Speaker 1: It's night Side with Dan Ray on wb Z, Boston's
Speaker 1: news radio.
Speaker 2: Oh, Susan, you are way too kind. Thank you very much, Susie.
Speaker 2: Always nice to hear your voice. My name is Dan Ray.
Speaker 2: I am simply Dan Ray, the Dan Ray, host of
Speaker 2: night Side. We're working through year eighteen here on WBZ
Speaker 2: in Boston and nice to have your acquaintance. Hope you
Speaker 2: with us every night. We're here every night Monday through
Speaker 2: Friday from eight until midnight, and tonight we'll take you
Speaker 2: all the way, almost all the way to Saturday morning.
Speaker 2: So I'm not in the weekend yet, but i will
Speaker 2: get you to the weekend, which is the cusp of Saturday.
Speaker 2: Rob Brooks is back in the Big Broadcast Center with
Speaker 2: this whole program emanates from I'm broadcasting remotely, and we
Speaker 2: have a very interesting program. Tonight. We'll be talking with
Speaker 2: the president of Assumption College a little bit later on
Speaker 2: beginning at nine o'clock. His name is President Greg Winer.
Speaker 2: He had a very interesting piece in the New York
Speaker 2: Times early this weekend. I actually think it was on Saturday.
Speaker 2: Colleges have to be much more honest with themselves, and
Speaker 2: of course we will talk about that. Dropping the stock market,
Speaker 2: and hopefully we'll finish tonight with a positive hour. Let's
Speaker 2: talk about something good in a week that seemed seemingly
Speaker 2: everything went bad. However, something is good that's going on
Speaker 2: out of Washington. And the big story this week might
Speaker 2: be the President's tariffs, but there's another big story and
Speaker 2: the iHeartMedia. White House Correspondent John Dekker is right now
Speaker 2: live inside the Capitol One Arena, where I understand Alex
Speaker 2: Ovechkin has at least one goal tonight. He's getting very
Speaker 2: close to Wayne Gretzky's all time scoring record. John Decker,
Speaker 2: welcome back to night'south.
Speaker 3: Hey, thanks for having me. You know, Wayne Risky actually
Speaker 3: came up to the press bots just moments ago took
Speaker 3: some questions from reporters. Hopefully here to see some history tonight.
Speaker 3: As you mentioned, you had Alex Ovetskin in the first period,
Speaker 3: four minutes into the game getting a goal, which leaves
Speaker 3: him one short of tying the all time record, two
Speaker 3: short of setting the all time record for the most
Speaker 3: goals in an NHL career. And this crowd, obviously it's
Speaker 3: a sellout. They were so excited to see that first goal.
Speaker 2: What's the score? At this point. I assume we're about
Speaker 2: into somewhere into the second period at this point.
Speaker 3: Yeah, this is the end of the first intermission. It's
Speaker 3: one one h The Chicago Blackhawks tied it up within
Speaker 3: the final five minutes of the first period, So two
Speaker 3: more periods for Alex Ovechkin to make some history tonight,
Speaker 3: and I think that's what everybody is waiting for.
Speaker 2: Well, John, you're the Amores reporter, You're the white House
Speaker 2: correspondent for iHeartMedia. You're the credentialed correspondent at the White House.
Speaker 2: But you have been in Washington for quite a time,
Speaker 2: and my understanding is that you actually were in attendance
Speaker 2: when Alex Ovechkin, number one draft chocks by the Capitols.
Speaker 2: Was it in two thousand and four that he scored
Speaker 2: his first NHL goal? I was.
Speaker 3: It was exciting because he was the number one pick
Speaker 3: in the draft the year before, so his first NHL
Speaker 3: appearance here in Washington was a big deal. I was
Speaker 3: a credential media and I was in the locker room
Speaker 3: right there at ovechk locker after he had that scored
Speaker 3: his first goal in the NHL.
Speaker 2: So what sort of a you've had a chance to
Speaker 2: cover him and talk to him. And obviously he's now
Speaker 2: I think we figured thirty nine years old. Not many
Speaker 2: players other than members of the Howe family play much
Speaker 2: later than thirty nine. I have no idea how long
Speaker 2: Ovechkin's going to go, but obviously he has had an
Speaker 2: incredible career. What sort of an individual is from your
Speaker 2: up close personal observations, he certainly looks older than thirty nine.
Speaker 2: He's prematurely gray. He looks like it looks like a
Speaker 2: guy played in a senior league.
Speaker 3: Go ahead, yeah, but he worked so hard. You know,
Speaker 3: he broke his leg earlier this year, and yet he's
Speaker 3: back and he scored forty goals this year in the league.
Speaker 3: Pretty remarkable. Even Wayne Resci just moments ago called that
Speaker 3: really remarkable. To have a forty goal season in you know, age,
Speaker 3: in year thirty nine of your life. That's that's unbelievable
Speaker 3: when you think about it. And that's duration, that's longevity,
Speaker 3: and that's just goes to how skillful he is as
Speaker 3: a player.
Speaker 2: What is interesting to me, he literally broke what was
Speaker 2: his his his tibia? What was that, Dan, When you
Speaker 2: say broke his leg, he broke his tibia? Correct? Yeah, okay, correct,
Speaker 2: how do you come back that quickly? Most don't know.
Speaker 2: But if they break their leg, this in quite I
Speaker 2: don't know what he's made of. I don't know.
Speaker 3: It's it's world class athletes that can do this. I
Speaker 3: guess that's the only explanation that I think there is
Speaker 3: for coming back from an injury like that in the
Speaker 3: same season and continuing on at a tremendous pace in
Speaker 3: terms of scoring goals. And the Capitals one of the best,
Speaker 3: if not the best team in the league right now,
Speaker 3: so they've got a lot of momentum heading into the playoffs.
