sportscasters on radio prior to a commercial television. I thought that would make really an interesting way to earn a living and that's a must have stayed with me because my sophomore year in high school. It's in my yearbook that I would like to be a TV sports announcer and then then later years after I graduated from high school in St. Louis. I attended the University of Missouri or where I am. I got a journalism degree, but there during that time or a good friend of mine. Today he works in the Denver Bronco games and University of Colorado games. I needed some games in Michigan. I think Bob may have heard there are no similarities of my first sports job at kfru Radio where I was working at the Disco jacket for $0.50 an hour. There were those who thought that I was overpaid at that rate. They're working as a disc jockey, but that's how it all started for me is watching a basketball game on television when TV first to hit the streets, but you guys of course you're rich now, right? I mean this is is this a big-money undertaking if you if you stick at it. And is that why you have to keep a lot of money? I don't bother you, but have a good time. The fact that they never made any real money until I came to Minnesota and that really is the the same case for me and and quite honestly, I never really made that much money. And when I work at Channel 5 and who does well to make pretty good money, but but they can have company has a yeah that they've been really rather generous been to say that we're wolf said no way a week because I I'm in the same boat that the Bob is I didn't start making any money until the last day or I'd say five six years and I'd like Bob I started at $0.50 an hour and in the business to a dollar an hour and my first full-time job was 85 hours a week. So I am I never made the broadcasting for almost $17,500 a year and I 1971. That's the money but you know, what's it like, I mean you guys have you guys sacrifice all right to privacy by by being on TV all the time. I ain't can you guys go anywhere in town? And Not be recognized I can you have a night out with so, you know with your family time. I do not mind people coming up to me. How wide are very polite and to me it's it's a very nice thing when people come up in and they say we feel we know you and that's a compliment. I have no problems with that whatsoever. I'm very happy to talk with people or even some people want autographs. I've often wondered why but there but they do the rear personal might come along and is tries to make you the butt of a joke or tries to be funny. I tried to make you look bad did that luckily that does not happen very often that is a thing that it kind of bothers me, but they're having been a farmer umpire and kids ball. I just don't get can't have elephant ears. I just keep on walking alarm say what they want. But most of the people say nice things and then when they are critical with their constructively critical Austin listen to him, Do you still love me? I know when my position you being a sports writer. That one thing I crave is the anonymity. I was in a checkout line and Byerly's in the mark Rosen from Channel 4 was in front of me and they were making a big fuss over him and I was behind him trying not to notice and the clerk said to me. Hey, did you know that's Mark Rosen from Channel 4 and I just couldn't imagine being put in the position and that's the number of people you must reach is is incredible time writer is always the last one to wonder why somebody would want to come up in the and get an autograph are makeover him and I and I'm still that way. I'm very much a realist. I'm a Midwestern it hard. It's a wonderful way to earn a living. I still enjoy enjoy more than I ever have them as to why it's such a big deal, right? I don't know honey, but it's probably feels that way than that. That's fine. I know I know one thing. Paul Newman wants by or Gregory pack or break rentals. I mean and I don't do this to me Our Stars. We're not going to have a big butt but I can understand a little bit. I see somebody on television because maybe they might quote unquote think they were stars of a Bobby and I will tell you it be the first to tell you that that we don't think we are. Okay if you have any questions for time is not a star or Bob Kurtz. Our phone number here is 227-6018 a sportscaster. We'll talk about I think anything just about anything that you want to ask them. What are you guys doing the course of a day? I mean what time I'm sure what people see with you as I see you get on the air at 6 and at 10 and for you by the wonder probably in at what you do when it's not 7th in between the hours of 7:30 and 10:30 when you're on the air what what makes up a day on the road with the Minnesota Twins. Well, I think the best part of the day on the road to me is all In the mornings, you know when you get up and you're able to go down to the coffee shop and things are quiet and you able to read the newspaper and that's one thing that's one thing. I do a lot of that's that's really the basis of the preparation for the game when you're in Minnesota, you know, you get to Minneapolis Star and Tribune you get the same Paul paper. I try and get the US Paper which is more of a tool at I find USA Today when you're away from home and it is when you're home and what you go through the daily report in that and your wages sporting news and you know, this that or the other and then you take a walk and we go to the ballpark as you know, about two and a half to three hours before the Ballgame you familiarize yourself with the team to talk to the various. You need you to stop by Ray Miller's office and talk with him talk to some of the players maybe talk to some of the opposition. I also find it helped me a lot to talk to the writers. A lot of times you can save yourself a lot of time just by talking to the various writers. Not only you and Greg here in Minnesota, but some of the riders in the other