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Pat Walsh
Pat's Peeps Podcast
Ep. 151 Today's Peep Explores Campaign Text Surprises, Prepares for an ELO Adventure with Radio Listeners, Celebrates Fernando Valenzuela's Legacy with a Heartfelt Tribute, and a Classic Record from '73
Ever wonder if buying a campaign t-shirt could be the reason your phone is inundated with political texts? Join me as I tackle this modern dilemma on the 151st episode of Pat's Peeps Podcast, coinciding with our upcoming one-year anniversary. In this milestone episode, I share my personal experiences with the avalanche of messages as election season heats up and reflect on the peculiar joy of hosting one of America's last local evening radio shows. Get ready for an exciting evening as I recount plans to take a group of listeners out for dinner at Sauced, followed by an unforgettable ELO concert. And who knows? A book may be on the horizon, inspired by your fantastic suggestion, "The Last Radio Man."
In a delightful twist, imagine a world where cats take the wheel! Amidst this playful imagery, we honor the legendary Fernando Valenzuela, revisiting the magic of "Fernandomania" and his lasting impact on the Dodgers. Relive moments from his extraordinary career, including his signature screwball pitch and his triumphant no-hitter game, brought to life through the iconic narration of Vin Scully. We also celebrate scout Mike Brito, who played a pivotal role in Fernando's discovery, as we reminisce about a baseball hero whose legacy continues to captivate fans worldwide. Tune in for a heartfelt tribute that blends humor, nostalgia, and a deep appreciation for a sports icon.
welcome back friends. It is the pats peeps podcast 151. We just keep rolling along. How are you keep rolling along? How are you? Today is the 23rd day of October 2024. As I gaze out of my studio window into the beautiful hills, the foothills of Northern California, it is a lovely day, sun is out. The sun is out Anyhow. It is a sunny day. But there's a few clouds out there just to kind of diffuse, if you will, some of that sunshine. I don't know if you will or not, but it's diffusing as we speak.
Speaker 1:I was very happy to present 150 yesterday on my radio show last night, to tell you guys all about that, by the way, my name is Pat Walsh, also the host of the Pat Walsh Radio Show, the Pat Walsh Show as heard locally in Sacramento, aka PK News Radio, and everywhere on your free iHeart app, just like this show is on my Pat's Peeps. So we are, as I mentioned yesterday, coming up on a year of this. So we are, as I mentioned yesterday, coming up on a year of this 151 episodes. You know, today, let's see, I got a couple things I want to get to. You know what? Anyone getting these messages, constant barrage of text messages, like I am, I'm sure I know probably many of you are. What are we? We're just now eight. What are we?
Speaker 1:13 days away from the election, you constantly get these text messages from the parties, the various parties, this one I just got one just now. You know they're trying to convince you to donate to their cause, but you don't know who's even sending it. I got one just now that says in all caps, elon Musk will match every dollar this tax raises and that says, seriously, it's Trump's finance team. Here's the plan. Then he gives you a link Stop to end. But I get these every day. I love how that's official it's Trump's finance team, so go ahead and give us some money. Well, I don't know who you are. I mean, for all I know, I could call myself Trump's finance team. It means nothing. Here's my link, you know, but it's for both parties, it's for every candidate. I get them all the time.
Speaker 1:Sometimes I wonder if you get these text messages based on maybe you've donated to a particular party before particular cause, because I can tell you what I mean. This gives something away about me. Maybe not even given to a party, let's say, maybe clicked on one of the links. I don't know. To be honest, I don't know how they do it to determine who to send it to. So this I thought I was gonna say maybe you donated to something at some point and may, and then that's how they know, because I know I don't get any. I don't think I get any. Maybe I do get some from Democratic candidates. I don't that I'm aware of.
