WEBVTT 00:00:04.199 --> 00:00:07.540 All right. Welcome back to the Dan Time podcast. 00:00:07.700 --> 00:00:11.539 I am your host, Dan McArdle, at Dan Time Pod 00:00:11.539 --> 00:00:15.560 across the socials, dantimepod at gmail .com. 00:00:16.140 --> 00:00:18.660 You're definitely in the right place today. Another 00:00:18.660 --> 00:00:22.579 exciting baseball guest for you. His voice makes 00:00:22.579 --> 00:00:25.760 you want to grab some popcorn, maybe a hot dog 00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:29.679 or two or three, an ice cold beverage of your 00:00:29.679 --> 00:00:32.850 choice. Maybe even put on the old glove. and 00:00:32.850 --> 00:00:35.689 pop it a few times and sit back and listen to 00:00:35.689 --> 00:00:40.130 the action. It is Kurt Bloom time today. My interview 00:00:40.130 --> 00:00:43.670 with Kurt highlights his illustrious run as the 00:00:43.670 --> 00:00:46.950 longtime voice of the Birmingham Barons, AA affiliate 00:00:46.950 --> 00:00:50.770 of the Chicago White Sox. We talk about our brief 00:00:50.770 --> 00:00:54.049 run in many years ago, how he got started in 00:00:54.049 --> 00:00:57.530 broadcasting, the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, 00:00:57.909 --> 00:01:01.590 Regents Field, the unforgettable 1994 season. 00:01:01.899 --> 00:01:05.379 which featured Michael Jordan and Barron's pinstripes 00:01:05.379 --> 00:01:09.000 and Kurt's special place in history. And you'll 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:11.500 hear him describe what it was like to join Lynn 00:01:11.500 --> 00:01:14.219 Casper in the booth for the Guardians White Sox 00:01:14.219 --> 00:01:18.939 game in July 2022. However, and maybe we needed 00:01:18.939 --> 00:01:22.299 one more hour, Kurt's broadcasting experience 00:01:22.299 --> 00:01:25.019 doesn't stop with the Barron's. It only begins 00:01:25.019 --> 00:01:27.959 there. Kurt has covered spring games for the 00:01:27.959 --> 00:01:31.299 Chicago White Sox. college football for ESPN, 00:01:31.819 --> 00:01:34.980 Samford University, and UAB football and basketball 00:01:34.980 --> 00:01:38.640 games. Kurt has also sat down and interviewed 00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:41.260 legends of the game. You can find these videos 00:01:41.260 --> 00:01:45.920 on his website, curtbloom .com. Raleigh Fingers, 00:01:46.340 --> 00:01:50.700 Chipper Jones, Doc Gooden, Daryl Strawberry, 00:01:51.159 --> 00:01:54.060 Lou Pennella, and Justin Morneau. In Birmingham, 00:01:54.379 --> 00:01:56.640 Kurt's presence looms large in the community 00:01:56.640 --> 00:02:00.099 and has for over three decades. CB, as they call 00:02:00.099 --> 00:02:02.540 him. He's not just behind the mic, but he's also 00:02:02.540 --> 00:02:05.280 impacting the lives of children and others in 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:08.680 need. In 2013, Kurt was honored with an induction 00:02:08.680 --> 00:02:11.400 into the Birmingham Barons Hall of Fame, joining 00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:14.960 such larger -than -life icons as Willie Mays, 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:18.740 Reggie Jackson, Satchel Page, and media members 00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:22.319 Doug Seagrest, Mike Rada, Alf Van Hoos, and the 00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:25.919 1950s voice of the Barons, Gabby Bell. Kurt has 00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:28.800 also taught broadcast communication courses at 00:02:28.800 --> 00:02:31.400 Myles College and most recently at Birmingham 00:02:31.400 --> 00:02:34.939 Southern. He was included in ESPN's 30 for 30 00:02:34.939 --> 00:02:38.580 documentary, Jordan Rides the Bus. Be sure to 00:02:38.580 --> 00:02:41.300 check out his website to find his one -on -one 00:02:41.300 --> 00:02:43.699 interview with Michael Jordan from that season, 00:02:43.900 --> 00:02:46.680 plus many other memorable calls. Head over to 00:02:46.680 --> 00:02:50.020 the Dantime YouTube channel for the uncut video 00:02:50.020 --> 00:02:52.800 version of this call. Okay, let's get to the 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:55.479 conversation. I said it once before, but let's 00:02:55.479 --> 00:03:04.159 play to it is Kurt Bloom time. If you call yourself 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:06.219 a sports fan, especially if you call yourself 00:03:06.219 --> 00:03:09.300 a baseball fan and my gosh, if you live in the 00:03:09.300 --> 00:03:12.219 Southeast or in Birmingham, Alabama, I think 00:03:12.219 --> 00:03:14.419 the hairs on the back of your neck are going 00:03:14.419 --> 00:03:17.960 to be standing up today. My guest this afternoon 00:03:17.960 --> 00:03:22.300 and the guest for this week is not just a fixture 00:03:22.300 --> 00:03:26.169 in baseball. in the Southern League, in the White 00:03:26.169 --> 00:03:29.370 Sox organization, but a fixture in the city of 00:03:29.370 --> 00:03:32.530 Birmingham. This is Birmingham Barron's Hall 00:03:32.530 --> 00:03:36.550 of Fame broadcaster, Kurt Bloom. Kurt, I'm probably 00:03:36.550 --> 00:03:39.530 gonna stop my rambling, introduce you, say hey, 00:03:39.650 --> 00:03:42.069 and then go back to a little more ramble, but 00:03:42.069 --> 00:03:44.169 man, thank you for making time to be here on 00:03:44.169 --> 00:03:46.969 this podcast today. How are you doing? I'm doing 00:03:46.969 --> 00:03:48.949 great. I enjoy somebody else rambling instead 00:03:48.949 --> 00:03:55.389 of me. So as the song says, ramble on. Well, 00:03:55.889 --> 00:03:58.389 you and I met a long time ago and I've really 00:03:58.389 --> 00:04:00.930 been looking forward to say in this part to you 00:04:00.930 --> 00:04:04.150 today because I think it's so true in life that 00:04:04.150 --> 00:04:07.189 a lot of people come across our paths. You talk 00:04:07.189 --> 00:04:09.349 to somebody at Walgreens for a minute. You talk 00:04:09.349 --> 00:04:11.030 to somebody at the airport for a minute and you 00:04:11.030 --> 00:04:12.669 go about your day and you share a laugh with 00:04:12.669 --> 00:04:14.960 them. You don't really think about That might 00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:18.339 be a lasting memory for them. But with you, Kurt, 00:04:18.920 --> 00:04:23.000 and for me, in 2008, I was working at the Birmingham 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:27.500 News for a couple of years there, 06 to 08, and 00:04:27.500 --> 00:04:30.660 had the privilege of filling in for Doug Seagrest 00:04:30.660 --> 00:04:34.480 on a handful of games that season at the old 00:04:34.480 --> 00:04:37.220 Hoover Met. I don't remember which game it was. 00:04:37.279 --> 00:04:39.100 I think it was one of those daytime games where 00:04:39.100 --> 00:04:42.269 you got all the school kids there. And you don't 00:04:42.269 --> 00:04:45.170 have to pipe in any crowd noise for those afternoons. 00:04:45.629 --> 00:04:50.129 And I just will never forget the way that you 00:04:50.129 --> 00:04:52.089 stopped what you were doing. You were so excited. 00:04:52.129 --> 00:04:54.449 I remember to just be there at the ballpark in 00:04:54.449 --> 00:04:57.230 the press box. And you talked to me. You had 00:04:57.230 --> 00:05:01.069 a meaningful conversation with me. And I always 00:05:01.069 --> 00:05:02.970 have carried that with me. I remember leaving 00:05:02.970 --> 00:05:05.329 that day thinking, man, not only is Kurt a great 00:05:05.329 --> 00:05:09.060 broadcaster, but what a cool guy. Seems like 00:05:09.060 --> 00:05:11.379 he's having he's actually having fun doing this 00:05:11.379 --> 00:05:14.420 You've talked about i've listened to a few podcasts 00:05:14.420 --> 00:05:17.379 and you talk about being nine years old and having 00:05:17.379 --> 00:05:22.060 this dream and He still had that that little 00:05:22.060 --> 00:05:26.199 kid mindset. I remember that day and um speak 00:05:26.199 --> 00:05:29.379 to that a little bit as a train is going by where 00:05:29.379 --> 00:05:33.540 i'm Well, dan all that's a blessing. Um, you 00:05:33.540 --> 00:05:35.860 know, there's a combination of a blessing and 00:05:35.860 --> 00:05:38.930 and good mentors the blessing is that when I 00:05:38.930 --> 00:05:41.129 was nine years old, I knew what I wanted to do. 00:05:41.550 --> 00:05:44.670 I was engulfed in sports in the New York area 00:05:44.670 --> 00:05:47.089 where we had two sports teams for every sport. 00:05:47.129 --> 00:05:50.769 We had all professionals. And then later on in 00:05:50.769 --> 00:05:53.389 life, you get blessed because you have good mentors. 