Momo wrote: ↑Wed May 03, 2023 3:46 pm
This hour delivers yet another "What are you doing here?" moment, along with one of the most shocking moments of Ron's life.
Alex introduces the guest as the former baseball coach at the University of Detroit, only to be checked by Ron. "And Phillies Whiz Kid, Bob Miller!" Ron immediately turns the "interview" into a Jim Price-bashing concern, asking Bob if he had followed-through on Ron's request that he do research on what a "Yellowhammer" was. Followed-up with talk of both a "Buggywhip" & a "keyhole." At the end of the hour, Alex reminded him of another Priceism, "arsenal." "That's when you go to a fire," a confused Ron thought.
Ron quickly went to another of his hobby horses, baseball players lifting weights. Bob said it wasn't allowed in his day, with the only exception being Bob Feller. Although Feller just happens to be Ron's choice of the best-ever pitcher, Ron was silent at the mention of him in this context
Ron asked Bob what was the most money he ever made in a year ($19,000).
Talk turns to a former MLBer, Wyandotte's Bob Kuzava (a guest on Ron's show), who died earlier in the week. Ron said he never met him, but considered him a friend. He "said a lot of good things about me."
Bob gives a shout-out to friends of his son who were listening & with whom he was going to lunch the next day. You "never invite me to lunch, Bob," Ron complained.
Scoop reminded his guest that when he was last on the show he had broken some news. Bob had then said there were only three Whiz Kids left. "Not any more," Ron recounted the big reveal, telling him that Putsy Caballero had recently passed away.
Bob mentioned that the Philadelphia Inquirer had contacted him & Curt Simmons, the last remaining Whiz Kids, for a story about them. For whatever reason, that article didn't come out until August 2021 (& reprinted later that year when Bob died)
https://www.inquirer.com/phillies/whiz- ... 00829.html
Ron told a story - unrelated to his guest - that happened when he owned a radio station in Bradenton, the spring training site of the Pirates. Once he came upon Chuck Tanner, then a trainer for Pittsburgh. Crowds swarmed him. You "can't get a word in." Ron, though, sat next to him & they talked for a couple of minutes. The next year, on the opening day of the exhibition season, Ron sees Tanner. He sensed that Tanner wouldn't remember him, but was hoping his face would be familiar. Ron approaches, says, "Chuck," & Tanner says, "Hi Ron." Ron says, "I'm thinking. He
remembered me!" Ron added, "And he knows thousands of people there in Bradenton." This exchange "shocked" Ron. "One of the most shocking moments of my life that he remembered my name." To buttress this point, Ron reiterated, "I only met him once before, talking to him for a couple of minutes." As an aside, I can only wonder how the events of the last few days rate in terms of shocking moments in Ron's life.
Ron brings up Dave DeBusschere, who was a U-D senior - declining to pitch, likely for draft reasons - the first season that Miller coached there. Ever the traveling man, Ron was in Long Beach with his team, the Strikers, watching Cory Lidle pitch while he & Cory's twin, Kevin, were in a bar. He gets a call from Bob Page informing him of DeBusschere's sudden death. "Oh my goodness. What a man." Miller agrees with Ron that he would've liked to coach DeBusschere.
Ron then adds that he saw DeBusschere pitch pro ball. He took a bus to Indianapolis. Another man gets onboard, sees Ron & says, "What are you doing here?" The man, a former trainer for both the White Sox & the Bulls, told Ron he was the trainer in Indianapolis. No word on whether the two "just laughed."
Ron also said that Chico Fernandez played then for that Indianopolis team. He reminded his guest that Fernandez had been on his show the previous year, only to die two weeks later.
Ron milked the unrelated talk of DeBusschere for one more factoid. That the White Sox could protect only two pitchers, so they protected DeBusschere & Bruce Howard, while leaving Denny McLain available for the Tigers to select him off waivers.