Baldrick-Behind the Scenes

Strange but True Memories:

Travis Barker, drummer for Blink 182 and star of MTV’s series, “Meet the Barkers” is one of the most articulate, personable and passionate guys you’d ever want to meet. Don’t judge a book by its tattoos, piercings, or Mohawk hairdo!

	The 7-foot 6ers…Driving 7’6 BYU freshman basketball star, Shawn Bradley, in my Saab convertible (roof up in winter) to meet his idol, 7’6 center, Manute Bol, of the Philadelphia 76ers. For the record, Manute was tallest of the three of us.

As one of the TV commentators for the running of the 1986 Pennsylvania Derby, I went to see the heavy favorite, Broad Brush, in his stall on the morning of the race. The playful and frisky colt bit off buttons from my shirt and suit jacket. During the race, Broad Brush had such a big lead at the final turn that no other horse was even in the picture. But, he got spooked by something and bolted toward the Philadelphia Park parking lot! Hall of Fame jockey, Angel Cordero, later told me he was ready to leap off the horse thinking it was going to try to jump the rail! Meantime, the rest of the field passed on the normal route to the finish line. Somehow, Angel kept Broad Brush from leaving the track and even more miraculous was that he got him running again. The gifted but goofy, Broad Brush, then came flying from behind on the outside to win in a photo in the most amazing race I’ve ever seen (next to the great Secretariat’s 1973 Belmont win).

	Getting screamed at by one rabid, Civil War re-enactor during a TLC shoot because I was on the battlefield with a camera crew. I’ve often wondered if guys like him were so interested in being authentic in their re-enactments, couldn’t they please use real bullets for their battles?


Dick Clark punching me in the nose (not hard) because I asked him a question during an interview for which he did have an answer.


	The embarrassment my colleagues and I felt upon hearing an intern named “Moose” calling immortal newsman, Walter Cronkite, into position for a live TV interview by shouting in true Philly-slang, – “Yo Walt!”


Billy Crystal telling my bosses I was quite valuable and should be paid more.


Watching a Philadelphia Eagles vs. St. Louis Cardinals football game on TV with another of my childhood idols, John Facenda (The voice of NFL Films. Also called “The Voice of God”). One Sunday, I was working alone in the WCAU-TV Sports Department when Mr. Facenda suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I vividly recall being shocked by his incomparable voice when he said, “Young man, would you mind if I watched the football game with you?”


Laughing hysterically as a former news anchor colleague fell out of his chair when it rolled off the set at the end of a newscast.


	Hanging out in seclusion with Wayne Gretzky behind the closed doors of Philadelphia Flyers’ GM, Russ Farwell’s office. “The Great Gretzky” caused quite a panic at the Spectrum in Philadelphia that January afternoon because he was missing and nearly late for the 1992 NHL All Star Game. Few knew that hockey’s greatest player ever had lost track of time since he was hanging out with me, chatting it up about another of his passions…horse racing!


Josh Groban excitedly coming up to me at Live 8 to tell me his mother really liked the piece we did with him and Rob Thomas earlier on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”


Notre Dame Football Coach, Lou Holtz, getting really upset by Hale Irwin’s enforcing the proper rules of as we played a round of golf at a Pro-Am event.


	My spine and entire body tingling as I stood on the basketball court at the Spectrum in Philadelphia during the farewell ceremony to “Dr. J,” Julius Erving. More than 17,000 fans gave a long and thunderous standing ovation in honor of “Dr. J,” as they delighted in watching the big-screen tribute video I was asked to create, write and produce for the Philadelphia 76ers historic event.


Watching Magic Johnson practice in private after a L.A. Lakers team practice in the 1980’s. Magic asked if I’d wait a few minutes to do our scheduled interview. Then, after his teammates had left, Magic went to the left hand corner of the court behind the three-point line. He made the shot, stepped one foot to his right, took a pass from an assistant coach and immediately made the next shot. Magic Johnson did this all the way around the three-point line and back without missing a single shot! TWICE! It was living proof that “practice makes perfect” and hard work pays off. Magic then sat for our interview. There was pure passion in his eyes, his words, and his heart as he spoke about Dr. J. and basketball. The “Magic” witnessed that day remains alive with me and Phil Carroll, my talented friend who was the cameraman that memorable day.


A quiet moment off the Atlantic City Boardwalk standing with boxing promoter, Don King, and legendary blues man, B.B. King, as they enjoyed ice cream.


Knocking on Jay Leno’s hotel room door one morning many years ago (as he requested) to wake him up for our scheduled television interview.


Feeling the battle scarred head of former pro wrestler, Gorilla Monsoon. It had more nooks, crannies, and crevices than a Thomas’ English Muffin!


