FoosTalk Live | Ep 189 | Top 10 Most Popular Foosball Radio episodes P 2

[00:00:01] The following is a presentation of Foosball Radio.

[00:00:10] First things first, to everyone in our Foosball family, happy new year!

[00:00:15] Let's make the sport of Foosball everything it can be in 2024.

[00:00:20] Remember, if we all pull together in the same direction, we can make this a great sport for future generations.

[00:00:27] Since the start of Foosball Radio, we have seen many good things come to pass,

[00:00:32] not the least of which was Foosball Clubs USA.

[00:00:35] We're saddened at the passing of founder John O'Brien.

[00:00:38] However, we are encouraged by the dedication of Michael Stahl Jr. in Michigan.

[00:00:44] Moving forward and introducing youngsters to Foosball, please do everything you can to support FoosballClubsUSA.com.

[00:00:52] Now let's get on with the countdown of the top 10 most downloaded episodes of Foosball Radio and FoosTalk Live.

[00:01:00] Using the Buzzsprout metrics for downloads, the number 5 most downloaded episode is actually the second most downloaded episode of FoosTalk Live.

[00:01:10] It features a Hall of Fame player who really stood out in the history of the sport, multiple world titles and a fierce competitor.

[00:01:18] Tony Bacon is a legend!

[00:01:20] I do want to mention that this segment does have its moments.

[00:01:25] I caution you there is salty language.

[00:01:28] Coming in with 684 total downloads, originally aired March 21st of 2021, this is number 5 on the top 10 most downloaded episodes of Foosball Radio and FoosTalk Live.

[00:01:46] Oh hey there! I'm Tom Robinson. Welcome back to FoosTalk Live.

[00:01:50] We're about to spend another Sunday evening talking about the beautiful game, you know, there's Foosball.

[00:01:55] And a sincere thanks to Midori Kamura for filling in last week as guest host.

[00:01:59] She did a fantastic job. It's always a pleasure to have Midori hanging out with us.

[00:02:03] Now of course, conversation is a whole lot more interesting if you've got somebody else to talk to.

[00:02:08] And of course all the way back from my believe the wilds of Arizona from the great state of Colorado and inside Foos TV studios.

[00:02:16] It's the world's greatest foosball play-by-player announcer, Jim Stevens. Hello Jim.

[00:02:22] Tom Robinson, great to hear your voice. I feel a little bit out of shape.

[00:02:26] It's been two weeks since I've done the show and it seems like a lot longer than that.

[00:02:30] As you say, out of town for the week it was spring break here in Durango so we headed south to Phoenix.

[00:02:35] Did you miss the snow? Did you miss the snow because there's a lot of snow I guess in Colorado last week?

[00:02:40] We did. Well we caught some driving down in northern Arizona but got through it down into the 60, 70 and then 80 degree temperatures of Phoenix and had a great time.

[00:02:47] But as you said, thanks to Midori for filling in last week and the special guest Mario Yannuzzi as well.

[00:02:52] Yes, he was great.

[00:02:53] A very well-spoken individual knows the game, very cerebral player and those Canadians are such nice people.

[00:02:58] Yeah, super nice guy. He didn't even want to admit or remember that he had beaten me badly at New York State Championships

[00:03:05] and just basically toyed with us when we played him but he said, oh no I played full tilt.

[00:03:11] Yeah, I know you did.

[00:03:13] Like I say, the Canadians extremely, extremely nice people.

[00:03:18] And looking forward to tonight's show it could be an interesting one as we look back on the 1980s and the great Tony Bacon,

[00:03:26] one of the great players of that decade, six time world champion on the Dynamo table so that's going to be a lot of fun.

[00:03:32] How many people in Dynamo can say they won six times?

[00:03:35] I think he's the only one who can say they'd won six world championships.

[00:03:38] Really?

[00:03:39] Others had won a similar number of titles perhaps but as far as world championships go and we'll talk more about this with Mark Torres as we move forward.

[00:03:46] We don't want to forget about Mark.

[00:03:48] You just said the four letter word.

[00:03:49] I mean, I'm sorry but Mark, I guess, yeah, I guess he's back too.

[00:03:53] So Mark, how's the fasting going?

[00:03:56] Fasting. I did three days. I fasted Sunday through Wednesday.

[00:03:59] I had a meal one meal Wednesday, one meal Thursday.

[00:04:02] And then my wife and I lost our minds and like ate like Swiss roll and cake for Friday, Saturday.

[00:04:08] Really?

[00:04:09] But I'm so disappointed.

[00:04:11] I'm disappointed.

[00:04:12] I started another one today though.

[00:04:14] The idea is we're going to try to do three or four day fasts for a while to calibrate.

[00:04:17] We can't be eating Swiss roll but I'm starting another one.

[00:04:20] I started another one at six fifty today.

[00:04:22] So I'm going to try to go enough about you Tom.

[00:04:24] Can we talk about me for once?

[00:04:26] I'm sick of this.

[00:04:27] I'm sick of this show.

[00:04:29] Sick of it.

[00:04:30] Wow, I guess fasting doesn't get in very good mood.

[00:04:35] But yeah, and I'm pretty slow when it comes to fasting.

[00:04:39] That's for sure.

[00:04:40] Likewise.

[00:04:41] Man, I well, Mark, it's I'm so sorry anyway.

[00:04:48] Yeah.

[00:04:49] One thing I wanted to bring up this week.

[00:04:50] We've got a couple of big birthdays in the world of table soccer.

[00:04:53] You know, the great British player Robert Athe is birthday is on March 23rd.

[00:04:58] And there's one other birthday coming up this week as well in March 26th.

[00:05:02] And it's none other than Mr. Mark Torres.

[00:05:04] But I'm not mistaken.

[00:05:06] Tonight is our, tonight is our 48th show.

[00:05:10] Yes it is.

[00:05:11] My mistake and I'm thinking Mark that that is a number that is,

[00:05:14] it's close for you as well.

[00:05:16] Oh man.

[00:05:17] How did you know this too much information?

[00:05:19] Crazy.

[00:05:20] I said close.

[00:05:21] Yeah, exactly.

[00:05:22] It's my birthday on the 26th.

[00:05:24] I don't celebrate it.

[00:05:25] No, but my family, my family, I never really did.

[00:05:28] I don't know.

[00:05:29] Once again, Tom,

[00:05:30] one of the few things Mark and I have in common, we don't celebrate our

[00:05:33] birthday.

[00:05:34] Same thing.

[00:05:35] You don't celebrate your birthday.

[00:05:36] Just kind of like, you're not celebrating.

[00:05:38] I celebrate the day I got out of prison.

[00:05:40] I don't celebrate my birthday.

[00:05:41] Which ironically enough is on Independence Day.

[00:05:44] So I love it.

[00:05:46] Well, you have to force to then.

[00:05:49] Mark, you kind of sound older dude.

[00:05:51] I don't know what it is.

[00:05:53] Makes sense that you have a birthday this week.

[00:05:55] Sounds like a number.

[00:05:57] We can squeeze in a birthday shout out too.

[00:05:59] Since we're doing that right now.

[00:06:01] There's a local player here, Jeff Greenhaugh.

[00:06:03] He has a birthday tomorrow.

[00:06:04] I think he's 44.

[00:06:05] Yeah.

[00:06:06] We sang happy birthday last night out at the sweet.

[00:06:08] And he would absolutely love hearing a happy birthday from.

[00:06:12] Jeff.

[00:06:13] I'm one, two, three happy.

[00:06:15] No, we're not going to say happy birthday.

[00:06:17] We're not going to say happy birthday.

[00:06:19] Happy birthday.

[00:06:20] Happy birthday.

[00:06:22] Speaking of, speaking of birthdays.

[00:06:25] And I don't know if this is an accurate segue in some ways it might be.

[00:06:28] But go ahead.

[00:06:30] Sunday.

[00:06:31] For those of you listening next Sunday.

[00:06:34] Kind of a special episode of who's talk live.

[00:06:38] As we have some big announcement coming next week.

[00:06:41] And I think what's going to happen is who is the guests next week.

[00:06:44] Am I the guest next week?

[00:06:45] Is that how we're doing this?

[00:06:46] I think you are.

[00:06:47] I think that I saw the docket and it's like, wait a second.

[00:06:50] Jim is listed as special guest. What?

[00:06:52] What's up with that?

[00:06:53] I'm, well, you're picking my interest.

[00:06:55] What's going on?

[00:06:56] Is that,

[00:06:57] has that ever happened to the history of radio or anything where one of the

[00:07:00] hosts is the special guest?

[00:07:01] Well, no, it's just, you know, some stuff that's been going on.

[00:07:04] And we have a, you know,

[00:07:06] it's a big announcement next week.

[00:07:08] We'll just put it that way as we, as we look forward,

[00:07:10] but it's going to be a special episode for those of you listening

[00:07:12] live for those of you listening on download.

[00:07:14] Make sure you tune in next week at nine o'clock Eastern time for a very

[00:07:18] special episode of who's talk vibe.

[00:07:20] Well, that's all I got is I'm thinking this is going to be a fun show tonight as well.

[00:07:24] Interesting. Yeah. No, I think it's going to be fabulous. Let's put it that way.

[00:07:29] We're looking forward to spending some time with our old friend Tony,

[00:07:33] who I have known for a good 40, 40 plus years.

[00:07:36] Wow. Another 40 fabulous all kinds of upwards.

[00:07:41] Take account. If you don't mind, play,

[00:07:44] if you could do the do the stats on the show tonight, you know,

[00:07:47] every time there is an F word uttered to mark a word for us,

[00:07:50] there will be stats.

[00:07:55] I just keep an eye on the, on the behind the scenes chat there because trust me,

[00:07:59] there will be stats.

[00:08:00] All right.

[00:08:01] Some of which may be available for our listeners and some of which probably shouldn't

[00:08:05] be one of the things we get to do here at foos talk live,

[00:08:07] which I love is getting a chance to talk to the people who actually live this

[00:08:10] and do this. And of course, tonight's guest is no exception.

[00:08:14] He was a six time world champion on the dynamo table and in fact made the top

[00:08:19] five list as the number one dynamo forward.

[00:08:22] And these days,

[00:08:24] shut up.

[00:08:25] I mean it. Get out.

[00:08:27] Get out.

[00:08:28] Please, please put it together. Let's welcome.

[00:08:31] Believe it or not.

[00:08:33] I'm in the seven time world champion.

[00:08:35] Seven three world singles titles in a row.

[00:08:38] Wow.

[00:08:39] I just hate that.

[00:08:41] And I hate the part about who you guys don't tell me I'm in the world's

[00:08:45] Guinness Book of Records.

[00:08:46] I hate the part where I won the dynamo singles champion.

[00:08:51] I mean tornado.

[00:08:55] And then me and Murray beat the crap out of all you guys.

[00:08:59] Yeah.

[00:09:00] I remember that.

[00:09:01] You guys beat me pretty bad.

[00:09:03] I didn't play you about that.

[00:09:05] Hey, Tony Bacon.

[00:09:06] Nice to hear from you buddy.

[00:09:07] Great way to come on to the show.

[00:09:09] No one else has quite matched your opening.

[00:09:11] It reminds me of your.

[00:09:13] Remind me.

[00:09:14] Come on.

[00:09:15] How many people have ever won three world championships in a row?

[00:09:19] Yeah, not many.

[00:09:20] Right.

[00:09:21] Rico Rico and Tony.

[00:09:25] Yeah, Tony Billy.

[00:09:27] His name is called Tony.

[00:09:28] So I like them a lot.

[00:09:30] Yeah, for sure.

[00:09:31] Well, Tony Bacon.

[00:09:32] I mean, you're by the way, how many people have ever won a gold medal

[00:09:36] when no one else did?

[00:09:38] Yeah.

[00:09:39] Yeah.

[00:09:40] Yeah.

[00:09:41] There was there.

[00:09:42] A player was there.

[00:09:45] Guess what?

[00:09:46] All the gold all the national anthems that was played was

[00:09:51] just played for us.

[00:09:53] By the way, we didn't kneel.

[00:09:55] No, no, that would be your option.

[00:09:57] Your choice depending.

[00:09:59] How about two years later in Germany when we won it again?

[00:10:04] And and and you mean like those guys and stuff like that.

[00:10:09] I don't even care if the best team was the first team,

[00:10:13] but I know the second team.

[00:10:15] Yeah.

[00:10:16] By the way, guess what we didn't do again.

[00:10:19] Neil.

[00:10:21] That would be your choice once again.

[00:10:23] You had a different choice on each one.

[00:10:25] How are you quiet?

[00:10:26] Get out.

[00:10:27] Tony, you heard our top five.

[00:10:29] Tony, you heard our top five.

[00:10:30] You got five guys or gals that you would have loved to see keep

[00:10:33] playing that stop playing.

[00:10:35] Well, the only thing I don't like about Stevens is I left them

[00:10:39] in Seattle.

[00:10:41] No, but when he said Tom Spear was his favorite player.

[00:10:46] It's mine.

[00:10:47] It's mine.

[00:10:49] We practiced together.

[00:10:51] I never thought I could beat him.

[00:10:53] But I did.

[00:10:55] So Tom,

[00:10:57] it's Tom Spear.

[00:10:58] Your number one or do you got four other guys?

[00:11:00] Furry is the best player in the world.

[00:11:02] Furry.

[00:11:03] Okay.

[00:11:04] That's my number one.

[00:11:05] So we agree.

[00:11:06] Anyone else you think you would wish would have kept playing

[00:11:08] and you would have think they thought they had success through

[00:11:10] maybe the nineties at least.

[00:11:12] I don't even care about that.

[00:11:14] Bullshit.

[00:11:15] I just wanted to learn from the best players.

[00:11:17] I learned from fucking Spear and Furry how to be the best.

[00:11:20] And then I was.

[00:11:22] There you go.

[00:11:23] Clay, Clay, Claire, you keeping stats.

[00:11:25] Have you ever won three singles tournaments?

[00:11:29] World champions in a row?

[00:11:31] I've never even won three local.

[00:11:33] Ever been in five out of six world championship doubles in a

[00:11:37] row?

[00:11:38] Yeah.

[00:11:39] I've never won three local championships.

[00:11:41] I've never won three local championships.

[00:11:43] I've never won two championship doubles in a row.

[00:11:46] Have you ever commented 27 world championships in a row?

[00:11:49] I've never won one in a row.

[00:11:51] And done that?