Speaker 2: Well, the Winnipeg Jets are going to disagree with you
Speaker 2: on that. I think at the end of the day,
Speaker 2: in Washington, w and W and the for the NHL
Speaker 2: Championship just want to come back to a Vechkin for
Speaker 2: a second, and I don't want to get anyone in
Speaker 2: any trouble. But obviously he is a Russian player. I
Speaker 2: have no idea how the Washington Capitols were able to
Speaker 2: figure out that he would be such a great player,
Speaker 2: But Russian players in the national players are scouted. Has
Speaker 2: Ovechkin to the best every year or so? Putin dawns
Speaker 2: the ice, skates and skates with some Russian hockey players
Speaker 2: and you know he scores about six or seven goals
Speaker 2: in the game. No one, no one, no one back
Speaker 2: checks on him very much. But Doeskin. If we talk
Speaker 2: about Putin, what is his relationship? You know, if you know,
Speaker 2: I don't want to get you in trouble and I
Speaker 2: want to get Akin in trouble. What can he tell us?
Speaker 3: Well, they're on a first name basis.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 3: You know, Putin obviously has so much respect for Alex Ovechkin,
Speaker 3: and the feeling is vice versa. You know, I think
Speaker 3: that when you saw that invasion of Ukraine by Russia
Speaker 3: three plus years ago, I think it put Ovechkin in
Speaker 3: a very uncomfortable position, you know, in terms of answering
Speaker 3: questions regarding Russia's invasion. I think he just wants to
Speaker 3: keep it, you know, focused on sports. And as you know,
Speaker 3: with that great competition that happened earlier this year, Russia
Speaker 3: was not permitted to take part in that competition that
Speaker 3: Canada ultimately won over the United States.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that was the four teams Finland, Sweden, US and Canada,
Speaker 2: and that of course had some political overtones at the
Speaker 2: end because because of the whole tariff conversation that is
Speaker 2: going on. Uh, last last question, John is akin a
Speaker 2: guy that has kept a low profile off the ice.
Speaker 2: You know, obviously a superstar like him in Washington, there's
Speaker 2: a lot of political superstars that he has to compete with,
Speaker 2: if you get my drift. Yeah, is he someone who
Speaker 2: who you see around town or does he basically work
Speaker 2: at the rink through his job and go home?
Speaker 4: What what you know?
Speaker 3: Hockey? So what do they call them rink rats? Isn't
Speaker 3: that the term? He's absolutely guy, He's he's that guy
Speaker 3: that is in the rink, that is the first person
Speaker 3: on the ice, the last player off the ice. You
Speaker 3: see it in the pregame skate.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 3: And you know that's the I think the reason for
Speaker 3: his longevity. I mean, obviously his skill, but there are
Speaker 3: lots of skillful players in the NHL, and it's just
Speaker 3: by working hard that you can have such an incredibly long,
Speaker 3: productive career. And uh, you know, I think the crowd
Speaker 3: right now pretty excited because as I'm speaking, Ovechkin has
Speaker 3: the fucking the offensive end. Nothing came of that, but
Speaker 3: he's a guy that obviously keeps a low profile because
Speaker 3: he's so focused during the season on his job and
Speaker 3: helping the Capitals win and obviously adding to his voto
Speaker 3: his goal totals.
Speaker 2: Sure, you know, maybe maybe maybe the key for Ovechkin
Speaker 2: is he is a rink rat, so he gets a
Speaker 2: lot of time to inhale the zamboni fumes. And that's
Speaker 2: that's the secret, sauce. I don't know, we'll figure it out.
Speaker 2: I don't Hey, John, John Decker W. B. R. Well
Speaker 2: Iheart's White House corresponded, you got a great gig tonight
Speaker 2: up in the press box, I do real. Last question,
Speaker 2: how good was the food in the press box tonight?
Speaker 2: Anything special enough?
Speaker 3: They say, well, it was a pregame meal that they
Speaker 3: had down in the media room, and then in the
Speaker 3: press box. You know, you can get whatever you want,
Speaker 3: the potato chips, of popcorn, prestels, all.
Speaker 2: The stuff that probably has spent his career avoiding.
Speaker 3: He avoids that.
Speaker 2: After John, thanks so much. I hope you get to
Speaker 2: see a couple of more goals tonight and see some history. Gay,
Speaker 2: I've met Wayne Gretzky. I've never Metovechkin, but Gretzky is
Speaker 2: an incredible gentleman.
Speaker 3: I agree a gentleman, and it was so great to
Speaker 3: uh have an opportunity to meet him just moments ago
Speaker 3: here in the press box. And my understanding is by
Speaker 3: the way, Dan that he is going to essentially go
Speaker 3: to every Capitals game so that he's there when this
Speaker 3: record is broken. That's the reason why he's here tonight.
Speaker 2: And that is the way. That's the way the NHL
Speaker 2: does it. I am not surprised, John Decker, thank you
Speaker 2: so much. I love doing night Side, but if I
Speaker 2: had an opportunity to transform my role tonight into what
Speaker 2: you're doing, I would be at the Capitol Arena. Thanks John,
Speaker 2: enjoy yourself, you deserve it.
Speaker 1: You have a great night.
Speaker 2: Thanks all right, thanks much. All right, little hockey there.
Speaker 2: We're gonna come back and talk a little bit more
Speaker 2: serious topic, and we're also going to talk with Dan Shaughnessy,
Speaker 2: Uh the Double, the Boston Globe sports writer. I no
Speaker 2: idea how many opening days Dan has attended, but I'm
Speaker 2: sure it's a lot. In the Red Sox THEYD win today,
Speaker 2: so we will celebrate that with Dan Shaughnessy. When we
Speaker 2: get back. We're going to talk about a group called
Speaker 2: the Children's Services of Roxbury has created a program called
Speaker 2: Youth Purpose and Partnership program is still thriving and has
Speaker 2: an upcoming talent showcase a week from tonight, Friday, April eleventh,
Speaker 2: We're going to talk with the communications director for the
Speaker 2: Children's Services of Roxbury. Right after the break you're listening
Speaker 2: to WBZ. My name is Dan Ray. This is Nightside.