cities, for example of a friend in the Kansas City Rick Gosselin the right for the Kansas City Star and you sit down with him for 20 minutes and he can pretty much bring you up-to-date on what Kansas City Royals have been doing guides in there, you know the alliance baseball analyst in the The Scouting Report this that and the other you do a lot of reading do people think that it's a much easier job than it really is it but it's also not as hard as a lot of people think it is a how can you remember this? How can you toss all the stuff off the top of your head? First of all, you only thing I got to worry about his baseball. I probably couldn't tell you right now 10:10 members of the Minnesota Vikings. I have no idea what they do. I know Jerry Burns is the coat I couldn't tell you one of the assistant coaches. Are you I don't know. I don't have to know and you know, but baseball you do know so, you know, you remember a lot of that stuff and like the Kansas City. We just came from Kansas City's a four-game series well by Sunday, I mean, you know how much you know, I get a kick out of 7 hours of preparation. I like to know what they're doing. I mean after you've done the team Thursday night Friday night Saturday night. I fail to see how you have to, you know, do a 6 hours on Sunday. How do you go for 3 hours without swearing? Or how do you do? You know me. He doesn't where's my button again over here? It's amazing. You do not you. Do. You know what when you're in front of a microphone, you know, you've got to be aware of that's part of the experience back. I know there's a million people out there to say I could do that and it probably right but they couldn't just sit down and do it. There's more to it than that. You don't get to the learning process that takes literally years ago, but I didn't you do learn how to handle yourself in front of a microphone. You learn how to criticize a team without going overboard because one of the stupidest things you can do is jump I ever one guy that giving me advice when I started this business don't jump over the cliff because with other words completely give up another team and write a team off-site this team is awful. There's no chance they'll win this game because you have to give yourself room to get back on in case the team comes back. How do you contain though? I mean covering it seemed like the twins say day in and day out. Do you ever get depressed? I mean, oh, yeah, I mean it can wreck your summer and has so far. I mean the trouble is that all you do and it's 8, you know, it's hard to go to a ballpark and do a game is meaningless. I mean, you can get caught up in the game, but you know it by the same token, you know after you seen six thousand of them, they're not as exciting to you as they would be the guy who go down to the Metrodome two or three times a year. So, you know, you look for it, but when you're in a race like 1984, that's fun to look forward to going to the ballpark the games mean something it matters. What do you score 3 runs in the night? No, one of the worst thing that happens is at the lake last year, you know when you're playing out the string and you got a trip if you win 7 Tattoo who cares, you know, now you're 17 games out of first place instead of 16, but you know, you would know and the team know is a molester know you were knows you're going nowhere while Bob is out taking walks and reading newspapers time. What what do you do? I mean do you get there at 4:30 everyday and bark orders or or what? I don't really bar Carter's but I think you're hard to do my my general average week runs between 50 and 60 hours usually get in here 1:32 in the afternoon, but let's back up a little bit because I actually in my day begins the night before when we take a look at what we have ahead and we try to be everybody's going to have a certain amount of the same stories and we try to be a little bit more industrious so than the other people and come up with features and store. The other stations may not may or may not have been happy to say that in many cases. They do not in that this it takes a little bit of extra work in the great Fortune is the best I've ever had the privilege to work with there with Randy shaver and Jeff passolt Steve Carol, Jane help you I might have the first full-time my woman employee of any sports staff for a television station that rich Nestle outstanding photographer Jeff passolt. As I mentioned. We we sit down and we are we go over what what lies ahead and we do that tonight before and then see if you will Begins the day he gets in here at 4 in the morning and he died. The early morning Sunrise show which is now an hour then he kind of lays groundwork for what will happen to the rest of the day or for anything that might take place in the morning. And then the rest of us get in here about 1 noon 1/2. And what would always mystified me is how many viewers will think that they're we run the same thing at the at 6 and 10 shows are totally different and we rewrite them get as much information as possible or change the video and then try to avoid repetition there whenever possible so they for me would normally run 1:30 in the afternoon and tonight. I will not get out of here until about midnight. The average time you getting out of here is around 11:30 at night. So it makes for a fairly long day, but in order to stay on top of things and they keep the great staff moving while you yeah, I do have to break a few orders. But with this group, you don't have to bark very much. Her number here on sportfolio is 227 a 6000 if you don't call tonight, you may never Get a chance to talk to you either Bob Kurtz or Tom ryther time worked in Cleveland that didn't you why? I'll give you the the story that I had worked for Hubbard broadcasting for 7 years, by the way. I'm drinking a Pepsi here. And then we want some I so can I hear tonight Randy shaver on Sunday night. I worked out for Hubbard broadcasting for 7 years and I