[00:11:53] No, we don't care about that.

[00:11:55] Did you win?

[00:11:56] We don't even care.

[00:11:57] I didn't even know.

[00:11:58] Where were you in 1990?

[00:11:59] I've never won three.

[00:12:01] When I was winning amateur doubles at the World Championship.

[00:12:04] Good point.

[00:12:05] Good point.

[00:12:06] I think I'm pretty sure I was eating a tuna for sandwich.

[00:12:12] I was eating a tuna for a sandwich.

[00:12:15] But have you ever won three world titles in a row in singles?

[00:12:21] I'll just say yes.

[00:12:22] There's only two other people that have ever done it that I know.

[00:12:26] But Rico and Spriedemann, they're pretty good.

[00:12:30] Billy, Billy, Billy won.

[00:12:31] Billy won two in a row.

[00:12:32] Who invented the two man from the five man?

[00:12:35] You tell me who did it.

[00:12:37] Who did it?

[00:12:38] I really?

[00:12:39] Did you really?

[00:12:40] Did you really?

[00:12:41] Thanks for destroying the game.

[00:12:43] Okay, thank you.

[00:12:44] Thank you.

[00:12:45] The two out of the five destroyed the game.

[00:12:47] Okay, well, so Tony, the tradition here

[00:12:50] on Fooz Talk Live, first of all, thanks for being here.

[00:12:53] I have never said a word that would get me off Facebook

[00:12:56] yet tonight.

[00:12:57] All right, all right.

[00:12:58] Well, we'd like to start at the very beginning

[00:13:00] because there's a tradition here.

[00:13:01] We gotta find out what was the first time

[00:13:03] you saw a foosball table, what kind was it

[00:13:05] and when did you first dive into play?

[00:13:07] Really, that's a great question.

[00:13:09] I was 10 years old.

[00:13:11] Okay.

[00:13:13] When my family had just went to Moscow to Michigan,

[00:13:18] got guaranteed you guys know what that is

[00:13:21] and I just walked into the place

[00:13:22] where you make your shakes and stuff like that

[00:13:26] and they had a foosball table.

[00:13:29] Cool.

[00:13:30] And did you know what it was?

[00:13:33] A foosball table.

[00:13:35] Right, but I mean, at 10 years old,

[00:13:37] had you ever seen a foosball table prior to that?

[00:13:40] Ever, no.

[00:13:41] Right.

[00:13:43] And so one of the first time

[00:13:44] we actually played on a table.

[00:13:48] That day?

[00:13:49] That day, that day, okay.

[00:13:51] Ha ha ha!

[00:13:52] Ha ha ha!

[00:13:53] You idiot dog!

[00:13:55] Ha ha ha!

[00:13:56] Ha ha ha!

[00:13:57] Ha ha ha!

[00:13:58] Ha ha ha!

[00:13:59] Ha ha ha!

[00:14:00] Come down, you guys, come down!

[00:14:02] Ha ha ha!

[00:14:03] Let's try to program you right under cry.

[00:14:05] Tony, we apologize for our friend Tom.

[00:14:07] He's such an imbecile.

[00:14:08] Ha ha ha!

[00:14:10] Not the other way.

[00:14:10] He's a nice guy.

[00:14:11] I'd like to say.

[00:14:12] Very nice guy.

[00:14:13] Okay, what can I tell you?

[00:14:16] No, it was it.

[00:14:18] I was 10 years old.

[00:14:19] I rode my bicycle down

[00:14:22] to the new town that we had lived in

[00:14:25] and everyone was playing foosball.

[00:14:26] By the way, they had pretty girls playing it too.

[00:14:29] Nice.

[00:14:30] And other people and different things.

[00:14:33] And so do you remember what kind of table it was?

[00:14:36] Was it like a bonzini?

[00:14:37] No, no.

[00:14:39] It wasn't a TS.

[00:14:41] It was just a foosball table.

[00:14:43] Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha.

[00:14:45] And so when-

[00:14:45] It was one of the metal ones

[00:14:47] or whatever they play in Texas.

[00:14:49] Gotcha.

[00:14:50] So when was the first time

[00:14:51] you actually went to a formal tournament of some kind?

[00:14:55] It was the first of all,

[00:14:57] I won the tournament in Escota

[00:15:01] to get sponsored to the $100,000

[00:15:05] Pink and Congress tournament.

[00:15:07] By the way, Tim Burns and Mike Bowers won the tournament.

[00:15:11] Okay.

[00:15:12] It was the first time I ever saw anyone do a far wall pass.

[00:15:21] And then you adopted the far wall pass

[00:15:23] at that from that experience?

[00:15:25] You saw-

[00:15:26] No, no, I had the best pass on the other side.

[00:15:30] I had the best pass on the other side

[00:15:34] but it wasn't working for me.

[00:15:35] I was playing Furry in bed and I was right.

[00:15:38] And Furry's just beating the crap out of me, right?

[00:15:41] On the near side of my five man

[00:15:44] which I thought was pretty good.

[00:15:46] And I just decided, fuck it,

[00:15:50] I've been practicing this pass.

[00:15:53] I made like 18,000 passes in a row.

[00:16:00] After that,

[00:16:02] but I'll tell you the greatest story

[00:16:03] you ever heard in your life, right?

[00:16:05] So Badnar blocks me on four to four

[00:16:10] and I'm crying because I missed the shot

[00:16:14] and he just smokes it in, right?

[00:16:16] So the next tournament me and Don are playing,

[00:16:20] you know, who was it?

[00:16:21] You?

[00:16:24] Yeah, yeah.

[00:16:25] Tell him I was playing him and Clint Coyne.

[00:16:29] Can we talk about me?

[00:16:30] Oh yeah, yeah.

[00:16:32] I was talking about him.

[00:16:33] And then I knew for sure

[00:16:37] when Badnar's blocked me the first time I matched ball

[00:16:41] that I should just wait four seconds instead of three

[00:16:44] and ripped along.

[00:16:46] Yeah, because he was looking inside the entire time

[00:16:49] that was sort of your reputation.

[00:16:50] You'd work that inside but in Bowers,

[00:16:52] you waited that extra second and hit the long.

[00:16:54] And that weekend in 1982

[00:16:56] which was the first one ever for you and Don Shalifo

[00:16:59] and we'll talk about Donny a little bit.

[00:17:00] He's been a guest on the show.

[00:17:02] But that was quite a win for you.

[00:17:04] They're in LA, you played us

[00:17:06] in the Losers bracket final,

[00:17:07] Clint Coyne and I and what was my greatest tournament ever.

[00:17:09] And then-

[00:17:10] Tell them the real story.

[00:17:12] Well, I'm gonna crush you if you don't.

[00:17:14] The real story?

[00:17:15] No, you go ahead and tell it.

[00:17:17] I'd love to hear your take on it.

[00:17:19] All right, Jim Stevens and Clint Coyne

[00:17:23] have more character in their pinky finger

[00:17:28] than most people have.

[00:17:31] And last, telling us we're playing

[00:17:33] Winner the Loser bracket.

[00:17:35] No, it's two out of three.

[00:17:37] Even Stevens and the other fucking Clint Coyne

[00:17:40] from Chicago is cool.

[00:17:41] We don't get to play two out of three for that.

[00:17:46] And then after we beat him, right?

[00:17:48] This is why Stevens and Clint Coyne

[00:17:51] are the best almost characters I know.

[00:17:55] Because afterwards, Slat said,

[00:17:57] No, no, no, we get to play an extra game.

[00:18:01] And both Stevens and Clint Coyne said,

[00:18:03] No, you don't, we argued with you for 25 minutes before this.

[00:18:09] Am I being mad?

[00:18:12] Are you being mad?

[00:18:14] No, I'm just being honest.

[00:18:15] Yeah, no, it's honest.

[00:18:17] Yeah, no, that's honest.

[00:18:18] You can't be honest.

[00:18:19] And I'm telling you right now,

[00:18:20] Jim Stevens and Clint Coyne has more character

[00:18:26] than a lot of foosball players will ever have.

[00:18:29] Shut up.

[00:18:32] Okay, that's the truth.

[00:18:37] It's the truth.

[00:18:39] It's the truth.

[00:18:40] Yeah, no, and the thing came,

[00:18:43] I was scoring pretty well on Shalifu,

[00:18:44] but you just outfired,

[00:18:46] but you just killed me on the five

[00:18:47] and that was the difference

[00:18:48] using that opposite wall passing series

[00:18:50] that really, you're one of the five best passers

[00:18:53] in the history of the sport.

[00:18:54] I think you made it on our list of top five passers.

[00:18:57] Let's talk a little bit about your partner,

[00:18:58] Don Shalifu, the guy who has been on the show,

[00:19:00] that he might have been on.

[00:19:01] Don taught us how to do the thing.

[00:19:03] At that tournament, Alfredo and Maloney,

[00:19:07] because we beat them before we played you.

[00:19:12] But either way, Don was,

[00:19:14] he used to just whisper in my ear what play it would be.

[00:19:19] And then Alfredo said,

[00:19:20] You killed whispering in his ear.

[00:19:21] So Don came up immediately.

[00:19:24] Instead, I'll just tap your foot like a baseball player.

[00:19:28] Don's a base.

[00:19:29] Now I'll just go one, two, three, four, whatever.

[00:19:34] And I knew where he was going.

[00:19:36] Yeah, that's good.

[00:19:38] And you've seen other teams use that

[00:19:40] throughout the years.

[00:19:41] Communication between Goli and Ford is really, really smart.

[00:19:46] We've seen it with Gummison and McMillan

[00:19:47] and of course, LaFredo and Colin Yellen

[00:19:49] are LaFredo with whoever he's playing with.

[00:19:51] Weidman comes to mind a few years ago.

[00:19:53] But that's, and Donny was kind of the first guy

[00:19:55] to kind of do that with you.

[00:19:57] Her.

[00:20:02] By the way, you know Don won

[00:20:04] the only Goli World tournament ever,

[00:20:06] first place 25,000 in Denver.

[00:20:10] Wow, 25,000 for Goli Wars?

[00:20:13] Yeah.

[00:20:15] Man. I feel like there was one out on the West Coast

[00:20:17] as well, the Gil Jackson.

[00:20:18] By the way, he took second with Ben Rivera.

[00:20:22] Yeah.

[00:20:23] At the tournament that me and Brett won

[00:20:25] the first time, that's Novice Doubles.

[00:20:28] Back then, Novice Doubles was an important win too.

[00:20:32] Yeah, yeah, no doubt.

[00:20:34] 1979 I think the man in the top...

[00:20:36] You know who you lost to?

[00:20:37] Howard and McQueenie.

[00:20:39] Yeah, McConn and McQueenie.

[00:20:41] Grovera, I mean him, Howard McQueenie, dude.

[00:20:47] What a match.

[00:20:51] So let me ask you this, Donny,

[00:20:52] while the other guys are relatively silent for some reason.

[00:20:55] A few years ago, you were inducted

[00:20:57] into the Table Sucker Hall of Fame

[00:21:00] and your speech to this day is one of the best ever

[00:21:04] in my opinion.

[00:21:05] Because I said, foosball family?

[00:21:08] Well, yes.

[00:21:09] And you know, you can't make this stuff up

[00:21:12] and you told some great stories.

[00:21:13] What are your memories of not only the ceremony,

[00:21:16] but what it felt like to be put into the Hall of Fame?

[00:21:19] It felt great.

[00:21:24] That's it.

[00:21:25] It felt great.

[00:21:26] That's how it felt, right?

[00:21:27] Yeah.

[00:21:28] I'm guessing you don't have, maybe in your memory...

[00:21:30] The one guy before I do this speech, right,

[00:21:33] this guy from San Francisco comes up to me and says,

[00:21:38] me and the other guys used to play in a foosball game.

[00:21:42] We would tend to whoever we are.

[00:21:45] You know, I used to do it too.

[00:21:47] And he said, I used to always wanna be you.

[00:21:52] Cool.

[00:21:53] And then he asked me, how's that feel?

[00:21:56] I said, great.

[00:22:01] Yeah.

[00:22:02] How could it not be?

[00:22:04] Yeah.

[00:22:05] Come on guys.

[00:22:06] I saw these little kids.

[00:22:07] I remember pretending you were Michael Jordan

[00:22:10] with someone else.

[00:22:11] Yeah, for sure.

[00:22:12] Tony, I got a question for you.

[00:22:14] Who's your great nemesis?

[00:22:16] By that I mean, who gave you the hardest time?

[00:22:18] Which master gave you the most difficulty beating?

[00:22:23] I never thought about that.

[00:22:24] But if I had to choose one, I'd say Doug Furry.

[00:22:31] Why? Talk about it a little bit.

[00:22:32] Why do you...

[00:22:33] What was his deal?

[00:22:35] Maybe the best ever.

[00:22:42] Awesome.

[00:22:44] Yeah.

[00:22:44] Okay.

[00:22:45] Okay.

[00:22:46] We got that.

[00:22:47] By the way, I crushed him in the 82.

[00:22:50] I crushed him down.

[00:22:51] Me and fucking Paul Reynolds were playing him

[00:22:54] in Minnesota, right?

[00:22:56] He's playing with Bednar, right?

[00:22:59] And Reynolds said this thing.

[00:23:00] I never went through a tournament, but I won.

[00:23:03] I doubled, right?

[00:23:05] And I told him.

[00:23:06] And Furry says to me, looked at me

[00:23:08] and he said, you're not God.

[00:23:10] I said, but I am your God today.

[00:23:14] Oh, love it.

[00:23:15] And Bednar.

[00:23:16] Yeah.

[00:23:17] Well, Dynamo was your table.

[00:23:18] And I had fucking Reynolds on my team.

[00:23:22] Tony, can I ask you to stop dropping F-bombs?

[00:23:25] We might have some kids...

[00:23:26] Oh, I didn't even swear.

[00:23:28] Yeah, you did like five.

[00:23:30] They already kicked me out of toys.

[00:23:32] Five F-bombs at this point.

[00:23:34] We might have kids...

[00:23:34] I'm sorry.

[00:23:35] All right, man.

[00:23:36] It's okay.

[00:23:38] So let's go back a little bit.

[00:23:40] So Furry gave you fits and issues.

[00:23:44] Is there a match that you cherish the most?

[00:23:46] You know, Furry, Furry.

[00:23:48] I took third in last TTS tournament ever.

[00:23:52] The last ever?

[00:23:54] Last one ever.