Speaker 1:But I think at one point in time, to my recollection, I'll reveal something here, like I always do. It might have been 2016. I thought for a minute you know, I was not happy with the way things were going and I didn't know that Donald Trump was serious about running for president. I remember they came out with a T-shirt. I saw it on the Internet. It was a T-shirt, a Donald Trump T-shirt. You're fired Washington DC and they said get your T-shirt now and you'll have like the first authentic Donald Trump campaign t-shirt. Like again, I don't know if this is the official campaign, just like I don't know about if this is Trump's finance team, but I thought, all right, whatever, let me see. So I clicked on that thing and guess what? I got a free t-shirt. And at the time maybe I felt like oh well, you know, here, let me give you five bucks for the shirt. I don't really. It was something like that. Now, since then, I've been getting these messages, so it may be something to do with that, but I'm getting those. No biggie, I'm getting towards the election and then those will stop. No biggie, we're getting towards the election and then those will stop.
Speaker 1:Tonight, as I said, I am the host of the Pat Wall Show at KAPK and iHeart. Tonight it'll be a fun night. I'm taking a group of people to go see ELO. These are folks who won tickets on my radio show, which you can hear in Sacramento 7 to 10 pm, monday through Friday. As I understand it, probably the last standing local radio show in America that is local in the evenings, you know. I don't know if that's true, but I've been told that, unless it's a big sports town and they've got teams where you have the pregame and then you have the postgame coverage and the call-in stuff. This is what I've been told Last surviving local radio station in the evenings in America. Now, whether or not that's exactly true, it's got to be close and that's a shame. That's scary.
Speaker 1:And, rick, thank you for the great idea about the book that I may write At this point. I've been encouraged by now a number of people to write a book. I have a good title for it the Last Radio man. Thank you, rick Rip. I have thought about it. I have actually worked up a few chapters and I'll give you an update. If that happens, you'll be able to find it on the Pat's Peeps website, which very soon I'm going to really direct you to that, because I want you to have free stuff. So that'll be fun, but yeah, so tonight we'll take a group of Pat's peeps over to see ELO. First we're going to go visit a local business Sauced. We're going to have dinner as a group Support local business, hashtag, support local business. And then right next to that is the Golden One Center where we're going to go in and listen to the Electric Light Orchestra, jeff Lins, elo, whatever they're calling it.
Speaker 1:Now, are you a fan of ELO? My brother, steve, and I were having this conversation yesterday, by the way. Here's another thing why do they make it so freaking hard to get? At least it is for me, maybe not for you. It seems like it doesn't matter what app I try to get on. In this case it's like Ticketmaster it's Ticketmaster. Why do they make it so hard. Sometimes it's just like transfer tickets. I do, I'm doing everything they say but I can't seem to transfer the tickets. I don't know, maybe it's just I'm a dummy, maybe I'm just not with it technologically speaking, but I seem to have trouble. So hopefully that'll get rectified.
Speaker 1:I was thinking about ELO. My brother yesterday was like, yeah, I don't, like I don't want to see ELO, and Steve and I excuse me we go to a lot of concerts together, most recently the Cult and back. You know, because I'm so eclectic that I like all kinds of rock Back when ELO was kind of just becoming popular really, maybe it was in their heyday and I was just catching on. That could have been the case. I went to the record factory, 65th Street, right behind Florence Center in South Sacramento, where you could buy the new album for $3.33. Brand new.
Speaker 1:Everything I did, as I mentioned probably on a previous podcast, as a kid when I worked, everything I did. Every hour that I worked I calculated in my mind how many albums can I buy? So I'd get on the regional transit transit, we'd go over to Florence Center, then we'd go to the fashionable flea on 65th street, then, of course, like what my main stop was the record factory and I heard a song called Hall of the Mountain King by on the radio by ELO and I thought, well, what is this? This is really cool. I mean for an instrumental again. You know, I'm only like 15 years old when this comes out and I hear it and I would call in the radio station and I would request the song.
Speaker 1:Sorry, I've got something in my throat. I think I inhaled something. I apologize for the cough there, but it was so different from everything else that was on the rock station. It had, like you know, I didn't know like cellos and big drums. I couldn't tell. Was it violins? When I heard El Dorado, it kind of sounded like the Wizard of Oz. There's things about ELO, the early stuff, that reminded me of the Wizard of Oz going up the hallway the Tin man, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow.
Speaker 3:Dorothy.
