Interviews:2009

Here is the complete listing and linkage for all of my 2009 interviews.

David Clyde was a baseball phenom when I was growing up. He had an interesting career and I had the pleasure of talking to him at the Miracles Baseball Academy in Houston. Clyde's statements were open, honest and very refreshing. I posted his interviews in parts.
To hear the interviews with Clyde, click here and here.
In 2008, I interviewed Christy Hemme (of TNA wrestling) at the Wizard World Convention in Chicago. In 2009, I caught up with Hemme at the Motor City Comic Con.
To hear the Hemme interview, click here.
I did a phone interview with former pro basketball player Randy Denton. Denton talked about the draft, the ABA, basketball cards and more.
To hear the Denton interview, click here.

I had a quick chat with Bob Uecker in the Milwaukee Brewers dugout. He talked about golfing with Fran Gallagher of Global Traveler magazine.
To see the Uecker interview, click here.

In New York, I caught up Scotty Eyre, who pitched on both sides of Chicago. To see the Eyre interview, click here.

We talked to pitcher Jack Taschner in the Phillies dugout while at Citi Field in New York. Taschner talked about his hometown and his time on the west coast. To see the Taschner interview, click here.

It was a thrill talking to Gorman Thomas. He discussed his favorite ballparks to visit as a player. To see the Thomas interview, click here.

Willie Randolph was a class act throughout his playing career and he still is. Randolph gave some insight into Milwaukee and other cities when I talked to him at Miller Park. To hear the Randolph interview, click here.

Pitcher Jerry Augustine was another former player with the Brewers who talked to us. He talked about signing autographs at the stadium. To see the Augustine interview, click here.

We caught up with catcher Brad Ausmus, whom we followed for years in Houston. Ausmus talked about playing in Los Angeles and his future. To see the Ausmus interview, click here.

Jim Gantner talked to us about his playing days and the possibility of having his number retired by the Milwaukee Brewers. To see the Gantner interview, click here.

Pinch-hitting ace Manny Mota discussed his favorite cities to visit when he was a player. To see the Mota interview, click here.
Mike Cameron gave me a memorable interview. Cameron talked about the proper way to approach him, his favorite cities to visit, his time in Chicago and his time in Milwaukee. To see the Cameron interview, click here.
Then, a couple weeks later, I caught up with him in Houston. To see that video, click here.
My interview with Casey Blake got off to a bit of a rough start, too. Blake laughed it off and I recovered enough to make it okay. To hear the Blake interview, click here.

Ryan Braun approached us at Miller Park in Milwaukee. I asked him about the All-Star game and the Home Run hitting contest. To see the Braun interview, click here.

I caught Matt Thornton playing a video game at the Metrodome. I talked to him a bit about his game. To see the Thornton interview, click here.

Jason Michaels talked to us about his favorite cities to visit, which included Chicago. To see the Michaels interview, click here.

Hunter Pence turned down our first request, but came back to us later. To see the Pence interview, click here.

I was very excited to talk to Jose Cruz, one of my earliest mancrushes. To see the Cruz interview, click here.

I talked to Dewey Robinson about favorite cities to visit and about his time with the Chicago White Sox. To see the Robinson interview, click here.

I talked to Cecil Cooper about his favorite cities to visit. To see the Cooper interview, click here.

I think Geoff Blum got me in my quick chat with him. To see the Blum interview, click here.

Future Old Times at Miller Park

This is one of those pictures I might use in 20 years under a post called "Old Times at Miller Park". This picture is pure baseball to me. Taken before a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park, the photo features 3 of my favorite players from the 70's and 80's.
At left is Stormin' Gorman Thomas, a feared slugger who played most of his career with the Brewers. Thomas hit 268 HR's over 13 seasons.
In the middle is Larry Bowa, an All-Star shortstop who played mainly for the Philadelphia Phillies. Bowa was gritty and fiery, a real throwback.
On the right is Jimmy Gantner, who played 17 seasons with the Brewers, mostly at 2nd base. Gantner, Paul Molitor and Robin Yount hold the record for most games played as teammates.
Just seeing these 3 together was pretty cool. Even better, I got to talk to Thomas and Gantner shortly after this picture (stay tuned for future interview postings). I had previously interviewed Bowa, along with Mike Easler, a couple years back.
One more thing, as an added bonus, the player to Bowa's right in the background is Brad Ausmus. Ausmus would fit right in with the previously mentioned trio.