[00:23:57] Wow.

[00:23:58] I lost to Gibson.

[00:23:59] And one of my favorite guys in the world,

[00:24:04] Bonavis, goalie's ever.

[00:24:07] Yeah.

[00:24:08] Mm-hmm.

[00:24:10] Great guy.

[00:24:11] They used to follow me, right?

[00:24:13] And I said to him,

[00:24:14] I used to watch every one of their practices, right?

[00:24:17] And they would practice like they were professionals.

[00:24:24] So I decided I should probably do it too.

[00:24:28] You mean practice?

[00:24:30] Like a professional.

[00:24:32] Right.

[00:24:33] Like it was your living.

[00:24:34] Like you're trying to win for your life.

[00:24:39] That seemed to work.

[00:24:40] What did a practice look like for you?

[00:24:44] Yes.

[00:24:45] All right.

[00:24:47] And Furry and Winsville came up to me one time, right?

[00:24:52] Cause I was just a little smoker on the planet.

[00:24:55] And they said someday I don't want to play you.

[00:25:02] I just thought to myself,

[00:25:04] I just want to play you and beat you.

[00:25:10] Yeah.

[00:25:11] You know, one of the guys that's been a regular

[00:25:13] on the show, we had as Adam as a guest.

[00:25:15] And he's also called in a few times.

[00:25:16] It was Mike Green.

[00:25:17] Of course, he teamed with Johnny Horton back in the 1985

[00:25:20] World Championships on Dynamo in Dallas.

[00:25:23] You faced Horton in all three finals.

[00:25:27] You were playing with Don Shalifoon doubles

[00:25:28] against Horton and Green.

[00:25:30] You won singles I think that's that weekend.

[00:25:32] But Horton was able to get doubles and mixed doubles

[00:25:34] if I'm not mistaken.

[00:25:35] So I won one.

[00:25:38] Yeah.

[00:25:39] I talk a little bit about that rivalry

[00:25:40] and maybe in particular that weekend.

[00:25:42] That rivalry, after we get done with all the championships

[00:25:46] it's him against me who's going to win.

[00:25:50] You don't have near little mixed battle partner

[00:25:53] you and Don or Green or nothing to go on your team.

[00:25:57] You got to beat me now.

[00:25:59] Yeah.

[00:26:00] It never happened.

[00:26:02] Yeah.

[00:26:03] You took singles from him but I was there.

[00:26:05] I was actually my first.

[00:26:06] By the way, when I beat him,

[00:26:08] this is the greatest story for Don's life.

[00:26:12] I'm playing Horton if I beat Don in singles

[00:26:17] to be the number one player in the world again.

[00:26:21] And Don does exactly what he always does to me.

[00:26:24] Flacks me and then does a five minute shot

[00:26:26] and makes it in.

[00:26:27] And you know what he did?

[00:26:29] He handed me the ball and said, go win baby.

[00:26:34] I've never heard or ever.

[00:26:37] This is something, it's amazing.

[00:26:40] Then across.

[00:26:44] But Don beat me in singles and play Horton

[00:26:47] but he knew I could be Horton.

[00:26:49] He knew he couldn't.

[00:26:51] So he gave me the ball and said, go win baby.

[00:26:57] Well that's an interesting story.

[00:26:59] It's a true story.

[00:27:00] Apparently yeah.

[00:27:01] You could get arrested for that

[00:27:02] if you did that in the NBA these days

[00:27:04] but you know, you win a match, you win a match.

[00:27:09] Shifting gears a little bit.

[00:27:11] That's you know, you're recognized as one

[00:27:12] of the great five rows of all time.

[00:27:14] What is really.

[00:27:15] So what?

[00:27:16] Five rows don't mean nothing dude.

[00:27:18] You gotta win.

[00:27:19] So what?

[00:27:20] Win.

[00:27:23] Have you ever won a match without a five row?

[00:27:27] No?

[00:27:28] Yeah and I mean, you know,

[00:27:29] your approach to five row,

[00:27:31] your ability to get that ball moving slowly

[00:27:33] to go to the right hole at the right time.

[00:27:35] Whatever.

[00:27:36] It was kind of a natural skill for you.

[00:27:39] Talk a little bit about that if you can.

[00:27:42] Well I always believed that the easiest pass

[00:27:46] is the easiest one to do.

[00:27:50] Yeah, write that down, hold on.

[00:27:54] The easiest pass.

[00:27:56] The easiest pass is the easiest one to do.

[00:27:59] You know how?

[00:28:00] The easiest pass is the easiest one to do.

[00:28:04] You know, Facebook puts some motivational quotes

[00:28:07] on making that the inside.

[00:28:08] They checked me off Facebook.

[00:28:10] No, Flare hates us.

[00:28:18] Hey, Flare hates what I call complicated simplicity.

[00:28:25] Flare hates it dude.

[00:28:26] He's gonna beat me up now.

[00:28:28] The easiest pass you can do is the easiest one.

[00:28:32] This is just a bunch of confessing

[00:28:35] and they just say, oh I didn't do that.

[00:28:37] Cut it out, I'm gonna kill you when I see it.

[00:28:39] Ask Stevens.

[00:28:41] Cut it out you guys.

[00:28:43] I may not have the best five men in the world

[00:28:48] but my philosophy is I'm gonna do the easiest pass

[00:28:52] with the most consistency all the time.

[00:29:00] Huh, interesting.

[00:29:02] I know, cause it's the easiest one.

[00:29:06] You always use the easiest pass.

[00:29:10] I don't know.

[00:29:12] I mean, to be honest this is mind blowing

[00:29:15] cause I've done the easiest pass.

[00:29:17] I'm just saying I have nine world championships,

[00:29:18] two gold titles and I never do the easiest pass.

[00:29:21] And I have zero and I never do the easiest pass.

[00:29:22] Do you believe that the easiest pass you can do

[00:29:25] is the easiest one consistently every time?

[00:29:28] Which one, how do I find out which one is the easiest?

[00:29:32] It's just a far while pass.

[00:29:33] You throw it over there

[00:29:34] and then hit it over the inner side.

[00:29:37] Then catch it.

[00:29:39] I'm gonna admit, I'm an absolute moron.

[00:29:44] By the way, tell Stevens I can do this on any cable.

[00:29:49] I'll tell him Europe or any other fucking one.

[00:29:50] I'll call him as soon as this show is over

[00:29:52] and I'll tell him that.

[00:29:53] All right, now let me go.

[00:29:55] I got my number correct.

[00:29:56] I'm sorry guys.

[00:29:58] No, that's one of the things we...

[00:30:01] I mean it.

[00:30:02] No, I promise my sister I wouldn't.

[00:30:05] Well, she won't be mad at me.

[00:30:08] She's mad at me.

[00:30:09] I'm not hearing this but it's okay.

[00:30:10] I mean it's fine.

[00:30:11] Yeah.

[00:30:11] Yeah.

[00:30:12] It's your show.

[00:30:13] Hold on.

[00:30:14] I gotta ask, Tony let me ask you another question

[00:30:15] while we still have you.

[00:30:16] Go ahead, go ahead.

[00:30:18] Here's my question.

[00:30:18] I asked this question to all the real winners

[00:30:21] that have come on the show

[00:30:22] and there's been a dozen or so.

[00:30:24] Why were you able to execute under pressure

[00:30:27] and when your competitors weren't?

[00:30:29] What was going through your mind

[00:30:30] when you had to make a big pass or a big shot?

[00:30:33] How did you keep your...

[00:30:35] How did you keep strength in those moments to execute?

[00:30:38] Nothing other than trying to just execute

[00:30:42] what I was trying to do.

[00:30:44] If I tried to think about all the other crap

[00:30:46] you just told me,

[00:30:48] I wouldn't have been able to do it.

[00:30:50] It's like making a pot on the 18th hole.

[00:30:54] No, he was just trying to do

[00:30:56] what I thought would win.

[00:31:00] You focused on the execution at hand

[00:31:02] in the moment at hand.

[00:31:03] That's it.

[00:31:04] Execution is, I'm going to tell you guys

[00:31:07] of like 10 more thousand.

[00:31:10] And if you ask me again,

[00:31:11] exit all, all then,

[00:31:14] all us then,

[00:31:16] is try to execute what we're trying to do.

[00:31:20] And if you do that,

[00:31:21] you don't have to worry about it anymore.

[00:31:23] How did you block out distractions

[00:31:24] when you're playing with things around you?

[00:31:27] How'd you just block all that out?

[00:31:30] Because all I'm trying to do is execute.

[00:31:33] Right.

[00:31:34] There's no distractions.

[00:31:35] You're, you have distractions.

[00:31:37] You're, you're, you're announcing the thing.

[00:31:40] All I'm trying to do is roll the ball over and execute.

[00:31:45] Yeah, you kept it simple.

[00:31:46] On defense, by the way, on defense you execute

[00:31:50] on every part of the game you execute,

[00:31:53] not just me asking by scoring or Don Blockin

[00:31:57] or Brendan Blockin, execution is the whole game.

[00:32:02] Right. Exactly.

[00:32:04] We have, we have a call coming in from Mike Green.

[00:32:06] Mike, thank you.

[00:32:07] Oh, Mike Green, my best friend.

[00:32:09] Yeah, Mike Green, thanks for joining Food Stock Live.

[00:32:11] You're on with Tony Bacon.

[00:32:14] I figured I should call in and save you guys, man.

[00:32:17] What the heck is going on, Cody Bacon?

[00:32:18] Thank you.

[00:32:19] Whoa.

[00:32:21] You noticed?

[00:32:23] Mike, you noticed?

[00:32:26] Cody, why are you talking about Doug Furry, man?

[00:32:29] I need you to run like a schoolgirl when I played you.

[00:32:31] Shut up.

[00:32:32] Doug Furry's made me the best player ever.

[00:32:34] Yeah, yeah.

[00:32:36] If it were for me, you would have won like eight more

[00:32:38] world titles with my stupid tattoos to say.

[00:32:42] Remember?

[00:32:45] No comment.

[00:32:47] Hey, ask Mike Green that when Dumas was up there

[00:32:53] in their house, right?

[00:32:54] If they didn't put a statue on there

[00:32:56] in front of their fireplace that said,

[00:33:00] Bacon, we gotta be some while.

[00:33:04] We had a statement that figure about 12 inches high

[00:33:08] and we played eight hours a day to beat this guy.

[00:33:11] And when we were done, we would kick it all across the room

[00:33:13] and stomp on it.

[00:33:15] That's how we practice for bacon.

[00:33:17] I love it.

[00:33:21] That's great.

[00:33:22] When I played Bacon, I think I told him

[00:33:24] what was on the radio was 84 worlds only team

[00:33:27] that beat him.

[00:33:27] He'll tell you about it.

[00:33:29] So my star, we play the guy.

[00:33:32] That's the guy says, who's Chris Green and Mike Starchesky?

[00:33:37] Right before we destroyed him.

[00:33:39] I knew who they were.

[00:33:42] I'm so to die.

[00:33:44] Yeah.

[00:33:46] I know those guys were there was only guys

[00:33:49] that beat us that day.

[00:33:51] Let me tell you a secret about Tony.

[00:33:54] This is the reason I could be Tony.

[00:33:56] You were the only guys that beat us in 84.

[00:33:58] You know that.

[00:33:59] You and the fucking Starches.

[00:34:00] You know why?

[00:34:01] You guys had a tab.

[00:34:02] But we need to be you and Starchesky.

[00:34:04] I looked at Don and said there's no way we can lose.

[00:34:07] We just beat the best team in the tournament.

[00:34:10] The only team that beat us first.

[00:34:13] Do you believe it?

[00:34:14] The first team came up to me on Dynamo.

[00:34:15] It says, Mike, how do you block this guy?

[00:34:17] He beat me in singles every time I said,

[00:34:19] his strength goes three quarters.

[00:34:21] He don't have one.

[00:34:26] The dots started beating him.

[00:34:28] See, Mike.

[00:34:30] Mike, thanks for jumping in and trying to save us.

[00:34:33] We appreciate you.

[00:34:34] Yeah.

[00:34:35] Let me talk about a little bit about that.

[00:34:37] You know, the great rivalry with you and Johnny.

[00:34:39] Let's talk about gold medals.

[00:34:41] Why when you go to Europe, you don't kneel?

[00:34:46] Come on.

[00:34:47] You have to.

[00:34:48] I'm sure we're getting close to the end of time here.

[00:34:53] But you know, Tony, this is great to have you on

[00:34:56] and some reminiscence about the great old days.

[00:34:59] We'd love to have you back sometime soon.

[00:35:01] We'll keep the door open for you.

[00:35:03] Yeah, love to have you back soon.

[00:35:10] Thanks, Tony.

[00:35:11] We'll talk to you soon, buddy.

[00:35:12] Thank you, man.

[00:35:13] Tony Bacon on Who's Fuck Live.

[00:35:15] Of course, being, wow, another one of the legendary players

[00:35:20] coming online and...

[00:35:22] In a legendary episode.

[00:35:24] Don't doubt about it.

[00:35:26] You know...

[00:35:27] Actually, we have another call here.

[00:35:30] My therapist is on the line.

[00:35:37] Hi, Rome, by chance.

[00:35:39] Does he do group therapy, by the way?

[00:35:41] That's what I wanted.

[00:35:42] Group therapy?

[00:35:43] Yeah.

[00:35:44] You know, Tony lives in California.

[00:35:47] There's a lot to do out in California.

[00:35:49] A lot of good times to be had.

[00:35:51] Sure.

[00:35:52] Grim sitting off of Miranda, looking for beach

[00:35:54] and sipping on a margarita and having a nice time.

[00:35:57] But thanks for Tony, the hall of famer to join us here tonight.

[00:36:00] I think we were able to sort of glean a few little nuggets

[00:36:04] out of what he had to say.

[00:36:06] There was gleaning.

[00:36:07] There were nuggets.

[00:36:11] Gleaned the nuggets?

[00:36:13] I started it fast at 7 o'clock.

[00:36:15] I'm ready to break it.

[00:36:17] A wedding cake and a bottle of Jack right now.

[00:36:22] I never have three beers on this show.

[00:36:25] But tonight I've actually thought about quitting drinking entirely.

[00:36:28] Yes.

[00:36:29] I'm with you, Jim.

[00:36:31] There you have it.

[00:36:32] The number five most downloaded Fooze Talk Live Fooze Ball Radio episode

[00:36:37] originally aired March 21st of 2021.