let people see well, I guess you have a lot of hard feelings. I didn't I did not enjoy working. Then I'll be honest with you. It wasn't very fun place to work until connect came along. I was beginning to wonder if it would be a fun place to work. But when I came here three years ago, they certainly proved to me that it is a great organization that but I went to Cleveland because when I resigned my position at Hubbard broadcasting, I had a no-compete clause in my contract that said that if I quit that I would have to be gone for one year and I knew for a while in my heart when I drive my car across the Wisconsin State Line heading down to Cleveland OH to someday. I pray that that car would be coming back because I thought my heart was here. I just simply did not enjoy working at Hubbard broadcasting him up, but I depart but I owe them. Iowa mr. Hubbard, really everything and stand give me a job in 1971 why I wouldn't be here today. So there are no hard feelings really those to sort of diminished. I enjoyed the two years in Cleveland got to know Ardmore Daryl and a lot of the Cleveland Indian folks and Corset Sam Rutigliano with the Browns and I still want a house there. I'm trying to sell but that really was started my Escape Route to to defeat a no-compete clause Howard. So the idea was that you eventually we're going to come back to the Twin Cities. What's the least enjoyable thing about working at the channel 5 right? Maybe that's a past tense kind of question. You you hear all kinds of horror stories about working for channel Hubbard. I what what made it an enjoyable. Well, I think they're their lack of regard for a I think human dignity and in some ways but then again maybe that's the nature of the business. I didn't have that problem with the the Elder. Mr. Hubbard I talk to in fact, I I just really care a lot for the man and had no problems when whatsoever in the in the young one. Like I said, he certainly did me a lot of favors, but I just felt that you had a hard time banking on what they said that they're really couldn't you couldn't take it at face value and that sort of thing bothered me about him or anything. It wasn't so much higher what they did to me. I mean, I'm a big boy I can take it and then there a when you're going to be in the spending some Bob Chris world will I think back me up unless you're going to get knocked around you'll be slapped in the face and insulted humiliated broke a few times and but do you expect that but it was bothered me is what the what the what I saw having the other people and and I quite honestly and maybe I'm an idealist to so I moved on and I work for NBC for 2 years, and then I enjoyed it. Work for NBC on the NFL 70 and 79 shows and it was good experience for me, but it taught me really where I belong and I was right here in the Upper Midwest. I I I felt that I wanted to come back and when Bob Branson was in general manager of WTC and offered me the job. I was more than happy to accept. Have you ever thought about going on to bigger and better things? Yeah, but only recently I don't know what I've done the local stuff for 8 years and I really like it. I wouldn't really want to work in any other local bar to do a place. I'd really be interested in going with ESPN. I like I like what they do. I like the variety of sports if they do it. I like you know, I like how they devote themselves basically to being an all-sports operation and I think it would be before but I think would be interesting now to go in as an is completely impartial at work you're doing you're doing say the the Edmonton Oilers against the New York Islanders where you're not following either team. What would the supposed to start being more people watch our games? Do you feel sometimes like towards the end of last year that you were talking into an ocean? And the know it's just that you know, you're doing a game of doesn't mean anything because the game's going back to Minnesota and most people given up on the ball club last year that they made it tough for me is nobody did anything this year? It's different. I mean the teams hit 80 80s. I'm at home. Run home run lombardozzi's playing the great II me that wasn't happening last year. Nobody was doing anything her back with having a subpar year brunansky was tailing off at the second half of it really wasn't anything happening, but you could build on for the following year. It looks like we have a color. He's calling from Minneapolis. Go ahead and call her. I'm impressed with him graveyard scene. Of course, Auntie VI. Mr. Ryder in mr. Cricket sounds to me like you guys are down-to-earth and candid and I have your values pretty have your heads on straight in my opinion. I think your work on the air is good to I would like to ask you this question one thing you talk about the salaries. Apparently. Mr. Hubbard did pay cash cyndy brucato a lot of money out of a love-'em-and-leave-'em proposition bed while are there. Apparently I was wondering I find it sort of embarrassing or this business with her with a sports writer for the Minneapolis Tribune Sid Hartman and his crony on every for an hour and a half every Sunday and saw this name dropping and Kokosing up to all the people in playing a little game of started defending his pets and he and I are at the start of a Journalistic a little advice to the Twins and all but never be too critical and he knows it all and you know, there's been a lot of the switch or Androids who's going to criticizing a great deal. I'll stick with Aramark. I mean not really a journalist at all. But he's more like a shield for his own private interests were Among Us his friends and among the big corporate Sports and I'll hang up and see what she's got to say. Thank you. I'm not usually up that early on Sunday what I'm not that familiar with the show. One thing that bothers me about the media is the hype. I mean where you'll sit in your they hype something far beyond what it really is. You'll take a