Speaker 1:Toto approaching the Wizard of Oz. I'd put on my little ancient headphones and I'd listen to this and think that's. And then the drums would just come on in, man, just pounding as heavy as John Bonham. I always thought, don't rip me for that, but listen to the drums. I just love the drumming and the cellos. I started realizing what a cello was. And the cellos I started realizing what a cello was. Cello everybody, hi, welcome to the pod.
Speaker 1:Then they would change up. You know what I love? It's kind of like McCartney. You know he has changes up within the song Boom, boom, yeah, big time drums. And then it would just build into this climax. I'd be all worked up into a frenzy as a 15, 16-year-old, like, yeah, then I would take it over to my friends, I'd take it over to Mike Brooks' house. He didn't get it. He's like, yeah, I don't get it. It's got all the strings and kind of weird stuff like that. I don't know, it ain't hard rock, it is an ACDC. So I rode over to the regional trans and went to the record factory and I bought ELO on the third day. So to this day when I listen to it, I think it's brilliant.
Speaker 1:I think it has, it's a bit reminiscent of the Beatles, perhaps a little bit here. I could be wrong.
Speaker 3:It's my impression Now. It's losing my faith. What do they say? We're in a day Back in the city at night, but I'm not afraid the love that you gave, I don't believe.
Speaker 1:I don't believe, I don't believe, I don't believe, I don't believe, I don't believe, I don't believe, I don't believe, I don't believe, I don't believe, I don't believe, I don't believe, I don't believe, I don't believe.
Speaker 3:So cool.
Speaker 1:So if you were straight up, more bluesy, hard, edgy rock, maybe it wasn't your cup of tea. I loved it, I still do. Still my favorite album by ELO it's got Mama Bell, it's got Showdown oh good song. And then I would go into things like I would go into El Dorado. The album El Dorado, that was always one of my favorites. That had a big build, that had a big, like Wizard of Oz kind of big build-up thing too. This one always reminded me of. I mean, it's just so different. I love the song Boy Blue on here On another one of their albums, a great song called Fire on High. I'm always the guy that likes the deep tracks. As far as the hits go, eh you know. But listen to this.
Speaker 3:The dream, the unbroken fool, you can dream.
Speaker 2:No pain will kiss the brow.
Speaker 3:The love of ages, it will forget the days that linger there in spray.
Speaker 1:The turn of the years, the minutes, the moments, the yearsicked Witch of the West with her fingers, and you see the ruby red slippers, Dorothy's slippers. I just love the big buildup before they really hammer you with the drums and they start driving and then bring you right back down.
Speaker 3:Bam.
Speaker 1:And go into this beautiful song Again. I don't own the rights to this. I'm trying to just kind of educate. I can do that, I can critique, so beautiful. Here's another one that comes in with the big drums. You know they always talk about Phil Collins On In the Air Tonight. Same thing with ELO, through and Through.
Speaker 3:And on the way she came and she called my name and I can't get it out of my head. No, I can't get it out of my head. Now. My whole world is gone for good Cause. I can't get it out of my head.
Speaker 1:There you go, Samia Lowe. I needed that in my head right there. There's a great song on there called Boy Blue. Good stuff, man, Good stuff. So that's what we're doing tonight. That got me all keyed up for that. Now I'm really excited. I was already excited, but now I'm really excited. So I look forward to meeting the listeners and I certainly thank you for listening to my show Meanwhile, for listening to my show Meanwhile in other things going on in the world today. I thought you might want this.
Speaker 4:You do currently have a California driver's license. You just don't have a physical copy on you at the moment. That's my preferred method of identification and this is it's a cat collar. I'm currently identifying as a cat. Fair enough, the information here in the tag, I'm assuming, belongs to you, the boyfriend. That's so rude. I hope you know I'm recording.
Speaker 4:Well, it wasn't my intention to offend you, but he just identified as a cat. So forgive me if I came to a conclusion that you guys are involved in some sort of a homosexual arrangement. I'm not mad that you think we're together but you're using gender language. Besides, I'm not his boyfriend, I'm his owner. Well, look, we can do this the hard way.