[00:36:41] For obvious reasons, we consider this to be one of our most challenging interviews

[00:36:46] in the history of Fooze Ball Radio.

[00:36:48] Next, coming in at number four,

[00:36:51] originally aired January 31st of 2021.

[00:36:54] This was the 41st episode of Fooze Talk Live.

[00:36:58] Since it's aired, this has been downloaded 740 times

[00:37:04] more than any other Fooze Talk Live episode.

[00:37:07] Featuring hall of famer Steve Beiney,

[00:37:10] here is your favorite Fooze Talk Live episode.

[00:37:14] Well, hey there.

[00:37:18] It's Tom Robinson.

[00:37:19] We're back together again for another edition of Fooze Talk Live.

[00:37:23] This being our 41st episode,

[00:37:27] the second one of the new year, I believe.

[00:37:30] Or unless of course I'm losing track of time.

[00:37:32] Maybe I need my timekeeper all the way from Colorado.

[00:37:36] Jim Stevens.

[00:37:38] Jim, am I getting the time right here?

[00:37:41] No, not at all, Tom.

[00:37:43] You're correct about the year it is 2021.

[00:37:45] Okay.

[00:37:46] I want to say this would be our actually fourth.

[00:37:48] Is it the fourth?

[00:37:50] Third or fourth?

[00:37:51] Okay, all right.

[00:37:52] I'm not accurate.

[00:37:53] I'm sure Clay Tumey will.

[00:37:54] We're 30 seconds in and we got two fakes that.

[00:37:57] So if Mark wants to come in and bring us a third,

[00:37:59] we'll have to round it out real nice.

[00:38:00] Yeah, Mark, you know, you got any thoughts?

[00:38:03] Dole fa solatito, do til as apa medit.

[00:38:07] Am I here?

[00:38:08] Are you guys ready to start the show?

[00:38:10] He is ready to sing.

[00:38:11] Welcome to my show, you guys.

[00:38:12] Welcome to my show.

[00:38:13] Thanks for coming back.

[00:38:14] What happened to the exercises, the tongue twisters?

[00:38:18] No?

[00:38:19] Okay, we're good.

[00:38:22] All right, ready?

[00:38:23] Yeah, I kind of like the sound of music thing though.

[00:38:25] The dole fa solatito.

[00:38:26] That was beautiful, Mark.

[00:38:27] I want to stun you with talent.

[00:38:28] I could do it at any time.

[00:38:29] That's not the goal here, Jim.

[00:38:30] It's to be entertaining.

[00:38:31] Focus.

[00:38:32] What is the term they use these days,

[00:38:34] the younger generation that might say hello,

[00:38:36] good or freakish good or what's the term?

[00:38:40] Sorry, Tom, but that phrase is from California

[00:38:42] and it's about 40 years old, bro.

[00:38:44] So I don't know what's going on with that.

[00:38:47] I think we heard about two and a half years ago, Mark.

[00:38:51] Oh, hella good.

[00:38:52] What?

[00:38:53] I was saying what?

[00:38:54] No.

[00:38:55] Anyway, no doubt, I think did a song.

[00:38:58] No, it was definitely, it was a Southern California thing,

[00:39:00] made it up to the Northern California about three and a half years ago.

[00:39:03] Okay.

[00:39:04] Hey guys, great to be back.

[00:39:06] Mark missed out last week.

[00:39:07] I wasn't here the week before.

[00:39:08] This is the first time we've been together all three of us now

[00:39:10] in about three weeks.

[00:39:12] Mark, you missed a great talk with your old North Cal buddy there,

[00:39:16] Chris Duby last week.

[00:39:17] What a great show.

[00:39:18] He was so good.

[00:39:19] We literally could have probably gone for four hours last week, Tom Robinson.

[00:39:22] Oh, no doubt.

[00:39:23] No doubt.

[00:39:24] I mean, Chris is really, he's a magnanimous individual to start with,

[00:39:28] but just has so many stories, so many stories.

[00:39:31] Did you tell the story?

[00:39:33] I missed this show.

[00:39:34] Did you tell a story about grabbing a trophy when it took second place

[00:39:37] and smashing it on the ground?

[00:39:38] He did.

[00:39:39] He did.

[00:39:40] He definitely did not come up short when it came to telling good stories.

[00:39:45] Oh, nice.

[00:39:46] Well done.

[00:39:47] Well done.

[00:39:48] I wasn't expecting it.

[00:39:49] Well done.

[00:39:50] But you know, and normally guys, we do our top fives and we've done,

[00:39:55] boy, how many top fives have we done?

[00:39:57] And it was a little difficult to come up with one this week,

[00:39:59] although I'm sure in the future we will be able to come up with them.

[00:40:01] But tonight folks,

[00:40:02] we're going to do something I guess called a segment called hot topics.

[00:40:05] All four of us, including Clay Toomey are going to talk about

[00:40:09] what tonight, what we think could happen,

[00:40:12] should happen in the future when it comes to foosball, some ideas,

[00:40:15] a vision that we might have.

[00:40:16] Yes.

[00:40:17] Some changes we might make.

[00:40:19] You know, whatever each of us comes up with in terms of rules,

[00:40:22] in terms of whatever related to foosball,

[00:40:24] that's what we're going to talk about tonight.

[00:40:26] We're going to toss it around and debate it.

[00:40:27] Yeah.

[00:40:28] And it's no holds barred by the way, guys.

[00:40:29] I mean, it's like, you know, you want to stomp your buddy tonight?

[00:40:33] That's fine.

[00:40:34] Go ahead, stomp away.

[00:40:35] And we can all take it, I think.

[00:40:37] Mark and Clay, either of them even recognized that holds exist.

[00:40:41] Because they're always, they're never barred with those two, are they?

[00:40:45] No, I have no idea what you guys are talking about.

[00:40:50] No idea whatsoever.

[00:40:52] No fear.

[00:40:53] No worries.

[00:40:54] Just, just forward to head.

[00:40:56] That's it.

[00:40:57] Yeah.

[00:40:58] And of course we're also going to be joined by the Hall of Famer,

[00:41:01] Steve Beiney, who will talk about his career,

[00:41:03] which started in the TS tour in the 1970s.

[00:41:06] He'll talk about the table soccer Hall of Fame.

[00:41:08] He's on the executive board of that, as am I.

[00:41:10] So we'll talk a little bit about that.

[00:41:12] But a character, one of the funny guys generally speaking in Fuseball,

[00:41:16] Mark notes this as well.

[00:41:17] Okay.

[00:41:18] A guy, you can tell a story or two, Canty Mark.

[00:41:20] Yeah.

[00:41:21] Yeah.

[00:41:22] And he's got a dry, sneaky wit.

[00:41:24] Very clever man.

[00:41:25] He's like a, you know, dry, sneaky wit.

[00:41:27] Very, very funny man.

[00:41:29] And he played a great deal with Johnny Horton, correct?

[00:41:33] Yes.

[00:41:34] Also a very tolerant man apparently.

[00:41:36] But there's some, there are some,

[00:41:41] there's some historic, very interesting stories that come out of

[00:41:45] that relationship for sure.

[00:41:46] Cool.

[00:41:47] Some of which we can tell on the air, some of which we cannot,

[00:41:49] but some of it documented in video,

[00:41:51] some of it documented in video like Dana,

[00:41:54] Mark did that great in the pits video and Johnny Horton,

[00:41:58] no one's ever claimed that it was easy to play with Johnny.

[00:42:01] Johnny has infinite respect for Steve.

[00:42:03] And it's probably because Steve could put him in a,

[00:42:06] between a bun and eat him like a hamburger.

[00:42:09] So Johnny was infinitely respectful of Steve and probably one of the

[00:42:13] few people that Johnny ever respected that way.

[00:42:15] That's, that's quite an analogy by the way.

[00:42:17] Did you come up with that off the top of your head?

[00:42:19] Absolutely.

[00:42:20] Yes.

[00:42:21] A burger in the bun.

[00:42:22] Yeah.

[00:42:23] Burger in the bun.

[00:42:24] Burger burglar.

[00:42:25] Yeah.

[00:42:26] Did you have dinner?

[00:42:27] Yeah.

[00:42:28] Let's see, I remember the Columbus police department,

[00:42:30] I believe in Ohio.

[00:42:31] Oh, right.

[00:42:32] And maybe in Steve, what does he go about?

[00:42:35] Six foot seven and about to know is a very,

[00:42:38] very tall, very large man and also but a sweetheart of a guy.

[00:42:41] And one of the,

[00:42:42] one of the great players ever,

[00:42:43] one of the great,

[00:42:44] one of the great people that foosball has produced over the last 40,

[00:42:47] 50 years.

[00:42:48] We have over seven feet in heels.

[00:42:49] I've seen it.

[00:42:50] Hold on.

[00:42:51] Hold on.

[00:42:52] We got to save this for Steve when he gets out because you just

[00:42:55] mentioned he had heels on.

[00:42:56] I mean,

[00:42:57] we're not talking like,

[00:42:58] like the,

[00:42:59] the soft shoe, you know,

[00:43:00] The late night.

[00:43:01] It was in New York.

[00:43:02] It was the 70s disco era.

[00:43:03] Oh, never mind.

[00:43:04] Never mind.

[00:43:05] Okay.

[00:43:06] Well, we'll let him talk about that for sure.

[00:43:07] Wow, man.

[00:43:08] You guys are in a rare form tonight.

[00:43:10] I mean,

[00:43:11] there's something in the air.

[00:43:12] Is it because of the full moon possibly?

[00:43:14] So I know that this is probably something we will

[00:43:17] eventually get to,

[00:43:18] but I do want it to tip a hat to those who got a chance

[00:43:21] to play this weekend at the tour opener.

[00:43:23] I'm going to go ahead and say,

[00:43:25] I know that there's the,

[00:43:27] the entire event was a little smaller than normal.

[00:43:30] But yeah,

[00:43:31] I mean,

[00:43:32] I know that Sullivan Roo did great.

[00:43:34] Mark,

[00:43:35] what was the,

[00:43:36] I know you mentioned that earlier tonight.

[00:43:37] What,

[00:43:38] what happened with Sullivan this weekend?

[00:43:39] She,

[00:43:40] she was completely on fire.

[00:43:42] So she won expert singles in dominating fashion scoring

[00:43:46] like it.

[00:43:47] Usually,

[00:43:48] so you watch slowly,

[00:43:49] but I'm not sure if you're going to get it.

[00:43:51] I'm not sure.

[00:43:52] I'm not sure.

[00:43:53] And usually,

[00:43:54] slowly you watch slowly play and she's long happy,

[00:43:56] but she was shooting the second hole split

[00:43:59] and a three quarter split.

[00:44:00] And she was unblockable pretty much because she then went ahead

[00:44:03] and won pro doubles with Kevin Romero playing goalie for her

[00:44:06] and lit the dude up.

[00:44:08] I don't know who the guy was,

[00:44:09] but I just was like wanting to cover my eyes

[00:44:11] because it was just crushed ball.

[00:44:13] But Kevin Romero was passing to her.

[00:44:15] She was catching everything.

[00:44:16] She mixed it up on her five bar.

[00:44:18] Usually silly can be counted on to do a quick wall

[00:44:20] or second man lane

[00:44:21] and throw in a lane pass.

[00:44:22] Okay.

[00:44:23] And she went off the wall,

[00:44:24] brushed down and then into like a three quarter split

[00:44:28] with her push shot.

[00:44:29] So one of those weekends where it's all,

[00:44:31] she had an incredible weekend.

[00:44:32] No, you're talking about the pro doubles final?

[00:44:34] You didn't know who it was that she was like that?

[00:44:36] No, I don't know.

[00:44:37] Yeah, JLI.

[00:44:38] I looked it up.

[00:44:39] JLI.

[00:44:40] JLI and Semmy Dejion actually,

[00:44:42] they were really good shooter back there.

[00:44:44] JLI can really shoot.

[00:44:45] And speaking of good shooters,

[00:44:46] yeah,

[00:44:47] Sully Sullivan Rue,

[00:44:48] a woman,

[00:44:49] young woman.

[00:44:50] I'm thinking what 17 now and really how much table time

[00:44:54] is that girl put in in her life?

[00:44:56] Seriously.

[00:44:57] She really has physicals players.

[00:44:59] And if she does get to a point where she,

[00:45:01] or table management is where it needs to be

[00:45:04] and her focus is where it needs to be,

[00:45:05] the physical is going to be there.

[00:45:06] We know that.

[00:45:07] And this is a young lady who certainly has the potential

[00:45:10] to be the best player in the world.

[00:45:12] And of course she was part of that team USA team,

[00:45:14] women's team that won last year in Marcia,

[00:45:16] year before last now.

[00:45:18] And so she does have some international experience as well.

[00:45:21] And that's really what it's going to be all about in the future.

[00:45:23] It's multi table,

[00:45:24] it's being able to win internationally.

[00:45:26] It's great to be able to win on tornado,

[00:45:28] but you also have to have that table management,

[00:45:30] the head game to win internationally.

[00:45:32] She's a second generation Fuzer.

[00:45:35] Let's not forget that we have video of her and Fuzer ballers

[00:45:38] like practicing like a machine.

[00:45:40] So she might be approaching that 10,000 hours.

[00:45:42] Now granted,

[00:45:43] I think she's 17s is college,

[00:45:45] whatever she wants to do vocational after that.

[00:45:47] She's got all that to focus on.

[00:45:49] But the head game, the 10,000 hours

[00:45:52] and just the focus and the intensity,

[00:45:55] it's all there.

[00:45:56] It's all coming together for her right now.

[00:45:58] She's going to be,

[00:45:59] she's getting to a place where she's a little bit scary.

[00:46:01] Right.

[00:46:02] I can see her winning an open doubles major at some point

[00:46:05] as a Ford at this trajectory.

[00:46:07] Yeah, no kidding.

[00:46:09] She could do it.

[00:46:10] She could do it.

[00:46:11] Wow.

[00:46:12] It's exciting.

[00:46:13] I mean, and I forgive me guys,

[00:46:14] but I have to say how proud I am of Sammy Dijon.

[00:46:16] For coming in second place in, you know,

[00:46:19] I mean, wow, the guys, he's 12.

[00:46:23] He took third and open mixed, I think.

[00:46:25] Yes.

[00:46:26] I think it's a third and open mix.

[00:46:27] Yeah.

[00:46:28] It came back in the loser's bucket.