World Series game end mean ABC is the one that could do that comes to mind how it is when they'll sit there is no focus on the players wives all the time for reaction and you'll get completely away from the game and what Go to a playoff game or something. Everything seems so magnified beyond what it really is. What about you time? Do you find do you find the elements are some of your peers to be embarrassing or do you try not to comment on them? Because you know that they might say something about you or where do you how do you see that? Why I didn't hear the question that they are the colorful and then he asked a shilling for the home team protecting certain interests. Only being negative to a certain point. Where do you draw the line? I don't know in this Marketplace who is a shield for anybody and you know, that's it almost sort of funny to me that someone would say that but sometimes you have a very small group sitting out there and because you don't sit there and hammer on somebody night after night when I apparently they think you're not doing your job, but you know Bud Grant I think taught me that the greatest lesson. In this business at units in and how are you getting a little taste of it tonight? Because you were you when you're on Rival you're having to to move on your feet and you don't give me writing is hard that it means it's it's not an easy thing. I'm not a natural writer. But but this is a more natural think anybody will say something right here on tonight once in awhile or incorrect and we can be accused of that but to be a shill artist or a hyper artist name dropping to Tommy just that we can talk about this little bit more in a minute for now though we're going to do I have to take a break walk around the table here a time. You can get up and stretch in the office and we're going to tell you about some other things. You can listen to this week on a ksjn 1330 Minneapolis-Saint Paul tomorrow on ksjn Morning Edition the first installment of a new series of reports close up on campus. Tomorrow reporter Daniels, it looks at some of the reasons people run for office off and it's they're angry about something that's happened and they got into the morass of government bureaucracy and they said hey, I think I can do this better. I want to get in there and change something then we'll check in throughout the political season with reports on the various facets of a campaign for a seat in the Minnesota house meet the candidates tomorrow on Morning Edition from ksjn Minneapolis-Saint Paul. Hello time. We asked you here to tell you about some of the people in topics will be dealing with on afterthoughts this week. We'll meet the light Bennett Cerf son Christopher and talk about his book The Pentagon catalog. Liz French will take us on a tour of the Twin Cities for children Alice. Brock of Alice's Restaurant. Fame will tell us how to massage. Our cats will be the number of other people and talk about summer activities for children and Jeff Smith. The Frugal Gourmet will join us after thoughts weekdays at 3 on ksjn Minneapolis-Saint Paul. We're back. This is sportfolio. My name is Howard Sinker. I am filling in for JG Preston who is up in Brainerd doing whatever people in Brainerd do in June actually. He's at a very high-level high-powered conference where he's learning how to be an excellent manager that will come in and benefit Barry who's on the board next week and see who answers the phones here speaking of phones. The phone number here is 227-6002 276 thousand if you live outside of the area where you can call collect you can ask our guests Bob Kurtz and Tom right there anything that you want. We have cleared up a technical glitch in time. You will be able to hear every caller who called in for the rest of the show, which is good and let's see what else do we need to know about you guys. You guys have embarrassing moments that you reggae? Totally get asked about him. What's the dumbest thing that's ever happened to you guys. Find me right when you're taught or you teach yourself you never assume and when you're calling a baseball game you watch the outfielder. The outfielder will tell you where the ball is going or not and that it was a situation with the twins were hitting well and her back came up to the plate and yui sword of anticipating a homerun and Herbie hit the ball. And I mean, I gave it the Bible I thought was on the roof at least on the road maybe over the room over the light volume. You really give it the big build-up and then I look out there and I see Kirk Gibson feet behind second base pounding his glove. How many balls go in there's no women? You can't make up a gay or did you get out of the Allman radio play-by-play should have had Joe Angel here, but you know, they can see it and you kind of hope that nobody who's deciding what your salary should be for the next year's watching last night. I think of you were appreciative people make mistakes. What about Utah by Grant Tommy on before I answer the question was it seemed so you can ask any question you want but it's how you asking and that was the lesson that I learned from him and I try to apply that now weird things. I was doing a high school basketball game in Edwardsville, Illinois as working for WR and CB radio in Belleville, Illinois is a long time ago and it was a it was really a spirited to Regional basketball game and I can remember who is playing anymore. I think. Caguas Collinsville in Alton and one of the teams left in a close call and I was giving my post game wrap-up and I had Electro-Voice Triple 6 microphone with hammer and nail with it is so hard as if I can hammer and the next thing I know this guy grab the microphone out of my hand and is yelling profanities about the refereeing in the game now my my car and let's grab the microphone him and hit him in the head with it. Is it raining lazy mop cold and now he's out and there's a scar now, I'll never forget that and then the second thing