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Pat Walsh
Pat's Peeps Podcast
Ep. 64 Pat Walsh and Grant Napear Reflect on Kings' Glory, the Evolution of Broadcasting, and the Power of Words – From Courtside Memories to Media Responsibility and Podcast Revelations, Plus a Song for Bachelors.
While sipping espresso on the Amalfi Coast, I never imagined that travel tales and the vibrant hustle of Thailand would set the stage for a deep dive with Sacramento Kings broadcasting legend, Grant Napear. Our nostalgia-tripped chat uncovers the tapestry of sports history, cultural shifts, and the very essence of communication in media today. From honoring the multi-talented Wayman Tisdale to dissecting the heart-pounding 2002 Kings playoffs, we weave through memories that underscore the intensity of the game and the humanity within it.
The airwaves have transformed, and so have we, moving from the structured world of broadcasting to the liberating realm of podcasting—and what a journey it's been. Grant and I exchange anecdotes from the Kings' glory days, and he shares how a conversation with Charles Barkley sparked Grant's venture into this uncharted territory of podcasting. It's not just about the freedom to engage in unfiltered banter; it's also about embracing the raw, honest connection that only this medium can facilitate.
Yet, our discussion is not all slam dunks and cheers; there's a somber side to it too. We confront the contentious phrase "all lives matter," the legal skirmishes that followed, and the impact of public figures in a society quick to judge. Our words carry weight, and with Grant's candid revelations, we explore the responsibility that comes with our platforms, the potential to effect change, and the importance of understanding in a time when dialogue is all too often stifled. So, buckle up for an episode that's as much about life lessons as it is about sports and the undeniable power of words.
Hey, welcome my friends. It is the Pat's Peeps podcast number 64. Already at number 64. And as I look out my studio windows on this, the 13th day of March 2024, I will tell you this weird. The meteorologists are just absolutely incredible. I mean, the way they can predict the weather now is just amazing. I said today there'd be some clearing and then some light clouds, and then, beginning tomorrow, we'll be able to have sunshine and we'll kind of be off to spring for a few days. So here we are. Hard to imagine that we're already at the Pat's Peeps podcast number 64, as we started in November when I came back from Italy. Here on Pat's Peeps 64. And again, thank you for listening.
Speaker 1:I have a special guest. I'm really looking forward to this conversation with Grant Napier. Grant Napier, who is the longtime Sacramento Kings broadcaster, has done a lot more than that too. He's currently podcasting, as I am. We're going to talk about that, but Grant is joining us. If I may say, we're in the morning here in California. But, grant, welcome to the Pat's Peeps podcast. First of all, how are you, grant?
Speaker 2:You know what, pat, it's so great to be on with you. I've always enjoyed coming on your show in the evenings on KFBK. I do have one complaint, though. I mean I wish we were doing episode number 64 together in Italy. That would really have been perfect. You know what I'm saying? Like yeah, we could have done that.
Speaker 1:We could have done that. Well, hey, listen, man, we still have one month to go, a little less. If you can make the trip, we'll listen over there. Have a great time. Have you been to Italy? I just you're a traveler, you travel, no.
Speaker 2:I love Italy. It's one of the great countries in the world. I have been blessed to travel to Italy a couple of different times and I'm not really sure even what my favorite part is, you know, but I guess I'd have to say the Amalfi Coast. I just think that's so, so amazing. But I love Florence, Venice. I mean. You know, Italy is tough to beat, and the food. I mean, how do you beat the food in Italy?
Speaker 1:It's absolutely outstanding stress. It was another place I love over. Yet, though, some of the smaller places.
Speaker 2:Hey, you just came back from the.
Speaker 1:Amalfi, or well, you've been to the Amalfi Coast, grant. Okay, so I'm going to start right there, which is an unexpected place to start in our conversation, but that's exactly where we're going. We're going to go to Southern Italy, coming up in April. I've heard a couple of things, grant, maybe you, because I trust what you have to say here. I'm a guy that gets motion sickness and I'm very terrified of heights, and when I'm going around the Amalfi Coast, is it? Do I have anything to worry about? Am I okay? You know the roads are.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know. I mean, yeah, you're probably going to get some motion sickness. Those roads are very curvy and very often there's only room for one vehicle. So it's very tight. And you know you are up above on the sides of the hills. So I mean, yeah, I don't know, pat man, I'd be a little worried about you on the Amalfi Coast on those roads. I got to be honest with you. I don't know if you'd make it or not. Buddy, I might have to come over there and be your chaperone, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:I need one. I'm telling you, man, if it's like that and I'm fearful that it is not only why I'd be wearing a patch to try to win motion sickness I'll be looking into my hat the entire time, pretending I come somewhere else. I just that's not my thing. But I do look forward to going there and checking it out, and I just came back from Northern Italy recently and I had a just a fabulous time. You know we're talking to Grant and Ape here and there's so many things to talk about. First of all, I mean, is it okay? You've been visiting Thailand a little bit too, so tell us about that. What's what's going on? How'd you, how'd you, end up visiting Thailand?
Speaker 2:You know, scott Pollard is one of my real good friends and Scott's first wife was half Thai and Scott turned me on to a tailor over here. They make phenomenal clothes at a very inexpensive rate. So about 15 years ago I came over here just for a couple of days and visited the tailor and bought a couple of suits and a couple of shirts and while I was here I just fell in love with country and it's been really part of my life. Since then I've tried to come over to Thailand maybe once every three years to buy suits. Unfortunately, pat, I don't need suits and shirts anymore. I gave them all the way. I mean, I'm not gonna have to dress up anymore, so I don't have an excuse to go to Thailand like I used to.
Speaker 2:But seriously, the people in Thailand are phenomenal. The food it's extremely inexpensive and you know not to get all political, but there's no woke culture over here in Thailand. There's no cancer culture. People are happy. They don't judge you based on your ethnicity or sexuality. Everyone's accepted, everyone is happy in Thailand. The work ethic is great. I'd say America could take a lot of a lot of tips from you know, being over in Thailand, because it's really a pressure, for sure it really is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, many of us are just quite fed up with the woke culture. I'll be honest with you. It sounds like some other folks are as well, but I certainly am. I rail about that not only on my radio show but on my podcast as well. So as you're talking about that, a couple of things occur to me. Number one Scotty Pollard. You know your friends with Scott Pollard. I miss Scott Pollard. You know, if we go back into the days of the sort of the prime time Kings were talking like early 2000s, when we had pay, when you had Paysha and the Vladi, and you know the whole group and and Scott Pollard and John Barry and the whole group you know Scotty Pollard is.
Speaker 1:I was a reporter, I was the sports guy for many years, as you know, and I'd always see you up in Kings games. I never bothered you because I knew you had a game to do and I know how these things go. But Scotty Pollard, to me, was always a guy who was such a special, fun guy. I can remember like I can't remember everyone's sound bites as I would interview them, but I can remember a couple of Scott Pollard sound bites because he was, you know he had fun, you know he was. He was kind of like George Kittle and that he had fun in his, in his, in his sport. And I remember interviewing somebody one day and he says, and the Kings had won the game. And he says V is for victory. I just thought that he had that samurai look going on, and I also recall asking him one time about an injury and he says someone asked him.
Speaker 1:I said so. Well, cause, man? There's a little group gathering of reporters how you doing. I'm about 73.8% back to. Oh my God love you Scott Pollard man.
Speaker 2:He was a fun guy, wasn't?
Speaker 1:he Grant.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, bum Phillips once said the great running back Earl Campbell. He may not be in a class by himself, but it doesn't take long to call the roll. I think Scott may be in a class by himself. He's funny. I'll say what Scott is extremely bright. He's one of my best friends and obviously he's going through a very challenging time right now. Three weeks ago he just had a heart transplant and I was blessed to lie in Nashville on a red eye and be with him the day after his heart transplant at his hospital room in Nashville and I was amazed at how coherent he was and while I was there he actually got up on a speed and he's doing really well.