00:05:53.750 --> 00:05:56.509 And two of them include Terry Francona, Tito, 00:05:57.069 --> 00:05:59.829 and Bill Hardicoff, who was the president of 00:05:59.829 --> 00:06:03.209 the Barons and still in town here and still guides 00:06:03.209 --> 00:06:06.699 me. So, yeah, they taught me a whole lot. I give 00:06:06.699 --> 00:06:09.959 a lot of credit, my enthusiasm, my passion, and 00:06:09.959 --> 00:06:12.079 my kindness. I got to give my mom credit for 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:14.600 teaching me the right way. She didn't have a 00:06:14.600 --> 00:06:17.759 whole lot of help. It was a single child in the 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:21.079 70s. And then later on, when I got into pro ball, 00:06:21.540 --> 00:06:24.199 having influences early in my career like Tito 00:06:24.199 --> 00:06:27.639 Francona and then my boss, Bill Hardikoff, they 00:06:27.639 --> 00:06:30.019 taught you how to do things the right way. So 00:06:30.019 --> 00:06:34.339 I'm thrilled with your remembering in your recall 00:06:34.339 --> 00:06:36.779 about the time that you filled in for Doug, because 00:06:36.779 --> 00:06:39.079 I would have kicked myself if I didn't, you know, 00:06:39.199 --> 00:06:42.360 treat you that way back then, or even if you 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:45.019 walked into the press box tomorrow. And again, 00:06:45.019 --> 00:06:48.079 I've been taught by others and it's now my time 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:51.720 to teach and give back. Let me ask you a question 00:06:51.720 --> 00:06:53.779 that maybe you haven't been asked before. So 00:06:53.779 --> 00:06:57.060 you've been in the organization a long time now. 00:06:57.519 --> 00:06:59.980 Does it feel like all these years have gone by? 00:07:00.110 --> 00:07:02.050 Or are you still just having a ball and it's 00:07:02.050 --> 00:07:03.949 like, oh, it's time to go to the ballpark again. 00:07:04.649 --> 00:07:06.589 The home stand is beginning and I can't wait 00:07:06.589 --> 00:07:09.689 to get there. Well, I've been again lucky. This 00:07:09.689 --> 00:07:12.970 is year thirty seven thirty three with the Barons 00:07:12.970 --> 00:07:16.209 in every day. It's I can't wait. I can't wait 00:07:16.209 --> 00:07:18.310 to go. I can't wait to go. You know, when that 00:07:18.310 --> 00:07:22.149 one day kicks in and it says I'm done, I'm not 00:07:22.149 --> 00:07:24.610 excited anymore. Then we'll get we'll get a change. 00:07:24.949 --> 00:07:28.470 And I will tell you this. The longer you're in. 00:07:28.759 --> 00:07:32.480 the game, the quicker the years and the seasons 00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:35.399 go by. My boss and I, Jonathan Nelson, we've 00:07:35.399 --> 00:07:39.399 been together 30 some odd years, and it doesn't 00:07:39.399 --> 00:07:43.759 seem that way. But every year later on, you know, 00:07:43.800 --> 00:07:46.300 probably maybe around year eight, nine, then 00:07:46.300 --> 00:07:48.579 it becomes 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, before you even 00:07:48.579 --> 00:07:52.600 look up, now you're in the 20s. And a new anniversary 00:07:52.600 --> 00:07:55.300 comes up for the Jordan year and all that. So 00:07:55.300 --> 00:07:58.279 it comes quickly, the longer and the older that 00:07:58.279 --> 00:08:02.360 you stay in. But the base and the fortunate part 00:08:02.360 --> 00:08:06.439 is that I'm still very enthusiastic and loving 00:08:06.439 --> 00:08:09.819 what I'm doing. I have a lot of special memories 00:08:09.819 --> 00:08:13.319 from the Hoover Met and from Regents Field. I 00:08:13.319 --> 00:08:16.879 moved to Pensacola the same year that Regents 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:19.850 Field opened. So I got to take in a few of those 00:08:19.850 --> 00:08:21.970 games that season I've been back over the years 00:08:21.970 --> 00:08:24.629 and seen a handful of games But I'll never forget 00:08:24.629 --> 00:08:29.290 opening day in April of 13 Walking up to the 00:08:29.290 --> 00:08:32.230 stadium and seeing that big Birmingham feature 00:08:32.230 --> 00:08:34.789 on I don't know which directional end of the 00:08:34.789 --> 00:08:37.169 stadium that's on I thought this is so cool. 00:08:37.169 --> 00:08:40.350 This is something the city can be proud of and 00:08:40.350 --> 00:08:43.950 Then I also heard Kurt Bloom's voice outside 00:08:43.950 --> 00:08:47.450 the stadium on the pregame show and I just thought 00:08:47.450 --> 00:08:49.629 this is perfect. This is everything. And so when 00:08:49.629 --> 00:08:51.789 I going back to what I was saying in the beginning, 00:08:52.370 --> 00:08:55.809 there's a famous Barron's broadcaster from, I 00:08:55.809 --> 00:08:58.389 guess, the early part or the middle part of the 00:08:58.389 --> 00:09:00.929 20th century, who's also in the Hall of Fame. 00:09:00.929 --> 00:09:03.769 And I should have his name on my on the tip of 00:09:03.769 --> 00:09:05.929 my tongue here. But when I think of the Birmingham 00:09:05.929 --> 00:09:08.669 Barons and all the history involved, yeah, you 00:09:08.669 --> 00:09:10.710 think of the Michael Jordan season. How can you 00:09:10.710 --> 00:09:14.370 not? But I think of Kurt Bloom and hopefully 00:09:14.370 --> 00:09:17.620 people listening. and huge White Sox fans that 00:09:17.620 --> 00:09:20.080 follow the system. They're well aware of you. 00:09:20.519 --> 00:09:23.379 And I know you're still carving out your legacy. 00:09:24.360 --> 00:09:27.379 Your career is still, who knows what's next, 00:09:27.539 --> 00:09:30.799 but are you proud to be kind of an institution? 00:09:31.860 --> 00:09:33.220 I don't know if that's the right word, but are 00:09:33.220 --> 00:09:36.360 you proud of your... I think the first broadcast 00:09:36.360 --> 00:09:39.740 you're thinking of is Eli Gold. Eli did the Barons 00:09:39.740 --> 00:09:42.559 at Rickwood Field in the 80s and of course has 00:09:42.559 --> 00:09:46.440 become... I had a 30 plus year run with the Alabama 00:09:46.440 --> 00:09:51.500 football and sports. You know, you first look 00:09:51.500 --> 00:09:55.320 back on it and you're kind of wary of, you know, 00:09:55.419 --> 00:09:59.039 am I an institution or just been there forever 00:09:59.039 --> 00:10:02.240 and all of that stuff. But you really need to 00:10:02.240 --> 00:10:07.019 take a step back and enjoy it, relish it, appreciate 00:10:07.019 --> 00:10:11.139 that. I must be doing, I don't know what it is, 00:10:11.259 --> 00:10:14.720 but I must be doing something right to be asked 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:18.899 to come back year after year. And I think it 00:10:18.899 --> 00:10:24.299 does start with, again, the passion, the enthusiasm, 00:10:24.419 --> 00:10:27.080 the energy. I never feel, never sound, never 00:10:27.080 --> 00:10:30.139 want to be like, man, this is just getting in 00:10:30.139 --> 00:10:32.659 the way. The last two years on the field were 00:10:32.659 --> 00:10:34.820 tough. They were difficult. But I try to look 00:10:34.820 --> 00:10:36.879 at it this way. It's seven o 'clock. We got a 00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:39.820 new game. Let's go. Let's go. We're 0 and 0 until 00:10:39.820 --> 00:10:42.340 until the first pitch is delivered. That's a 00:10:42.340 --> 00:10:44.639 great way to look at it. I got to mention here 00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:46.220 really, really quick. I learned that you grew 00:10:46.220 --> 00:10:49.919 up in Westchester County, New York. A few weeks 00:10:49.919 --> 00:10:53.299 ago, I had a singer songwriter from Westchester 00:10:53.299 --> 00:10:56.039 County. He's actually go to his website, Dan 00:10:56.039 --> 00:11:00.389 Zlotnik. He's The Americana voice of Westchester 00:11:00.389 --> 00:11:03.649 County really cool guy and I when I saw that 00:11:03.649 --> 00:11:06.149 I was wondering well Kurt may not be aware of 00:11:06.149 --> 00:11:08.129 him He's been out of that area for a long time, 00:11:08.129 --> 00:11:09.730 but I thought that was a cool connection We've 00:11:09.730 --> 00:11:12.690 had we now have our second guest from that area 00:11:12.690 --> 00:11:16.450 Westchester is the first suburb suburb north 00:11:16.450 --> 00:11:19.330 of New York City if you're in Manhattan Just 00:11:19.330 --> 00:11:22.870 go north and for us we take the train And then 00:11:22.870 --> 00:11:26.409 there's the lower part where White Plains is 00:11:26.409 --> 00:11:30.460 and Yonkers and Scarsdale, Eastchester, and then 00:11:30.460 --> 00:11:33.899 the upper Westchester where I grew up. It's North 00:11:33.899 --> 00:11:38.740 Salem and there's South Salem, Pleasantville, 00:11:38.980 --> 00:11:41.679 Golden's Bridge, all these beautiful, beautiful 00:11:41.679 --> 00:11:43.960 little communities, bedroom communities that 00:11:43.960 --> 00:11:46.639 they're called. And in fact, what has made North 00:11:46.639 --> 00:11:49.419 Salem where I went to high school in Westchester 00:11:49.419 --> 00:11:52.559 famous is David Letterman has lived there probably 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:57.529 15, 20, 25 years. Wow. Kurt when you were a little 00:11:57.529 --> 00:12:00.529 kid listening to the transistor radio at night 00:12:00.529 --> 00:12:04.289 and being a Yankees fan I guess Phil Rizzuto 00:12:04.289 --> 00:12:07.590 and those guys Those were your primary influences 00:12:07.590 --> 00:12:10.789 that made you think I want to do this I want 00:12:10.789 --> 00:12:12.529 to be on the radio. I want to be calling these 00:12:12.529 --> 00:12:14.750 games. Yeah, I love playing baseball, but I think 00:12:14.750 --> 00:12:19.370 you said maybe I'm not at that level but Were 00:12:19.370 --> 00:12:21.529 there