Gorman Thomas, Larry Bowa and Jimmy Gantner in Miller Park in Milwaukee-WI-July 2009.

Catching Up with Brad Ausmus

When my sister's family lived in Houston for much of the 00's, we would always go to the Cubs games at Houston. Brad Ausmus was always one of our favorite players (except for the infamous ball incident with my brother-in-law Scott).
This year, Ausmus is playing closer to his home with the Los Angeles Dodgers. At 40, there are questions about his future. I addressed these two topics, when I talked to him at Miller Park in Milwaukee a couple weeks ago.
Ausmus is a class act. He is one of the real gems in baseball. When he retires, he will be missed, at least until he becomes a major league manager, as many predict.
Check out my interview with Ausmus here, along with the rest of my interviews on YouTube.

Brad Ausmus and me in Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI-July 2009.

The Brad Ausmus Ball

Things went well on my first couple of trips to visit my sister and her family after they moved to Houston. I was having fun hanging with them and seeing this great city.
We went to a few Astros games there, always when the Cubs were in town. Scott and Matt were White Sox fans (thus Cubs haters), so they quickly became Astros fans.
Things went well for the Cubs in the beginning. Then came the moment which we all agree signified great changes and the Cubs have had troubles there ever since.
The Cubs were winning the game. They had men on and big hitters coming up. Well, the big hitters came up and then went down. Sammy Sosa made the last out of the inning woefully flailing at strike 3.
From our seats behind the Astros dugout, Scott and Matt stood up and cheered wildly. Brad Ausmus jogged in heading for the dugout. He looked up and flipped the ball directly to Scott, who one-handed it.
The next inning, the Astros came roaring back, thanks to some shoddy defense by Moises Alou and some even shoddier pitching by a few of the Cubs relievers. The Astros went on to win that game and many more that I attended since.
I love Brad Ausmus, but I have to blame him for this change in destiny. Why did he have to throw that ball to Scott? I know Scott has that ball prominently on display and takes great pride in the belief that he was part of reversing the fortunes of the Astros and the Cubs!

Scott Parker holding the ball that changed history in Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX-early 00's.

Where in the World is Johngy?

Today, I am giving you a Johngy's eye view of my day. Where am I and what am I doing? That will be revealed bit by bit.
I am walking down a long, empty walkway. This is so generic, it could be anywhere. Oh look, there is a light at the end of the tunnel (sorry).
It looks a bit brighter and perhaps it is opening up on the far right. Is there any hint of where I am yet?Hmm it got dark again, but those 2 men in the middle might be the first real clue.
It's still a bit dark as I stand in the doorway, ready to reach my destination.
There is one of my appointments. This is Mr. Brad Ausmus. He plays baseball professionally for a team called the Los Angeles Dodgers. I'll be talking to him shortly, when he is done with his practicing.
A few weeks ago, I was at Miller Park in Milwaukee to cover the game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers. I thought it would be fun to show the basic path I take to meet these ballplayers.

Jimmy Wynn:The Toy Cannon

Scott (my brother-in-law), Big Money (my nephew) and I always attend a bunch of Cubs-Astros games every season. They lived in Houston for a while and both hate the Cubs. Therefore, we have a nice rivalry, although I usually end up on the losing side whenever we attend games in Houston. Former player Jimmy Wynn did some post-game broadcasting for the Astros last season. We attempted to meet him, but were almost sent away with the rest of the crowd, until Scott informed the ushers that Jimmy had instructed us to wait for him. I owe Scott for that one.
Wynn had one of the greatest nicknames, the Toy Cannon, which aptly described his strong arm. It isn't a slick modern name, like JWynn or J-Wy or some other such non-creative moniker. He was the Toy Cannon and you feared his arm!

Some 'fans' questioned us about who Jimmy Wynn was and where he played his career. Wynn's #24 hangs proudly as one of a handful of retired jersey numbers of the Astros. Wynn spent 11 seasons in Houston and still ranks high in many of their all-time offensive categories. Of course, some fans also stated that Brad Ausmus was one of the best hitters on the Astros.

Big Money, Jimmy Wynn and me at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX-August 2007.