Speaker 2: It's not a sports program, but we got a little
Speaker 2: hockey for you, got a little baseball coming up, and
Speaker 2: we're going to have a fine time between now at midnight,
Speaker 2: as we do every night. I would remind you pull
Speaker 2: down that iHeart app. You'd be surprised what good stuff
Speaker 2: there is on the iHeart app. And you can put
Speaker 2: it on whatever devices you want. You can make us
Speaker 2: the WBZ, Boston's News Radio your preset, your number one preset.
Speaker 2: So therefore we are only a fingertip away wherever you
Speaker 2: are anywhere in the world. Three sixty five four seven
Speaker 2: Back on Nightside right after this.
Speaker 1: Night Side with Dan Ray on w BZ, Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 2: Want to welcome Delnda iFeel Presset. She's the communications director
Speaker 2: for the Children's Services of Roxbury. Delinda, welcome to Nightside.
Speaker 2: How are you this evening.
Speaker 5: I'm doing well, Dan, thanks for having me, Thanks for
Speaker 5: the opportunity.
Speaker 2: Well. Our Pleasure Children's Services at Roxbury CSR is a
Speaker 2: great organization. You've created a program called Youth Purpose and
Speaker 2: Partnership and that program is thriving and as an upcoming
Speaker 2: talent showcase a week from tonight.
Speaker 5: So yes, where's it going.
Speaker 2: To take place? Their ticket's still available and what sort
Speaker 2: of talent? I bet you it's a variety of talents
Speaker 2: that will be showcased.
Speaker 5: Yes, as the young people say, is going to be lit. Yeah, okay, yes,
Speaker 5: excitedly looking forward to it. It's going to take place
Speaker 5: at the Congregational Church in Roxbury. Doors open at five
Speaker 5: point thirty. The event will be from six to eight.
Speaker 5: All ages will welcome. It's a free event. There'll be light,
Speaker 5: refreshment served and whatnot. But really it's the young people
Speaker 5: in the Youth Purpose and Partnership program who are producing
Speaker 5: this event Untder the direction of the program's digital media coordinator.
Speaker 5: His name is Eddie and you can expect us a
Speaker 5: fun energy with a mix of performances from poetry, dancing,
Speaker 5: beater production and live podcasting. And it's truly just a
Speaker 5: time to celebrate the talent of our youth, their creativity,
Speaker 5: support the leadership of our young people, and really just
Speaker 5: see them in action.
Speaker 2: So how many young people in Roxbury does your organization
Speaker 2: serve over the course of the year.
Speaker 5: So our organization and Children Services of Roxbury, we served
Speaker 5: sixty five hundred families across Massachusetts, so our we solve
Speaker 5: that amount annually. Most are primarily in Boston, about five
Speaker 5: thousand in Boston, but we also serve communities in Worcester,
Speaker 5: Western Mas and the Lowe area. But this program, in particular,
Speaker 5: Youth Purpose and Partnership, they serve about forty youths throughout
Speaker 5: the city of Boston with each Core HOURT and the
Speaker 5: Core HOURT meets during the fall, spring, and winter, so
Speaker 5: forty youth within each corehort throughout the year.
Speaker 2: So the age span again you're talking about, I assume
Speaker 2: kids in junior high school, in high school or does
Speaker 2: it even get younger than that. You know, obviously kids
Speaker 2: could be very talented at whatever age. What's the age
Speaker 2: range of the kids that benefit from your program?
Speaker 5: So the kids ages for Youth Purpose and Partnership they
Speaker 5: raise between fourteen and eighteen years old and they meet
Speaker 5: after school four days in a week, and they engage
Speaker 5: in digital storytelling, video production, podcasting and other initiatives that
Speaker 5: really equipped with leadership and workforce development skills that you know,
Speaker 5: we hope that in return they'll take these skills and
Speaker 5: apply it to college or in careers that they hope
Speaker 5: to pursue.
Speaker 2: Now, the organization itself, Children's Services of Roxbury, that's been
Speaker 2: around for a while. Was it founded back in the
Speaker 2: nineties or in the early two thousands. I understand it
Speaker 2: to be have been around for a while, Am I
Speaker 2: right on that here?
Speaker 5: Are right? Actually longer. We're fifty years in counting, so
Speaker 5: we've been making a mark in the community. Yeah, so
Speaker 5: fifty years accounting. We provide services that include family shelter,
Speaker 5: behavioral health, intensive foster care, family support services, early education,
Speaker 5: youth development. So it's really a wrap around service program
Speaker 5: that we have and this program that we're talking about today,
Speaker 5: Youth Purpose Partnership, that's one of our youth development programs.
Speaker 2: So so the idea here is to basically help young
Speaker 2: people as they're you know, growing up in their in
Speaker 2: their home community, whether it's Boston or as you just mentioned,
Speaker 2: other places. It's a tough time of life for kids
Speaker 2: like this of any age. I don't care whether you're
Speaker 2: where you live, whether you live in America or around
Speaker 2: the world. Obviously a lot of changes going on and
Speaker 2: and they're there are not only you know, hormonal changes
Speaker 2: going on, but also changes changes in terms of what
Speaker 2: am I going to do? Who am I? Why am
Speaker 2: I here? What's my purpose in life? Do you address
Speaker 2: some of those issues as well?