other did you like TV shows? Did you like 00:12:21.529 --> 00:12:23.789 something like Johnny Carson or were there other 00:12:23.789 --> 00:12:28.340 other types of announcers? Well, the broadcasting 00:12:28.340 --> 00:12:31.960 part of me, like you said, it was a transistor 00:12:31.960 --> 00:12:35.820 with an earpiece in listening to Phil Rizzuto, 00:12:36.039 --> 00:12:39.620 Bill White and Frank Messer. especially loved 00:12:39.620 --> 00:12:41.580 when they were on the West Coast, because I stayed 00:12:41.580 --> 00:12:43.460 up late, even though my mom didn't know that, 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:45.399 but you'd have the ear in and they were playing 00:12:45.399 --> 00:12:48.960 the Seattle Mariners. The most famous broadcaster 00:12:48.960 --> 00:12:52.500 and the one that if you are from the tri -state 00:12:52.500 --> 00:12:55.840 area, and if you're anywhere within 20, 25 years 00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:58.580 of my age, Ben Moore of Albert is your item. 00:12:58.730 --> 00:13:03.429 That's the icon. He's my guy. Up until, I believe 00:13:03.429 --> 00:13:06.070 it was last year, maybe the year before, he finally 00:13:06.070 --> 00:13:08.889 shut it down with TNT doing basketball. Some 00:13:08.889 --> 00:13:10.590 have called him the greatest basketball announcer 00:13:10.590 --> 00:13:13.830 ever. And the funny thing is, as much as I love 00:13:13.830 --> 00:13:16.830 baseball, that's the only sport Marv really didn't 00:13:16.830 --> 00:13:19.230 call play -by -play. He was known for his hockey 00:13:19.230 --> 00:13:21.470 and his basketball with the Rangers and the Knicks. 00:13:22.199 --> 00:13:26.200 And he would do the Jets at times. He was also 00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:29.539 the NBC sportscaster. And that was a guy everybody 00:13:29.539 --> 00:13:32.639 wanted to be. You wanted to be Marv. And now, 00:13:32.639 --> 00:13:34.000 if you're a little bit younger, you could be 00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:36.519 his son, Kenny. You could be Kenny Allen. I remember 00:13:36.519 --> 00:13:40.000 growing up with Marv Albert, the NBA announcer, 00:13:40.600 --> 00:13:43.179 and some of those just really exciting basketball, 00:13:43.539 --> 00:13:46.360 the late 80s, early 90s. And he was synonymous 00:13:46.360 --> 00:13:50.279 with that sport in the NBA. I've got a question 00:13:50.279 --> 00:13:51.799 here. Like I said, I've done a little bit of 00:13:51.799 --> 00:13:54.320 research. So I want to kind of come at it from 00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:56.539 maybe a question you haven't been asked before. 00:13:57.179 --> 00:13:59.860 So your career as a broadcaster started with 00:13:59.860 --> 00:14:04.659 the, in Bakersfield, California, 1988, a couple 00:14:04.659 --> 00:14:10.279 years at Prince William. And then a year with 00:14:10.279 --> 00:14:13.480 the stars. Going back to like 80, what are you 00:14:13.480 --> 00:14:17.220 doing in say 86, 87? How does it lead up to that 00:14:17.220 --> 00:14:21.509 first break in Bakersfield? That is, and in 37 00:14:21.509 --> 00:14:23.950 years, that's probably the first time I've actually 00:14:23.950 --> 00:14:27.629 been asked that question and put it all together. 00:14:27.990 --> 00:14:33.590 Graduated UNC Greensboro in 85 and immediately 00:14:33.590 --> 00:14:37.269 went back home to New York and tried to get back 00:14:37.269 --> 00:14:43.169 into baseball. And like I had a summer fling 00:14:43.169 --> 00:14:46.450 when I was a freshman with the Greensboro Hornets 00:14:46.450 --> 00:14:49.659 and our college radio station actually took over 00:14:49.659 --> 00:14:52.779 the second half of the year, but a little blip 00:14:52.779 --> 00:14:55.600 more than anything else. So now I spent two years 00:14:55.600 --> 00:14:59.039 trying to find out, how do I get back in? And 00:14:59.039 --> 00:15:02.720 in order to do that and get a job, I was an adult 00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:06.740 contemporary radio station DJ. I had the 10 to 00:15:06.740 --> 00:15:11.580 2 shift. And I knew that it was important to 00:15:11.580 --> 00:15:14.539 use the voice. If someone calls and asks, what 00:15:14.539 --> 00:15:17.019 are you currently doing? it's a lot better to 00:15:17.019 --> 00:15:21.100 say I've got a radio show versus I'm a mechanic 00:15:21.100 --> 00:15:24.179 at the local Exxon and I just you know I love 00:15:24.179 --> 00:15:27.059 listening or you know I just think I can do this 00:15:27.059 --> 00:15:29.539 thing so I had about it was about a year and 00:15:29.539 --> 00:15:33.240 a half two years where I was an adult contemporary 00:15:33.240 --> 00:15:40.340 radio DJ probably from 22 to 24 years old and 00:15:40.340 --> 00:15:42.340 then I think the Bakersfield job came when I 00:15:42.340 --> 00:15:46.620 was about 25. And then the circumstances that 00:15:46.620 --> 00:15:48.519 brought you to Birmingham, I remember you said, 00:15:48.620 --> 00:15:52.519 you know, sometimes jobs just seek you. It wasn't 00:15:52.519 --> 00:15:55.019 like you were saying, wow, Birmingham, Alabama, 00:15:55.139 --> 00:15:57.200 that's the spot. That's where I want to be. It's 00:15:57.200 --> 00:15:59.899 just, at the time, they were looking for a guy 00:15:59.899 --> 00:16:02.759 with some sales experience. I guess that was 00:16:02.759 --> 00:16:06.080 important for that job description. Well, all 00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:09.399 four jobs I've had, Bakersfield, Woodbridge, 00:16:09.580 --> 00:16:11.639 Virginia, Prince William Cadets, and Huntsville, 00:16:12.159 --> 00:16:15.200 I didn't wake up and throw a dart and go, that's 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:17.899 where I want to be. Those were the teams that 00:16:17.899 --> 00:16:21.259 gave me a chance. Now, when I got to Huntsville, 00:16:21.679 --> 00:16:25.919 we would drive that long three mile journey at 00:16:25.919 --> 00:16:28.860 the beginning of the parking lot to the Hoover 00:16:28.860 --> 00:16:34.159 Met. I'm like, wow, this is a ballpark. And fortunately, 00:16:35.019 --> 00:16:37.700 after one year in Huntsville, the broadcaster 00:16:37.700 --> 00:16:40.120 with the Barons left. And fortunately for me, 00:16:40.139 --> 00:16:44.139 I had sales experience. So I told the new because 00:16:44.139 --> 00:16:46.399 they just brought in new people. I said, first 00:16:46.399 --> 00:16:49.700 of all, instead of me sending you a tape, why 00:16:49.700 --> 00:16:51.039 don't I just come down? We'll have a meeting. 00:16:51.080 --> 00:16:54.559 You're an hour and a half from me. And I remember 00:16:54.559 --> 00:16:57.440 Bill Hardicoff said, do you sell? Yes. And he 00:16:57.440 --> 00:16:59.440 goes, look, that's what we need more than anything 00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:02.340 else. We're turning this into a full time position 00:17:02.340 --> 00:17:05.220 and you're going to be here. selling fence signs, 00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:07.759 billboards, program ads, tickets, and all that 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:09.920 kind of stuff. So that was a major part. If I 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:12.900 had said, no, I don't sell, I might not have 00:17:12.900 --> 00:17:16.500 ever gotten to where I've been. And that was 00:17:16.500 --> 00:17:18.859 a major part of what I did for the Barons up 00:17:18.859 --> 00:17:22.279 until approximately seven years ago when they 00:17:22.279 --> 00:17:25.000 turned me into what we call seasonal. So I'm 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:28.920 no longer full -time. I had 25 years in the office 00:17:28.920 --> 00:17:32.240 for 12 months, and now it's seasonal. Pick and 00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:34.539 choose and then when the game start you're you 00:17:34.539 --> 00:17:37.220 know, you're broadcasting I like how you mentioned 00:17:37.220 --> 00:17:39.220 that because there may be people that were listening 00:17:39.220 --> 00:17:42.859 to you in the mid 90s the early 2000s and they 00:17:42.859 --> 00:17:46.220 think that I hear kurt bloom On the radio during 00:17:46.220 --> 00:17:48.720 the game and that's probably the extent of what's 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:52.039 what he's doing there Is a lot more going on 00:17:52.039 --> 00:17:55.660 Well, my value to the barons in the front office 00:17:55.660 --> 00:17:59.839 was the opposite was the was the offseason September 00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:03.609 through march and to maintain and keep your job, 00:18:03.670 --> 00:18:06.869 you had to be a good salesman and you had to 00:18:06.869 --> 00:18:10.269 bring in income, okay? The radio guys are dying 00:18:10.269 --> 00:18:15.250 a dozen. So for, like I said, 25 years, I was 00:18:15.250 --> 00:18:18.630 bringing in approximately, let's just conservatively 00:18:18.630 --> 00:18:23.849 say $100 ,000 a year in advertising. So that 00:18:23.849 --> 00:18:26.390 kept me, you know, that even if I didn't sound 00:18:26.390 --> 00:18:28.789 good, Or if I wasn't a good guy, hey, wait a 00:18:28.789 --> 00:18:31.410 minute, this guy's bringing in fence signs and 00:18:31.410 --> 00:18:33.650 program ads. And I knew what it meant. I knew 00:18:33.650 --> 00:18:36.109 the importance and the significance, especially 00:18:36.109 --> 00:18:38.890 in that time period. Times have changed again. 