Speaker 4:If you'd like, I can have this car towed, because last I checked, a cat is not licensed to operate a motor vehicle in the state of California. We can have animal control. Come get you, take you to a shelter where your owner can retrieve you for a fee of $70, after you're given the necessary immunizations, which do include a rabies shot, possibly even spayed or neutered, whichever you prefer or identify with. Is that what you guys want to do here? I don't know. I don't have $70. Sir, I can also request that a mental health care professional come down here on scene and do an evaluation of you, because you're considering letting him take a rabies shot. Rather than just give me an ID, use some manners so I can give you your ticket and move along.
Speaker 1:Ha ha ha ha. Some manners so I can give you your ticket and move along. I mean, look at God's what I want them to say to people like that. Whether or not that was even real, I don't know, because it's hard to believe that's real. You got to be kidding me. But if so, kudos to that officer. But if so, kudos to that officer. Some sad news to report today.
Speaker 2:Who's that out on the mound? He's a little bit round. It's Fernando. He looks so relaxed he's a choppy Koufax that Fernando Every hitter's appalled when they see his crew ball To the mambo. He hops off of the mound Like a flea off a hound. He's no Dumbo.
Speaker 1:Fernando Valenzuela passed away. There's no doubt, he is no easy out, not Fernando 63 years old, love this guy, so come on out to him play Ole.
Speaker 2:Le says ole for Fernando.
Speaker 1:It's scary we were born the same year. Fernando Valenzuela, my gosh, this guy came into the league with a pitch that you don't even see anymore. He had that screwball 21 years old.
Speaker 2:He is one fine muchacho. He is also muy macho, Fernando.
Speaker 1:He could also hit. You know, Fernando grew up in Mexico. He'd look straight to the sky in his wind-up.
Speaker 2:He had a screwball like no one else El Toro. I don't know what they ate, but he cleaned up his plate. Incidentally, el Toro, on the day that he pitched from his tele to the beach, it's a fiesta.
Speaker 1:I loved watching him. He helped my Dodgers defeat the Yankees in 1981. And of course, the two teams are meeting up beginning Friday night Dodgers-Yankees. Fernando was like no other. He was special.
Speaker 1:I mean, if you first of all Mike Brita is to be mentioned, I mean Mike Brito Because Mike Brito, even if you don't know the name, this man was a staple of the Dodgers for years, as a teenager, into my 20s, 30s, 40s. Mike Brito was a Cuban-American baseball scout for the Dodgers for nearly 45 years and Mike Brito signed Fernando Valenzuela Brito, easily recognizable at the Dodger home game telecasts as he stood immediately behind home plate, wore the white Panama hat and held that radar gun. Mike Brito is the man that discovered Fernando and created Fernando mania. I mean in 1981, this is how good this guy started off. Fernando Valenzuela, excuse me. He became the Dodgers opening day starter as a rookie. This is when Jerry Royce was injured 24 hours before his scheduled start. Right, so he goes out, shuts out the Houston Astros 2-zip.
Speaker 1:Fernando began the season 8-0, with five shutouts. He had an ERA of 0.50, remarkable. He had an ERA of 0.50, remarkable. And he also became the first player to win a Cy Young and Rookie of the Year in the same season and his performance has created the delirium known as Fernando Mania among the Dodger fans. The Abba hit Fernando would play as he warmed up on the mound. It Fernando would play as he warmed up on the mound.
Speaker 1:I mean a true icon when it comes to baseball and the Dodgers 13-7 in his first season, with a 2.48 ERA. An all-star selection every year from 81 to 86 when he recorded 97 victories. Think about this. He recorded 84 complete games. You are not going to see that again. We saw 27 complete games last season. Fernando had 1,258 strikeouts, a 2.97 ERA. He was 5-1 with a 2-point ERA in 8 postseason starts and earned 2 Silver Slugger Awards and a gold glove. But on top of that, he was a good hitter, like he could come up. This is when the pitchers would hit in the National League. Fernando could stroke man, but boy could he pitch.
Speaker 5:And so it has come to this. We go to the ninth inning here at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers six runs, 12 hits, one error. The Cardinals no runs, no hits and three errors. It is the 29th of June. In case, someday long from now, Fernando is playing this back to his grandchildren.
Speaker 1:The great voice of Vin Scully describing the game. Just a huge Vin Scully fan. As he continues.