Speaker 5: We do, and you know that that's one of the
Speaker 5: things we see in the impact of a program like
Speaker 5: Youth Purpose and Partnership. And I really, you know, would
Speaker 5: like to hold space to just give a shout out
Speaker 5: to the program directors Jasmine Green and Timothy Faztarl because
Speaker 5: they do it for no job of like meeting the
Speaker 5: youth where they're at. So each kid that participates in
Speaker 5: the program, as you mentioned, they have different things they're
Speaker 5: dealing with, right, but it's really about meeting the youth
Speaker 5: where they're at. And I think the impact is really
Speaker 5: seeing through the leadership skills, the management, management skills, the
Speaker 5: advocacy skills that they're really developing. And the program also
Speaker 5: have some young people who finish the program but have
Speaker 5: come back to work as youth support staff. Two names
Speaker 5: that come to mind are Rihanna and Kalife to name
Speaker 5: a few, but they come back and then return mentor
Speaker 5: current youth in the program, so it's really a sense
Speaker 5: of community and a space that they find community after
Speaker 5: school rather than being idle and not knowing how to
Speaker 5: apply themselves in a productive way.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I just want to make note of this, and
Speaker 2: this is something that I strongly believe in. I work
Speaker 2: with a mutual friend of ours, Matt Ellis, and we
Speaker 2: both worked in television. I worked as a reporter for
Speaker 2: many years and one of the things that always bothered
Speaker 2: me was I felt that that kids in Dorchester, Roxbury,
Speaker 2: Matapan got a bad rap because they're kids that were
Speaker 2: shown on television were kids either who had been in
Speaker 2: a fight or worse, that were dead in the street
Speaker 2: or were in court. And I always understood that it's
Speaker 2: ninety eight percent of the kids in Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan
Speaker 2: and other urban areas are trying to do the right
Speaker 2: thing and they're involved in good programs, but often they
Speaker 2: don't get the publicity so that there's a balanced viewpoint
Speaker 2: and people who have never spent much time in Roxbury
Speaker 2: Dorchester or Mattapan or any urban area. They get a
Speaker 2: distorted view of what young people are like in those communities,
Speaker 2: often because of what I worked in and what our colleague,
Speaker 2: my colleague Matt Ellis worked in, and that is that
Speaker 2: there's a lot lot of stories that lead newscast about,
Speaker 2: you know, a gun battle or someone gets shot, or
Speaker 2: you know. The bad news leads these news stories, and
Speaker 2: the good news, which is what you're doing, very rarely
Speaker 2: gets gets highlighted. And I don't know if I hope
Speaker 2: you you understand why I'm saying that. It's really a tribute.
Speaker 2: It's a tribute to what your group has been doing
Speaker 2: for that long. Children's Services of Roxbury. How can folks
Speaker 2: get in touch on maybe even if they would like
Speaker 2: to learn more or support you. What's the easiest way
Speaker 2: for them to get in touch with you to help
Speaker 2: with the good work you're doing.
Speaker 5: Well. Thank you for that, Yes, And the easiest way
Speaker 5: is to visit our website at csrocks dot org and
Speaker 5: there you will have the tools you need to reach out,
Speaker 5: Send an email, make a phone call. We're all always
Speaker 5: ready available to support to receive support of any sort.
Speaker 5: We are a non profit organization. We welcome, volunteers, philanthropy,
Speaker 5: all those good things and is really supporting our mission,
Speaker 5: right and ultimately the services and programs we provide, they
Speaker 5: speak to preventing these things, preventing youth from getting to
Speaker 5: that state of the things that people typically see in
Speaker 5: the news.
Speaker 4: Right.
Speaker 5: So our program the services really aim to break that cycle,
Speaker 5: break the cycle of systemic racism and all the things
Speaker 5: that kind of impact future generations and just aim to
Speaker 5: have a space for these youth and families to thrive.
Speaker 5: So it's meeting them where they're at so that we
Speaker 5: can prevent these things from happening.
Speaker 2: So again, that website is c S for Children's Services
Speaker 2: cs ROCKS ro x five letters dot org. Correct, that's right,
Speaker 2: we want it makes I like to spell it out
Speaker 2: for people. Let me tell you, Delnda, thank you much
Speaker 2: for your time tonight and best of like with the
Speaker 2: big event next Friday, April eleventh in rocksby folks to
Speaker 2: get more information at cs rocks c srox dot org.
Speaker 2: Have a great weekend to.
Speaker 5: Linda Future so you are there, thank you all Right, here.
Speaker 2: Comes the news at the bottom of the hour. Right
Speaker 2: after that, we're going to talk about a big Red
Speaker 2: Sox home opener. Whew, it got a little tight, but
Speaker 2: it worked out. Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globes Hall of Fame
Speaker 2: Sports Columnists, will join us right after the news at
Speaker 2: the bottom of the hour. My name's Dan Ray.
Speaker 1: You're on Night Side with Dan Ray on w Z
Speaker 1: Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Suzanna. Big day in Boston. Whenever Opening Day
Speaker 2: occurs with us, it's the great Dan Shaughnessy. Dan, before
Speaker 2: we talk about today, can you remember your first opening Day?
Speaker 2: I'm sure at some point you ventured down from Groton,
Speaker 2: Massachusetts and was there for an opening day, which one
Speaker 2: was if you.
Speaker 6: Remember even better than that, Dan, because I ventured from
Speaker 6: Holy Cross in nineteen seventy three. I think our paths
Speaker 6: were crossing at some point closely there. But so the
Speaker 6: opener in seventy three, somebody in the dorm scored a
Speaker 6: bunch of tickets, somebody from Alumni three, and we, uh,
Speaker 6: we went in and it was the first game of
Speaker 6: the DHS Hera, Orlando Sapada and Ron Blonberg.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so there was he was with the Yankees then, right.