00:18:39.470 --> 00:18:42.849 Most teams, not all, but most probably want just 00:18:42.849 --> 00:18:45.269 a seasonal guide. You don't have to pay in benefits. 00:18:45.970 --> 00:18:47.690 You don't have to pay insurance. You just go 00:18:47.690 --> 00:18:50.190 in, you get paid per game, per month, do the 00:18:50.190 --> 00:18:53.190 games, and then you're out of there in September. 00:18:53.960 --> 00:18:55.920 Well, I want to I want to jump around a little 00:18:55.920 --> 00:18:58.819 bit some of these questions are going over the 00:18:58.819 --> 00:19:01.740 timeline might bounce around but I'm kind of 00:19:01.740 --> 00:19:04.279 excited to talk about this one because I was 00:19:04.279 --> 00:19:07.680 rooting for you from afar or a few hours south 00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:13.519 in Pensacola July 24th 2022 It was just one of 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:15.880 those days. I was grinning ear to ear when I 00:19:15.880 --> 00:19:17.980 saw the news I don't know where I heard about 00:19:17.980 --> 00:19:22.470 it, but you got to call up to the show to join 00:19:22.470 --> 00:19:24.710 Lynn Casper in the booth for the Chicago White 00:19:24.710 --> 00:19:28.789 Sox. And I recall you hearing that you treated 00:19:28.789 --> 00:19:31.769 it like you were doing a Barron's Biscuits game, 00:19:32.549 --> 00:19:34.990 but I'm sure the actual phone call, I'll let 00:19:34.990 --> 00:19:37.829 you tell it because it's just such a big moment 00:19:37.829 --> 00:19:40.609 and I was so happy to hear that you were getting 00:19:40.609 --> 00:19:44.390 that moment in the sun and how was that experience 00:19:44.390 --> 00:19:47.180 like? Well, I appreciate you recognizing that. 00:19:47.619 --> 00:19:49.819 And the funny thing that came out of that is 00:19:49.819 --> 00:19:53.259 so many people thought it was permanent. My wife's 00:19:53.259 --> 00:19:57.460 boss and all the people that know my wife, they 00:19:57.460 --> 00:19:59.059 said, well, when are you leaving? How come you 00:19:59.059 --> 00:20:02.220 didn't tell us? That was probably the fun thing. 00:20:03.079 --> 00:20:06.900 The White Sox kind of pranked me. And it has 00:20:06.900 --> 00:20:09.619 to be told that every year for 20 plus years, 00:20:09.799 --> 00:20:13.359 I asked them before spring training and then 00:20:13.359 --> 00:20:15.759 middle of the season, to come up and do an inning. 00:20:17.420 --> 00:20:20.380 And earlier, about a month earlier, they set 00:20:20.380 --> 00:20:22.720 up what I thought was a Zoom conference with 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:26.779 all the other affiliates. And instantly, I recognized 00:20:26.779 --> 00:20:29.119 either I'm first or the other guys are not showing 00:20:29.119 --> 00:20:31.440 up, Charlotte, Winston -Salem, and Kannapolis. 00:20:32.119 --> 00:20:33.539 And I knew something was a little different. 00:20:33.599 --> 00:20:37.680 And he went on to interview me and talk to me 00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:39.960 and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and then said, 00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:43.000 what are you doing on July 24th? And I said, 00:20:43.119 --> 00:20:45.039 well, whatever I was doing, I got a feeling I'll 00:20:45.039 --> 00:20:50.779 be changing plans. So he, Chris Kintana, his 00:20:50.779 --> 00:20:53.400 name is, you know, rocked my world, changed the 00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:55.960 world. And I tell you that the people who benefited 00:20:55.960 --> 00:21:01.000 the most were at MLB baseball with the subscriptions 00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:04.460 for the MLB app because they went, you know, 00:21:04.460 --> 00:21:07.609 they probably sold a hundred that day. And then 00:21:07.609 --> 00:21:09.490 two days later, when everyone canceled, they 00:21:09.490 --> 00:21:14.589 were like, hey, what happened? You know, I definitely 00:21:14.589 --> 00:21:17.750 took it as, hey, this is where I belong. This 00:21:17.750 --> 00:21:21.849 is Barron's biscuits, Barron's smokies. The moment 00:21:21.849 --> 00:21:24.069 was not too big. This is where I want to be. 00:21:25.329 --> 00:21:29.210 And still after, as another Paul Simon song, 00:21:29.549 --> 00:21:32.250 after all these years, we still want to make 00:21:32.250 --> 00:21:36.250 it happen. And even today, even prior to this, 00:21:36.410 --> 00:21:39.829 Recording I was you know working the back door 00:21:39.829 --> 00:21:42.970 of a couple of situations and couple of opportunities 00:21:42.970 --> 00:21:47.190 Well, just like just like the players themselves 00:21:47.190 --> 00:21:50.210 Yeah, there's a lot of guys that I would say 00:21:50.210 --> 00:21:53.970 don't snooze on them Don't don't think that there's 00:21:53.970 --> 00:21:56.690 not gonna be some movement in the next few months 00:21:56.690 --> 00:21:59.589 the next year or two years from now I mean we 00:21:59.589 --> 00:22:02.529 have loved listening to Kurt Bloom call the Barron's 00:22:02.529 --> 00:22:05.500 games, but you just you never know Enjoy it while 00:22:05.500 --> 00:22:07.519 it lasts, Birmingham, because you've probably 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:10.460 gotten used to Kurt always being the voice of 00:22:10.460 --> 00:22:13.539 the Barons, but I'm rooting for you, Kurt, to 00:22:13.539 --> 00:22:15.640 reach the big show and stay there. I think that 00:22:15.640 --> 00:22:19.640 you deserve to be there, and hope that day comes 00:22:19.640 --> 00:22:23.460 sooner rather than later. Thanks, Dan. I appreciate 00:22:23.460 --> 00:22:25.599 that. It's very kind of you and warm to say that, 00:22:25.599 --> 00:22:28.329 and I want to recognize that. And I don't just 00:22:28.329 --> 00:22:32.549 take that for granted. It's an honor. And ultimately, 00:22:32.730 --> 00:22:35.410 I've learned it's not on my clock anymore. It's 00:22:35.410 --> 00:22:38.230 on the man upstairs, God's clock. And when he's 00:22:38.230 --> 00:22:41.210 ready, he'll let me know where and when and what 00:22:41.210 --> 00:22:43.789 opportunity, and we'll make it happen. Well, 00:22:43.789 --> 00:22:45.789 speaking of, I want to just talk about Regents 00:22:45.789 --> 00:22:48.470 Field for a minute because I was a little conflicted 00:22:48.470 --> 00:22:52.869 when, not for very long, but I will say that 00:22:52.869 --> 00:22:56.109 the nostalgia for the Hoover Met, if you attended 00:22:56.109 --> 00:22:59.420 games as a an eight -year -old, a 12 -year -old, 00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:04.039 14, or even 25. You had some great times at that 00:23:04.039 --> 00:23:06.579 ballpark. Saw a lot of great games, and my gosh, 00:23:06.640 --> 00:23:09.220 the players that came through there. But Regions 00:23:09.220 --> 00:23:12.319 Field, going back to that opening day, 2013, 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:16.099 I thought, wow, this has got, this has got an 00:23:16.099 --> 00:23:19.740 MLB feel to it. I feel like I'm walking into 00:23:19.740 --> 00:23:22.680 a Major League Baseball stadium. They really 00:23:22.680 --> 00:23:26.200 achieved that aesthetic. This is a fun night. 00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:29.599 for families to have an experience on that level? 00:23:30.640 --> 00:23:33.559 Well, we've had two incredible ballparks to work 00:23:33.559 --> 00:23:35.980 with and technically three, which is Rickoid. 00:23:36.660 --> 00:23:40.240 But for my broadcasting career, I had 21 years 00:23:40.240 --> 00:23:43.920 at Hoover Met and I grew up there. That's where 00:23:43.920 --> 00:23:47.039 we had my children. And that's where, you know, 00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:49.339 every day for 21 years, get a car to go to the 00:23:49.339 --> 00:23:52.279 Hoover Met and come back after a game. So I'll 00:23:52.279 --> 00:23:54.579 never have anything bad to say. Only fond, fond 00:23:54.579 --> 00:23:59.690 memories. a great big ballpark that's where I 00:23:59.690 --> 00:24:05.230 really sharpen my skills. And then 2013, we wind 00:24:05.230 --> 00:24:09.150 up with this $64 million state of the art facility. 00:24:09.490 --> 00:24:12.690 And when you're looking right now at the Chattanoogas 00:24:12.690 --> 00:24:16.849 and the Knoxvilles of the world, Columbus, and 00:24:16.849 --> 00:24:20.150 these cities are fighting every day to get their 00:24:20.150 --> 00:24:22.089 ballparks, fighting with government, fighting 00:24:22.089 --> 00:24:26.170 with politicians. And ours was done. I remember 00:24:26.170 --> 00:24:30.230 Jonathan coming back to our office in 2012 and 00:24:30.230 --> 00:24:33.049 saying, hey, we're moving next year. Like, huh, 00:24:33.170 --> 00:24:36.329 what? And it was just like that. So we had one 00:24:36.329 --> 00:24:41.109 dead year at the Hoover Met. And then 2013, we 00:24:41.109 --> 00:24:44.029 opened up. And I'll tell you what, the first 00:24:44.029 --> 00:24:47.650 three or four years, the magic there was incredible. 