that comes to mind is when I work for Channel 5 how many years ago Judy car needs to be on Laugh-In. There isn't any celebrities in settings in between his motherboards Judy carne had been drinking something out of a flask on my long. It was not t I'm positive but for some reason why I was reading my sports can't decide to come over alarms live on their start playing with my hair and then kiss me on the year and then put her tongue in my ear and it's difficult to do a sportscast with that going on, but I did get through the doors of the two to the crazy or thing. I think I do but what I was doing sportscaster, I was doing with Tommy. Did you get more distance? Marmara? You never get that the size you usually don't get those things and Major Market, we're playing with that. We were playing with a football before the start of the 6 news and I got hit in the nose with the football and I'm doing this for type of bloody noses the entire time you're sitting there enough drove through 4 through 5 minutes in my bed by gas Bob. I bet he did this. I was doing a high school football game and it was a terribly cold night at a cup of coffee and I reached out and always headband hands anyway night but my fingers, and instead of grabbing the cabin not to come off the ledge and it dumped all over this guy is everyone's been like six 8 I wanted to run but there was no way to do it is when you want. Tommy Reed is a partner at where are you Tommy? What else do you do by when you're not doing things when you're not doing your 80 twins games a year? How else does does the money come in and what do you do the Gophers on channel? The game is now we have but 71 we did that. I think last year 9 Gopher hockey 9 or 10 Gopher hockey 10 Gopher basketball five or six Striker games two weeks worth of the Minnesota high school basketball tournament. We get a heads-up. It really does. It's a surprise and you get you get some real dead spots in their butt and a salary the same as I get paid every 2 weeks. Do you do any freelance work outside and I did and I found it was really running me back buddy, buddy me. I went back to Michigan every week and I was doing the George perley show and doing the Michigan State football games and it was it was a gravy train you fly in to do the do the coaches. You only be home by you know by two or three In Sunday afternoon, but it wasn't every week type thing and all of a sudden we were doing the North Stars at the time and I found myself a last year. I did it. I had five Perla shows on the same day. I had a Northstar game so that I would do a Pearly Shells in the morning in Lansing, Michigan. Remember one night than I did the North Stars in the USA in Minot North Dakota that night and that got to be a bit much and so you've given up a little bit if you got a whole free spam that would be fine with some college football but would have to be under the right set of circumstances and you have to have you have to have the time off. I I don't think it's fair to your employer to be doing things in the morning and trying to do a game for him that night. What do you tell a kid? Who wants to get into this business? What do you tell a kid at? It says Mr. Either or mr. Currents. I want to be just like you when I grow up. How do you guys want is there some advice you can give them is there any way to really get a foothold in the bed if you want to you can I mean there's a certain I mean if he if you have a real speech problem, I suppose you'd have you and you have some difficulty believing that can be overcome. I think anybody can do this. I don't think it's if you got an interest in sports and if you really want to do it, I think what I think would happens to most of them are most of them don't want to work for the the dollars are course are different now, but I mean they don't want to work for the $4,680 a year honest-to-god when I got into this business. I never got into it for money. I got into a strictly because I wanted to be connected was fortnite has changed a little bit now, obviously, you know, you know you enjoy some of the things that you know, you get out of this thing at this level, but I never really I never knew if I make this level but I think if you want to be a sportscaster you can be a sportscaster, but you know by the same token you going to have to realize that you are going to make less than your face and your fellow graduate. I do think you should go to college. Do science some people just go bad after 16 years old working full-time and that's the end of their schooling. Yeah, but they're also what happens when you decide to do you find out what the lovely world of broadcasting and everything. It's cracked up to be all of a sudden. You know, you have nothing. So what now? What are you going to do when you go out and what sell insurance are one of the frightening aspects of this now because after you start getting a few dollars built up or you know where your salary is real reasonable me, but it's like toms it is not nearly what people think it is. You ask yourself if something goes wrong. And it did almost did a couple of years ago, you know, the twins Contracting over there between contracts at you. What am I going to do? You know what interest me. I don't know. Time what about you? Are there secret Ambitions that they you can't do because you're tied into working at Channel 11. Not really, the only other professional I would have considered with the would be a trial lawyer and I did think about that when I was going University of Missouri, but I'm doing what I want to do to be a brain surgeon, but I need to go in the plumbing or brain surgery rides are in there. So I chose their says it has an alternative but I like what I do and I ask myself what else would I do and I'm sort of a sort of unique in the face in my forties and still a part of a news Operation and then going stronger than ever before. However, I do have a you know, a management background and in the