Speaker 6: Yeah, Yankees, Red Sox. I think it was fifteen to
Speaker 6: five socks win. You know, you know, big blood bath,
Speaker 6: a lot like today's game. So but it was, you know,
Speaker 6: we were down right field and great to be part
Speaker 6: of history. And that's that's fifty two years ago, Dan,
Speaker 6: So then we are.
Speaker 2: All right, Well, I got you beat a little bit.
Speaker 2: I was able to get in. I was a little younger,
Speaker 2: as a child, as a mere child. Nineteen fifty nine,
Speaker 2: Washington senators Reno Bettoya put one up in the net.
Speaker 2: You know, they used to have a net out there
Speaker 2: in left field. It's a third basement for the Senator.
Speaker 2: So that was not a great opening day. Those, of course,
Speaker 2: was in the those were in the bad years for
Speaker 2: the Red Sox. That's that's for sure. What's your most
Speaker 2: memory A ble opening day?
Speaker 6: Oh boy, well, I'm jealous. You got ted Williams. So
Speaker 6: you got one up on me there. That's that's quite
Speaker 6: a no.
Speaker 2: I saw. I saw Williams a bunch of times. As
Speaker 2: a matter of fact, I saw Williams hit the final
Speaker 2: fly ball and the Jim Bunning no hitter. We were
Speaker 2: we were down by the pole that day and flew
Speaker 2: out to al Calne and right field, and when Jim
Speaker 2: Bunning through his American League no hitter against the Red Sox.
Speaker 6: Yes, yeah, that's pretty good. I mean, you know, there
Speaker 6: there's been a lot of things in mo Vaughn hit
Speaker 6: a grand slam in the opener once and there's been
Speaker 6: a lot of things. But you know, Pedro had the opener.
Speaker 6: Who was in Baltimore's first game. He left the clubhouse early,
Speaker 6: and then Frank con was a dust up. Four, well five,
Speaker 6: they handed out the rings to the socks against the Yankees.
Speaker 6: That was a big deal and of course, uh Mariano
Speaker 6: Rivera got chided and cheered and all that. So that's
Speaker 6: probably the one that resonates the most.
Speaker 2: I remember Rivera tipping his hat to the crowd in
Speaker 2: smiling as they they were buoy Yeah, that's for sure. Well,
Speaker 2: today the Red Sox looked like the Red Sox have
Speaker 2: all thirteen runs, sixteen hits but three errors and Don
Speaker 2: Butden was nowhere to be found today, but there was
Speaker 2: still the ghost of Don Budden was in the Red
Speaker 2: Sox infield today. Should that concern us or no?
Speaker 6: Well, this is what the year is going to be like.
Speaker 6: I think, I mean, the defense is tightier than it's
Speaker 6: been and I think overall, you know, having breaking the
Speaker 6: third story hopefully healthy for them. Campbell at second it's tighter,
Speaker 6: and Costas is probably better than he was last year,
Speaker 6: so I think they're better. But yeah, today they were
Speaker 6: kicking it around, throwing it around, and you're going to
Speaker 6: see some of that and there's just going to be
Speaker 6: a lot of sloppiness. I think no one, no team
Speaker 6: is overpowering, certainly in the American League. I mean American
Speaker 6: League's wide open, and that really plays the Boston's a beens.
Speaker 6: They've got a really exciting team with good young players
Speaker 6: and some veterans and some big money guys that were
Speaker 6: brought in. So I think this is the most the
Speaker 6: best felt about just going over to see him in
Speaker 6: about five or six years. So I think that it's
Speaker 6: it's it's the needles going in the right direction for
Speaker 6: them now, even though they're four and four. I'm not
Speaker 6: too bothered about that. I think it's going to be
Speaker 6: a good throw right for them.
Speaker 2: I think they're going to be better than a year
Speaker 2: ago they were five hundred and if they can pick
Speaker 2: up ten wins and end up, you know, ninety one
Speaker 2: and seventy one, I think you're in the playoffs. You
Speaker 2: know who. I'm excited about it. I'll be interesting because
Speaker 2: you've seen them more than me. I think fits Fits
Speaker 2: is a pitcher.
Speaker 6: Yeah, and he so you know, he's he's you can
Speaker 6: look at him as residual. Lookie Betts yields, you know,
Speaker 6: which is good to say because it was very little
Speaker 6: yield from that. So there's that. He had, you know,
Speaker 6: good appearances last year, throws, strikes, pounds his zone, had
Speaker 6: a good, pretty good outing in Texas, and uh, they
Speaker 6: have expectations for him. So as a as a fifth guy,
Speaker 6: you know, he serves it pretty nicely. I think at
Speaker 6: this juncture.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I just hope that they stick with him and
Speaker 2: that I think he's a starting pitcher. He is, He's
Speaker 2: kind of built like Clemmens and Nolan Ryan building. I
Speaker 2: just think the sky's the limit for him. And why
Speaker 2: the Yankees ever were crazy enough to let him go,
Speaker 2: I think it was a huge mistake. Devers looks like
Speaker 2: Evers is coming back. Were you were you on the
Speaker 2: road with them in Texas and Baltimore.
Speaker 6: I was in Texas for all four. It was it
Speaker 6: was astounding just what we saw. And of course the
Speaker 6: first five games, fifteen strikeouts, it was remarkable. It was
Speaker 6: just hard to believe what we were seeing, you know,
Speaker 6: three the first day, then four, then three. It was
Speaker 6: just off the charts. And I just don't think a
Speaker 6: twenty eight year old guy, you know, loses his way altogether.
Speaker 6: He's been a good hitter for seven seasons. You know,
Speaker 6: he's looking better now, better at beasts, you know, squaring
Speaker 6: up the ball more, and he'll be okay. I'm not sure.