Speaker 2:But I would say one thing I loved about Scott he brought his lunch pail to work every day. You know, whenever you watch Scott play, he always played with tremendous effort and I think that's why Piede became such a fan favorite Kings fans love hard work, they love the effort and Scott always gave the effort. Every time he was on the floor and then off the floor, he was great in the community. He always had time for the fans, was always, you know, making jokes and having fun, but when it was time to play basketball. There was no messing around. He was very serious about his craft and had a nice 13 year career. But I've gotten to know Scott very well. As I said, we've vacationed together in the past. We've traveled together in the past. I've been to his home in Indiana many of times and I got to say, seeing him in that hospital bed in intensive care at the Vanderbilt Medical Center is a day that I will never forget.
Speaker 2:Scott has had heart disease in his family. His dad passed away when Scott was a teenager and it's sad to see what he's going through, but not to get off on the tension here. But I'm blessed for the donors and the people that make the ultimate sacrifice. I mean, while Scott and his wife are in jubilation and celebrating, you have another family in an unknown part of the country because they don't know where the heart came from. That's in mourning and they are, you know, saying goodbye to a loved one. So you know it's. It's quite. I guess it was quite a scene for me to be in the hospital and see the emotions of everything. But I just texted Scott a little while ago. I reach out to him every day. He's still having some ups and downs, but the good news is the heart is doing well and that that's the best newsable.
Speaker 1:You know I didn't even realize Scott he was going through that. I'm sorry to hear that and I certainly wish Scott, wish Scott Pollard the best. He's a good man. Like I said, all my interactions with Scott and as you just pointed out, what a good guy you know, scott he is, and my best wishes to Scott, his family and, as you point out you know, to the family who ended up having to donate that from that individual who gave up the, made such a sacrifice. But I wish Scott Pollard and that family and Scott's family all the best and I'm really sorry to hear that. You know I love talking to you.
Speaker 1:We're talking with Grant Napier, longtime Kings announcer, and you know, as we start talking about that grant, you know because I was around there for a long time and I remember the early days of being a sports reporter and going and being the sports guy and going out to Arco Arena, the old. You know the, the arc that we experienced for so long there and it would be very difficult to come up with questions at the end because the Kings would constantly lose. If they're winning, it's easy to come up with a question. Everyone's in a good mood when they're losing. It wasn't so much.
Speaker 1:But so in that regard, I'd like to bring up another name, because I know you were there and you knew the guy and you know, back when the Kings were losing, it didn't matter Lose, win, whatever when you walked into the locker room to interview these guys, you'd see this guy, wayman Tisdale. And Wayman Tisdale always had the biggest smile on his face. It didn't matter, grant, whether they again, whether they won or not, this man treated you like with respect and I thought the world of Wayman Tisdale. And I thought not only because not only was he a good man, he was also a talented musician, Grammy award winner, I believe Yep, you know and a great basketball player. What are your thoughts and your remembrances of Wayman Tisdale?
Speaker 2:He's one of my favorite not players, he's one of my favorite people that I've ever met my entire life. If you didn't love Wayman Tisdale, nothing was wrong with you. I never met anyone that had anything bad to say about Tizzy, his wife Regina, their entire family. You'd all tell you, pat, when Wayman played with the Kings, they had an open door policy on the holidays and I was single and I wasn't married and I was always invited over to the Tisdale's house on Thanksgiving and Christmas and I just thought that that was incredible. That's the type of people that they were.
Speaker 2:I first interviewed Wayman when he was playing collegiately at Oklahoma, where he was, you know, a multi-time All-American. I covered the University of Illinois, champaign, and one year Oklahoma played at Illinois. It was the game of the week on NBC and I was blessed to get an interview after the game with Tizzy Little. They know that. You know he would have such a profound impact on my life and I really mean that. He's had a very profound impact on my life. I learned a lot from Wayman. As you said, he always had a smile on his face, he was always happy and the last time I ever saw Wayman, as you said, he was a great jazz musician on the bass guitar and he was part of the Dave Causen Friends concert coming through Sacramento one summer at the old Raddison, the old Woodlake, right yeah, on Highway 160, and I used to go to all the jazz concerts out there. I used to love it.
Speaker 2:And so Wayman was in town and I was fortunate to get seats about five rows from the stage and Tizzy comes out on the stage, he's playing his bass guitar and he's got the big smile and he doesn't see me. And after a couple of songs you know everyone's jamming and I stand up and Tizzy sees me, right, and he has that smile from ear to ear and he actually, in the middle of the song, calls out my name. In the middle of the song he goes Grant, nate, pierre, and anyway, I was able to get, I was. I was so great I was able to get back to the green room and see him during the intermission and he had already had his leg amputated. He was dealing with cancer, but he thought that you know, he was fine, he thought that the amputating the leg was all good and we talked for about 10 minutes, exchanged hugs, and that was the last time I ever talked to Wayman and that's the last time I ever saw a wayman. He passed not too long after that as the cancer came back. We lost Tizzy way too soon.
Speaker 2:But I will tell you, pat, I'm glad you brought him up because I was blessed to do the Sacramento Kings for 32 years and I've met a lot of great people and it would be difficult for me to put them in order because I just it's hard to do. But if you ask me by all time favorite things and all time favorite people, wayman's on the list and it's a list that I mean is a lengthy one, but he's near the very top. He's near the very top. Uh, he was. He was just the best, pat. You know, you had a chance to talk to him, yet a chance to interview him again. If you didn't like Wayman Tisdale, something was wrong with you.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, absolutely. I mean he just, uh, treated you with respect and that smile. That guy could light up a room with his smile. I'm talking to Grant Napier, who's joining us, as you mentioned. Grant, 32 years doing the Kings, you did a great job doing the Sacramento Kings. We all appreciate you very much. Um, they've got a great team over there. Whether it's you or you know, of course, gary, gerald, jerry Reynolds, the whole crew over there has always done such a wonderful job. And, um, you know and I think I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you because you've been, uh, you've, you know, you've broadcast with the Kings for so long, called to the play by plane, and you know a lot of people still bring up, I mean, jesus, 22 years ago, grant, the, the, the series with the Lakers, the big guy was rigged, all the calls went against Sacramento and you remember that. What is your take as you look back and reflect? 22 years ago, I believe that was 02. What is your take? Yeah, we hear that.
Speaker 2:Well, I was blessed to be a part of that and I actually announced on radio because Gary Gerald always did the Indy 500 in May and so whenever the Kings were in the playoffs in May on the weekends I did the games and I announced game three on the radio in game four at the Staples Center, game four over shot and obviously I'll never forget that. I mean that that's. That's a real painful memory, uh. But I do remember a couple of things, pat. First and foremost, I thought the Kings were a better team than the Lakers that year. I still think they were a better team.
Speaker 2:Game six was arguably the worst officiated game in NBA history and that's not just coming from Sacramento fans, that's coming from national media and others that I still to this day consider that the worst officiated game in NBA history.
Speaker 2:But the officials didn't cause the to miss 14 free throws on the home floor in that game, seven overtime loss and the Kings really choked in that game. You know, when you miss 14 free throws you work all year to get home court. You're the number one seed, you win 60 plus games and you work that hard so you can get that one game at home where the Kings were so good that year and they miss 14 free throws. Think about that. You have 14 free throws that were missed and you lose the game and overtime I think the Kings would have swept the nets that year, just like the Lakers did, and that's as close as the Kings ever came. They never got to that. They never got to the precipice of that again, pat. They never made it that far and that was it. That was there knocking on the door, chance to knock the door down, and they never made it and to this day it's very painful for all Kings fans and the players on that team.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I remember going to Utah playing there, playing the jazz and the playoffs, and I don't remember what they did at the line but I remember it was miserable at the free throw line and that grant, that debt game. They cost them the game against Utah as well in the playoffs.
Speaker 2:Probably 2000. Yeah, you know free throws were. Yeah, you're right, it was. They played the jazz in a couple of years in succession in the playoffs. But you're right, the free throws really hurt them. And, of course, in the 98-99 season, when the Kings that was the 50 game season and the Kings actually made the playoffs as the eighth seed and played the jazz, the top seed and the Kings and it was a best of five in the first round and Blight was destroying the jazz and they set a playoff for him with the little half hook for the last shot of regulation and it didn't go in and then the Kings lost that game in overtime. But that was really the start of the great run eight straight years in the playoffs. And you know little. Did anyone know that when that playoff run ended in 2006, that you'd have to go all the way to 2023 to watch the Kings in the playoffs again.