Speaker 5:The strike one pitch to Pedro Guerrero Swung on and missed. And the crowd now with more emotion. Following every pitch there was a short chant Pedro, pedro, as they did in Boston in the 86 World Series to try and taunt Strawberry. And now they're doing it to Guerrero, hoping to distract him, hoping to upset him, hoping perhaps to make him try too hard. Fernando ready in the strike two pitch Is hit back to the box dribbling to second. Samuel on the bag throws to first double play on the bag throws to first double play. Fernando Valenzuela has pitched a no-hitter at 10.17 in the evening of June the 29th 1990. If you have a sombrero, throw it to the sky.
Speaker 1:Fernando Valenzuela, vin Scully. Just great to hear Vin Scully's voice there. You know, fernando also became the Spanish language broadcaster for the Dodgers and he had an equally great career as a broadcaster. Although as a Dodger fan, of course, you know, I can't help but to think of those days growing up watching Fernando El Toro. He did have that unorthodox, memorable motion. When we were younger we used to emulate him, along with some others, when we'd be playing catch. We play catch. Okay, who's this? You know, you could always know. It's Fernando um, and he looked skyward at the very apex of his windup. He had a screwball. It made him one of the few pitchers of his era who threw that pitch regularly. It was taught to him by his teammate, bobby Castillo. After the Dodgers filled the, valenzuela, who wasn't known as a hard thrower, needed another pitch, and boy did it ever work for him. Rest in peace, fernando Valenzuela. Thank you for the memories, thank you for the wins, thank you for the championship, thank you for being a good man, a class act. I'll move on to some music to end podcast 151, and I thank you for listening.
Speaker 1:The song I pulled today from my Rare Record collection is a song by well, one of the most popular artists ever After he went solo. His band is arguably the most popular. You probably know who I'm talking about. This is from his band's third solo album, 1973, first British and American single to be released from the album. This song went to number seven on the British and the American charts on March 30th of 74. Also charted in multiple countries in Europe, it has since been released on numerous compilation albums.
Speaker 1:But what's the song about? Honestly, I could never quite figure it out. Reviewers saying that the song's title was inspired by the artist's dog his Labrador dog, his Labrador Retriever that had the name of this song. That's not what I would have ever guessed, but let's see. But the reality is the artist said in an interview in 2017 on Australian radio station Triple J for the segment Take Five he said that the song was actually about his experience meeting his wife's father, saying there's no telling where you're going to get ideas from. We happen to name this little black puppy, the name of the song. Again, I was noodling around looking for an idea, thought that's a good word, so I wrote the song about that Not about the puppy, but about using the name. And now it's transformed, he says, into some sort of a girl. It was kind of like a little bit about the experiences I'd had marrying his wife at the time and her dad was a little old-fashioned. I'd had marrying his wife at the time and her dad was a little old-fashioned, says I thought it was a little bit he was a bit intimidated. Or he says he was intimidated meeting the father but the dad was easygoing, made it easy and anyhow it wasn't bad. But he says a bit intimidated, probably my fault as much as his. Anyway, the song starts to be about what he says the sergeant major. And it was basically my experience. Roughly translated. You know what it is. What it is is from 1974.
Speaker 1:Paul McCartney and Wings White album on one side album label. The album label Apple. The other side, of course green is the mono, the white side of the apple is stereo. We'll drop that on the turntable for you.
Speaker 3:It's Jet. I can almost remember the bloody places that time you told him that you were gonna be marrying someone and just I thought the only lonely he was on the moon. Jet, woo-woo-woo-woo Jet, woo-woo-woo-woo Jet. Was your father as bold as a sergeant major? How come he told you that you were hardly old enough, jet?
Speaker 1:Jet Jet, you know he actually said suffragette. He used that because he just thought it was a fun word. I could never figure it out, Suffragette, he just thought it was always a cool word. I'm never now. I'm always going to know what this song's about. It's actually got a stamp on the album from the radio station. It says February of 74. Thank you for joining me on Pat's Peeps 151. Hope to see you at the ELO show or on the radio. I'll be back to my show tomorrow night. You have a great Wednesday. See you soon.