00:24:47.910 --> 00:24:49.670 You just look at our attendance. We led the league 00:24:49.670 --> 00:24:52.480 in attendance. that opening night you talked 00:24:52.480 --> 00:24:55.339 about, we had 80, it was more than 8 ,500 because 00:24:55.339 --> 00:24:58.839 85 is what we hold. But there wasn't a Thursday 00:24:58.839 --> 00:25:03.220 or Friday night that didn't have 8 ,000 plus. 00:25:04.079 --> 00:25:07.319 And that was a lot of fun. And it's funny now 00:25:07.319 --> 00:25:11.240 because when you look at that actual area, but 00:25:11.240 --> 00:25:12.839 first of all, there's a Buffalo Wild Wings in 00:25:12.839 --> 00:25:15.890 right field. But the luxury apartment complex 00:25:15.890 --> 00:25:19.150 is that now drape completely around the ballpark 00:25:19.150 --> 00:25:22.470 and then behind us as well. So there's just been 00:25:22.470 --> 00:25:26.910 a lot of building and a lot of migration and 00:25:26.910 --> 00:25:29.730 a lot of investments that I think the barons 00:25:29.730 --> 00:25:33.549 and the mayor and the city, they set the pace 00:25:33.549 --> 00:25:37.690 and we took it and ran with it. And Kurt, do 00:25:37.690 --> 00:25:39.970 they still have the seventh inning tradition 00:25:39.970 --> 00:25:42.869 with I know the Children's Hospital overlooks? 00:25:43.289 --> 00:25:47.809 Regions field and all the fans wave Mm -hmm. 00:25:47.950 --> 00:25:50.730 Yeah, they'll never go away. Um, that's fireworks 00:25:50.730 --> 00:25:56.089 Friday and We actually videoed the kids now they 00:25:56.089 --> 00:25:58.369 count it down for us So we go over to Children's 00:25:58.369 --> 00:26:00.329 Hospital with our camera. They count it down 00:26:00.329 --> 00:26:03.430 We had the big wave and it's really a sentimental 00:26:03.430 --> 00:26:07.250 journey and a wonderful reminder every day How 00:26:07.250 --> 00:26:10.400 lucky how honored you are? I mean, that's in 00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:13.039 right center field for me every single game. 00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:16.779 And then on those Friday nights, the illumination 00:26:16.779 --> 00:26:18.779 of the elevators, you know, that's where it is, 00:26:18.799 --> 00:26:21.740 is their waiting room and the elevators light 00:26:21.740 --> 00:26:26.180 up. And I know a few parents who have had their 00:26:26.180 --> 00:26:28.859 children there and they told me how much it means 00:26:28.859 --> 00:26:33.000 to them. So win win for everybody. Yeah, I think 00:26:33.000 --> 00:26:35.000 there's I talk about this on the show sometimes. 00:26:35.119 --> 00:26:39.160 I think there's fewer things. that are more rewarding 00:26:39.160 --> 00:26:43.920 in life than making a child smile, be happy, 00:26:44.279 --> 00:26:47.259 feel included, be recognized. So that's just 00:26:47.259 --> 00:26:50.900 what I read about that. I thought that is something 00:26:50.900 --> 00:26:54.500 the barons would do. I know you can't see this 00:26:54.500 --> 00:26:59.279 here. I've got a scrapbook out. Ticket stubs 00:26:59.279 --> 00:27:03.880 were more common to hang onto, but this is just 00:27:03.880 --> 00:27:07.930 one of them. This is a 2001... Ticket stub 15 00:27:07.930 --> 00:27:12.049 cent wing night Yeah, a long time removed since 00:27:12.049 --> 00:27:13.990 those days. I don't know if they still do the 00:27:13.990 --> 00:27:18.069 25 cent hot dogs. There was the belly We have 00:27:18.069 --> 00:27:22.569 two dollar hot dogs and we have two dollar adult 00:27:22.569 --> 00:27:25.890 beverages The dogs are two dollars on Tuesday 00:27:25.890 --> 00:27:29.650 and the beverages on thirsty Thursday So price 00:27:29.650 --> 00:27:31.910 has gone up inflation will hit us a little bit, 00:27:31.910 --> 00:27:35.490 but it's still a heck of a bargain and now Tuesday 00:27:35.490 --> 00:27:39.960 nights I mean even our even my front office staff 00:27:39.960 --> 00:27:43.359 my press box people we get hungry and here's 00:27:43.359 --> 00:27:45.619 two dollars and you know we're winding up with 00:27:45.619 --> 00:27:49.079 uh you know a couple of dogs so um we take advantage 00:27:49.079 --> 00:27:51.920 of that as well okay just a little out of bounds 00:27:51.920 --> 00:27:54.759 question here so i'm sure people wonder do you 00:27:54.759 --> 00:27:58.319 ever get tired of the the spread or do you sometimes 00:27:58.319 --> 00:28:00.339 just say look i gotta start bringing some pb 00:28:00.339 --> 00:28:03.539 and j's uh here i gotta bring a salad i gotta 00:28:03.539 --> 00:28:08.599 uh do you Get tired of the the hot dogs or just 00:28:08.599 --> 00:28:13.259 the cold cuts I would let me just in 37 years 00:28:13.259 --> 00:28:18.380 of broadcasting and a World win of events that 00:28:18.380 --> 00:28:22.220 is clearly the first time I have been asked that 00:28:22.220 --> 00:28:27.660 question and I will say Emphatically. Yes. Yes. 00:28:27.759 --> 00:28:34.599 Yes again It would be cruel to talk about who 00:28:34.599 --> 00:28:38.519 supplies on what night, but let me just tell 00:28:38.519 --> 00:28:42.319 you, if you followed me around in the off season, 00:28:42.819 --> 00:28:46.220 you would not find me at any of the places that 00:28:46.220 --> 00:28:50.980 we kill during the season, okay? So now look, 00:28:51.299 --> 00:28:54.259 we have one of the best spreads in the league. 00:28:54.509 --> 00:28:57.970 it's just that I can only have so much of that 00:28:57.970 --> 00:29:00.950 same product, you know, whether it is pizza, 00:29:01.130 --> 00:29:04.890 chicken, wings, whatever it is. And then, you 00:29:04.890 --> 00:29:06.990 know, the season ends and your children go, oh, 00:29:06.990 --> 00:29:09.529 let's go to fill in the blank. I'm like, you 00:29:09.529 --> 00:29:12.890 got to be so. And I will tell you, undoubtedly, 00:29:13.490 --> 00:29:16.190 when I was younger, I would I can burn calories 00:29:16.190 --> 00:29:19.910 with the best of them. And as I got older, you 00:29:19.910 --> 00:29:23.029 realize you do have to keep an eye on what you're 00:29:23.029 --> 00:29:28.619 eating and doing. And so you will find yourself 00:29:28.619 --> 00:29:32.259 either grabbing a Chick -fil -A sandwich instead 00:29:32.259 --> 00:29:35.119 of whatever is going to be at the ballpark or 00:29:35.119 --> 00:29:39.519 bring in something that you know that you prepared 00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:41.859 ahead of time. That will come not often, but 00:29:41.859 --> 00:29:45.200 enough to go, hey, I'm glad I brought this in 00:29:45.200 --> 00:29:49.539 versus that. OK, here's another ticket stub. 00:29:50.019 --> 00:29:54.579 Thank God I hung onto this thing. July 29th 1994, 00:29:54.579 --> 00:29:57.460 but trying to try a different lead into this 00:29:57.460 --> 00:30:01.079 season Obviously, that's the Jordan here and 00:30:01.079 --> 00:30:04.400 I believe that's the day before his home run 00:30:04.400 --> 00:30:09.579 is the over on July 30th and You probably don't 00:30:09.579 --> 00:30:12.140 realize this I'm looking at my I've got a copy 00:30:12.140 --> 00:30:14.759 of it somewhere You probably don't realize that 00:30:14.759 --> 00:30:17.700 but that's pretty good collectors item I'm looking 00:30:17.700 --> 00:30:20.859 they've been going Anything from the joint year 00:30:20.859 --> 00:30:24.779 ticket stubs have really you can turn that into 00:30:24.779 --> 00:30:29.400 paying for a month of podcasts Yeah, I'm just 00:30:29.400 --> 00:30:32.059 looking and you know, these must have been printed 00:30:32.059 --> 00:30:35.480 well before they knew that that season was gonna 00:30:35.480 --> 00:30:39.579 of course I have magic and yeah five dollars 00:30:39.579 --> 00:30:43.839 and fifty cents reserve ticket Yep, five fifty 00:30:43.839 --> 00:30:46.680 a Friday night game at the Hoover met They don't 00:30:46.680 --> 00:30:48.779 know Jordan's gonna be there. So that's that's 00:30:48.779 --> 00:30:52.559 my lead -in. I cannot believe 30 years ago Wow, 00:30:53.259 --> 00:30:55.319 I know you you've told the story you've retold 00:30:55.319 --> 00:30:57.599 it and I don't want to retread anything that's 00:30:57.599 --> 00:31:00.940 it's gonna be you know mundane for you, but How 00:31:00.940 --> 00:31:03.680 special is that looking back and just to be a 00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:06.359 part of something like that? Michael Jordan in 00:31:06.359 --> 00:31:08.279 Birmingham, Alabama. I'm in high school at the 00:31:08.279 --> 00:31:11.319 time. It was a huge deal There's no really no 00:31:11.319 --> 00:31:14.460 internet. Definitely no Twitter or social media 00:31:14.759 --> 00:31:17.640 When you think back to that season, is it still 00:31:17.640 --> 00:31:20.319 something you think about all the time? Daily. 