Speaker 2:But you know you talk about my history. I was blessed. You know I announced the first ever game on TV at that arena and I announced the last game at that arena. And you know, in between all of those years I saw some bad basketball. I saw some tremendous basketball. I saw some phenomenal individual feats. I saw some, you know horrible games, but the one thing that I always saw, pretty much year in year out, was the most amazing rabid fan base. Win or lose, the fans showed up until really the very end of the I want to say, before Blotty Webb and Jay Will came that final year the fans had really stopped going to the games. In that 97, 98 season the fans had kind of, you know, tuned it out and they were really down and out. But before that Kings had the longest sellout streak in the NBA. You couldn't get tickets. I mean tickets were like gold back then, pat. You talk about even the Wayman Tisdale at years with Spud Webb and you know Dick Mato was the coach back then and I used to call Dick's offense to prevent offense, because if you took a shot with more than three seconds on the shot clock you'd get all upset right but but, but really but but. But you know I did. I called it the prevent offense, pat. We had a road trip once. We were playing the expansion Miami Heat, the expansion Orlando Magic and the expansion Charlotte Hornets and and don't kill me if I get the numbers you know off by a little bit, but I believe the Kings in the Miami game and then the Orlando game, they didn't even score 80 points. And then at Charlotte and expansion team, the Kings only scored 59 points. Okay, and and on the flight home from Charlotte, right after the game, dick Mato resigned. He was going to quit and I don't know why the players did this, but Mitch and a couple of the other guys um this or decided to talk, talk Dick out of resigning. And I'll tell you another real funny story about Dick Mato is you know, dick was a really good coach and they won a championship with Washington.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the first year, the first year of Pat, that the Sacramento Kings had their private jet, the Pistons had their jet and the Pistons jet was called round ball one.
Speaker 2:Well, the Kings jet was nicknamed air ball one. Okay, and the Kings that year, pat ready for this, the first year that they had their own airplane where they weren't flying commercial anymore, the Kings went one and 40 on the road. That year, and I'll never forget this, we land in Sacramento after the final road game and we're getting ready to get off the plane and it goes. Man, it's a good thing, we had our F and our own F and plane. This year we may have gone 0 and 41. And I still, to this day, think that's one of the great lines ever that you have Having having your own private jet, you're able to win one game on the road. Had it not been for that, you would have gone 0 and 41. And to this day that was a classic. But to this day, you know, the Kings had a 43 game road losing streak. I believe that that's a record that will never be broken, ever in the NBA 43 straight road losses.
Speaker 1:That's just incredible. Just to hear that, just when you say that, I mean it's hard to fathom that at 43 straight road losses, that has to be a record. That is brutal, my goodness.
Speaker 2:Oh, it is a record.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah you know I have these, just I'm going to throw them out there. These are just random memories and then we'll get off the Kings, but I also want to mention your podcast, where you're you're still talking about them, but I but I hear a couple of things. I remember one time I don't remember if the Kings were up or down at this time in this game, but there was this game people were beginning to file out towards the end and I do remember people, the guys sit at the end of the bench and I start hearing this chant Marty Marty, marty, marty. And the next thing, you know, marty Conlon that maybe no one even remembers this dude. They wanted Marty Conlon to come off the bench and see some action. And I remember he comes in the game and they're like, yeah, we don't, we don't want so excited. And he comes in, he drills like two or three from downtown, three pointers in a row, and the place went crazy. I remember that. Yeah, I remember going in.
Speaker 1:I remember you talk about the great fans, the Sacramento Kings fans. I remember being in Phoenix and playing the Suns and the Kings were about to wrap up the game. They were beating the Suns handily and the big gorilla comes out and he's out there on the and the lights go down and I remember the only people left in that arena were Kings fans and that's how Kings all of the Suns fans had had left the building. These are just you know. And here's another thing. This is kind of a little bit different memory of mine, but you know, grant, for a long time, as you mentioned, the Kings, even when they were losing, the tickets were very popular. You know, they would always sell out, even when they were losing. But when they became good in the early 2000s and they were a very good team and, as you said, probably, if not the best team, certainly one of the best teams in the league.
Speaker 1:You know, what I notice, grant, is I noticed how many people started coming to Arco and were in the tunnels and in the little walkways and people. I didn't even know who these people were Look like people from Jersey, people hanging out with chains around their neck. I remember the dude. I don't know who he was. Someone told me maybe he was an LA developer or something. Do you remember this guy always wore the snake like pants and he wore that cowboy hats and things. He had long hair.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, jerry Goldstein, yeah who is Jerry Goldstein. He's a huge real estate mobile in LA, one of the biggest basketball fans have ever met. He's at almost every Lakers and every Clippers game. I don't believe that I've ever been to a Lakers or Clippers game where he wasn't in attendance, but when the Kings got good, he used to always be at Kings games in the playoffs and always sitting courtside. He is a, you know. He's also named out in Southern California, but he is a just a tremendous basketball fan.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I just remember that was that that time period. They had a lot of people there that were suddenly very interested in the Kings I had. I had never seen these people hanging out. You know, here we are. We do all these years of broadcasting, commercial broadcasting, grant. Now here we are and we're doing podcasting. We go from broadcasting to podcasting. Many of us used to think, oh, please, podcasting, because it really is a privilege to at least for me to still, I mean, be one of the only people that actually has a local radio show. There aren't, just aren't many in the evenings anymore. They're, in fact, I don't think there are any other. But but you know I love broadcasting. I know you love broadcasting. You know you have this, you have this catchphrase, you know if you don't like that.
Speaker 1:you don't like NBA basketball and you kind of use that. You know I love it. Everyone knows that catchphrase. Talk about your podcast and kind of what you're doing in that regard, grant.
Speaker 2:Well, it's something that I really wasn't anticipating doing, pat, you know I had a 32 year run as the TV voice of the Kings. I had a radio show, as you will know, in the afternoon drive for music chairs and you know I thought I could pretty much work forever at those two jobs and then, in a span of 36 hours, I didn't have any job, and that was on June 2nd of 2020. And I was like, what am I going to do with myself? So I took to Summer to regroup and just kind of like deal with my new life. And I had a couple of people go you really need to do a podcast. We miss hearing you. You really need to figure out a way so we can reconnect with you. And so I decided to do a podcast.
Speaker 2:And one of the first people to reach out to me after I lost my jobs was Charles Barkley, and I couldn't believe it. I wasn't really answering the phone that much and I don't know why. I answered a phone that day. It was an unlisted number. It was a number that it was an area code that I wasn't familiar with and I don't know why. But I answered a phone and it was Charles Barkley and he didn't have my number. He got my number from somebody else and Charles talked to me for about 15 minutes and then, when I decided to do my podcast starting in October of 2020, I reached out to Charles and I said, hey, I'm starting a podcast and it would really mean a lot to me if you would be my first guest. And he said, hey, whatever you need, I will do. And Charles was my first guest and we were off and running and I've done now you know, well over 200. I think I'm. I think my podcast is at 272 episodes now and I've enjoyed it.
Speaker 2:You know, pat, as you know, you get a chance to talk differently than you do on the radio because you don't have commercial breaks and you don't have to do promos and reads and things of that nature, and you know, you can really get into different things and I've really enjoyed that. Some of my favorite podcasts are, you know, people that I've known and then other people that I didn't know very well that were just fascinating and their stories, and I really enjoy that part of this. And again, it was completely unexpected, pat. I didn't expect to be doing, you know, a podcast. I figured I'd be doing the Kings, like Gary Gerald, into his 80s, you know, health willing. I figured I could work on the radio show for as long as I wanted, but they fired me for saying all lives matter, every single one. And now I'm. You know, I had to reinvent the wheel and, pat, I still have to make a living, and so I decided to go this route, and so far, so good.