Speaker 6: He's got to sort out some things with his weight,
Speaker 6: with his shoulders, with the adjustment to play and to
Speaker 6: be a d h et cetera. But I think ultimately
Speaker 6: it's going to shake out in an okay fashion. I
Speaker 6: wouldn't give up on h well, you know.
Speaker 2: I wouldn't either, But watching him in Texas and even
Speaker 2: in Baltimore, I thought to myself, this guy's got a
Speaker 2: head problem. That I mean, I meaning it's in his head,
Speaker 2: this whole thing about you're not playing third base. And
Speaker 2: I've never seen a great baseball player dissemble that quickly.
Speaker 2: I don't know him personally. I'm sure you know him
Speaker 2: pretty well, but it was it was astonishing to just
Speaker 2: watch him swiftly was.
Speaker 6: I mean, nineteen past fifteen strikeouts. It was just hard
Speaker 6: to imagine that he just he wasn't able to get
Speaker 6: anything done. But slowly he's been digging out, you know,
Speaker 6: a couple of walks and hot hit file balls and
Speaker 6: two hits today, and I just think that stuff evens
Speaker 6: out over the course. If if he did that in
Speaker 6: the middle of the season, you wouldn't really notice it.
Speaker 6: A five game stretch, it'd be bad. But when it's
Speaker 6: the beginning of the season, it's the only stample you have.
Speaker 6: Everything gets exaggerated and magnified.
Speaker 2: Okay, last question for me, Dad, and that is who
Speaker 2: in the East is there their toughest competition. I originally
Speaker 2: thought it was the Orioles. Now I'm thinking it's the
Speaker 2: Yankees again.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I'm with you on that. I would go the
Speaker 6: same way. I mean, it's pretty wide opened the whole division.
Speaker 6: There's no there's no monster team. The Yankees were could
Speaker 6: have been, and I think maybe we made too much
Speaker 6: of you know, they had three critical guys, big money guys,
Speaker 6: big name guys go down and spring training. But at
Speaker 6: the same time they can kind of absorb that because
Speaker 6: they have so much depth and so much so many
Speaker 6: dollars spent on name talent, and they've still got those guys,
Speaker 6: and I think that, Yeah, I think what you said
Speaker 6: is what I feel that, you know, Baltimore, having seen them,
Speaker 6: it looks like the Yankees are still going to be
Speaker 6: the threat, you know, when you get through the whole
Speaker 6: one sixty two here.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the Orioles didn't impress me, and I hadn't watched
Speaker 2: them for the last couple of years and really felt
Speaker 2: that they were making markets steps. It looks to me
Speaker 2: like they've stepped back a little bit. And it's just
Speaker 2: not Halliday, the young player who they I think they
Speaker 2: brought him up to early a year ago. Obviously they
Speaker 2: shipped him back down. But it's you know, it will
Speaker 2: always be more exciting when it's the Yankees. It's as
Speaker 2: simple as that. If you want to if you really
Speaker 2: want to finish number one, who best to beat? The
Speaker 2: best team to beat, obviously is the Yankees. Dan Shaughnessy,
Speaker 2: thanks so much. It's great. A little bit of a
Speaker 2: trip down memory lane here. And I don't know if
Speaker 2: you you might not be old enough to remember Reno Batoya.
Speaker 6: He was the third year, right, I don't have anything.
Speaker 2: Well, the Senators and the Red Sox and the thing
Speaker 2: that was interesting back in the days of sixteen teams.
Speaker 2: He had been born in Italy. He was one of
Speaker 2: the first. And it was not bad, you know, I
Speaker 2: mean eminently forgettable. Not no plaque in the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 2: But he had that one day in April of nineteen
Speaker 2: fifty nine. Uh, it's there weren't many people in the ballpark.
Speaker 2: It wasn't like today. The excitement that today was unbelievable.
Speaker 2: Dan Shaughnessy is always Thanks buddy. I watched I love
Speaker 2: your column. The first thing I look at is the
Speaker 2: Shaughnessy columns, but particularly on Sunday morning. I mean, it's
Speaker 2: just fabulous stuff. I don't know where you come up
Speaker 2: with it, but it's it's it's great stuff. Thanks so
Speaker 2: much as as a friend, and thanks so much as
Speaker 2: a as a scribe and a writer here in Boston.
Speaker 2: You're you're a treasure for for the Globe, and I uh,
Speaker 2: I think so much like you. Sometimes it's scared scares
Speaker 2: me a little bit. I think this guy, this guy's
Speaker 2: this guy is right on the money, uh on on baseball,
Speaker 2: just amazing. And nobody has better Earl Weaver stories than
Speaker 2: Dan Shaughnessy.
Speaker 6: Well, I appreciate that.
Speaker 5: Dan.
Speaker 6: You take care your.
Speaker 2: Two pal talk to ladies and gentlemen. Dan Shaughnessy a
Speaker 2: great columnist, a Hall of Fame columnist with the with
Speaker 2: the Boston Globe for another opening day at Fenn Park.
Speaker 2: And I had my share of opening days at Fenway Park.
Speaker 2: You might remember. I would always be there early in
Speaker 2: the morning and for got to be at least ten years.
Speaker 2: I would be out there with Mayor Tom Anina. When
Speaker 2: we would invite a couple of guests, whether it was
Speaker 2: the governors at the time, Mitt Romney or Paul Salucci.
Speaker 2: We had a ball and Joe Mooney always allowed us
Speaker 2: get those lights on at Fenway Park, and it was
Speaker 2: it was really a treat. Opening day for me was
Speaker 2: always so special. Anyway, with that, when we get back,
Speaker 2: we're going to have a very special guest at eight
Speaker 2: forty five, someone who needs no introduction to the WBZ audience,
Speaker 2: my great friend Jordan Rich and we're going to talk
Speaker 2: about he's put a group together called Jordan's Trailblazers. We
Speaker 2: will explain right after the break.