[00:46:30] Only other player that we can really compare him to at this

[00:46:32] stage is Billy Pappas.

[00:46:33] Really, I don't believe there has been anyone else besides

[00:46:36] those two who have had such success at 10, 11, 12 years old.

[00:46:40] And if he's going to be,

[00:46:42] he ends up anything like Billy Pappas.

[00:46:44] Of course, he's going to become one of the great players in the

[00:46:47] world, but it's really fun to watch what Sam's doing.

[00:46:49] Yeah.

[00:46:50] You know what's funny about Sam though?

[00:46:51] He's standing on a stool and he's getting pretty damn tall.

[00:46:53] He's getting too tall.

[00:46:54] We might be as tall as he's in Biny right now.

[00:46:56] He might be six foot seven standing on a,

[00:46:58] at some point it'll be hysterical.

[00:47:00] If he ends up being like six foot tall and can't get rid

[00:47:02] of that thing, he'll still be standing on it when

[00:47:04] he's like 17 years old.

[00:47:05] What's the official rule on that by the way?

[00:47:08] I mean, it is considered an aid at his age,

[00:47:10] but you know, if he goes beyond, you know,

[00:47:13] he has to take it away.

[00:47:14] Correct?

[00:47:15] No, it's a pretty rule.

[00:47:16] The rule doesn't sit on it is what it is.

[00:47:19] Yeah.

[00:47:20] You're going to use it.

[00:47:21] You got to sit on it.

[00:47:22] I don't believe there's a written rule for that.

[00:47:25] Wow.

[00:47:26] That all plays out.

[00:47:27] Maybe there should be.

[00:47:28] And maybe in the future there should be and maybe

[00:47:30] that's something we should look at in the future.

[00:47:32] Okay.

[00:47:33] Getting rid of the stool.

[00:47:34] You think we got to get rid of six foot two.

[00:47:36] You know,

[00:47:37] maybe he should have to stand on the yoga ball when

[00:47:39] he's 15.

[00:47:40] Yeah.

[00:47:41] I'm going to go with yoga ball.

[00:47:42] Switch it up a little bit.

[00:47:44] Yeah, make it make it unique.

[00:47:45] Wow.

[00:47:46] But no, it's exciting.

[00:47:47] Here's a here's a thought for future open mixed doubles.

[00:47:52] Sammy and Sullivan together.

[00:47:54] What do you think?

[00:47:55] Oh yeah.

[00:47:56] Unstoppable.

[00:47:57] We'll probably see it.

[00:47:58] We'll probably see it.

[00:47:59] Yeah.

[00:48:00] Here's the last thing I want to say about Sully.

[00:48:02] She's shooting a push shot.

[00:48:03] Yeah.

[00:48:04] And it is like when you have a wicked push shot

[00:48:06] and people aren't used to blocking it or uncomfortable with

[00:48:08] it, she can shoot all the holes.

[00:48:10] It's not like it's been revived.

[00:48:11] It's not like it's been revived, but the way she shoots it is high

[00:48:13] power, high precision at this point shooting a push.

[00:48:16] It's really, really great to see someone winning with a push on

[00:48:18] like this.

[00:48:19] I think it'd be cool.

[00:48:20] Say for example, you had like an event where it's a Swiss

[00:48:24] system, which everybody knows is awesome, but in it has like

[00:48:28] say five rounds each round you shoot a different shot or

[00:48:30] each round a shot is not okay to shoot.

[00:48:33] So round one, no rollover round two, no pull shot round

[00:48:36] three, pull cakes only like something like that.

[00:48:39] Cool.

[00:48:40] I think that would actually be cool and it would, it would

[00:48:42] reach like a broader range of skill sets in order to win.

[00:48:46] Sure.

[00:48:47] You would have to be better at more things.

[00:48:49] That's a great idea.

[00:48:50] Let's do it.

[00:48:51] I'm not sure what you'd call it.

[00:48:52] Popery doubles for whatever.

[00:48:53] Just name it after me.

[00:48:55] I'm actually okay.

[00:48:56] Just call it clay doubles.

[00:48:57] All right.

[00:48:58] Clay doubles.

[00:48:59] Can I tell you what happened?

[00:49:01] You guys say what would happen before you go Jim?

[00:49:03] What would happen is people would forget what the hell

[00:49:05] they're supposed to be shooting and have to ask,

[00:49:07] what are we supposed to be shooting?

[00:49:08] What happened?

[00:49:09] Well, technology.

[00:49:10] What round or pull kit round?

[00:49:11] What round are we on?

[00:49:12] What can I do now?

[00:49:13] Electric shock when they shot the wrong one.

[00:49:15] Two thoughts from me.

[00:49:17] Number one, I think obviously I have no problem with it.

[00:49:20] As long as there's time, as long as it fits in,

[00:49:22] it's sort of a fun event.

[00:49:24] It sort of brings back the history of the sport certainly.

[00:49:27] But it also encourages people to shoot pull cakes, push

[00:49:31] kicks, pull shots, push shots, pin series, back pin

[00:49:34] series.

[00:49:35] How about that?

[00:49:36] The other thing and sort of a little bit to address what

[00:49:38] Clay said earlier, the one thing I've seen over the years

[00:49:41] is I've seen so many players come fast.

[00:49:45] Within a year they're competing in amateur rookie

[00:49:47] whatever because they're shooting a snake shot.

[00:49:50] But they bypassed the traditional way of learning

[00:49:52] the game, which is ball handling, which is pull

[00:49:54] shots, push shots, learning those basics beforehand

[00:49:57] because it is easy to learn a snake shot.

[00:50:00] Obviously you still have to be put in the practice

[00:50:04] time.

[00:50:05] You still got to understand the game in order to be

[00:50:07] successful with it.

[00:50:08] But a lot of players do bypass these other skills.

[00:50:11] Terry Moore being maybe the ultimate example of this

[00:50:14] and he had a hall of fame career, would he have

[00:50:17] with a pull shot?

[00:50:18] Probably not.

[00:50:19] And the thing is, Terry was not a guy that could

[00:50:22] do all these other things on the table necessarily.

[00:50:25] Didn't really have a great pull shot at an OK one.

[00:50:27] Couldn't really shoot push kicks or pull kicks

[00:50:29] or whatever because he jumped right to the snake

[00:50:31] shot without learning the basics.

[00:50:33] And I've seen so many players over the years that

[00:50:35] mostly at the lower levels are expert on down

[00:50:38] who have quit the game because it no longer

[00:50:40] stimulated their creativity.

[00:50:42] They were no longer able to do so many things.

[00:50:45] It was just the same old same old rock, rock,

[00:50:47] bar side, your side street down the middle.

[00:50:49] The walking snake helped a little bit.

[00:50:51] But for me Tom, you got my vote.

[00:50:53] I'd love to see it.

[00:50:54] Classic doubles.

[00:50:55] I'm a classic guy.

[00:50:56] I'm all for it.

[00:50:57] All right.

[00:50:58] Jim, what is your hot topic?

[00:51:00] I'm again, the focus tonight on the future of the game.

[00:51:03] You know, and obviously this last year has given a lot

[00:51:05] of us a chance to sort of look at ourselves,

[00:51:07] look at the sport, understand that life is short

[00:51:10] and that, you know, it's time to do some things.

[00:51:13] So for me, you know, the one thing,

[00:51:15] and this has been something I've thought about

[00:51:17] for many years and more so over the last six,

[00:51:20] eight months or so.

[00:51:22] It's how the sport is presented.

[00:51:25] Obviously through live streaming through television is one

[00:51:28] thing, but also on site at the events.

[00:51:31] Yes.

[00:51:32] Have any of you ever, have you ever seen a dart tournament

[00:51:34] from England?

[00:51:35] Oh.

[00:51:36] You know, darts another tavern game.

[00:51:38] At least that's the way it's viewed,

[00:51:40] even though it's played at the very highest level.

[00:51:42] You have tremendous dart shooters.

[00:51:44] You have tremendous foosball players.

[00:51:46] It's a sport, no question.

[00:51:48] But it's viewed as a tavern game.

[00:51:50] Right.

[00:51:51] So why not create an environment of a championship arena

[00:51:55] with two teams, two players playing at the ultimate level

[00:51:59] at high level, strategic foosball surrounded by this fun

[00:52:04] atmosphere of tables with people having a few beverages,

[00:52:07] hanging with their friends, watching the game on big screen

[00:52:11] TVs.

[00:52:12] And maybe they're not even foosball players,

[00:52:14] but they know it's a fun time.

[00:52:15] So they're going to come out and spend a little time

[00:52:17] with the foosball tournament and enjoy themselves

[00:52:19] and watch some high end professional play.

[00:52:22] An arena.

[00:52:23] You know, obviously generally at tournaments,

[00:52:25] I'm working with what I have to work with,

[00:52:27] which is a few risers, occasionally bleachers,

[00:52:29] some, you know, some, some separators,

[00:52:31] you know, rope and stanchion, et cetera.

[00:52:34] But why not have at least a half curved arena,

[00:52:38] maybe even a fully circular arena where the,

[00:52:41] the spectators are right there on top of the players,

[00:52:43] creating this really intense competitive environment

[00:52:46] and also an environment that people who watch other sports

[00:52:49] are familiar with.

[00:52:50] They see this on ESPN, they look at this and they go,

[00:52:52] wow, that looks intense.

[00:52:53] That looks fun.

[00:52:54] Look at the crowd.

[00:52:55] You know, it really creates this,

[00:52:57] this even crossover appeal to our sport.

[00:53:00] You know, I think you're on to something though.

[00:53:02] I think you're definitely on to something here

[00:53:03] because of the fact that it's,

[00:53:04] it generates the excitement in the proper environment.

[00:53:08] And I think the arena thing is definitely a must.

[00:53:11] We need to go that direction.

[00:53:12] Yeah, for sure.

[00:53:13] And in between games, you play,

[00:53:14] you play the Rock jock, the jock rocks, rock jocks,

[00:53:17] whatever they're called,

[00:53:18] where you play the pumping music during timeouts

[00:53:21] and in between games, you get the crowd involved.

[00:53:23] Oh yeah.

[00:53:24] You know, and the other thing too,

[00:53:26] really, you know, one thing we've tried at Inside Foo's

[00:53:29] a year, year and a half ago before all of this

[00:53:32] was we created these Saturday evening prime time

[00:53:36] Foo's ball events.

[00:53:37] You can go check out a few of them on,

[00:53:38] on Inside Foo's TV, the YouTube channel.

[00:53:40] But basically for a three hour period,

[00:53:42] four hour period on a Saturday night,

[00:53:44] it was wall to wall full on Foo's ball content

[00:53:47] with matches, with interviews.

[00:53:49] Right.

[00:53:50] Just people visiting me in the booth,

[00:53:52] us doing pregame, post game stuff.

[00:53:54] And the only way really that this works is if we

[00:53:58] gradually change over to the Swiss system.

[00:54:01] Aha.

[00:54:02] That's where you're going.

[00:54:03] We used it internationally.

[00:54:04] It's qualification rounds in the morning.

[00:54:07] It's elimination brackets in the afternoon or in the evening.

[00:54:11] And the Swiss system allows us to time out the matches,

[00:54:14] you know exactly when you're going to play,

[00:54:16] you know exactly who you're going to play,

[00:54:18] you know exactly where you're going to play.

[00:54:20] And us as a production company,

[00:54:22] we also know these things.

[00:54:23] So on a Saturday night, for example,

[00:54:25] six o'clock to 10 o'clock, we know that's prime time

[00:54:28] Foo's ball at Inside Foo's TV and also in person

[00:54:31] at the site itself with this party atmosphere,

[00:54:34] with this fun atmosphere.

[00:54:35] Yeah.

[00:54:36] And you know it's at six o'clock,

[00:54:37] you got one semi-final, seven o'clock,

[00:54:39] you got another semi-final at eight o'clock,

[00:54:41] you got a final.

[00:54:42] And you covered all.

[00:54:43] You covered all of that.

[00:54:45] Free and post game stuff.

[00:54:46] Yeah.

[00:54:47] Yeah.

[00:54:48] Right.

[00:54:49] And so yeah, it's content.

[00:54:50] You have interviews, you have talking heads discussing,

[00:54:53] you know, analysts discussing what just happened,

[00:54:55] what could happen.

[00:54:57] What's that called?

[00:54:58] I beg your pardon.

[00:54:59] Talking heads.

[00:55:01] Talking heads, yes.

[00:55:03] But you know, you have this environment,

[00:55:05] this professional environment both in person

[00:55:07] to present it to the spectators.

[00:55:10] And of course, for live streaming or for broadcast

[00:55:13] television potentially.

[00:55:15] Sure.

[00:55:16] You really treat it like a sport.

[00:55:18] You have control over the timing.

[00:55:20] It's got to be Swiss system.

[00:55:21] You want to make sure there's fun.

[00:55:23] You make it entertaining.

[00:55:25] You really put on a show for the viewers,

[00:55:28] both live and on stream.

[00:55:30] Well, you know, Jim, I got to mention that one

[00:55:32] of our listeners, a penny hunter has offered

[00:55:34] in a point here about darts.

[00:55:37] Darts, there's a lot of gambling going on there.

[00:55:40] So, well, anyway, I'll just leave it there.

[00:55:44] Let it hang.

[00:55:46] I'm going to jump on Jim's coattails because my hot topic

[00:55:49] is hand in hand with Jim's topic.

[00:55:52] And I've never, yeah, I've never committed my own

[00:55:56] personal time and energy or business acumen to foosball.

[00:56:00] But frankly, a sport cannot have its competitors

[00:56:05] be the primary spectators.

[00:56:07] Right.

[00:56:08] That is a big issue with foosball.

[00:56:10] The spectators are the competitors.

[00:56:12] And that's because there's no one watching foosball.

[00:56:14] No one wants to come in and see foosball,

[00:56:16] except for the people that are so tired,

[00:56:18] they're going to sit down or they're interested

[00:56:20] in the match.

[00:56:21] Let me give some credit where credit is due.

[00:56:23] I think the reason, so, there's no spectators

[00:56:27] and it's a lack of take, it's a lack

[00:56:29] of being opportunistic and a lack of imagination.

[00:56:32] I don't know if I'm simultaneously insulting

[00:56:34] or just trying to identify solutions,

[00:56:37] but it could have been done.