Speaker 1:I'm glad to hear that because I'm doing the same thing, even though I'm fortunate enough to have a, still have my radio show. I'm doing the same thing because you know I is an opportunity out there and I and I wish you the best for your podcast. You have a listen if you and it's called. If you don't like that, right, is that the name of the podcast? Right, and so so give. If you're not already listening to Grant, please. I highly encourage you to listen to Grant. Grant's a good guy, by the way.
Speaker 1:We both enjoy the same cigar shop, a tobacco republic in Loomis, california, where we get our cigars. You know, you know I want to. I I I've always considered you a great professional of what you do. Like I said, I know how difficult it can be when you're out there and we're covering the games. People think it's so, people think it's so easy. Oh, he is covering basketball. They don't realize you know the prep work that goes into it. So I would see you out there many times and we would say hi, but I never really wanted to to just bother you, because I knew that you're in the midst of your prep work, even though that becomes something that you're used to when you can still interact. I never felt like really bothering you or some of the other people, and I was busy as well, but you know we were talking about all of the and you just brought it up.
Speaker 1:You know you get fired from a radio station for saying all lives matter, if anyone doesn't remember this situation. So you know we talked about all of these people that we loved and that you respected and I respected as kings, and you know waymen and a couple of other people I'm not sure how you feel these days about DeMarcus cousins. Now, I'm not the biggest fan and I, you know I'm not trying to put you on the spot with this, but you brought it up. You know God wants us to know that all lives matter. I'm not trying to go religious on anyone here, but I believe God wants us to realize that all lives do matter, every single one, and I can tell you, grant, they matter to me too. For someone to be fired in such a sensitive time, where everyone is so sensitive and everyone's a victim and everyone's so heard in this woke culture that we started talking about, for a person to be let go for saying the words all lives matter, every single one.
Speaker 1:If you took that out of context from Black Lives Matter everything that was happening at the time and you just said prior to that, let's go back to 2019, 2018. If you said you know what all lives matter, every single one people would applaud you, grant. They would applaud you because you know what you're right, absolutely. But he kind of baits you into this in a way I would say. And then comes this tweet and when you say all hey, how are you Thought you'd forgot about me, haven't heard from in years? All lives matter every single one, grant. There are many of us who applaud you for that.
Speaker 1:There are many people and I can say this on my podcast, you know that feel you're absolutely right. And how can I make it fired for that? So you go to court. The thing is kind of dismissed initially for this reason of that. You have an update on that that I'd like to get to. But I just want you to know, grant, that I can tell you overwhelmingly, everyone I talked to said you got railroaded on that For the radio station to not back you on this, for the kings to not back you on this. I think it's ridiculous, and if you would talk about that for a moment. And let me ask you this too I'd like an update on it. But let me ask you ever since then, have you been sort of gun-shy or shy to say all lives matter? Because a lot of people are for a while like, oh my god, if I say that I'm somehow racist, I don't believe you're racist, I believe you're a good human.
Speaker 2:I have no problem saying all lives matter, every single one. That's how I was raised. My father was a civil rights activist. That's what it was like in my household. I've shared many of the stories about what it was like growing up in my household. So no, I don't have any problem with that at all. Let me just first of all update you on the lawsuit. The judge gave us an opportunity to amend our original complaint and once we did, we had a hearing and the judge decided that the case would move forward. And we've done all of our discovery and now we will have summary judgment in June and if the judge rules in our favor, then I will be going to trial beginning on November 13th, and that's what I want. I've always wanted to go to trial. I want a jury to decide this case, which is so absurd and so ridiculous that I am in court trying to justify all lives matter, every single one. I spent pretty much three years speaking to a lot of different people in a lot of different countries, different ethnicities, different religions, different generations. I'm very proud to say and if people don't believe me, then don't believe me but 95% of my friends in South Florida, where I have lived for the most part during the last three years are people of color, and I say people of color because I have friends that want to be referenced as African-Americans. I have people that want to be referenced as Black. I have a lot of friends that are from Caribbean islands, that, for instance, I have a very good friend and his wife. They're both the guide-dress in North Miami. She is from Panama and we had a long conversation once and I said, hey, I'm just curious, and we talked about all this and she said I'm neither. She goes, I'm not African-American and I'm not Black. She goes, I'm Latin. And so we talk about all of those things Because I think in America correct me if I'm wrong here but so many people think that it's politically correct, the right thing to do, to call a Black person automatically African-American. Well, there are a lot of people that aren't African-American and yet white people seem to be so damn afraid because they're afraid of upsetting someone. I don't really have an issue with DeMarcus Cousins or his tweet to me. If you would respond, if you would put out a tweet to me, pat, and you asked me what I thought of BLM, I would have responded the same way. I would have said all lives matter, every single one. If Wayman Tisdale was still alive and he put out a tweet to me. I would have responded all lives matter, every single one. The reality is, all lives matter could not be true if the lives of Black people didn't matter, the lives of Asian people didn't matter, or Hispanic people, and I would tell you that.
Speaker 2:Getting back to my friends and I have a lot of friends that I've met in South Florida we've spent hours upon hours upon hours talking about all of these topics. You know that there's only one person that felt that I should have lost my job. Of all of the people that I've talked to in South Florida and around the world. I've talked to people in Thailand. I've talked to people face to face in Montenegro. I've talked to people face to face in Croatia.
Speaker 2:I had a gentleman the last time I was in Thailand. There's a gentleman that does a lot of international travel and I've gotten to know him, and he's based in an island called Kotao in Thailand, but he travels a lot to the UK, travels a lot to Dubai. He's a very successful businessman and he's an attorney, and he was telling me because oh my God, I'm so glad I ran into you. He goes I was just in Dubai last week and I was at a table and we were talking about Black Lives Matter and I said, oh, wow, I've got a friend. He was fired because he put on Twitter all lives matter every single one. And three of the people at the table go oh, wow, is he that guy the basketball announcer in America? And he said yeah, the people in Dubai knew about my story. This is unbelievable to me how this has not only been a story in America, but people in other parts of the world have heard about me. I've run into a couple of people in Thailand not Thai people, but foreigners, not Americans, but foreigners from Europe and Australia that have heard about my story. It's mind boggling to me.
Speaker 2:And again, pat, listen, I'm gonna let a jury decide my fate and get my name restored. So I'm not patting myself on the back here, but I really believe that if you have a problem with the phrase all lives matter every single one, then you need to look in the mirror because you've got a problem. Okay, and here's something else. When Rachel Nichols parted ways with ESPN for her situation two years ago, before the NBA finals, adam Silver, the commissioner of the NBA said no person should lose their job over a single comment. And then he said and a person's body of work should be evaluated before a person loses their job. Nobody wanted to spend 30 seconds to evaluate what I did in the Sacramento community and, pat, I'm not bragging, I believe this is factual. I believe that I have done more to help out the Sacramento community at 99.9% of the media members in Sacramento, my foundation that I started with a gentleman called Joe Nameth not to form a quarterback, another Joe Nameth we started a foundation in the early 2000s called the Future Foundation of Sacramento.
Speaker 2:I held an annual golf tournament every year to raise money for students. We took students beginning their 10th year okay as sophomores, going into high school. They entered our foundation and we mentored them to getting in 10th grade. Because a lot of these students were from very broken families. Some were being raised by a grandma and aunt and uncle. We had students who one of their parents was in jail and another parents was in drugs. I mean you wouldn't believe the stories, but these were all very, very bright students and what they needed, pat, was an olive branch and we extended an olive branch and we paid for a five year state funded education. We even had a gal the valedictorian from Grand High School, who graduated from grant with the highest honors ever and she's at Stanford thanks to the Future Foundation. She talked at my golf tournament before her first year at Stanford and talked about how she was lost and how the Future Foundation got her back on track because he came to her home. That's turning people's lives around. That's changing people's lives, pat 104 students.
Speaker 2:While I was with the Future Foundation, a foundation that I started, we put 104 students through college, many of whom, by the way, are black, and I hate putting people in groups. But you know what Pat did? Anyone wanna spend five minutes and go whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute here. Look at what this guy's done for the Sacramento community Never had an issue with race, never had anyone criticize me or say Greek Grant's racist, grant's this that Matt Barnes went on Twitter and called me a closet racist after I made the treat.