00:31:20.920 --> 00:31:25.460 It's hard not to. And every anniversary, it expedites 00:31:25.460 --> 00:31:28.480 even more. So this is the 30th. A lot of our 00:31:28.480 --> 00:31:30.819 staff members have been interviewed or talked 00:31:30.819 --> 00:31:36.339 about. You see, there's about five or six of 00:31:36.339 --> 00:31:41.000 us left. I mean, interestingly enough, we have 00:31:41.000 --> 00:31:44.789 gotten together once. We did that last year, 00:31:44.809 --> 00:31:48.309 a group of us, and we went to Regions Field, 00:31:48.789 --> 00:31:52.809 we had lunch, catered in, and all we did was 00:31:52.809 --> 00:31:55.170 swap Jordan's stories. That's it, every one of 00:31:55.170 --> 00:31:57.809 us. The first time we've done it, I know one 00:31:57.809 --> 00:32:01.309 or two guys have talked about Tinkerd with a 00:32:01.309 --> 00:32:04.829 book. I mean, I know I should put my thoughts 00:32:04.829 --> 00:32:08.890 down in writing before it's too late. But no 00:32:08.890 --> 00:32:12.170 one, the poor group didn't because we didn't. 00:32:12.250 --> 00:32:14.069 That's the easiest way to put it. And again, 00:32:14.069 --> 00:32:17.089 there was no internet and no social. So it was 00:32:17.089 --> 00:32:21.250 a lot easier to pull off. But when you talk to 00:32:21.250 --> 00:32:24.710 Bill Hardikoff, Jonathan Nelson, Chris Pika, 00:32:24.990 --> 00:32:27.509 Ken Dunlop, and Corey Siffer, those names might 00:32:27.509 --> 00:32:29.769 not mean anything. Then you can go to Tito Francona 00:32:29.769 --> 00:32:33.990 and Mike Barnett and Kirk Champion. There's a 00:32:33.990 --> 00:32:38.940 bond and there is a certain when you glance at 00:32:38.940 --> 00:32:41.740 somebody in the eye, you got that, hey, he was 00:32:41.740 --> 00:32:44.240 there, I was there, we pulled this thing off. 00:32:44.839 --> 00:32:48.579 It's kind of like a secret handshake. So when 00:32:48.579 --> 00:32:52.319 we got together last year, no one outside that 00:32:52.319 --> 00:32:55.839 room had any clue what we were talking about 00:32:55.839 --> 00:33:00.079 or could share the stories. And I'll just quickly 00:33:00.079 --> 00:33:02.400 jump back to when I did the game in Chicago. 00:33:03.019 --> 00:33:04.859 I don't know if they planned it or not, but it 00:33:04.859 --> 00:33:06.740 was against the Guardians. It was against Cleveland, 00:33:06.880 --> 00:33:11.779 and Tito was managing. And so we retold those 00:33:11.779 --> 00:33:15.579 stories for a few minutes in the Cleveland Guardians 00:33:15.579 --> 00:33:21.119 locker room. And George Kohler, who was Michael's 00:33:21.119 --> 00:33:24.180 right -hand man for 30 -plus years, George made 00:33:24.180 --> 00:33:28.660 the trip up. And it was just... we should have 00:33:28.660 --> 00:33:31.480 frozen time right there and then, and all the 00:33:31.480 --> 00:33:35.299 stories were rehashed. Again, it's hard to explain 00:33:35.299 --> 00:33:37.059 to somebody who wasn't there, but if you were 00:33:37.059 --> 00:33:39.720 there, you know exactly what we went through, 00:33:39.940 --> 00:33:43.559 and it will always, always, always, always, every 00:33:43.559 --> 00:33:47.619 single day, you will be reminded about that year. 00:33:47.960 --> 00:33:52.359 For me, my daughter Chloe was born in August. 00:33:52.670 --> 00:33:55.609 So how can I forget? If I don't remember how 00:33:55.609 --> 00:33:58.049 many years it is, I'll just ask what year was 00:33:58.049 --> 00:34:00.910 Jordan played here in 94, Chloe was born in 94. 00:34:00.990 --> 00:34:04.890 I mean, simple as that. And you guys really had 00:34:04.890 --> 00:34:08.690 a special responsibility, I would call it, to 00:34:08.690 --> 00:34:13.510 not just jump all over this guy and be all struck. 00:34:13.690 --> 00:34:15.869 You know, you got to, which I'm sure you had 00:34:15.869 --> 00:34:18.530 no problem with, just remember I'm a professional. 00:34:19.010 --> 00:34:21.590 This is my role with the organization. I don't 00:34:21.590 --> 00:34:24.250 need to hound him for an interview. I don't need 00:34:24.250 --> 00:34:28.510 to step out of bounds here. He wants to be treated 00:34:28.510 --> 00:34:32.230 like the guy that just got called up from Kannapolis. 00:34:32.929 --> 00:34:35.010 He's taking those bus trips with the guys. Is 00:34:35.010 --> 00:34:38.170 that right? He's riding the bus. He's not getting 00:34:38.170 --> 00:34:41.630 his own... I really don't remember. No, no. He 00:34:41.630 --> 00:34:44.030 rode the bus. There were maybe two or three obligations 00:34:44.030 --> 00:34:48.590 that he had where he didn't, but 90 % of the 00:34:48.590 --> 00:34:51.409 time he was on the bus. And again, you said it, 00:34:51.409 --> 00:34:53.590 he just wanted to be like them. He played ping 00:34:53.590 --> 00:34:55.929 pong with them, played cards with them, played 00:34:55.929 --> 00:35:00.030 Yahtzee up front with Tito and Barney. And it 00:35:00.030 --> 00:35:05.190 was amazing how he tried to just blend in. When 00:35:05.190 --> 00:35:07.070 the time was right and you had really gained 00:35:07.070 --> 00:35:09.829 his trust, he did sit down with you for an interview. 00:35:11.530 --> 00:35:13.610 When that time came, because I got to admit, 00:35:13.849 --> 00:35:16.070 Kurt, I was a little nervous before our interview, 00:35:16.309 --> 00:35:18.739 but I can't imagine. When you know, okay, I'm 00:35:18.739 --> 00:35:21.639 actually going to be talking to MJ today. Did 00:35:21.639 --> 00:35:25.780 you have to do some breathing exercises or? Yeah, 00:35:26.159 --> 00:35:30.000 it was. It was one of the few times I don't think 00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:32.619 I've written down an interview. I have notes 00:35:32.619 --> 00:35:36.480 every interview that I do, but that was one that 00:35:36.480 --> 00:35:39.139 I had questions, not notes, but questions. I 00:35:39.139 --> 00:35:40.719 couldn't screw it up. You're going to have one 00:35:40.719 --> 00:35:45.400 choice. And I knew I mean, my hands were sweating. 00:35:45.769 --> 00:35:50.449 And it's like M &M, you know, you got one shot 00:35:50.449 --> 00:35:55.170 and make it work. Otherwise you will see mom's 00:35:55.170 --> 00:35:59.730 spaghetti. It was in the training room and he 00:35:59.730 --> 00:36:02.409 called me down. He got on the walkie talkie system 00:36:02.409 --> 00:36:05.789 that we used and said, come on down. And then 00:36:05.789 --> 00:36:09.780 we did 15 minutes and that interview. I'm so 00:36:09.780 --> 00:36:12.199 pleased and proud and somehow through audio, 00:36:12.260 --> 00:36:14.579 but it's on my website. The whole interview is 00:36:14.579 --> 00:36:16.500 on the website. The first hit, the first home 00:36:16.500 --> 00:36:20.659 run. You know, shameless, shameless plug, KurtBloom 00:36:20.659 --> 00:36:26.039 .com, C -U -R -T. It's all there. And, you know, 00:36:26.300 --> 00:36:30.760 yeah, there's no doubt I was under an immense 00:36:30.760 --> 00:36:32.860 amount of pressure. The pressure was making sure 00:36:32.860 --> 00:36:35.320 the tape recorder were, that I didn't stumble. 00:36:35.579 --> 00:36:37.940 that I had enough batteries in the tape recorder, 00:36:38.199 --> 00:36:40.239 everything you could possibly think of. That 00:36:40.239 --> 00:36:43.639 was my biggest concern. Looking at my hands sweating 00:36:43.639 --> 00:36:46.199 and dripping. So he, you know, he was asking 00:36:46.199 --> 00:36:48.239 questions and I was going like this, just making 00:36:48.239 --> 00:36:51.119 sure I got the next one out. But I think all 00:36:51.119 --> 00:36:55.159 in all, it came out pretty well for a, what was 00:36:55.159 --> 00:36:57.980 I, 28, something like that. 28 year old, something 00:36:57.980 --> 00:37:01.460 along those lines. Just the experience of a lifetime. 00:37:02.380 --> 00:37:05.119 And, you know, Michael's playing Pretty good 00:37:05.119 --> 00:37:07.000 ball back then. I mean, if you just focus on 00:37:07.000 --> 00:37:08.940 the batting average, you're going to get lost 00:37:08.940 --> 00:37:11.639 in it. I mean, he was a good fielder. He made 00:37:11.639 --> 00:37:14.119 some good plays in the field. Pretty good base 00:37:14.119 --> 00:37:16.960 runner, I would say. Very good base runner. 30 00:37:16.960 --> 00:37:20.480 stolen bits. And if not for the, it's the same 00:37:20.480 --> 00:37:23.860 year as the labor dispute. Yes. You take that, 00:37:23.940 --> 00:37:25.900 take that away. He's probably, I think I heard 00:37:25.900 --> 00:37:28.679 you say, or somebody else say he's, he's in Charlotte 00:37:28.679 --> 00:37:32.000 in 95, most likely, or? It was Nashville. We 00:37:32.000 --> 00:37:35.079 didn't have a Charlotte back then. Yeah, I'm 00:37:35.079 --> 00:37:38.119 pretty sure and talking with Tito and Barney. 00:37:38.320 --> 00:37:40.179 We all think that the progression would have 00:37:40.179 --> 00:37:44.559 been start the year 95 in Nashville AAA at the 00:37:44.559 --> 00:37:47.199 time and then at some point during that summer 00:37:47.199 --> 00:37:49.699 get called up to the big leagues. That's probably 00:37:49.699 --> 00:37:52.860 what would have happened. But by all accounts, 00:37:53.079 --> 00:37:55.679 he enjoyed his time in Birmingham. He had was 00:37:55.679 --> 00:37:58.599 having fun playing baseball with George Kohler. 00:37:58.679 --> 00:38:01.739 I mentioned George George was his personal assistant 00:38:01.739 --> 00:38:05.179 for with. three decades. And when I saw George 00:38:05.179 --> 00:38:08.219 again in Cleveland, he said it was by far the 00:38:08.219 --> 00:38:10.219 most fun they've ever had during the summer. 