	During a family piece with Shaquille O’Neal, being told by his Mom, Lucille, that the name “Shaquille” actually means “Little One!” Shaq and I share March 6^th as a birthday. He also offered me $100,000 at an NBA All Star Game Nestle’s promotion if I could eat one of their oversized (giant) chocolate bars. I couldn’t.


Meeting Arnold Palmer for the first time when he introduced himself to me at a PGA Senior Golf Tournament saying, “Hey young fella, I’ve heard you’re looking for me!”


	Phillies catcher Lance Parrish hitting me square on the head with a fly ball down the right field line while I was interviewing third baseman, Mike Schmidt. (I didn’t get knocked down or knocked out!)


Seeing the huge smile of the late, great, Walter Payton shortly before the Chicago Bears’ win in Super Bowl XX upon him sharing with me the dream ending of his illustrious NFL career. “Sweetness” stated that in his dream he scored the winning touchdown on the final play of the game as time ran out. A helicopter then landed on the field at the 50-yard line and took him away…never to return to football again. We shared laughter following Walter’s big smile as I reminded him the Super Bowl was being played inside a dome stadium that year!


Using a microphone for a live television show in Providence, RI, that was borrowed at the last minute from a drive-thru restaurant because our equipment was lost by an airline. Adding to our luck that day, the one battery that powered our TV camera died literally a split second after I said, “Goodbye” on the air.


Former NFL Head Coach, Buddy Ryan (Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals) Turning me on to the fine wine, Pouilly Fuisse, something we shared every time we went to dinner.


	The political activist, Rev. Al Sharpton is one cool guy. I’ve been at outdoor events with him and his entourage where all of us were sweating profusely through our shirts, ties, and suits! Everyone but Rev. Al that is…


Reminding Miami Dolphins Head Coach, Don Shula, “Remember Pal, you’re just a football coach,” after he rather rudely canceled a pre-arranged interview with me because of my relationship with Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach, Buddy Ryan. I picked the guy who became the winningest coach in NFL history for that moment. Of all people… :-(


	Going to the home of highly successful but always embattled UNLV basketball coach, Jerry “Tark the Shark” Tarkanian, only to find out he lived on Justice Lane in Las Vegas.


A former news anchor colleague repeatedly and mistakenly saying the word, testicles live on-air instead of “tentacles” for a news story about a large octopus.


Punching Mike Tyson in the stomach following an interview in Las Vegas. I didn’t want to do it at all, but he was getting angry and kept insisting, yelling at me, “Harder! Harder! Do it harder!”


	Listening to NFL Hall of Famer, Reggie White, doing impressions. As much as I enjoyed our talks about God and life, I loved his impression of Muhammad Ali in his prime. If you closed your eyes, Reggie was Ali. We also often laughed at his impression of a dog barking. I’d ask, “So, Reg, what did your dog think of todays practice?” And he’d always reply, “R-r-r-uff! R-r-r-uff!” I keep this memory alive of Reggie White by still doing saying “rough” that same way with my kids.

Some “Nice Gals & Guys”:

ENTERTAINMENT:
Clay Aiken	Kevin Bacon	Charles Barkley
Maria Bello	Joey Bishop	Boyz II Men
Tom Cavanagh	Cher	Phil Collins
Jennifer Connelly	Billy Crystal	Kim Delaney
Hugh Downs	Sally Field	Tyrese Gibson
Robert Goulet	Samuel L. Jackson	Toby Keith
Alicia Keys	Kelsey Grammer	Patti LaBelle
Joan Lunden	“The Divine Miss M,” Bette Midler
Donny Osmond	Marie Osmond	Natalie Portman
Howard Stern	Michael Stipe	Justin Timberlake
Luther Vandross	Grover Washington, Jr.	Naomi Watts

POLITICS:
U.S. Senator Joseph Biden (D – Delaware)
President George H. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush
U.S. Senator and presidential nominee Bob Dole (R-Kansas)
9-11 Commission Chairman and Governor Tom Kean, (R-New Jersey)
U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Arizona)
Governor Ed Rendell, (D-Pennsylvania)
First Director of Homeland Security and Governor Tom Ridge (R-PA)
Governor Mark Schweiker (R-PA)
U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pennnsylvania)

SPORTS:
Chris Antley	Alexis Arguello	Sir Charles Barkley
Tom Brookshier	Randall Cunningham	Mike Ditka
“Smokin” Joe Frazier	Mike Golic	Keith Jackson
Ron Jaworski	Billie Jean King	Julie Krone
Don McPherson	Shaquille O’Neal	Billy Packer
Mike Quick	Mike Reichenbach	John Servis
Woody Stephens	Payne Stewart	Dick Vermeil

Some of My Favorite Off-Camera Conversations:

Talking about life with the leaders of Aerosmith, Joe Perry and Steven Tyler on board Joe’s private concert tour bus.