Speaker 2:Well, if I'm a closet racist, why did Matt ask to play in my golf tournament? Why did he spend $8,500 at the auction to help out my students and why was he on my radio show every week the last time he played in Sacramento. If I'm a closet racist, what does that say about Matt Barnes? That he would wanna play in my golf tournament? He reached out to me. I didn't invite him. He reached out to me and said, hey, can I play in your golf tournament? And then was on my radio show once a week.
Speaker 2:You know, pat, this whole thing is absurd and I know I'm going on and on here and forgive me for being low and winded, but this whole thing, this whole thing, pat, this whole thing, pat, has been ridiculous. It has been such a farce, it's been such a joke and it's so sad that I have to go to court, that I have to go to the judicial system in federal court to fight over what does all lives matter? Every single one. Are we really still in this country in 2024, in this good old US of A? Are we really debating what all lives matter? Every single one was? Did people not hear the brother of George Floyd, after, you know, derek Sholden was convicted of murder and George Floyd's brother came on the court steps in front of the world, in front of the media, right after Sholden was convicted, and said you know what we need to remember, that all lives matter Like why is it over? Why can he say that, but Grant Napier can't say that?
Speaker 1:And I can go on, and, on, and, on, and on.
Speaker 2:Yes, I know, but I know why. But Pat, I do know why, but Pat? But Pat, whether you're white, whether you're black, whether you're Jewish, I gotta be honest with you, pat. You know my religion is unitarian universalists. I grew up on Long Island. Many of my friends were Jewish growing up and still, to this day, are Jewish.
Speaker 2:Why is it that in the United States, people don't get outraged over antisemitism? It's like it's almost like not a big deal. I don't understand that Hate is hate.
Speaker 2:Mitch Albem of the Detroit Free Press and award-winning journalist, he said this after the Sean Jackson of the Eagles right after me in the summer of 2020, made awful antisemitic remarks and I'm paraphrasing here. But Mitch Albem wrote a column and he said you cannot be selective with your noise. Not against hate, okay. And his point was that everyone was quiet pretty much after the Sean Jackson. There wasn't enough outrage and I thought he said it beautifully.
Speaker 2:You know what Hate is hate, pat. You can't be selective with your noise just because it's a black person or this or that. Hate is hate and we're all people and that's how I was raised. People are people. Doesn't matter what your color is, doesn't matter what your sexuality, doesn't matter your religion. You're a human being, you're a person, and we gotta stop putting people in groups and we gotta start saying it's okay for you to say this, but it's not okay for this person to say that the double standards in our country need to stop. It is gone way overboard and I'm a victim. And, pat, I call myself a victim. My case is not only about Grant Neapier. It's about all the other people that have been canceled due to woke culture and everything else. I wanna win this case, not only for me. I wanna win this case for so many others that have been affected the way I've been affected.
Speaker 1:Well, I want you to win it for that reason, because I'm hoping that the tide has turned a little bit and continues to turn, because everything you're saying is true. It is all part of this woke agenda. The hypocrisy is outrageous. I witness it every single day. You are a victim because anyone who wants to. If you said something racist, you know that's one thing. When you say, all lives matter, every single one, there's nothing wrong with it. It's what God would want you to say.
Speaker 1:As I said before, for mad barns to come out. You know what? Let me just say this okay, as I've said, you know I've known Grant. It's not like Grant and I are hanging out all the time and having drinks and smoking cigars and shooting the breeze about sports and all that. That's not what we're doing. But we've known each other for a long time and I'm gonna tell you, I was out there for many years. I was at all these games. I watched Marty and Grant and all these people that I knew out there who treated everyone with respect. So if you wanna accuse Matt Barnes and whoever so closet racist, that's BS. I know Grant Napier, who just told us, by the way, wonderful things about Wayman Tisdale, who when you went, when you started your podcast, who did you call Charles Barkley? So anyone who wants to claim that, I'm gonna tell you right now that's BS. I've witnessed the interactions that you've had with so many people and you've always been extremely professional. It's just unbelievable.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's some, you know what. It's an example that we even have to talk about this. It's such a disgrace that I even have to talk about this, that it's just. It's infuriating to me, it's absolutely infuriating and I swear, and I mean this, I just pray that I get my day in court, because I really want that. I want my day in court. I want a jury to decide this case. I want my name to be, I want to be vindicated. Okay, I want my name restored and I want to win again for me and so many others that have been affected by this.
Speaker 2:But, pat, you're on the radio every night. You talk about a lot of different topics and whenever I'm in Sacramento, I do, I believe it and I'm in the car and I always put on 1530. I'm always listening to your show and you're not afraid to talk about these quote, unquote, I guess sensitive topics. The radio station in Sacramento used me as a sacrificial lamb. The radio station Bonneville International, based at a Salt Lake City Pat okay, an arm of the Mormon church, used me as a sacrificial lamb to show Black Lives Matter. Hey, don't come after us, we're on your side. We just fired a guy that said all lives matter. That's what this was.
Speaker 2:They used me as a sacrificial lamb to show Black Lives Matter. Hey no, don't come after us, we're on your side. And the crack record of Bonneville International as it pertains to these things is not real good, and that's something else I'm really looking forward to discussing in court, with testimony and witnesses and everything else. This whole thing is nothing more than a sham, and I'm the victim, and you know what? I'm not sitting here crying, pat. I picked myself up and I moved on and I'm doing other things, but what happened to me was wrong and I want my day in court. That's what I want.
Speaker 1:And many of us want that and we wanna see you win that, because many of us feel like you're absolutely right and you are so correct when you say how absurd it is to have to go to court because you said the words all lives matter, every single one. It is absolutely I'll be honest.
Speaker 2:Because I wasn't politically correct, pat, because I wasn't politically correct, my comment all lives matter, every single one was not politically correct. And because my comment was not Politically correct, my job is done. I mean, what a joke.
Speaker 1:It's awful. It's awful, that's. You know. That scared me. I remembered I should even say this, but I remember when it happened and I was irate, grant. I was irate to the point that I had to have a zoom meeting. We're talking was 2020, right? 2020, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, June of 2020.
Speaker 1:June of 2020.
Speaker 1:So here we are in the midst of the podcast, I mean the, the epidemic that you know coronavirus and all of this and so I'd have a meeting, a zoom meeting, with my Management, and I'm gonna tell you how my management responded.
Speaker 1:Okay, this is how my manager responded to this, because they knew how I rate I was and they knew I was gonna go off on this because, as you said, I'm not afraid to say this. I am not part of the woke agenda. I think it's absurd, and so so we have this zoom meeting before I go near that night, and this is when I'm gonna give credit to my bosses and To and to KFPK not so much to I heart, perhaps big difference, but they said to me Patrick, we know how you feel about this, we do we. We hear you expressing about what Grant and how you feel about that, and this is a colleague in terms of someone who works in the same business, does the same job that you do, and we understand this and we're not gonna stop you from doing it. You say whatever you want to say about this.
Speaker 1:Okay, you say that, but here's the problem. We are KFPK, we are on your side. We don't know how I heart is going to react to this. So we're the throat now that we like if you say something and they come after you, then there's nothing we can really do to to back you up on that. We don't know, because you know we're so afraid. So I touched on it and then I went on a tangent about because, also, local businesses being shafted. At that time and I'm gonna be honest with you, I wanted to talk about it. Did I want to lose my job? No, so I have a way of putting things in a very snide, sarcastic way. Here's how I feel about it, and I'm gonna leave it at that and because I was so irate that if I would have went off man. So when I finally got to talk about it, you and I, you came on my show and we finally had a wonderful discussion about a lot of this stuff.
Speaker 1:Yes, we did you know, and I really applaud you for that, and I'm again I'm gonna go back to the fact that so many people I would say a hundred percent of the people, grant, that I know that I've talked to about this, they all believe that there was nothing wrong that you were fired.
