With the passing of Chuck Tanner today, I'm reminded of how Tanner and Perry Marshall were good friends and how this would influence KDKA's programming.
In an era before all sports radio, the talk shows that followed the Pirates games on KDKA would often feature post game chat. This is how I got into talk radio and radio in general- as a young boy obsessed with baseball I wanted to hear as much baseball talk as I could, and hearing knowledgable people talk about the Pirates into the night was pure heaven for me.
Regardless, while Perry Marshall was not an all-sports gabber, he usually could be seen at the ballpark and would welcome talk about baseball after his show. And I seem to recall Tanner would be a guest from time to time.
One instance is very memorable. Marshall went out to the west coast with the Bucs in 1983. He would then have Tanner on after the game(s), and the conversation was very enjoyable. I recall it being not fluff baseball talk but serious baseball talk, but in a very friendly and comfortable manner.
And it must have had a positive reaction on the Bucs as well. They took 9 out of 10 on the coast that trip to get into the heart of the pennant race. Very exciting to listen to and there was this anticipation thick throughout the airwaves, be it coming from Tanner, Marshall or the callers, about the Bucs climbing up the standings.
Tanner never had a pregame show on the Bucs broadcasts like Jim Leyland would later. Our loss. He did have one in Atlanta, and though often times these shows are nothing but coachspeak or five minutes of dull, to listen to "The Chuck Tanner Show" was listening to five minutes of what you would expect from him- five minutes of happiness. Often times he'd be interviewed by Ernie Johnson, an old teammate with the Milwaukee Braves and a very likeable and upbeat person as well, and every time it was two friends talking baseball- a real pleasant listen. Another time the Braves had brought back Phil Niekro for one last game. To some managers it would be a publicity stunt they'd want nothing to do with. To Tanner, he went on the show telling everyone how happy he was to be managing a Hall of Famer- even if it was for only one day.
But I digress. What I'd like everyone to know was just how great it was for Tanner to befriend Perry Marshall and for someone to listen to the post-game talk then, because it gave us a way to celebrate Pirates victories into the night with insight and class.
In an era before all sports radio, the talk shows that followed the Pirates games on KDKA would often feature post game chat. This is how I got into talk radio and radio in general- as a young boy obsessed with baseball I wanted to hear as much baseball talk as I could, and hearing knowledgable people talk about the Pirates into the night was pure heaven for me.
Regardless, while Perry Marshall was not an all-sports gabber, he usually could be seen at the ballpark and would welcome talk about baseball after his show. And I seem to recall Tanner would be a guest from time to time.
One instance is very memorable. Marshall went out to the west coast with the Bucs in 1983. He would then have Tanner on after the game(s), and the conversation was very enjoyable. I recall it being not fluff baseball talk but serious baseball talk, but in a very friendly and comfortable manner.
And it must have had a positive reaction on the Bucs as well. They took 9 out of 10 on the coast that trip to get into the heart of the pennant race. Very exciting to listen to and there was this anticipation thick throughout the airwaves, be it coming from Tanner, Marshall or the callers, about the Bucs climbing up the standings.
Tanner never had a pregame show on the Bucs broadcasts like Jim Leyland would later. Our loss. He did have one in Atlanta, and though often times these shows are nothing but coachspeak or five minutes of dull, to listen to "The Chuck Tanner Show" was listening to five minutes of what you would expect from him- five minutes of happiness. Often times he'd be interviewed by Ernie Johnson, an old teammate with the Milwaukee Braves and a very likeable and upbeat person as well, and every time it was two friends talking baseball- a real pleasant listen. Another time the Braves had brought back Phil Niekro for one last game. To some managers it would be a publicity stunt they'd want nothing to do with. To Tanner, he went on the show telling everyone how happy he was to be managing a Hall of Famer- even if it was for only one day.
But I digress. What I'd like everyone to know was just how great it was for Tanner to befriend Perry Marshall and for someone to listen to the post-game talk then, because it gave us a way to celebrate Pirates victories into the night with insight and class.