Talking passionately and openly about politics with longtime U.S. Senator, Joseph Biden (D-Delaware).

Talking about all kinds of music related things with Phil Collins. Even getting a private demonstration and lesson on how to learn to play the bagpipes. Phil says bagpipes are harder to play than all of the other things he’s mastered in music…combined!

Enjoying “Happy Hour” at Hugh Downs’ veranda in Arizona as he shared memorable experiences from his illustrious careers in television and philanthropy.

Talking passionately and openly about politics with the guys from R.E.M.

Talking American pride with U.S. Open Champion Payne Stewart at the 1991 British Open at Royal Birkdale in England. Payne died a few years later in a strange private plane accident.

Talking about GOD with NFL Hall of Famer, Reggie White.

“One’s of A Kind”:

	Visiting with former basketball giant, Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain, one of my childhood idols. He was seemingly larger than life, dominated his profession, and Wilt enjoyed himself to the hilt. (Some would say he enjoyed himself too much!

Visiting with ABC Sports legendary broadcaster and personality, Howard Cosell, one of my childhood idols. Howard was creative, a risk-taker, and a pioneer sportscaster. He knew some people loved to hate him and he thrived upon it. Though many claimed to turn on the radio for Monday Night Football, I don’t know of anyone who actually did because Cosell was the most quoted man in America on Tuesday mornings during the NFL season.

Laughing so hard with Billy Crystal the first time we met that I felt near the point of suffocation. Though his Hollywood agent was merely doing his job when he strictly warned me, “You’ll have ten minutes for your interview with Mr. Crystal,” Billy himself was a rare treat. We spent nearly two hours together doing (and not doing) that first interview. Each time I’ve seen him, I appreciated his talent, sense of humor, creative spontaneity, and down-to-earth personality. Billy Crystal will forever be one of my all-time favorites.

There are many 9-11-01 memories I wish I did not remember. But one that seems to stay with me took place a few days later. I was standing with the Chief of Engine 40-Ladder 12 outside the firehouse on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. We were standing with our arms around each other both crying as we watched people drop off gifts and tributes at the makeshift shrine that was set up on the sidewalk. (Jerry Seinfeld and his girlfriend stopped by with homemade cookies while we were there). I can never forget him describing what it was like to see his guys hanging off the side of the speeding fire truck on the way to the World Trade Center. He said everyone had cell phones out and were calling loved ones to “say goodbye.” He said, “My guys knew they were going to their death…and they went anyway.” Even before 9-11, I had tremendous respect for firefighters. I hope everyone appreciates the special bravery and talents of firefighters by now.

	Standing on the sideline at Soldier Field for the infamous “Fog Bowl,” the 1988 playoff game between the Philadelphia Eagles and da Chicago Bears. The start of the game was sunny, but by the second half a deep fog rolled in off Lake Michigan to the point where the football game was pretty much invisible.

The fashion of another of my childhood idols, former Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World, “Smokin” Joe Frazier. No one can wear a black, three-piece, pinstripe suit, with brown shoes, but no socks or shirt like Smokin’ Joe!

	Spending hours on the practice tee in private with two-time U.S. Open Champion golfer, Hale Irwin. Unlike mine… Hale’s golf balls obey him! This was proof that talent, dedication, hard work and a desire to improve creates success.

Experiencing up close the depth of passion, pleasure, and dedication that makes the world’s “Super Bowl of Hula Dancing,” The Merrie Monarch Festival, so special each winter. When people do what they love in life…they love what they do. Time matters not. As if you needed another beautiful reason to visit Hawaii!

Being a driver/network TV journalist right smack dab in the middle of the infamous, Ryder Truck Caravan that accompanied Florida voter ballots during the 2000 Florida Recount of the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election. Covering this seemingly surreal event was a thrilling, unbelievable, hilarious, nerve-wrecking and sometimes dangerous eight-hour trek involving media, U.S. Secret Service, various Federal and Florida law enforcement officials, and curious citizens was a thrilling, unbelievable, hilarious, nerve-wrecking and sometimes dangerous eight-hour trek from West Palm Beach to Tallahassee. This event and being one of the few people in Judge Saul’s small Tallahassee courtroom witnessing the Bush-Gore legal battle gave me a sense of living history as it happened.

John Walsh, host of Fox TV’s, “America’s Most Wanted,” is a role model for any person who thinks they can never triumph over the pain of a personal tragedy. Since his son, Adam, was abducted and killed, John has single-handedly inspired countless lives and made the world a safer place for both children and adults.

	Visiting with the legendary Stevie Wonder, an extraordinary talent and human being. You don’t need eyesight to be a visionary.

Visiting with legendary UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden. He was amazingly successful and in possession of extraordinary class and wisdom. I vividly remember ending a TV piece I did with him by saying, “Coach Wooden is as fine a man as he is a coach, and he’s all there is of both.”