Speaker 1:Increase, you shouldn't have been fired. So I want to say that and I also want to say that I applaud you, grant, because, going back to what you said earlier, the way you've helped the community, I believe that it is a responsibility if you have a show and we all know that you had a show for years here it's a responsibility of a show host. I think maybe not, maybe it's not written in there that this is the job description Talking to Grant Napier here, but this isn't in the job description necessarily but it is, I think, a responsibility of of ours To do things for your community and as you have done and as you've talked about your golf tournament, some things and helping some people. I definitely want to applaud you for that on behalf of all those people and the people in Sacramento.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:We're all aware of that. Okay, how?
Speaker 2:are you doing the best thing I've done, pat. You know, pat, it was the most rewarding thing was the most rewarding thing that I did was taking at need underprivileged students and Give them hope. And we gave them hope and to see them Go through high school in the college and then get out of college. These are every single one of our students. Pat was a first Generational college student. No one in their families had ever gone to college before. These stories were amazing and when we used to narrow it down to 16 finalists and we interviewed them, we would allow them to bring whomever they wanted to bring, whether it was a mom, dad, grandparent, whatever. I will tell you that everyone on our board, that we had tears coming down our face for many of these interviews because the stories that we were listening to from these students, it just it impacted me to a point that I cannot adequately put in the words on this podcast. You know, when you're able to help another person, when you're able to make somebody's life better by doing something that has nothing to do with benefiting your life, okay. In other words, you work, pat, whatever you do, whether it's charity, whether it's at your church, whatever the case may be when you can make somebody's life better and give them hope, whatever the case may be, and you can help Turn their lives around. There is no greater feeling in the world. That is to me the best feeling I've ever had in my life to see these students go through the program, through high school.
Speaker 2:I'll give you a real quick story. One of my students went to foreign high school and I got an email one day from their added teacher and she said hey, raul is having a difficult time. You would you mind coming down and speaking to my class. And I said no, what's going on? And because I talked to Raul but he'd make a long story short, his dad had lost his job and was creating a lot of tension in their family and Raul had kind of shut down with his school. So I went and I talked to the class and after I talked to the class I talked to Raul and I took him aside and we went for a little walk and I said, listen, the greatest gift that you can give your dad is To graduate from high school and go to college. As tough as things are in your house right now With your dad losing his job, you will make light a lot more difficult for your dad if you do not make it through high school and do not go to college. I said your dad, one of the greatest joys that he could ever have is seeing his son go to college and graduate. And Raul ended up going to Sac State, ended up graduating, and I was grateful for that.
Speaker 2:But the average teacher I had a game that night and the average teacher said he could use can you talk to my next class? And I said sure, and then after that she said you have time, you you really making an impact. You talk about the next class. I ended up talking to four different classes before I ended up going into work. But you know what? Again, pat, when you can change somebody's life, okay, when you can make an impact and make a difference, if you're able to do that and you don't do it, shame on you. If you're in a position like yourself, like me, like so many other Public figures Pat were not celebrities, were public figures but if you can change somebody's life by saying something on the radio, interviewing somebody you know I'll never forget, interviewing Ryan Anderson, whose girlfriend Committed suicide she was on the bachelorette and when he was playing with New Orleans.
Speaker 2:She had committed suicide and I interviewed Ryan Anderson about a year after that court side, before the Kings played in the warlands, and he was telling me what that experience was like and we talked about suicide prevention and we talked about you know everything that he went through in the emotions and Later that evening, right before people, right before we were going on the air, the man come up to me and he literally had his eyes were were teared up and he said, hey, I need to talk to you. And I said, well, I only have a minute, I go, what can I do for you? And he said, well, I just need to tell you you're interviewed with Ryan Anderson saved my life. And I said whoa, whoa, whoa. And I said he said your interview, he goes. I was thinking of taking my life, but after listening to you and listening to Ryan, I came here and I wanted to meet Ryan. Well, it won't, still were short. I had him meet Ryan and they talk.
Speaker 2:But think about that and I'm sure this is happening you with, maybe you not even knowing it the impact that we have when we have a microphone in front of us. Sometimes we don't think about the responsibility we have Pat. Sometimes we don't think about the impact that we're making on our listeners. I didn't think about gee. There's somebody that is thinking about taking their life and by listening to my interview with Ryan Anderson, they're now not going to take their life because, because Ryan Anderson need this person hope. That's a beautiful thing and again, when you can make an impact, when you can change Somebody's life, there's nothing better than that.
Speaker 1:That's the greatest thing in the world. It's remarkable both. I mean, those are great, great stories. And you're, and you're absolutely right, as we're talking, with Grant Napier, 32 years broadcasting the Kings and obviously, as you're hearing, doing great things for his community, a guy who's compassionate. You're absolutely right, grant, and I'll tell you, I'll give you some, you know, some examples of that.
Speaker 1:I will get a lot of messages from people and you probably got this says you just mentioned you know, you, you save someone from themselves and going through a dark period of their lives and perhaps helped us to, to influence, to save their own Life. I mean, I've had people say you know, pat, you don't even understand. I've been, you know I'd cancer, I was going through cancer. I've had a person say you know, I'm trying to take care of my mother, who's the greatest Air Force mother of all time, and I'd I would go to to visit her and I'd be usually about six and I'd get out of there about seven and by the time I was leaving I would be completely drowning in tears and. And then one night I needed to hear some music so I went to turn the radio on and that didn't get get the go.
Speaker 1:So I got changed the station and and here comes this guy on a radio. I don't even know what he's talking about, the silly guy, and it's you, and Within five minutes I'm laughing, I'm laughing, and so the next time I make sure to tell my mother I'm gonna leave at this time because I wish, did anyhow, and I would be crying. Then I would turn your station, I would hear you and I would laugh. So there's a lot of examples like that, and you're right. You know what, grant? These are things that we didn't expect, that we were just trying. In your case, you're trying to do a great, you're trying to talk about the Kings. You know, I'm trying to just have a good time. But you're right, we don't realize sometimes, grant, how it affects individuals lives.
Speaker 2:No, and you also have a responsibility. You know to be prepared when you go in the air and you know you made a point of A couple of minutes ago and I it was a very interesting one about talking to your management and they gave you the green light to say what you want, but maybe not necessarily from the parent company in the summer of 2020. One of the most amazing things that happened to me and I can't name the names because you're listeners to this podcast and many others would know the names I had never Announcers in sports. I'm talking about some of the biggest names in the industry that I've known over the years call me and Tell me that they were nervous about going and doing their job Because they didn't want to say something that was going to be misconstrued and taken out of context and be the way I was.
Speaker 2:Now. Think about that. I'm talking about not local announcers, although I did have some local announcers. I'm talking about network TV announcers. I'm talking about some of the biggest name in the industry Telling me that they were nervous about saying something that was going to be taken out of context because of the times that we were in. Can you believe that? That's unbelievable to me.
Speaker 1:I do believe it. I mean I do. I mean people are just. I mean it. It was. It affected a lot of people, it affected me. I mean it because that was like the okay, here's the line in the sand. If you say this, then somehow you're in trouble and you're not part of the woke agenda. Well, that's crap. I mean that is crap. Yeah, I mean is I don't live by and listen.
Speaker 1:I do not live by the book of any of these radio station management parent companies. I live by the Bible. That's me. You can take it out you want. I care for my fellow man, my fellow human beings, and so do you grant. So I'm gonna stick by that the whole time and tell you that that those words you said, all lives matter, every single one, absolutely. I will still stand by that. I support everything you say in that regards, because that's what we're supposed to do, because that's the reality. I don't need to be a part of your woke agenda. If part of your woke agenda is to not allow me or grant or anyone else to Express our love for all human beings, then your agenda is wrong.
Speaker 2:So unbelievable Yep Pat. I'm gonna put in a summary of what my life has been like in one story. Many of the people listening and you know who Christopher Medog Russo is. He's now on ESPN on Wednesdays with Stephen A Smith. Chris and I grew up together. We grew up around the corner, same age. We were together all the time. He was an only child. Chris was over my house and I've talked about this story before, but Chris was over my house. We were nine years old and we were watching a baseball game with my dad and Chris used the n-word and my dad said Chris, and they were gone 15, 20, I can't remember, but they were gone for a while and I know exactly what that conversation was about. I didn't have to ask. I knew what was about. Even at that young age of none. Chris never talked to me about it.