sales background and public relations background, I guess I would go in the bathtub. I timeline more proud of my management capabilities and I think my my ear work it takes it takes a lot to be able to run a sports staff and keep it moving in the right direction and I am really more proud about the names. I I I don't fear when that day comes when I when I will not be in this but it's because I feel there is always something else I can do, but I'll tell you right now. I'm going to stay on this Bronco until the throat. Because I'm enjoying the ride. This is sportfolio or phone number is 227-6030 in the phone in your house go down to the corner will be on for another 20 minutes. You can call collect you can't build a call to sue the producers house or anything like that and asked these people timer either and Bob Kurtz anything you want to know about being a sportscaster. Tell him I would presume that the most satisfying thing you can do is to say news 11 has learned know something that hasn't been on any of the other three stations and know that it hasn't been in the newspapers that morning in my right. That's right. It's very difficult to say that we do that Dave would not be true because the newspapers get more scoop you with the people. There's no way that I can compete with you when I when you're with the twins or occasionally to pick up something but we do want occasion and you're exactly right the businesses chain. So much as I first got into a wreck in my 17th year a television right now and then it didn't used to be with you would read the results the scores and give a high-rise but now I have found that the greatest tool I have is the telephone but I can do more digging and more scratching and then more searching for a story than I can buy walking around with a camera man. Carrying a camera is the minute you walk into somebody's home office with a camera. They will Bill cram up. It is a rare thing. You have somebody give you an exclusive story and you're in your recording it. However, it's a different thing on television. So this business has changed and the telephone has enough the old tool the telephone has become I think my greatest down Ryan and I we pride ourselves your news 11 as far as television stations go breaking more stories than any other television station for in a way and it's mainly the telephone that does it for us. What happens? When do you go on and say what news 11 learned isn't true or do you just go on as if I don't want to sound pompous on this but I can't remember a time when we were really wrong. I think about a year-and-a-half ago. We were guilty of a little speculation saying that the twins were going to trade Brad Havens for somebody and we've gotten the pretty good inside tip on that if I usually don't go on with a story unless if I've had one or two verifications, I can really count on and by having that rule of thumb I have not I am just never been burned seriously like going on with a story that is never panned out. I just don't deal that much and speculative journalism. I just like a book story. We broke it a couple of weeks ago. We had that story nailed down but we had two definite verifications on that and the night we went on with that then I had to laugh Channel 5 went on and said well contrary to rumors and innuendo the story is premature and probably will not play it take place, but that we knew that the story was right on and but it had been our work on the telephone that it had paved the way but I don't recall ever being Burned badly on a story because of the using that rule of having at least it to verifications. And of course when you said that the twins were going to trade bread Havens you knew that eventually you were going to be right? Maybe, we figured we'd be right but there wasn't that big of a story and it was kind of a speculative time. Everybody was taking shots in their we thought we had a pretty good still we we said there, you know, we didn't say this is the way it's going to be we say we are we here but this is a possibility we didn't say this is the way it is going to be we have a collar and for Minneapolis. Go ahead. I was just wondering how your sports cast and crew affect your family life. That's the hardest part. I got a couple of kids and you know, you you want to spend a lot of time at home and you're obviously you're not able to and you there at the age right now where you can call up and you know, you talked to him on the telephone and you get the yell. Nothing what happened? Nothing is hard to carry on a conversation that way. Time you have a son who goes to Saint Cloud State right now. He goes to thank God say he goes to wisconsin-river Falls and attended a journalism seminar St, Okay. Yeah, that's when these kids are growing up and they they kind of need you but there I found that it says it's what you do with the time that you have with them. It's not how much time and and I just have to sort of work around it sort of what pop does for a living and I know Bob the situation being gone is a lot lot tougher than mine. That's for sure. The good part is when your home your home. I mean, you know, it's your home 24 hours a day don't have to report to the office. Would you want any of the any of those 5 to follow in your footsteps time? Would you try to talk them out of it? No, I had they can do whatever they they Wishin they encourage that my son Tommy. He really has a as an interesting 22 years old now and then Next to this Wednesday will be 22 and I always pass him off. I would say this is my kid brother, but the people are seeing through that and all I know is my son cake will be served birthday cake will be served in the lobby at 10. Here tonight. I know he wants to get in the business and I'm encouraging him. He really seems to have a knack for the technical end of the business and what he wants to do yet. I'm not quite sure but I told him I'll help him any way I can stop for Minneapolis. Are you there? Yes, I