00:38:10.679 --> 00:38:14.239 And that was nice to hear. It was quite an endorsement. 00:38:14.559 --> 00:38:16.980 Well, Kurt, you got a special place in history 00:38:16.980 --> 00:38:20.159 there. You'll never forget it. And baseball fans 00:38:20.159 --> 00:38:22.360 will never forget it as well. Real quick, we 00:38:22.360 --> 00:38:24.559 may bounce back to something serious here, but 00:38:24.559 --> 00:38:28.300 since it is the Dan Time podcast and man, you've 00:38:28.300 --> 00:38:31.659 seen so many players through the Barron's and 00:38:31.659 --> 00:38:34.619 the White Sox organization. I'm sure you've had 00:38:34.619 --> 00:38:37.840 the perspective of see guys come up from high 00:38:37.840 --> 00:38:42.019 A play in Birmingham, maybe go back down. Maybe 00:38:42.019 --> 00:38:44.559 you never see him again. You see situations where 00:38:44.559 --> 00:38:47.019 it doesn't work out for guys. Maybe even guys 00:38:47.019 --> 00:38:48.980 that you've gotten to know a little bit and they're 00:38:48.980 --> 00:38:51.800 out of the game. But but other guys who have 00:38:51.800 --> 00:38:55.000 gone off to big careers in the major leagues. 00:38:55.539 --> 00:38:57.980 How about for the sake of the Dan Time podcast? 00:38:58.119 --> 00:39:00.980 I know you mentioned a couple of Dan's and Danny's. 00:39:01.000 --> 00:39:06.460 that you enjoyed watching. Dan Black played with 00:39:06.460 --> 00:39:11.000 Birmingham 2013 and 14 seasons and Danny Mendick, 00:39:11.679 --> 00:39:14.519 a lot of others I had listed too, but what are 00:39:14.519 --> 00:39:21.599 some memories from those Dan's? Dan Black was 00:39:21.599 --> 00:39:26.219 nicknamed the Bear and he was the Barron's version, 00:39:26.440 --> 00:39:30.099 the modern day version of Babe Ruth. Dan was 00:39:30.099 --> 00:39:34.480 not the most in -shape guy in the world, but 00:39:34.480 --> 00:39:37.019 he was the most fun -loving guy to be around. 00:39:37.519 --> 00:39:45.300 He enjoyed being Dan. And he was a Dan good ball 00:39:45.300 --> 00:39:49.920 player as well. He was caught in the system where 00:39:49.920 --> 00:39:53.079 we had first baseman at every level. He was also 00:39:53.079 --> 00:39:57.039 very, very smart. Very intelligent. So he would 00:39:57.039 --> 00:40:01.320 go on and I believe an engineer and a firm and 00:40:01.320 --> 00:40:05.679 a really good businessman, but everybody, the 00:40:05.679 --> 00:40:07.480 front office loved him. He came up to the front 00:40:07.480 --> 00:40:10.280 office. He was the go -to interview guy. He got 00:40:10.280 --> 00:40:12.179 it. He just got it. He was just one of those 00:40:12.179 --> 00:40:15.360 guys that just got it all, loved it all, took 00:40:15.360 --> 00:40:19.230 it all in. And probably in the back of his mindset, 00:40:19.349 --> 00:40:20.969 I'm not going to make it to the big list, but 00:40:20.969 --> 00:40:22.730 I'm going to have a lot of damn fun going up 00:40:22.730 --> 00:40:25.829 there. And then Danny Mendick, with Mendick, 00:40:26.090 --> 00:40:28.889 I always, first time I get a roster, I look for 00:40:28.889 --> 00:40:31.489 guys from New York where I'm from. And Danny 00:40:31.489 --> 00:40:35.250 played up in Rochester, and I knew the area a 00:40:35.250 --> 00:40:38.309 little bit. And he was a ball player you could 00:40:38.309 --> 00:40:41.449 fall in love with because he was not a prospect, 00:40:41.969 --> 00:40:44.670 but played the game hard. And he started putting 00:40:44.670 --> 00:40:49.590 up big numbers at shortstop. Our elite shortstop 00:40:49.590 --> 00:40:54.610 was Tim Anderson. But Danny broke a lot of his 00:40:54.610 --> 00:40:58.969 records, hit more home runs. And I don't know 00:40:58.969 --> 00:41:02.530 the batting average, but he did almost toe for 00:41:02.530 --> 00:41:05.989 toe Danny Mendick with Tim Anderson. And Danny 00:41:05.989 --> 00:41:10.269 came with a lot less publicity about him. And 00:41:10.269 --> 00:41:13.179 he was never really a prospect. So we were thrilled 00:41:13.179 --> 00:41:15.519 he got to the big leagues last year with the 00:41:15.519 --> 00:41:18.059 Mets and then re -signed with the White Sox where 00:41:18.059 --> 00:41:20.420 he's playing every day in Charlotte this year. 00:41:21.099 --> 00:41:23.400 That's great to hear. Do you make friends with 00:41:23.400 --> 00:41:26.360 these guys? Are there times where you bond with 00:41:26.360 --> 00:41:28.079 them a little bit? Are you kind of doing your 00:41:28.079 --> 00:41:30.719 thing and they're doing theirs? It was easier 00:41:30.719 --> 00:41:33.199 when I traveled because you're on a bus with 00:41:33.199 --> 00:41:37.159 them and you are eating at the same Waffle House 00:41:37.159 --> 00:41:41.119 at 1 .30 in the morning. You know, and easily, 00:41:41.860 --> 00:41:43.860 the harder you work, the harder they see that, 00:41:43.860 --> 00:41:47.639 and then you get accepted. Now, since the pandemic, 00:41:47.800 --> 00:41:50.360 I should say, I have not traveled. So it's a 00:41:50.360 --> 00:41:55.000 little harder. And you just rely on who you are 00:41:55.000 --> 00:41:59.400 to make that connection. And you'd better be 00:41:59.400 --> 00:42:01.400 passionate, you'd better get downstairs, show 00:42:01.400 --> 00:42:04.039 your face, work a little harder. Because the 00:42:04.039 --> 00:42:06.900 pandemic really changed everything and took away 00:42:06.900 --> 00:42:12.500 my my one -on -one friendships. And now it's 00:42:12.500 --> 00:42:15.719 you go through a whole season and maybe recognize 00:42:15.719 --> 00:42:19.559 five of your 25 guys, you know, so a little bit. 00:42:19.679 --> 00:42:21.619 The word would be challenging, definitely a little 00:42:21.619 --> 00:42:24.639 bit more challenging. Well, Kurt, just a couple 00:42:24.639 --> 00:42:26.619 more questions. I don't want to keep you all 00:42:26.619 --> 00:42:29.340 day, although in a perfect world, I'd love to. 00:42:30.139 --> 00:42:34.679 How about some of the standout games like? The 00:42:34.679 --> 00:42:36.960 first Barron's no hitter, I guess, since maybe 00:42:36.960 --> 00:42:42.619 the 60s is Luis Andujar, August 8th, 1995. And 00:42:42.619 --> 00:42:44.699 one of my favorites. Yeah, it was a hot summer 00:42:44.699 --> 00:42:47.639 night up in Memphis. The Barons were neck and 00:42:47.639 --> 00:42:50.019 neck in a pennant race with Chattanooga. And 00:42:50.019 --> 00:42:52.699 it was a one -nothing game where Andujar struck 00:42:52.699 --> 00:42:56.159 out the side in order in the ninth inning. And 00:42:56.159 --> 00:42:58.139 the last guy he faced would go on to have a decent 00:42:58.139 --> 00:43:01.559 big league career in Homer Bush. And I get asked, 00:43:01.780 --> 00:43:05.679 and it's the most single exciting game that I've 00:43:05.679 --> 00:43:07.119 called. You've got your championships and you 00:43:07.119 --> 00:43:11.300 got your Jordan here, but for single game enthusiasm 00:43:11.300 --> 00:43:17.760 and what was on the line, that was an amazing 00:43:17.760 --> 00:43:21.639 game to call and be a part of. And then Frankie 00:43:21.639 --> 00:43:27.320 Montaz, a seven -inning no -hitter. Yeah, and 00:43:27.320 --> 00:43:30.420 unfortunately, we still had another game. That 00:43:30.420 --> 00:43:33.489 was the front end of a double header. I did run 00:43:33.489 --> 00:43:36.929 down with my camera. I did take a couple of pictures. 00:43:37.230 --> 00:43:39.590 Frankie's a really, really good guy. Happy to 00:43:39.590 --> 00:43:43.130 see him resurrecting his career with the Reds. 00:43:43.269 --> 00:43:45.869 But it just didn't have the same style points 00:43:45.869 --> 00:43:49.289 as Andohar because, heck, we had another game 00:43:49.289 --> 00:43:51.269 to play that night. I don't remember if we won 00:43:51.269 --> 00:43:54.730 it or not, but he throws the no -hitter, and 00:43:54.730 --> 00:43:58.590 I did whatever I could. And typically, like, 00:43:58.590 --> 00:44:01.150 and then in the back of my mind, besides that, 00:44:01.150 --> 00:44:03.730 we had another game. And in the back of my mind 00:44:03.730 --> 00:44:07.570 is that he was six out short of nine. And that's 00:44:07.570 --> 00:44:10.710 what I grew up with with nine, you know, so, 00:44:10.949 --> 00:44:14.389 um, still really cool, complete game. Didn't 00:44:14.389 --> 00:44:17.210 need any help. I've done a bunch of combined, 00:44:17.210 --> 00:44:20.389 uh, no hitters. And I'll tell you the truth. 00:44:20.530 --> 00:44:25.429 You got a fake enthusiasm. I know I did a couple 00:44:25.429 --> 00:44:28.349 other unique games. This one, not so long ago, 00:44:29.090 --> 00:44:33.619 August, 2018. The Barons, you don't hear about 00:44:33.619 --> 00:44:35.420 this in the major leagues for y 'all anywhere 00:44:35.420 --> 00:44:38.199 in baseball. They hit two grand slams in the 00:44:38.199 --> 00:44:40.840 ninth inning against the Montgomery Biscuits. 