Speaker 2:Fast forward now to 1995. I'm on the radio in Sacramento. It's my first year and I reach out to Chris and I get him on my show 1995. He's on with Mike and the man dog at WFN in New York. He's big time blah, blah, blah. And you know Chris with his, you know so. So he goes, he goes, he goes, he goes, I go. You know what my dad's good? And then he says to me he goes grand. You know I've never told you this story before he goes. You remember that day I was over your house and we were watching a baseball game and I said a word that I shouldn't have said and I said, yeah, I sure do. He goes, I've never told you this before he goes. Your dad Changed my life that day and that's the greatest thing that anyone's ever said to me about my father that At that age that my dad was able to take a young boy and Educate him on why you don't say that word, because you only know what you know.
Speaker 2:You don't know what you don't know. And Chris was the only child. His parents were very strict and when I would have go over to Chris's house I would hear his dad use that word. And I remember, even in our early age, I was like, oh my gosh. You know like it would even make me cringe, because I grew up in a family where we knew what was right and what was wrong in terms of Anything to do with Name-calling and particularly that word. And I, just to this day, pat, you know I'm gonna be 65 in June, and, like yourself, I've experienced a lot of different things and we all come from different backgrounds, but that's how I grew up.
Speaker 2:That's what it was like in the Napier household, and I just think that you know for a parent To have an impact on a young kid and to have Chris come on my radio show and admit that my dad changed his life that day. That's that's how I grew up. That's my foundation. That's the core of who I am. It's never gonna change whether I live until tomorrow or I live 20 years or 30 years. When I take my last breath, I'll have the same feelings that I have today. As it relates to everything that we're talking about In the last 30 or 45 minutes, as it pertains to this absurd notion that there are some people Although they're very much in the minority that don't believe that all lives matter. All lives do matter, every single one. And if anyone's listening and it doesn't believe that, I'm just gonna say this I feel sorry for you. I truly feel sorry for you if you don't believe that, but Grand Napier joining us.
Speaker 1:I'm loving the conversation. I'll keep you a couple more minutes cuz I know I move around. We've gone an hour here, do you man? I love that. God bless your father and you know. And then you and Chris, you both become you know. It's amazing. You know, nine years old and you're hanging out and then the next thing you know, you just grow up and you're very successful in sports broadcasting, which is just, I mean, such a cool story. I want to get into your podcast and how you're doing and all that. But before we get into that and I've really been enjoying the Conversation, grant and I and I really thank you for your time here today. I just really appreciate it.
Speaker 2:So my pleasure, pat, it's my pleasure. I have a lot of respect for you. I'm, you, can. You can talk to me for five hours if you want. I'm happy to go as long as you want.
Speaker 1:Thank you, grant. You know, here we are on the 13th, which I believe let's go to something drastically different momentarily. I Believe today might be the start of the NFL free agency, if I think I'm correct on that. Granted, aren't you a giant stand? And I get that right, You're a Giants fan.
Speaker 2:I am a Giants fan and when you said this is episode 64, it brought back to one of my favorite New York Giants of all time, john Mendenhall, the nose guard back in the 70s, who were number 64, and there's one of my all-time favorite New York Giants. So, as you do, as soon as you said this was episode 64, the first thing that came in my mind was a player that played in the 70s John Mendenhall. So, yes, I'm a diehard New York Giants fan.
Speaker 1:I remember men at all.
Speaker 1:You know it's so weird that you just got that grant, I swear to you at being a Rams fan every episode that I do, I'll do that I like, okay, number 42, that was Greg Bell, I do all of that. Man, like I remember the numbers. Beautiful, I do this same thing, you know. I mean I'm a huge baseball fan and basketball fan. I don't know what it is about baseball, basketball, hockey. I don't necessarily remember the numbers on the jersey in those sports because you can see their faces so well. I remember 33 because it was Larry Bird's number I love. But but you know, in football, you, you know the helmets, you kind of you know by the numbers. You're watching them on the field. So that really, I feel the same way like, oh yeah, this Is he's pulp. I remember that. Marquez Paul, yeah, so what do you think about as we go into free agency today? I, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, any well, thoughts about your Giants and man, what they they lost, say one Barclay, how dare he go to the Eagles? Grant.
Speaker 2:I know you know what to me and I love say Quam, but the reality is the Giants weren't winning with say quan and the running back position has been devalued. Look at all the running backs that are changing. Josh Jacobs goes from the Raiders to Green Bay. You know Tony Pollard is no longer a cowboy. You have say quan Barclay no longer a giant. You know Boston Echler goes from Derek and he goes to the Ravens. Yeah, yeah I. So it's pretty amazing to me, but I'm okay with it.
Speaker 2:I was not thrilled when they took, say quan Barclay, number two over wall. I just didn't think you should take a running back that high. The Giants had a lot of other needs. I actually like what they've done in free agency so far, but they're still not a playoff team. But you know the hard cap at. You know a lot of teams have to make some tough decisions.
Speaker 2:You know, in Sacramento I'm a big fan of Eric armstead and I'm such. It's so sad that you know he was not able to stay with the 49ers and I don't know where he's gonna end up, but I'm a big fan of his. You know we talk about guys that make a difference in the community. He was a finalist for the Walter Payton award, for the Walter Payton man of the year, and in order to be in that Category, you have to be doing some great things in the community, and I have the utmost respect for what Eric's done. So I'm wishing him the best. But I was really sad to see and not be able to work out a deal with the 49ers. But you know it happens every year. Now, pat, we see a lot of movement in the NFL and but you gotta have a quarterback. That you know that if you don't have really good quarterback, you're probably not going very far in the playoffs.
Speaker 1:Absolutely a staffer to work to. I love that and staffer to my my favorite team, brian Burns Right came from Carolina, goes to the to the Giants. Yesterday that was the big move that they did. He's a defensive. Yes, you know. Good pass rusher.
Speaker 2:Yep, big pass rusher Yep.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so, yes, so we have, we have that going on, and yeah. And then let me ask you one I think you're a Yankees fan, right? I?
Speaker 2:Am. But I got to tell you, pat, I've really been turned off by the way the game that baseball played. I think analytics has really ruined that sport. You know, it's either the balls not in play enough for me, it's strikeout or hit a home run. You know. You don't see the Runners advanced 90 feet anymore. You don't see. You know guys bunting. You don't see small ball. The beauty of baseball to me has been lost over the last couple years. I did like the pitch clock, I do like the fact that they moved the game a little bit faster, but the ball is not in play enough for me. So I really don't watch a lot of baseball anymore. Pat, I don't know about you, but the game to me is nowhere near as enjoyable as it used to be.
Speaker 1:I love. Baseball is by far my favorite sport by far. I mean, I love football. Yeah, it's my favorite sport I. What I love is they've eliminated the shift, so you are starting to see balls here and play a little bit more small ball. Last Year I think we started to see that a little bit. Yeah, I'm a huge baseball fan. I wasn't so sure about a couple of things like the clock and everything, but I've even become accustomed to that. So let's talk about your podcast. First of all, let me just ask you this, because I was gonna ask you how you. How are you, grant? You know, as I'm talking to you, you sound great man. How are you doing?
Speaker 2:I'm doing well and not not to like sound corny here, but when I go and visit Scott in the hospital and he just had a heart transplant and I see what he's going through you know what, pat, I don't have a damn thing to complain about not going work on healthy, who knows? I'll be healthy tomorrow, but I'm healthy today. I've always said this. I've been saying this for many, many, many, many, many a year if you have your health, you have everything. If you have your health, stop bitching and stop complaining and live your life, because there are a lot of people that don't have their health that we trade places with you in a second. So I look at things very simplistic. If I have my health, I'll be okay, I'll figure it out. Yeah, it's a different life for me, but life goes on. I try to wake up happy every day. Try to make a difference in the world. Do what I do. You know we talk about my podcast. I'm on, you know, for all the Kings games at halftime and then the post game show. The other night, you know we had 27,000 people on both X and YouTube watching our post game show With the Kings and the Lakers last week. I just like that was a wow. So we have a lot of people that are following my work on YouTube, if you don't like that as the name of the channel.