Speaker 1: It's nice side with Dan Ray on Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2: Well, here's a familiar voice ladies and gentlemen. Jordan Rich,
Speaker 2: Hi Jordan.
Speaker 4: How are you, Uncle Danny?
Speaker 1: How are you, my friend?
Speaker 2: I am doing great and I know you are as well.
Speaker 2: And I know our listeners are going to be thrilled
Speaker 2: to hear your voice. Everyone knows. I think who listens
Speaker 2: to WBS that you've been literally fighting a battle, not
Speaker 2: only a medical battle, but you are now learning how
Speaker 2: to box.
Speaker 4: You're what do you mean learning? I've actually been training
Speaker 4: now for a year and a half and I can
Speaker 4: throw quite a few combinations, but your boxing is one
Speaker 4: of the things I do regularly throughout the week, along
Speaker 4: with a bunch of other high intensity exercise periods to
Speaker 4: sort of try to stay ahead of things. But it's
Speaker 4: been a it's been quite an experience. I've got to
Speaker 4: tell you. I'm still the same skinny little guy I was,
Speaker 4: but I'm a lot tougher now.
Speaker 2: Well, I'll tell you. You get in the ring, you'd be
Speaker 2: the oldest oldest champ maybe ever. Look the medical problem
Speaker 2: and it's more than a problem that you're dealing with
Speaker 2: this Parkinson's disease, which is a horrific diagnosis. You've been
Speaker 2: dealing with that now for how long?
Speaker 4: Well, I was diagnosed in late twenty twenty three, but
Speaker 4: as many people know who have this issue, you know
Speaker 4: you probably had it in your system for a lot
Speaker 4: longer than that and just didn't realize it. And I mean,
Speaker 4: right now, physically, I'm in pretty good shape. I don't
Speaker 4: have any issues in terms of balance, walking, gait, any
Speaker 4: of that. My voice is strong, thank you very much.
Speaker 4: And really the issues are for everybody a little different
Speaker 4: at the Snowflake disease. So, I mean, I've got some
Speaker 4: non motor issues that a lot of people have. One
Speaker 4: of the strangest ones I call it strange because it
Speaker 4: sounds like I'm making it up, but I'm not, is
Speaker 4: occasional apathy, like you just don't want to do anything,
Speaker 4: and that's very unlike me. So that's one of the
Speaker 4: reasons I'm calling in tonight to let you know that
Speaker 4: I'm doing something.
Speaker 2: Yes, you are. There's a there's a big called the
Speaker 2: American Parkinson's Disease Association Optimism Walk, and you have a
Speaker 2: team and you're raising funds and the team is called
Speaker 2: Jordan's Trailblazers.
Speaker 4: Yeah, not exactly that original, but you know.
Speaker 2: You know, you're certainly better known in this area than
Speaker 2: the Portland Trail Blazers at this.
Speaker 1: Point, that's for sure, and I'll take it.
Speaker 4: I'll take that absolutely.
Speaker 2: And I know that one of our dear mutual friends
Speaker 2: has already contributed very generously tell us how people can
Speaker 2: get on the team either as a walker, and I
Speaker 2: guess if you're a walker, you get people to pledge
Speaker 2: how many miles you're going to walk. Is that the
Speaker 2: way I work? Explained it to me, because.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's pretty much the way it works. And I
Speaker 4: can tell it's May eighteenth, which is a Sunday at
Speaker 4: Bowditch Field. That's bowb I t C In Framingham where
Speaker 4: I believe both my children grat Sduated High School in
Speaker 4: the graduation ceremony. But it's Botage Field and it's not
Speaker 4: a ten k or anything like that. It's a walk
Speaker 4: around the field as many times as you want. And
Speaker 4: the really cool thing is that I've got a team.
Speaker 4: People are joining the team, but they are certainly supporting
Speaker 4: us as one cog in the wheel, so to speak,
Speaker 4: to raise funds for Parkinson's research, Parkinson's care and hopefully
Speaker 4: someday a cure. And I mean I do things with
Speaker 4: the Michael j Fox Foundation of the David Finney Foundation
Speaker 4: One ten Fitness in Rockland. And I got to tell you,
Speaker 4: Dan that this has given me a pep in my
Speaker 4: step to get back involved in doing doing something. You know,
Speaker 4: if not to just help me, it's it's certainly not
Speaker 4: going to help me alone. It's going to help a
Speaker 4: lot of people, and that's the fun of it. So
Speaker 4: it's the American Parkinson's Disease Association, as you said, and
Speaker 4: that's ap DA parkinson dot org. But I can tell
Speaker 4: people that if you'd like to support my team, and
Speaker 4: why not because I might win a totepeg, you can
Speaker 4: go to my Facebook page, which is Jordan Rich Show
Speaker 4: on Facebook. It's the easiest way and there's a link
Speaker 4: at the top and in an article that I wrote
Speaker 4: yesterday and otherwise it sits a long, sort of discombobulated link,
Speaker 4: but if you go to Jordan Rich Show on Facebook,
Speaker 4: you should be able to check it out and make stations.
Speaker 2: So now people who are going to go and participate
Speaker 2: in bodge Field is a track, it's an open area,
Speaker 2: it's a nice area and framing him easy to find,
Speaker 2: pretty icy parking. My recollection. I've been over there, so
Speaker 2: there's two ways people can participate. They either joined the
Speaker 2: team as a walker, as one of your trailblazers, and
Speaker 2: if they go to your page Jordan rich Show on Facebook.
Speaker 2: Get to your page, you'll be able to get them
Speaker 2: all squared away.