00:44:40.920 --> 00:44:45.739 They went 18 to two. Yeah. Yeah. In Montgomery 00:44:45.739 --> 00:44:49.599 said, uh, believe I know we did. We set a franchise 00:44:49.599 --> 00:44:52.780 record, seven home runs in that game. Uh, two 00:44:52.780 --> 00:44:55.760 grand slams. Uh, it was just, it was batting 00:44:55.760 --> 00:44:58.119 practice that day. And it was, you know, one 00:44:58.119 --> 00:45:01.570 of those Freak games over 140 that you'll have 00:45:01.570 --> 00:45:03.889 something like that where just everything clicks 00:45:03.889 --> 00:45:08.110 Hot hot night down in down in Montgomery ball 00:45:08.110 --> 00:45:11.650 was traveling and then how about some of the 00:45:11.650 --> 00:45:16.449 games finally with It's going on 16 innings 17 00:45:16.449 --> 00:45:19.409 innings. This is a yeah a Tuesday night or it's 00:45:19.409 --> 00:45:21.289 a getaway night and you're like we're heading 00:45:21.289 --> 00:45:24.590 to Jacksonville For a game tomorrow or what however 00:45:24.590 --> 00:45:27.150 it plays out. How are you handling those late 00:45:27.150 --> 00:45:30.489 nights? Can somebody scratch across a run, please? 00:45:30.510 --> 00:45:33.030 So I can go home. My wife made dinner and what 00:45:33.030 --> 00:45:35.730 it's the lights are off at home. Everybody's 00:45:35.730 --> 00:45:41.150 asleep. Is that we we have a game in Chattanooga 00:45:41.150 --> 00:45:45.269 that turned into a night game. 21 innings. And 00:45:45.269 --> 00:45:49.030 this again before the Ghost Runner rule. And, 00:45:49.170 --> 00:45:52.429 you know, you definitely get to a point. I know 00:45:52.429 --> 00:45:55.130 I did. I can't speak for Larry Ward or Chattanooga. 00:45:55.519 --> 00:45:57.920 I wanted to set a record. If we're going to go 00:45:57.920 --> 00:46:01.199 that long, let's keep going. Let's go to the 00:46:01.199 --> 00:46:04.739 29th, the 35th. Let's get on, you know, the Pawtucket 00:46:04.739 --> 00:46:06.900 Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings had the most 00:46:06.900 --> 00:46:09.559 famous game, 33 innings in the history of minor 00:46:09.559 --> 00:46:11.420 league baseball. And that's what I was gunning 00:46:11.420 --> 00:46:14.599 for. I was like, let's go. Let's put them in 00:46:14.599 --> 00:46:17.480 the rear view mirror. Unfortunately, it stopped 00:46:17.480 --> 00:46:21.300 in the 21st, which is doing a double header and 00:46:21.300 --> 00:46:24.639 then some by yourself on the road. Let's have 00:46:24.639 --> 00:46:28.440 a utility infielder throwing five innings of 00:46:28.440 --> 00:46:32.519 off speed pitches. Yeah. Kurt, this has been 00:46:32.519 --> 00:46:35.500 a blast. You know, it could go on and on here. 00:46:35.880 --> 00:46:38.300 How about just a goofy question? I love these 00:46:38.300 --> 00:46:40.320 questions that people never get asked because 00:46:40.320 --> 00:46:43.579 I want this show to be fun. So when you were 00:46:43.579 --> 00:46:46.019 traveling with the team and you guys are stopping, 00:46:46.159 --> 00:46:48.539 you're eating in the middle of the night, I got 00:46:48.539 --> 00:46:50.340 to ask in general, because I struggle with this, 00:46:50.900 --> 00:46:53.369 what would you, where would you put your proficiency 00:46:53.369 --> 00:46:58.530 level with motion activated hand or hand towel 00:46:58.530 --> 00:47:01.030 or soap dispensers and all those little rest 00:47:01.030 --> 00:47:05.090 stop bathrooms. I'm pretty bad at it, but how 00:47:05.090 --> 00:47:06.750 do you do in those situations? You're trying 00:47:06.750 --> 00:47:08.929 to just get in and out and why won't the paper 00:47:08.929 --> 00:47:12.510 towels come out? No, two o 'clock in the morning 00:47:12.510 --> 00:47:15.610 when we stop on these long road trips, you're 00:47:15.610 --> 00:47:18.010 going to the bathroom first. Do we have a line 00:47:18.010 --> 00:47:22.639 of 16 guys in the bathroom wash soap up? dry 00:47:22.639 --> 00:47:25.019 hand, you know, and then you're just attacking 00:47:25.019 --> 00:47:29.099 the Snickers bar, the Twizzlers, the Reese's 00:47:29.099 --> 00:47:32.360 Pieces, guys would have pizza, they would have 00:47:32.360 --> 00:47:36.239 sandwiches, big bags of chips, whatever it was. 00:47:36.800 --> 00:47:40.539 And so within five minutes, you know, when when 00:47:40.539 --> 00:47:42.559 Rick pulled that bus over five minutes, everyone 00:47:42.559 --> 00:47:45.679 gets out, you just first to the bathroom, then 00:47:45.679 --> 00:47:49.139 destroying the candy rack and the and all the 00:47:50.929 --> 00:47:53.309 food and amenities, and then typically you're 00:47:53.309 --> 00:47:55.869 going to get one or two guys trying on the cowboy 00:47:55.869 --> 00:47:59.590 hats, trying on the vests and the belts and all 00:47:59.590 --> 00:48:01.929 that kind of stuff too, which is fine at the 00:48:01.929 --> 00:48:05.750 time, but you look back on it, I've seen enough 00:48:05.750 --> 00:48:08.710 of those. Yeah, people forget that we didn't 00:48:08.710 --> 00:48:13.809 have these Bucky stations and these luxury, it 00:48:13.809 --> 00:48:17.820 was Stucky's, and that was a nice place. Back 00:48:17.820 --> 00:48:23.039 then. Yeah, we were lucky. Well, Kurt, it's another 00:48:23.039 --> 00:48:25.960 exciting season here. Barron's baseball. I'm 00:48:25.960 --> 00:48:27.639 so happy that you're still a part of it. And 00:48:27.639 --> 00:48:29.920 going back to the top of the episode, folks, 00:48:30.519 --> 00:48:33.900 enjoy the Kurt Bloom experience with the Barron's 00:48:33.900 --> 00:48:36.360 as long as you can. We've been so fortunate to 00:48:36.360 --> 00:48:39.679 have you these many years. And I got to I got 00:48:39.679 --> 00:48:42.179 to just reinforce that you are a part of the 00:48:42.179 --> 00:48:46.150 fabric of baseball in Birmingham forever. a part 00:48:46.150 --> 00:48:49.530 of the legacy and the lore of the Birmingham 00:48:49.530 --> 00:48:53.329 Barons? Humbling. That's really very kind and 00:48:53.329 --> 00:48:56.909 honest. Or not kind and honest, but kind and 00:48:56.909 --> 00:49:00.250 very flattering. And I'm just lucky. I'm blessed. 00:49:00.309 --> 00:49:03.329 I love it. And I can do it again tomorrow, same 00:49:03.329 --> 00:49:05.769 time. Keep talking about baseball. Keep talking 00:49:05.769 --> 00:49:09.030 about the Barons. And it's a blessing. And I 00:49:09.030 --> 00:49:11.710 thank you. I thank the city of Birmingham for 00:49:11.710 --> 00:49:16.539 welcoming me in. to their kitchens and living 00:49:16.539 --> 00:49:20.579 rooms for the last 33 years. And if you want 00:49:20.579 --> 00:49:23.860 more, if you want more, go to KurtBloom .com 00:49:23.860 --> 00:49:26.480 and there's more Jordan stuff there, more of 00:49:26.480 --> 00:49:29.400 my other work and my teaching at Birmingham Southern 00:49:29.400 --> 00:49:32.440 and all that stuff. So it's all there. But I 00:49:32.440 --> 00:49:35.380 appreciate the opportunity, Dan, and I'm just 00:49:35.380 --> 00:49:37.980 so glad that we could get together and knock 00:49:37.980 --> 00:49:39.900 this thing out and, you know, be a part of the 00:49:39.900 --> 00:49:43.110 fabric. You got it, Kurt. I want to real quick 00:49:43.110 --> 00:49:45.369 before I forget, because these guys were important 00:49:45.369 --> 00:49:47.429 to me in my short time at the Birmingham News, 00:49:48.010 --> 00:49:52.590 but class of 2008, Reuben Grant, Birmingham Barron's 00:49:52.590 --> 00:49:57.130 Hall of Fame, Ben Cook, what a presence, Ben 00:49:57.130 --> 00:50:00.530 Cook. He was on radio with me, yeah. God rest 00:50:00.530 --> 00:50:06.190 him. Wayne Martin. Wayne Martin is still alive 00:50:06.190 --> 00:50:10.269 in Hall of Famer. I see his son Grant often. 00:50:10.869 --> 00:50:13.530 At games basketball games always put in a good 00:50:13.530 --> 00:50:16.769 word for Wayne Wayne and Ruben were kind of like 00:50:16.769 --> 00:50:19.769 my Older uncles when I first started because 00:50:19.769 --> 00:50:21.829 they were the beat riders for years before I 00:50:21.829 --> 00:50:24.289 even got there So they took me under their wing 00:50:24.289 --> 00:50:26.289 and we had a great time with those guys and one 00:50:26.289 --> 00:50:28.329 great time I missed that missed those days a 00:50:28.329 --> 00:50:31.550 lot Well, thanks for everything you do Kurt and 00:50:31.550 --> 00:50:34.530 remember folks Kurt Bloom. That's see you rt 00:50:34.530 --> 00:50:37.730 bloom .com Check out all corners that website 00:50:37.730 --> 00:50:40.210 relive some of those moments It has been such 00:50:40.210 --> 00:50:41.929 an honor having you on the show today, Kurt. 00:50:42.949 --> 00:50:45.650 Well, Dan, thank you very much. And I would just 00:50:45.650 --> 00:50:48.130 end it by saying bless you and bless your audience. 00:50:48.510 --> 00:50:51.110 And thank you. Have a great day. All right, folks. 00:50:51.190 --> 00:50:53.489 And remember, you always have a chance. No matter 00:50:53.489 --> 00:50:56.730 what you're doing, if you're involved in baseball 00:50:56.730 --> 00:51:03.070 or if you work as a mechanic somewhere, you are 00:51:03.070 --> 00:51:06.150 important. You can make somebody's day. a little 00:51:06.150 --> 00:51:08.210 brighter and you never know they might remember 00:51:08.210 --> 00:51:11.150 it for 15 -16 years like I did thanks to Kurt. 00:51:11.809 --> 00:51:15.070 Best of luck to you and we'll see you next Sunday 00:51:15.070 --> 00:51:18.829 on the Dan Time Podcast. Thank you Kurt Bloom.