Speaker 2:Like yourself, I put out podcasts. I do daily rants called grants rant, where I pick on something and do a rant. So you know I'm keeping busy Just trying to make a buck. You know what, Pat? You the nice thing about where we're at in the world today, you don't have to be a talk show host on a radio station, like you, to make a living. You can do it on your own. You know, if you're creative and you have a good product, you can go on YouTube. You can do other things and you can still make money if you're successful. And that's the beauty of the world that we're living in, the technological age, let's you do these things.
Speaker 2:You can be a broadcast. You can reach many, many people, and yet you don't have to work for a big broadcast company. You don't have to work for broadcast company at all, and that's where we're at now, in this day and age of 2024. You said, pat, there aren't a lot of people across the country that do what you do there most, as you know. You know there are a lot of local guys that are. Honor is particularly on a 50,000 watt station, like you're on. You know you're, you're a rarity. Now that there are a lot of those people have been phased out, as you well know.
Speaker 1:Oh boy, do I ever. When someone tells you a few years ago, when you're, when your program director tells you Pat, do you know how many people, do you know how many shows there are on locally in the evenings that are not related to a split, because you will have a sports team, like you said, you'll have the pregame and then the game and then the post game. But other than that, just like a local Generic we're not generic, but general talk a radio show, and even you know many of our, and I say how many, any held up the fingers for you fast forward four years, yeah, and you fast forward four years and they say you're a unicorn. I said why is that? Hmm, yeah, I said you know any evening talk shows there are that are just general topic, local talk shows. Now, I said. I said no, I had, I think, four. And then then now, four years later, they hold up the with their hands again, zero, you were it. And when I heard about that.
Speaker 1:Oh my god, this is either very scary. I don't know how that's happened in my next to fall. But you know what we're doing very well. The ratings are good, everything is really good right now. I love my podcasting, your right. It is very different than maybe, doing your radio show, because you don't have all these elements. Do we know that we have to get to the commercials and the promos and all of these other things and and, and it is different that the content wise and all of that, and so I'm really you know what I love, but I'm gonna interrupt you.
Speaker 2:For me. You know what I love, though, about your, and I hate to step on here. You know what I love, though, when you're live on radio, when you're on, and you and I have, I think, a very similar philosophy. I always said if I can't talk to my listeners, and I'm not gonna do my show anymore. You take phone calls, and I love listening to you when you interact with the people that are listening to you, because that is very enjoyable.
Speaker 2:When I'm in the car, I'm in Sacramento and I'm in the evening and I'm listening to your show, I love the fact that you include the audience and they're a part of your show, and you know and I know because we deal with consultants all the time no, you know you take too many calls. Oh yeah, I said I used to tell the consultants, like, a listen, the day that I'm not taking phone calls is the day you can hire another host. I'm not doing my show if I can't talk to my fans, so I applaud that you keep on doing that. It's great, it's a great part of your show.
Speaker 1:Thank you, grant. Jack Armstrong, the Armstrong, I get a show. He was on my show recently and he called it companion radio and it is kind of companion radio. Going back to the things we talked about, right, how you don't know what, how you're gonna affect people, but yeah, I mean, I'm not gonna sit there and talk for three hours. I get tired of hearing my own dang voice. You know, grant, I care about them and I care about what they have to say. So I really appreciate you bringing that up. I, I just really do. And you know, grant, I just I want to say thank you for sharing, you know, these stories today. I I Thank you for the conversation.
Speaker 1:I wish you nothing but the best with your podcast, with everything you're doing. I thank you again for everything that you have done here and If anyone gets a chance, you're absolutely welcome. Listen to this. You don't like that podcast, you know I. One more thing I don't even know why I just thought of this before you wrap it up, because then, if I hang up now but I go dang it, I wish I'd have brought that stupid, just this little, stupid little thing just real quickly. Just to end on a kind of a lighter note. I guess that's what I'm doing here. I'm gonna say something and then you give me a response. Here's one thing I remember, jackie Christie, didn't she? Didn't she smack like Rick Foxx or his wife in the face with a purse on time? Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, that was in the tunnel after a preseason game with Doug Christie and Rick box got into it. Yeah, you can go look at the video on YouTube and everything else. Yeah, that was a pretty wild scene. Yes, yes, that that was pretty unbelievable. Yes, it was.
Speaker 1:I never could figure it out, but she's swinging her purse over there, grant may be, you know, like that podcast you need to check it out, grant. Thank you, my friend, for coming on and and joining us here on Pat's peeps. Really greatly appreciate you.
Speaker 2:Pat, I will tell you, and I mean this, it was my pleasure and if you want to do it again in the near future, you let me know. I'll come on with you anytime you need me. You just send me a message and I'll make time to do it.
Speaker 1:I would love that and I appreciate that, grant. Thank you, sir, and we'll talk again that very soon. All right, grant Napier, everyone appreciate him. What a good guest, what a good storyteller. Appreciate what that guy has done. I'll take him up on that offer. We'll have him on again. So, yeah, we are. Podcast 64. That was a good one, thank you. So why don't we finish things up like we always do here on the PatsPeeps podcast? I'm in good company having this podcast, by the way. It's really great to hear that.
Speaker 1:So I have cold a selection From my rare 45s, my rare 45 collection, that I'm going to share with you, as I always do on the PatsPeeps podcast. I pulled one out today, and this is one, and sometimes I'll pull one out that I just don't even I'm not aware of the song, and that is the case with this one today. So I'm looking at this one, this particular record. You know what I think it's on one. Yeah, this is on London, the radio station for whatever case. This came out 1964. So on a white London record, promotional copy, not for sale, says right there. But they took a sharpie or some kind of a felt pin and they crossed out London on both sides. They just completely eliminated that and it has a bunch of stickers on here, one of the stickers saying 1964. All right, 1964. And as I look at the record, this one is in good condition. I don't think that it's in mint condition, but it's in very, very good condition. But I'm curious, but it's awesome that the sticker says 1964. That tells you how long this thing's been on the shelf. I'm just pulling it out, probably for the first time since then.
Speaker 1:This song is a song by Erno Rapé and Lou Pollock and was originally written as a theme song for a 1927 silent movie, 7th Heaven. It's musical composition enter the public domain January 1st of 2023. So I guess I don't even have to worry about that. Besides, I don't have the. I don't own the rights to this. I'm only doing this to expose the music. Like I always say, the song title is sometimes mistakenly referred to as my Diane or confused with the Beach Boy song by Diane, which is a completely different song In terms of where this one charted.
Speaker 1:Let me let me take a look at this. This one charted on number three on the US Billboard charts. It charted number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts, went to number one in the UK and went to number two in Ireland, where we are going in September. So here we are. Let's let's take a listen to this record, let's put it on the turntable here and see how it sounds. The song is called Diane and this is by the bachelors. Find. Let's find out if anyone's ever heard this song, diane by the bachelors. Here we go.
Speaker 2:My Diane, I'm in heaven when I see you. Smile, smile for me, my Diane, I can see you.
Speaker 1:I can say that I've definitely never heard this song the bachelors, Diane. I've never heard this one. Anyone heard this one? Let's flip it over and see what is on the other side of this. It is called. This song is called, I believe. Again, the flip side of Diane not my Diane, but Diane Whoops. All right, let's flip it over here. Let's go to the other side. Again it's called. I believe. This is again. This is the bachelors. Oh, whoops, I put on the wrong thing there. Hold on a second, I believe. I don't know what I just did. Okay, here we go. Put the record on now. I hit the wrong button here. All right, the bachelors, I believe.
Speaker 2:Hmm.
Speaker 1:Well, maybe we will not hear this today. I don't know. Something may have just gone awry with my record player, but that's okay, we'll look into it. At least we heard the key side, diane. That's the first time that we've ever had an issue with my record player, but we'll figure it out. Anyway, I want to take the opportunity to thank you for listening to Pat's Peep 64. One of our longest now. Maybe this is our longest. I think this might be our longest, and I want to say thank you to Grant Napier for joining us here today. Hey, we'll be back tomorrow with Pat's Peep 65. And until then, thank you very much. We'll see you tomorrow.