[00:56:39] And if you just realize that when people go,

[00:56:42] when you go to a football game, okay,

[00:56:45] go to a football game and notice there are absolutely,

[00:56:48] there are some people there,

[00:56:49] but tailgating has nothing to do with the football game

[00:56:51] other than the pre-show hype

[00:56:53] and the pre-event excitement of socializing.

[00:56:56] And there's the socialize, the last football game I went to,

[00:56:59] I hate Chicago Bears by the way.

[00:57:01] I got invited to a Bears game, we tailgated.

[00:57:03] We go inside, we're walking around the arena bar hopping.

[00:57:06] We glance up every once in a while,

[00:57:08] see the game on the TV.

[00:57:09] At some point we sit down with our alcohol and our food,

[00:57:12] but it's the spectator interest.

[00:57:15] It's the everything happening around the game

[00:57:18] that drives people.

[00:57:19] There's a way to do that.

[00:57:20] There's absolutely ways to do that in foosball,

[00:57:23] but by being opportunistic about the audience

[00:57:25] and giving them things to be entertained by,

[00:57:27] that's the first part.

[00:57:28] The second part is this.

[00:57:29] The rules, our foosball rules absolutely need to change.

[00:57:33] The distraction rule is a joke.

[00:57:36] It is an absolute joke.

[00:57:37] However, and maybe when we get Bione in here

[00:57:40] we'll be able to talk to him about this.

[00:57:42] You've heard me talk about this almost every week.

[00:57:44] I'm glad there's been a week layoff at least

[00:57:47] because you guys didn't hear me whining about it last week.

[00:57:50] This whole idea that our sport is supposed to be like golf.

[00:57:53] Here's what's sad.

[00:57:55] I was watching the live stream about Kentucky

[00:57:58] and I almost wanted to earmark situations

[00:58:01] where someone complained about someone else whispering

[00:58:04] and then some other weird jargon.

[00:58:06] There's so many situations where because the rules are the way they are,

[00:58:10] people think their game should be this place

[00:58:12] where they're allowed to have absolute silence

[00:58:15] and they should not ever have any engagement from the opposition.

[00:58:18] That is ridiculous.

[00:58:19] It's sad.

[00:58:20] It is a sad, sad thing.

[00:58:21] No one's ever going to watch our sport

[00:58:23] if you can't whisper to your opponent

[00:58:25] and I want to change that wildly.

[00:58:27] I want to change the distraction rule radically.

[00:58:30] I want to get it to the point where you can look up at your opponent

[00:58:33] and engage your opponent.

[00:58:35] You could talk to your opponent.

[00:58:36] Your opponent could talk to you.

[00:58:37] It'll be managed in a way that makes sure

[00:58:40] that you can't just clap your hands

[00:58:42] in the face of a person while they're shooting.

[00:58:44] I think that's probably unfair.

[00:58:46] There's other ways to make work.

[00:58:47] Anyway, my big thing is the sport has to be elevated

[00:58:50] like other competitive sports where you have social,

[00:58:52] especially our sport,

[00:58:53] because it's a table for crying out loud

[00:58:55] and the average person has no idea what's going on.

[00:58:57] There has to be more going out of the table

[00:58:59] between the competitors.

[00:59:00] I'm on a mission to change that.

[00:59:01] Mark, be quiet.

[00:59:02] I'm trying to shoot.

[00:59:03] I know.

[00:59:04] Seriously, man.

[00:59:05] Seriously.

[00:59:06] In reference to your life,

[00:59:07] footer breaks slightly too late.

[00:59:08] Seriously.

[00:59:09] That is not how I commentate.

[00:59:11] What Mark says, obviously, it can't be personal.

[00:59:15] It can't be directed during the middle

[00:59:17] of a full shot or whatever.

[00:59:19] But we need to foster more

[00:59:21] of an entertainment-based atmosphere.

[00:59:24] And obviously, the interaction with the players,

[00:59:26] the entertainment value of the players is going to be huge.

[00:59:30] And these are things we definitely need to look at

[00:59:33] moving forward, no question.

[00:59:35] It's going to be a gradual change.

[00:59:37] I don't think it's something that could happen overnight.

[00:59:39] But case in point, Mark, you mentioned Kentucky,

[00:59:42] the tour kickoff.

[00:59:43] Watching that was painful

[00:59:45] because no one can even watch the matches

[00:59:47] because of COVID.

[00:59:48] They're supposed to stay separated.

[00:59:50] And they have their masks on and whatever,

[00:59:53] which is good.

[00:59:54] But there's no one standing there watching even the matches.

[00:59:57] There are one or two people walking by once in a while.

[00:59:59] It looks empty.

[01:00:01] And it got a wonder, does that affect the way,

[01:00:05] should we say, the adrenaline flows for a player?

[01:00:08] I mean, you think if there's people there

[01:00:10] clapping at least, they'd be more into the match.

[01:00:16] Right.

[01:00:17] No, they were terrified to clap.

[01:00:18] They might get so stared by one of the competitors

[01:00:20] because clapping is horrible.

[01:00:22] You know, you cannot clap.

[01:00:24] You can clap once maybe.

[01:00:26] Okay.

[01:00:27] Golf claps only.

[01:00:29] But again, looking forward into the future,

[01:00:32] presuming that the vaccine and safety measures

[01:00:37] influence things in a positive manner moving forward.

[01:00:40] I'll give you this stat real quick.

[01:00:42] And this is maybe not a fake stat.

[01:00:44] Maybe I don't have to know exactly where.

[01:00:46] I'll be the judge of that.

[01:00:47] The ITSF has federations.

[01:00:49] The ITSF has represented in more than 50 countries worldwide.

[01:00:52] Yes.

[01:00:53] There is exactly one country that is having tournaments right now.

[01:00:57] Wow.

[01:00:59] Wow, which would be ours.

[01:01:02] Whoa.

[01:01:03] Hey, Sherlock Holmes.

[01:01:05] Well done.

[01:01:06] You know, obviously it's important to, you know,

[01:01:12] it is obviously we're players, but we're also spectators

[01:01:15] and we do want to, you know, again,

[01:01:17] as Mark put it so eloquently,

[01:01:19] we need spectators from outside the sport and the sport is good

[01:01:22] enough.

[01:01:23] The sport is competitive enough.

[01:01:24] We can create an entertaining kind of environment to where we

[01:01:27] can draw that sort of viewership.

[01:01:29] Now, you know,

[01:01:30] Fareed Lounas who runs the ITSF and has run most of the

[01:01:34] World Cup events in his hometown of Nantes,

[01:01:37] France,

[01:01:38] where he has a great influencer.

[01:01:40] You know, whenever we go to Nantes,

[01:01:42] there are 1500 to 2000 people in the stands who are not

[01:01:44] foosball players who brought tickets to come in to this event

[01:01:47] because of the way it's sold.

[01:01:49] And of course an advantage in Europe is that there is the

[01:01:51] soccer tie-in.

[01:01:52] These are soccer fans.

[01:01:53] It's soccer on a table.

[01:01:54] And of course they've played it in any one of 200 different

[01:01:57] pubs around the city as well.

[01:01:59] So as Mark said, I think having a spectatorship from

[01:02:02] outside the sport is necessary and I think is coming.

[01:02:06] Steve Biney goes all the way back to the 70s as played

[01:02:10] with some of the greats,

[01:02:11] has a Hall of Famer himself and he comes with,

[01:02:15] prepared with many great tales of the golden age of

[01:02:19] foosball.

[01:02:20] Please welcome to Foos Talk Live, Steve Biney.

[01:02:22] Steve, welcome.

[01:02:23] Thanks for joining us.

[01:02:25] Glad to be here.

[01:02:26] Thank you guys.

[01:02:27] Hey Steve.

[01:02:28] Cool man.

[01:02:29] So, man, you know, before we roll into your life story,

[01:02:34] Steve, we just talked about a bunch of stuff.

[01:02:36] Do you have any opinions brother on anything that we

[01:02:38] talked about?

[01:02:39] Just like what comes to mind about our whole tight diet tribe

[01:02:42] that you just listened to for 50 minutes?

[01:02:45] I think Jim mentioned winning four matches in 2014.

[01:02:50] I think we won six.

[01:02:52] Eat it, Jim.

[01:02:53] Eat it.

[01:02:54] He got a look at 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2.

[01:02:59] It's a long way to get there.

[01:03:01] Yeah.

[01:03:02] Definitely not minimizing it.

[01:03:04] No, no, no, no, no.

[01:03:06] Certainly not with you.

[01:03:07] It was more of a Horton thing and then it was anything.

[01:03:10] Well, the first round was like a nine year old sully.

[01:03:12] So just points on both sides.

[01:03:14] It wasn't a pie.

[01:03:15] Yeah.

[01:03:16] I know.

[01:03:17] Go ahead, Biney.

[01:03:18] Keep going brother.

[01:03:19] No, I hear what you're saying about the spectators and the,

[01:03:23] you know, it's a fine line, you know, your face to face

[01:03:26] about three feet was apart from somebody gets emotional.

[01:03:30] I've seen a lot of issues over the years.

[01:03:34] Table talk, I guess has its place, but we're always looking for

[01:03:38] something almost superficial to grow players.

[01:03:41] It all boils down to marketing, building the player base and

[01:03:46] more importantly, spectators to take it to the next level.

[01:03:49] Right.

[01:03:50] Right.

[01:03:51] Spectators huge.

[01:03:53] It's got to be, it's got to be something people are like, I got to go.

[01:03:55] I got to see that.

[01:03:56] I got to be there.

[01:03:57] It's going to be awesome.

[01:03:58] We know these guys are amazing.

[01:03:59] But don't just think that like I, I, people say stuff like,

[01:04:03] why does Rochambeau and why does like, like checkers and why does

[01:04:08] Scrabble?

[01:04:09] Well, why is it got, why's it more press arm wrestling?

[01:04:11] It's clear why there's something to watch.

[01:04:14] If you're like an average casual spectator, you cannot watch

[01:04:18] food.

[01:04:19] You cannot watch two people standing upright at a table.

[01:04:21] Can't see the table well unless Jim has video up to see it.

[01:04:25] There's got to be something about the engagement.

[01:04:27] And you say three feet when I'm playing basketball, I'm like

[01:04:30] inches.

[01:04:31] My eyes are in my face with their hands and their mouths,

[01:04:34] like inches away from me.

[01:04:36] So I don't know, man.

[01:04:38] Yeah.

[01:04:39] You need to be quick around those guys.

[01:04:40] Yeah.

[01:04:41] Not anymore.

[01:04:42] I'm dude.

[01:04:43] I'm not used to be that way.

[01:04:44] I'm not that tall.

[01:04:45] Like it was quick.

[01:04:46] But this does are gone anyway.

[01:04:47] Steve keep going, man.

[01:04:49] Keep talking.

[01:04:50] Ice task court and what table we on?

[01:04:52] It goes, it doesn't matter.

[01:04:53] Dude, don't worry about it.

[01:04:54] Just follow the crowd.

[01:04:55] That's where I'm at during time now.

[01:04:59] He'll say I told you and I'll say Johnny you got it all wrong, buddy

[01:05:02] These people aren't here to watch you play

[01:05:04] They want to watch the high wire act with no net because they know you're gonna blow a gasket at any time and they want to see it

[01:05:13] Exactly yeah

[01:05:15] Why do we ask our because we're waiting for the accidents man. That's it. Yeah

[01:05:20] Yeah

[01:05:21] Yeah, wow

[01:05:22] so more more more trash talking more just the flamboyance more more

[01:05:28] Entourageous is that what you're saying Steve?

[01:05:33] Well, I'm just like Mark said, you know the excitement people want to be you know

[01:05:38] if you've been to an NBA game or NFL game you want to be front row that's where the action is sure and

[01:05:44] Just like Horton would say people want to be where the action is and that's where he's at

[01:05:48] So he drew you know, you can like him or love him, but guys like him

[01:05:54] Another guy totally separate type of a player but always a crowd Don Swan, you know, but they're two different type people

[01:06:01] Okay, Swans innocent gets caught up in it doesn't direct anything toward the opponent

[01:06:08] Whereas Horton will yes

[01:06:10] and

[01:06:12] I've seen it cross the line

[01:06:14] I remember we were playing in the high-state championships in the finals in this bar up in Youngstown

[01:06:19] And

[01:06:21] there was literally a biker crowd there Brian tape was running the tournament and

[01:06:27] Horton told this biker dude to shut his hole. Oh

[01:06:32] And the dude leaned over the tape and he had he had long red hair long red beard his chest hair was part of his beard

[01:06:38] He was a huge guy bigger to me

[01:06:40] And he said I'm gonna bust your head boy and I said hey, would you mind your your your effect of me now

[01:06:46] We're trying to play a match here and he said I'm sorry Steve, but your partner's an idiot

[01:06:50] So I knew I had one good thing going for me as he knew who I was

[01:06:54] So yeah nothing happened, but that's how things can happen and go south real quick. Yes

[01:07:01] Man that's bad like yeah, like that's way over the line

[01:07:05] And that's nothing at all like what I'm describing, but we're on the same page

[01:07:07] I mean who that's you're asking him to get your ass kicked in that snare to there

[01:07:11] Yeah, it's you gotta know where to draw the line here

[01:07:14] You know enthusiasm for the game and having great font great times with the matches or is it you know really getting you know

[01:07:20] In somebody's grill that's just yeah, that's that's a different deal more personal

[01:07:25] And you know we had ESPN out the worlds a few years back and

[01:07:29] Unfortunately there were a few incidents where it did go over the line and I think it I don't know Jim could talk more about that but

[01:07:37] Maybe it wasn't their element, you know, I mean what do you think about that Jim remember when ESPN came out?

[01:07:44] And their eyes got opened a little bit by some of what what happened but

[01:07:49] But you know ESPN is there to cover any event whatever it is it is and and it's funny

[01:07:54] You know you mentioned Don Swan and

[01:07:57] Tom and Mark Don Swan Johnny Horton two guys that C Bonnie played with and reached world championship finals with so he has great experience

[01:08:05] For some reason Steve you tend to gravitate towards these kind of players. He's entertaining sort of outspoken

[01:08:10] You know and they are they are balanced by you because you are you you are your your man who plays by the rules

[01:08:18] Your your strong will do you have no problem telling them that they're getting out of line?

[01:08:22] What was the experience like yeah, what were the differences and what were the similarities with John Swan and Johnny Horton?