am. Go ahead for the great job you do with the Prep sports extra time to take for that. I know the whole Community really appreciate that and then the Bob does a really good job. I enjoy Gopher basketball and the twins and although I miss not hearing you and Tommy redo the northstars. I'm glad you're doing well. We miss that too. It's just not the same. Both you guys. How was it covering his task Gopher basketball season. I know it was, you know after the incidents in their Legends in Madison, how was it covering the games and then reporting a games on TV as well. I'll be different for me. Obviously, then it was time because I did the games until it's harder because of the anytime you get with a team is not going well for whatever. The reason is. It is not fun than that because you eat you're saying personalities the who you like become a little bit more withdrawn the pressures on the kids. So they they react a little bit differently the games don't mean It's just tough being with the club is not going anywhere. It's not that I thought the situation was mishandled a bit and I don't want to diminish. You know what the charges were etcetera etcetera etcetera, but Jim. You came out and it's accurate there have been some like 88 in of that in division 1 and that's not the first time it happened in the way. They reacted here in Minnesota. It was like it never happened at any other college before. How far as I was concerned? The the story of no longer was fun to cover. It was a hard news story and what they did on the court with secondary and it became as I said a news story on again. I got out the old telephone and and Burning Midnight Oil and getting in the car and riding around and talking to people into becoming a reporter and I would rather report on another Sports in the matter of trying to find out when Jim Dutcher is going to resign if he was going to resign what's going to happen to players at Madison of the 15 different angles. We could cover on that story adjust simply was not fun. But the Genesis of Journalism in the television has changed but we have to cover the story as a new story and that's that's a sort of our model here and whenever a story like that breaks arm out of his let's win the story of that make an athletic Contest out of let's win this story over the other televisions to buy different see that's where my job becomes difference in time. So we can't be concerned about what's going on off the court. Obviously you report what happen? Somebody find something out you and you say that in the pregame, but we're basically there to do the game channel 9 Bob knows that you're with the team and that situation why wouldn't they make use of your talents as a reporter and Addison type of situation? I was home and I was home before they really had a chance. I think you realize how severe the situation was and luckily for me. I had a soccer game in Wichita on to the next assignment was this still a new story Channel 11 time or did you get help from your new staff or was it strictly handled as a sports story and also at the same time? How should have been handled? Well, I I would have to say I think the way that I knew Department handle it then what was probably the right way we mounted a full-scale attack on this thing. Brittany Grace went immediately to to Madison and there is no better a television the bigger of facts and on top stories and Bernie Grace and so he covered that Angela we had several news reporters covering other angles are the legal aspects of things. We are we tried to stay in touch with the coaches in there with the athletes in the various people. We Mount of the floor. I thought I would say we probably had a one-time working on a story 20 people including photographers in and had the plane going back and forth or we don't have a company playing with it literally buying tickets and going back and forth to Madison, but I see our motto is is we serve news. This is what I do here is not a sports show for say it is a sports in the news program. It is our job to serve news. Anyway, we can because news will be the thing our that brings the viewers over and that's our model here and no one is really really proven the management wrong. Adjust my way of thinking but now they have me thinking that way whenever a big story breaks we mounted as a new story and when we were collectively both news in sports has Channel 11 gotten away from some of the the softer Sports angles. I remember maybe this was this was two or three years ago. The the news 11 Sports Department one-on-one basketball tournament. Is that a thing of the past? I don't know if we came across something like that there that would be fun. We may do it again and let me tell you why we did that. I had a couple of new people and Randy shaver. We had Steve Carroll and Jeff passolt. The public did not know really who they are and and unlike some people across the country like to hog the spotlight. I'm not that way and it never has been my by 40K. My motto is if your people who work with you and for you have brains they want to grow they want to flex their wings and fly, so I did that and it will take a good deal. Then the rest of the guys and we were laughing when I said I could talk to you right now. I could kick your butts in one-on-one any day of the week and they said you're on pal your own until we went out there and we had the game we taped it and we didn't know what we do with it. So we put it on the air as a tongue-in-cheek. Let's have fun piece and that we really if it did that all the time it would be like hope City. That's the only thing we've ever done like that. You might see a shout out playing golf or softball something like that. But that was sort of a way I feel to really introduce and and have the Randy and a Jeff and Steve sort of stick out in the door. Might our phone number here is 227-6004 Minneapolis is dial Beth number everyone's different. I never work with any but I didn't