Speaker 4: Absolutely, it's right at the top of the page, right.
Speaker 2: And if people want to make a donation or a contribution.
Speaker 2: Some people are very adept at making contributions through all
Speaker 2: the various ways in which things. What about those in
Speaker 2: our audience who are a little maybe old fashioned like myself,
Speaker 2: who might like to a check. What's the best way,
Speaker 2: I'll tell you, who are troglodytes.
Speaker 4: I'm not far behind you in the troglodyte world in
Speaker 4: terms of that.
Speaker 2: Dan.
Speaker 4: But they should make the checks out to American Parkinson's
Speaker 4: Disease Association or a p d A. That's as simple
Speaker 4: as that. And maybe just put a little note at
Speaker 4: the bottom. And I actually don't have the address, handy,
Speaker 4: but I will now, I'll get it right now. Actually,
Speaker 4: I think we have time and they can send in
Speaker 4: a donation. If they can go on the website, they
Speaker 4: can get a whole lot much more information. Sure, Yeah,
Speaker 4: here's the address I have it right here. In fact,
Speaker 4: it's it's a p d A, eighty five East Conquered
Speaker 4: Street as in the Grape in the city.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 4: And it's on the it's ground floor, that's part of
Speaker 4: their address, and it's Boston two one one eight. So
Speaker 4: so and again.
Speaker 2: People, I'm gonna give them one more time, Jordan. Uh,
Speaker 2: it's a p d A, which stands for American Parkinson
Speaker 2: Disease Association. And you said, it's eighty five East Conquered Street,
Speaker 2: ground floor, Boston to one. And they can include that,
Speaker 2: which I hope will will will benefit your call your
Speaker 2: team can can is they surely put well, you.
Speaker 4: Know, they can put my name on there and then
Speaker 4: they'll I'm not looking for any credit at all on this,
Speaker 4: but it's really fun to see the numbers pile up.
Speaker 4: In fact, my wife and I and you know, my
Speaker 4: wife Roberta, we got an original goal of I think
Speaker 4: sixteen eighteen hundred, and that was quickly wiped out because
Speaker 4: we beat that in a day, so we've up the goal.
Speaker 4: It's now seventy two hundred. I have a feeling we're
Speaker 4: going to go to ten thousand plus very soon because
Speaker 4: there's a lot of people coming through and I'm touched.
Speaker 4: I'm humbled. I'm always for clemped when I know how
Speaker 4: supportive people are and friends and neighbors but also listeners.
Speaker 4: So I really appreciate the opportunity to spread the good word.
Speaker 2: Well, i'll tell you it's incredible. And by the way,
Speaker 2: the fundraiser for Jordan Rich, I think also can be
Speaker 2: founded GoFundMe dot com or or was that a different one?
Speaker 4: Now that's different on me, don't I don't need any
Speaker 4: fundraising for me, right.
Speaker 2: Okay, all right, I avoid that.
Speaker 4: Yeah, fair enough, it's perfectly fine, perfectly.
Speaker 2: Fine, okay, No, And they so we got to meet
Speaker 2: the way, as they say, you can just go to
Speaker 2: Jordan's Jordan Rich's show page and there's a link in
Speaker 2: which you can make a donation directly. Yeah, if you
Speaker 2: if you're old fashioned and you're a little intimidated by that,
Speaker 2: and you like to write a check, just go to
Speaker 2: ap DA American Parkinsons Disease Association, eighty five East Conquered Street,
Speaker 2: ground floor, Boston, to one and make sure on that
Speaker 2: check you put Jordan's name so that that contributes. You know.
Speaker 2: The better way to do it probably would be to
Speaker 2: do it through the fundraiser that Jordan has on his
Speaker 2: show page. But again it I don't want anyone to
Speaker 2: be deterred because they don't have a computer or they're intimidated. Sip,
Speaker 2: simple as that, Jordan are you're still doing this stuff
Speaker 2: on WBZ real quickly for your fans who maybe have
Speaker 2: a couple, only a couple who have lost track. When
Speaker 2: are you on the air weekends?
Speaker 1: Oh?
Speaker 4: Pretty much all weekend from New England weekend to Connoisseur's
Speaker 4: Corner to book Club to UH streaming on TV and
Speaker 4: in the movie theaters. I do all at the Upside
Speaker 4: with Jordan's and then I'm still doing a lot of
Speaker 4: podcasting and you can catch my podcast which is called
Speaker 4: on Mike O, n M I C with Jordan Rich.
Speaker 4: It's on all platforms. And yeah, you know, I miss
Speaker 4: doing the fill in for you because it was a
Speaker 4: lot of fun and it's a great honor. But it's
Speaker 4: important for me to get my sleep, if you know
Speaker 4: what I mean. Absolutely take care of myself and always
Speaker 4: sound great.
Speaker 2: You sound great. We talk occasionally off here. You continue
Speaker 2: to sound great, stay strong, and a lot of people
Speaker 2: have you in their thoughts in perish all the time.
Speaker 1: Well, thank you for.
Speaker 4: My fellow for my fellow community of Parkies, Parkinson's patients
Speaker 4: and people. Keep the fight up. That's the important thing.
Speaker 4: Thank you so much, Dan.
Speaker 2: Sley, my pleasure, Jordan, thank you very much for all
Speaker 2: you've done, all you've done over the years. When we
Speaker 2: get back, we'll get back to the nine o'clock Right
Speaker 2: after the nine o'clock news, we'll be talking with the
Speaker 2: President of Assumption College, Greg Weiner, wrote a very interesting
Speaker 2: essay and o ed in The New York Times on
Speaker 2: March twenty ninth about higher education colleges have to be
Speaker 2: much more honest with themselves. Back on night side after
Speaker 2: this