[01:08:28] Neither one of them listen very well

[01:08:32] I'm not trying to be I'm not trying to be

[01:08:35] Disparaging Johnny what they would both listen. Let me say that I played with Horton, you know, we I mean let's go swan first

[01:08:44] You know my entire time playing with swan and I still talked him all time

[01:08:48] He still comes out to Vegas every year to see me at the tournament

[01:08:51] He never told me one single shot to shoot so he's kind of in his own world, you know like you got a goalie back there

[01:08:59] you know, but

[01:09:02] You just don't know what to expect. He's a great guy kind hearted person great player

[01:09:08] Johnny

[01:09:09] to give you low insight at the 2014 worlds before the match

[01:09:15] This is classic Horton

[01:09:18] We got to play Diaz and Ryan Moore and I

[01:09:22] Say Johnny want to talk to you. I got some

[01:09:25] Some strategy here to go over he goes. I don't want to hear it. I got my game

[01:09:30] Don't even worry about it. It's Diaz, baby, you know, we just smoke him off the table

[01:09:36] And that's really the way he is. I mean, that's really verbatim

[01:09:38] You just couldn't communicate

[01:09:41] Sometimes it's hilarious. We uh, I'd call time out on two bar and

[01:09:47] I would look at him, you know kind of wipe my face off

[01:09:50] And he would he would pretend like I said something and throw a fit and start going your micromanage in me

[01:09:55] Man, why are you all over me? Let me just turn me loose

[01:09:58] He's just a nut

[01:10:00] It was really something, you know, he just he gets so into it. He wants to win so bad, but he's uh

[01:10:07] You know, it's uh

[01:10:08] There's a lot of stories there. I'll put it that way cool very cool

[01:10:12] You know, it's it's part of our tradition here at booze talk live when someone like yourself comes on

[01:10:17] We have to start at the beginning. I gotta I gotta take you all the way back to the beginning Steve

[01:10:21] Tell me what um, what was the first time you actually saw foosball table?

[01:10:25] What kind was it and what got you into this?

[01:10:29] I was a speed skater at Westview skateland in Columbus and uh, they brought a foosball table in

[01:10:35] And I started playing a little bit next thing, you know

[01:10:38] Uh, I liked it, you know, I didn't have any money. I lived in government projects and

[01:10:43] I went over the funway freeway game room started playing it was fun

[01:10:47] I heard they were having a $50 tournament in up Erelington. I went there. It seemed like a lot of money to me and um

[01:10:53] You know, I uh quickly

[01:10:57] Before long the best player around

[01:11:01] Uh first pro in Ohio his name was Mike Robinson. Um, okay to partner with him, which was a great opportunity

[01:11:07] and um

[01:11:09] You know, I partnered with Steve Parker

[01:11:11] um

[01:11:12] Shave for distributing who was tournament soccer's number one distributor sponsored us

[01:11:18] In a blizzard of 78 February 78 we boarded a trailways bus

[01:11:23] On a two-day trip to Seattle for the kickoff seriously. It took us five and a half days to get there

[01:11:29] I've never been on a bus since

[01:11:32] And uh, you know, we lost that tournament but won the next one

[01:11:36] And um, you know, we started placing well and

[01:11:39] And that's how it went. So what was the first tournament you actually won?

[01:11:42] I mean that the first one obviously not but the second one that you won. What was that?

[01:11:47] The first tour tournament you mean? Yeah

[01:11:51] It was uh Eugene, Oregon 10 000

[01:11:54] Nice. It was our second tournament. We played in the seattle 10 000

[01:11:58] We got on the bus and went to uh Eugene, Oregon and won that one that we went to san jacruz

[01:12:04] I think we got third there then we went to salt lake city. We got third there

[01:12:08] Man, those were on a road. You could play every weekend. And how old were you then?

[01:12:14] um

[01:12:15] I was uh 18 years old. Yeah

[01:12:19] Geez wow

[01:12:20] So you're you're up there, uh, right along people like todd lafredo. Yeah, what was the first time you saw todd play?

[01:12:28] First time I saw Todd was at 77 nationals when him and gill won

[01:12:34] In st. Louis

[01:12:37] Uh, they beat smiley and ken all well in the finals that was the first time I saw Todd

[01:12:41] No doubts and uh, did you know world championships? Yeah, yeah the incredible incredible legendary event. Yeah

[01:12:48] Did you know you were gonna become a pro?

[01:12:52] Yeah, it was I remember in 76. I went to super singles

[01:12:56] And I was playing rick martin a bunch of games with singles

[01:13:00] And uh next thing you know, he goes to wins it in 77

[01:13:03] wow

[01:13:04] man

[01:13:06] That's intense

[01:13:08] So but I really looked up to those guys. I really liked uh

[01:13:11] Bells and bed and r you know, I really tried to model everything I did after mike bell's

[01:13:16] um, the guy was really a pro

[01:13:19] Simon and lot, you know, they were a couple few years older

[01:13:23] But when you're 18, you know, and you're looking at somebody 21 22. It's a big difference. Yes. Oh, yeah

[01:13:28] And uh back home we were just kids just like people had baseball

[01:13:32] He rose in football

[01:13:34] We looked at it like that's what we wanted to be

[01:13:37] Yeah

[01:13:38] You know

[01:13:39] Jim do you remember bells and bed and r the poster where bed and r had the the hat on and

[01:13:44] Yeah, there was a sitter smiling. You know, that was up everywhere

[01:13:48] Everywhere you went that was everywhere and then jim zellick marzio benilla

[01:13:52] poster that was everywhere

[01:13:54] Yeah, you make a great point about what it was like in in that particular era is that and I was there

[01:13:59] I was a very young kid

[01:14:01] As well and we really did look at these top boozers as these as these you know top master players as our heroes

[01:14:07] You know, they were our tiger woods our kobi brine. It's our magic johnson's whoever

[01:14:12] You know and you're a guy there's only a handful of guys like you

[01:14:17] Who started playing in the 1970s and are still basically playing today, you know, lefredo, you know gommison

[01:14:25] Boy, the list is a short one

[01:14:26] And so

[01:14:27] You've seen the sport change and grow really from almost its infancy into where it is now and

[01:14:35] That's got to make you feel pretty good and also give you a great understanding of

[01:14:39] Of the history of the sport the players and of course you're part of the hall of fame committee

[01:14:43] As well and you helped to uh to induct players on an annual basis, but

[01:14:47] The changes that have happened since then and the evolution of the sport you've been a direct eye witnessed all of that

[01:14:55] Yeah, you know jim. I was taken today

[01:14:58] You know with cove it

[01:15:00] It's really hurt things right with foosball. Mm-hmm. This is exactly how I felt

[01:15:06] in 1981

[01:15:08] When t.s went down

[01:15:10] Wow

[01:15:10] And all of a sudden it was nothing this is the same exact thing and I talked to lee peppered after the tournament

[01:15:17] and um

[01:15:19] And I said, you know what happened, you know and if you remember I don't I guess you

[01:15:23] I don't know if you were there or not

[01:15:24] But what happened is I remember like it was five minutes ago

[01:15:27] They were begging people to sign up for for pool. They had the $50,000

[01:15:32] You know, they had uh tournament marked arts tournament eight ball

[01:15:36] tournament air hockey

[01:15:38] Centipedes and foosball

[01:15:40] If you just signed up for the pool tournament, you were guaranteed $300 because

[01:15:46] Nobody they didn't have a turnout if you just signed up for for darts. You were guaranteed money

[01:15:52] And lee told me after the tournament it was the most successful foosball tournament they ever ran, but unfortunately

[01:15:58] Uh everything else tanked and then the time with

[01:16:02] Video games

[01:16:04] It was like covet, you know next thing, you know foosball tables. They were everywhere

[01:16:10] Everywhere and then they're nowhere. Yeah, and then operators were putting in those video games

[01:16:16] And it just

[01:16:19] Disappating fast, you know, there was just

[01:16:22] They were just begging for places to play and it reminds me of now today. This is how it felt couldn't go to tournaments

[01:16:29] um dynamo picked it up johnny lot

[01:16:33] uh picked it up, I should say and um, you know develop several tables and

[01:16:39] Uh, it was a struggle, you know, um, but uh

[01:16:45] Go ahead. No, I got something for you, man. Uh

[01:16:48] Well, I'll have a quick comment on that and then I got some stuff here from johnny so, um

[01:16:53] The death of the arcade man. I don't mind saying it

[01:16:56] hopefully the death of the arcade and the

[01:16:59] Uh evolution or the ascension of the mobile home remote gaming PCs

[01:17:05] Hopefully that has a revival in the future for foosball if someone could capitalize it

[01:17:09] Yeah, putting tables back in bars and there almost seems to be a point now where

[01:17:13] You get that uh group of socialization that might be turning away from video games

[01:17:18] And so a social game like foosball

[01:17:20] Maybe it has an opportunity here and and you'll be around to see it

[01:17:24] I hope it's there's a turnaround that you can um

[01:17:27] Participate in steve not that you're 90 years old or anything. I'm just saying hey, man

[01:17:31] There's some might be some opportunity here for see foosball anyway

[01:17:33] So I made the mistake or I made the good judgment of telling johnny you're going to be on the show

[01:17:38] And he's spammed me with texts for an hour. All right, so I'm gonna try to narrow some of this down and uh,

[01:17:45] Okay, let's just let's just start here

[01:17:47] Uh tell biney

[01:17:49] I'm shooting longs from the three and sliders from the two just like he told me to do tell biney

[01:17:54] I'm trying to become better spiritually and emotionally today than the day before just like he told me to do

[01:18:00] Tell biney to tell our fans about the milk and bread and story

[01:18:04] Milk and bread story corn in my braces and the waffle house. Say what's that all about, dude?

[01:18:11] Yeah, well first of all horton begged me to sign a non disclosure agreement before I was going on the show

[01:18:19] Blown me up in questions. Yeah, I was trying to dictate and control the message

[01:18:24] Let me let me uh answer for you and anybody's listening a little background about me and johnny and maybe it'll explain for my point of view

[01:18:33] Because if you had to pick two people in a tournament room

[01:18:36] Jim you would never picture me and horton playing together

[01:18:40] That's why something's wrong with you dude. You pick these guys but go ahead. Let's keep talking

[01:18:45] I'm a freak magnet

[01:18:49] Dude

[01:18:50] Yeah, it's like mad max. I'm like some like ruler of the wasteland or something

[01:18:56] Anyway, um horton we go back way back and uh

[01:19:03] So my relationship with johnny imagine you have which you do

[01:19:10] Two kids

[01:19:11] And one of your daughters mark gets all a's perfect

[01:19:16] They're on autopilot everything to do is great. The other one has two left feet can't seem to stay out of trouble

[01:19:23] Can't seem to do anything right, but you love them both the same

[01:19:28] And you might even have a little bit more affection towards the one that's having a harder time because

[01:19:33] You want them to do well

[01:19:35] And you want to help and that's just the way I am. I've spent my whole life basically

[01:19:41] Uh 35 years trying to you know keep bad things happening from good people and so I do

[01:19:47] you know

[01:19:49] It is kind of strange when you think about it, but

[01:19:52] Johnny when we were young

[01:19:55] He he's lived with me a few times

[01:19:58] Uh most people don't know that so one night it's like, you know, Friday night

[01:20:04] 3 a.m

[01:20:04] We're going to go get some milk and bread because we got everything but the milk and bread

[01:20:09] And this is in 1978

[01:20:12] So we go over to the store. We walk over there bad part of the neighborhood

[01:20:17] And we spent $50 get back and we forgot the milk and bread

[01:20:23] So, you know, my wife, yeah

[01:20:26] What's this about corn in my braces and the waffle house

[01:20:29] Yeah, we were oh the waffle house. Oh, he went there. We were

[01:20:33] Kentucky fried

[01:20:35] Chicken and he had braces. He wore braces for like 17 years because we're going to take it off

[01:20:41] And uh, you know

[01:20:42] They actually did more damage and they did good and I kept telling him you got to get them things off, you know

[01:20:47] So we go to kfc and i'm like dude you got corn all up in your teeth

[01:20:51] He goes i'm saving after later so he wouldn't wear out everywhere we went later

[01:20:55] He was smiling people say look what I got. I'm going to a picnic later and I'm only want to fight it

[01:21:01] He's a mess, dude

[01:21:05] I gotta tie half my brain behind my back just to deal with the guy

[01:21:10] So the waffle house, yeah go ahead the waffle house. This is I mean, you know, this is uh horton, okay

[01:21:17] So we're at the waffle. I want to leave some names out of this because it's but we're at the waffle house at worlds in Dallas, Texas

[01:21:24] And what's this 79 or 80? We go the waffle house, you know, it's like friday sary night and

[01:21:30] We're in this waffle house and these good old boys are in there man

[01:21:34] They're playing, you know, there's a tear in my beer over you and all that kind of stuff, you know

[01:21:39] So horton he was a weirdo when he put ketchup on everything

[01:21:44] He's one of the people that would lick his plate when he was done

[01:21:48] So he's all of a sudden he is he gets up there and plays

[01:21:52] brick house

[01:21:54] On the jukebox

[01:21:56] And all these

[01:21:57] You know

[01:21:58] These dudes with the 20 gallon hats are in there because it's 3 a.m. On a friday or saturday night

[01:22:03] And horton's dancing around i'm at brick house

[01:22:06] It he's licking his plate

[01:22:09] So when we go outside when we go outside, I mean you gotta remember man, we're just like 19 years old 18

[01:22:15] We go outside

[01:22:17] You know some other players with us

[01:22:20] And we go outside and these boys come out and they go hey you guys we've had enough of you

[01:22:26] And they crank off around in the air

[01:22:28] Whoa, I mean horton's like

[01:22:31] We start to fly. You know, we're like flak. We're out of there man. We're flexing. We're flying 100 mile an hour

[01:22:35] He's like slow down, bony. I can't keep up with you. I'm like, let's go man

[01:22:38] So we go up we're in the bushes looking watching them

[01:22:41] And a couple other guys stand there and you know get reamed out by him and all that

[01:22:46] next

[01:22:47] Next thing, you know, we go back to the hotel and see i'm you know, they're all upset

[01:22:51] The other players but that's classic horton, you know, you can't go into

[01:22:56] Waffle house at 3 a.m

[01:22:58] Right next to the honky-tonk bar playing brick house, you know

[01:23:02] Licking your plate

[01:23:04] Looking your plate is just the honest addition

[01:23:07] What about this? What about when when murray called the ref a sick man?