enjoy working with they all bring out. It was interesting about that question Charles. They all bring out a different aspect of your personality Robinson. Which one of my more interesting partners because he was a fellow sportscaster not a former athlete but he was a guy that was very capable of doing color and he was extremely well-read would really put the pressure on me to be as well register as he was when I knew what he was talking about via. I like athletes in the boot. I think that that I like work with Tamir reading hockey because I think on television they bring an aspect of the game that you can't bring anywhere else on radio. I think you would like her banjo you should have two announcers on television. I think you should have I think you should have an announcer and I think you should have what would be a colored man who had plate and you'll get it is nice to get into a situation. We didn't use it today because we've used in the past they've called was making his major league debut for Kansas City had to turn the Harmon and say you've got to be able to feel what's going through the mind of that young man. Can you draw things out of Herman or is that a battle you can you can draw him out sometimes, you know, it's you do it and set up the right situation, I think. If I had a criticism of a Harman, he's got that that's harmony. Let's do a personality and you volunteering the information. Sometimes you have to ask what you ask Harmon Killebrew is Herman Smith probably would not be your partner thousand autographed how many people he is the show, you know time. Do you have a hankering to ever get into play-by-play or had to get back into something like Bob is doing I've always enjoyed play-by-play do I do a lot of it? I'm just an average if I do a lot of it. I'm okay, and I've always enjoyed play-by-play if I tell you I sometimes I wonder if I could date my life back 20 or 30 years. I thought I might go to the other Lands End and learn my craft is a baseball play-by-play announcer because baseball is still to this day my first love having grown up in St. Louis and then play baseball in the time. I was eight years old and still playing in it. Not very well, but but I would probably give that a thought no question about it. I might have let me listen to Bob curtain Harmon Killebrew all day long ago about a werewolf and it definitely means a lot I have their someone else's I just simply I'm just like the ordinary viewer or listener is someone else's I just can't stand for more than 5 or 10 minutes. But to these guys I can but I could listen to Forever and put you on the spot who can't you stand. Young man standing attorney a genius in many ways Frank Gifford is is was it to me on a terrible play by play announcer and finally ABC or took him off of it gets on me that whiny sound it said the Vin Scully sound alike contest on the other hand the other the brightest young announcer to come along is Bob Costas, so I could like it listen to I love him either Fountain of information these he does his homework is easy to listen to me. Where is where I like bobcats in the knows what he's a good guy, but he has so much Dave from St.Paul. Go ahead. Twins dance with there's two things. I wish you I you could change and that is saying across like with a t instead of a cross on scoreboard scoreboard of which were the three of the nicest athletes you no, thank you, By the way you mention Lacey at 5 home run today three home runs today going from 2 to 5. Add three against the Yankees who started the day with two ended with 5 cold overcast day and was about to send chills up and down my spine. So unusual is my all-time hero. I still wear number 6 whenever I can still read for the news 11 softball teams. Are they use your I'm I going to see all these these men are everything that that a young athletes are a young hopeful would want to be Who is it was a couple of names that Poppy. And I don't know why I mean I'm thinking of Randy Bush. I'm thinking of John vukovich those type of ball player, but they've always appealed to me, you know, you travel with the twins individually they are there. There is good a pro team is I have ever done a good as team pro or college and I've ever travel with him and they were just generally really nice guy baseball writers from other cities make reference to the fact that they can't believe that the twins is players can be such such nice people. I think a lot of that is a credit to the guys. I also think a lot of that is because it's Minnesota. I think that you would when you play here I go as soon as you're able to call them about that and Saint Paul Hollywood from a little bit of a negative thing that they don't perform as well. I don't think that's true also, but I don't think you're under the harassment you're not under the pressure. You don't have to turn into a jerk. Although you know, what's funny the one guy of all the athletes I've seen that I would pay to see it would be Reggie Jackson. I hear he's horrible. Unpleasant just like Bob said to have you ever found a nicer Night Repair guys Inverness give her back and then TK. Okay, we have about a minute left Bob what's wrong with the twins quick pitching come on more specific. They're going to have to start getting that job done. And I think that's what's the bet that's what's caused. This whole slide is the team has no confidence that they can win a game when they get to leave time. What's wrong with the twins? Should they fire the manager? I think you're getting awfully close to it. If they going to another for 5 game 6 game losing streak. I should think about it. Thank you very much time has been fun. This is been sportfolio. My name is Howard. So I won't be here next week JG pressed and will if he gets back from Brainerd, we've really had a good time. These guys are great guests and they've made the show very very easy for someone who didn't think he Do this. And this is ksjn 1330 Minneapolis-Saint Paul.