[01:23:11] Ha hey, what's that? When did when did murray call the ref a sick man?

[01:23:15] Do you know that?

[01:23:15] That was that. Oh, yeah, that was the 95 that was dave council reffing

[01:23:19] That was a 95 us open in cleveland, which uh, jim would probably remember that was according to currington the largest non world championship event

[01:23:27] They ever had it was a huge turner. I was there. I was at that tournament too. I was there

[01:23:31] So, uh, what stands out about that tournament? First of all horton

[01:23:35] We won that tournament, but he had seven technicals called on him throughout the course of the tournament

[01:23:40] And so we go to play, um

[01:23:43] We play, uh

[01:23:46] Murray and um

[01:23:49] tommy

[01:23:50] in the finals and um

[01:23:52] They won the winners

[01:23:54] And uh, if you remember jim, uh, tommy had a shot at his four three. I blocked it scored it

[01:24:00] Tommy got it again. I blocked it scored it. Well now works plan second match and murray's

[01:24:04] You know, uh

[01:24:06] He was out of his mind. He was so upset, you know

[01:24:09] and so

[01:24:10] Uh what happened was councilman. He was calling stuff strict

[01:24:15] And I guarantee you this is what tommy did. It was like, you know, two two

[01:24:19] We had everything called against us the whole tournament

[01:24:22] All of a sudden tommy does nothing. He's got the ball into five. He calls time out

[01:24:27] So he walks up to the table. He's just like, you know how you run the rod back and forth to try to see if you need any, uh

[01:24:34] You know, yeah, Lou on it. Yeah. Yeah, and and and then we and I walk up table and council goes hold it

[01:24:41] I got a call you for practicing. Mm-hmm. And we're like and he picks it up off the and and and

[01:24:48] Tommy's like what?

[01:24:50] And horton starts laughing. I go shut up, dude. This is the only call we've had go for us all weekend. You're gonna ball it

[01:24:56] Yeah

[01:24:57] I go we darn near got council our back pocket. Let's just go with it, you know

[01:25:01] So we start playing again

[01:25:03] And sure enough council makes a call and you know

[01:25:07] I can see smoke coming out of murray's ears and murray looks at him and goes, you're a sick man

[01:25:13] And council goes that's a technical

[01:25:17] And uh

[01:25:18] And horton and then and then murray goes I was talking to myself

[01:25:27] Tommy Atkinson you got steve murray you got johnny horton on the table and council's calling it tight

[01:25:32] I wonder why oh and there was you

[01:25:34] Yeah, you know you played so many big matches with johnny horton and controversial matches as well

[01:25:41] You know and as you mentioned earlier you and johnny were so very different very different personalities

[01:25:48] You know you saw a lot go down

[01:25:50] When it came to horton. I mean you saw these kinds of things on the table. You saw him at the walthill house as well

[01:25:56] How is it that I mean you must have embraced this you must have enjoyed it?

[01:26:00] You you must have just been

[01:26:02] It must have somehow, you know been a good thing for you and obviously you're good for those kind of players as well

[01:26:07] You've given them balance etc

[01:26:10] but

[01:26:11] I guess the question is and i'm searching for it here, but why play with these kinds of players

[01:26:16] Right. What's there? Was there a reason to give me the answer for that? Okay? You want the answer?

[01:26:21] That nobody prop there's only I don't even know if anybody knows this

[01:26:26] Why no, there's three people to know it maybe four

[01:26:28] So

[01:26:30] I was I was at the mounted unit at the time. I was on horseback

[01:26:33] Curring and I what happened is johnny showed up at the 98 worlds at that convention center. Yeah

[01:26:40] and remember

[01:26:43] All he was doing, you know, he was just trying to be a part of it, you know, he and then curring took told him to get out

[01:26:48] Yeah

[01:26:49] Someone to currington. I said, you know man, Dave, that's pretty hard a guy came up here

[01:26:53] He's not doing anything and he was suspended at the time. He was yes

[01:26:58] And so I said Dave that's that's that's pretty hard man. I mean if you're gonna give the guy an opportunity

[01:27:04] What better what better way to give him an opportunity when he's not playing but he's here

[01:27:09] Yeah, so

[01:27:10] So, you know, Dave we me and Dave had some words before

[01:27:14] But I love that guy. We appreciate each other, you know, so about an hour later

[01:27:19] Dave calls me up the stage. He goes, okay

[01:27:21] I'm gonna let him in

[01:27:23] But i'm gonna tell you right now

[01:27:25] I don't want any problems. Okay, and I said okay, so I called johnny. He was happy. Okay

[01:27:30] well

[01:27:32] Johnny

[01:27:34] At some point I remember I was at the mounted unit and was on horseback currington called me and we were talking about something unrelated

[01:27:42] um a table

[01:27:44] When I would order a table Dave would like personally check it and make sure it was a one send it to me

[01:27:50] I said, uh, you know Dave this guy

[01:27:54] He's your he's you know, I know he's been suspended a couple times. He's been the prime of his career

[01:27:59] He the game really needs this guy like it or not Dave were it something's missing

[01:28:04] And this is what happened. This is gonna tell you why I play with horton

[01:28:09] That mean we weren't friends and everything but

[01:28:12] Currington said all right here's the deal

[01:28:15] I'm a lane play if that's what you want. I'm a lane play

[01:28:19] But only if you play with him if you don't play with him, he's not playing

[01:28:22] So if you want him to play so bad you play with him. Yeah, if you remember I was playing forward at the time

[01:28:28] I was winning a lot. You know, I mean I was up there, you know, I was but you know

[01:28:32] And uh, that's what happened. That's what happened at that time

[01:28:36] So I started playing with him

[01:28:38] And uh, you know, then he you know, he kind of slid off there a couple times and but how that started was

[01:28:44] Currington letting back in but only if I played with him then he had a mix up and

[01:28:50] Yeah, like the next year it was in Vegas and uh, jeep was a spectator horton, you know through his water on jeep and

[01:28:58] I remember I I wasn't there. I walked

[01:29:00] Yeah, I walked into tournament room and I just seen david and link or whoever it was looking at me

[01:29:05] And they said steve which come upstage

[01:29:07] And they said okay

[01:29:09] Johnny did it, you know, where were you and I said I was you know, I don't know I was eating or something

[01:29:14] And they said okay

[01:29:16] And he was like sitting at the time jim. He was in the winters. I think in singles and oh i'm singles and mixed

[01:29:22] Or at least mixed he was sitting fifth and he goes, okay. He's he's uh, he's out. He's forfeited out of everything

[01:29:28] I'm not gonna forfeit him in doubles. You can play but

[01:29:32] You know friendship or not. This is it. He screws up. I gotta forfeit you guys

[01:29:37] And when you put a guy like johnny under that kind of you know, it's almost like neuter in the boy, you know

[01:29:44] You put a bit in a horses mouth for a reason to control him but sometimes you

[01:29:48] He doesn't operate well under that

[01:29:51] circumstance, you know and um

[01:29:53] You know, he's had some problems, you know, I mean johnny's been you know, even from childhood things

[01:29:58] You know people don't know he he just went through some tough times and you know, he's been beat up a lot

[01:30:03] You know, he's been to jail. I don't know 40 sometimes, you know

[01:30:07] And uh, I mean we've had long long when he was in rehab, you know, I was a $2,000 bill

[01:30:13] I paid for you know, you ever try to call one of those places and you know, how it works, you know

[01:30:18] Or it's like calling the jail

[01:30:20] They get you but um, so there was like

[01:30:23] Hundreds of hours, you know of counseling you could say things we went through, you know, but

[01:30:30] Man that guy you guys would all agree when I'm not played with everybody. I play with spear gummison adrian your

[01:30:38] You know, uh, I play with uh

[01:30:41] Furry and the wilds and play with Todd, you know Todd we've you know and but when that guy turns it on

[01:30:49] Yeah, I mean that guy turns it on. It's a it's a show, you know

[01:30:54] Yeah a lot of that's because when he was young he was on house arrest. That's all he could do

[01:30:58] You know and everybody went over there, you know, that's how them Florida boys got good in fact

[01:31:03] There's guys like johnny e banks should never hear about anymore

[01:31:07] You know, he beat uh, was well in the finals and singles at Birmingham great player

[01:31:11] Um

[01:31:13] Star cusky man. What a what a great player that guy was fighter, you know

[01:31:18] Jim Lanieri, you know

[01:31:20] Dwayne pratt

[01:31:21] um, but horton man

[01:31:24] That guy

[01:31:25] You know, he's why it's so ruthless in Florida this day, you know, yeah

[01:31:29] That's a good point interesting, you know

[01:31:32] A dynastate those special talents man. They transcend the game through the era

[01:31:35] That's how why johnny and spear went open singles titles in the 90s

[01:31:40] Man because they're just bigger than the game the brains is

[01:31:44] The skill level I wanted um ask he has one more thing for you, dude the paul reynolds garden glove story

[01:31:51] You know that story? Yeah, I was at uh

[01:31:54] It was at a good time charlie's in indianapolis

[01:31:58] there was a tournament there and

[01:32:00] We go there and course, you know horton can't go five minutes without the dudes like a jack in the box that never goes back in the box

[01:32:06] You just

[01:32:09] You just can't get rid of the guy man. I mean

[01:32:12] Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie, I mean, you know, he was like, you know, like when you're you know

[01:32:16] Middle school or high school and you got a girlfriend and you neither one of you you got to blow the phone up

[01:32:20] He's always blowing my phone up, but he comes runs outside and get me you got to come in here

[01:32:25] I've seen it all now

[01:32:27] and um

[01:32:29] We go in there and you know them garden gloves you got like they come up your

[01:32:34] Up your forearm, you know, like the rubbery

[01:32:36] If uh, there's reynolds in there playing singles. He's got a garden glove on because I guess I don't know what the deal was

[01:32:46] So he always reminds me of that, you know

[01:32:48] that garden

[01:32:51] Yeah, he was you happen to have me he said something like

[01:32:54] He said something to paul reynolds about um something like uh, you're gonna go after our beachy. You're gonna do some of my gardening work paul

[01:33:04] Yeah, and then he was like and he said paul would have won the match

[01:33:08] Unless he focused on that glove because he talked so much smack about his glove and doing gardening in his yard

[01:33:13] That he had to win the match so he'd be paul reynolds after staring at that glove. That's hilarious. So funny

[01:33:19] Yeah, you know you made a point earlier steve about how you know, you what table are we on johnny johnny says just follow the crowd

[01:33:26] Love it, you know if there was a tournament for the ages

[01:33:30] And you had tony spread him and playing over here. You had frederick colin yohan playing over here

[01:33:34] He had tommy abguston over there. He had whiz and furry over there on table number one

[01:33:38] The biggest crowd ever would still be over there on table 14 watching you and johnny horton against whoever

[01:33:45] It wouldn't even matter. Yep, that's how big of a draw that johnny horton is

[01:33:50] He was suspended

[01:33:52] Four five times at least three by kerrington alone within about a five-year span

[01:33:56] In the mid to late 90s and then he came back of course for 2001 won the world singles championship, etc

[01:34:02] But never has there been

[01:34:05] Say what you will about johnny and his habits off the table and his habits on the table

[01:34:09] But there has never been a more compelling figure a more entertaining player in the minds of the footsball public

[01:34:15] Then johnny horton

[01:34:18] You know what man? Oh go ahead steve. This is your show. You know, we've all seen

[01:34:23] It's it's kind of like you know

[01:34:26] You got a great boxer, but then you got mike tyson. You know, there's this persona. Yeah, and um

[01:34:32] It's hard to put your finger on it, you know

[01:34:36] But some people

[01:34:38] Um

[01:34:39] They just don't have it johnny's not only got it. He's got all that, you know

[01:34:44] I mean

[01:34:46] Once he engages you verbally

[01:34:49] You know, uh

[01:34:52] You might as well just you know

[01:34:56] Like we would always say, you know

[01:34:59] Pack your bags. We're going to take him on a guilt trip johnny, you know, he gets you feeling bad about yourself

[01:35:03] He didn't do anything wrong, you know

[01:35:06] The match, you know, but uh, yeah if you uh, and there's certain players that are, um

[01:35:12] Practice players

[01:35:15] And there's certain people that are

[01:35:18] tournament players

[01:35:19] Yeah, and then there's people that are money players and he's a money player too. Yes, that's right. That's right

[01:35:24] He's uh, I mean, you know that he has a way of putting his pressure

[01:35:31] We've talked about this for hundreds of hours, you know, it's just he has a different philosophy than me

[01:35:36] I play for a different reason. Yeah

[01:35:38] um, yeah

[01:35:40] But uh, he would take his stress

[01:35:43] And put it on the other person

[01:35:46] and he's you know

[01:35:48] Now I've played a long time and I've played a lot of people. There's a lot of good talkers in the game

[01:35:53] You know, maybe I shouldn't point them out but you know

[01:35:57] But nobody's to his level they can you know, you you could think they are but they're not

[01:36:01] You know, I mean this guy wants people and I know jim mark you guys have seen it over and over. I mean

[01:36:06] Uh, you know people might say tommy, but

[01:36:09] But do people really want to punch tommy in the mouth? Maybe some did you know, but but johnny man. He's

[01:36:15] He's ruthless, you know, yeah

[01:36:17] We're personal

[01:36:19] You know, there's there's something there's something to this point

[01:36:22] I think the closest for me would have probably been someone like murray who dispersed his stress and the younger back you go

[01:36:28] The more furious murray was he's like totally cooled off in his later

[01:36:33] Stages but but murray was never like how incendiary and even personal johnny can get

[01:36:39] But I want to go back to this other point you may because I think it's a great point

[01:36:43] The greatest

[01:36:44] Like the greatest nfl player of all time was probably jerry rice in terms of like his scoring is off the charts

[01:36:51] Like but the guy couldn't get a freaking local

[01:36:55] Sponsorship he couldn't get a local promotion for anything because and he did it right right? He did it his way

[01:37:01] He was quiet. He never celebrated. He handed the ball off like he'd been there

[01:37:06] That was his philosophy and it was unfortunate. There's a place for that guy though

[01:37:09] There's a place for that guy the quiet demeanor who just wins and does it with poise and composure

[01:37:14] There's a place for that

[01:37:15] And I think if we were going to go earlier back in the era as a foosball

[01:37:18] tom spear was that guy right tom spear was the stoic non-emoting

[01:37:23] champion machine

[01:37:25] But the guys who

[01:37:28] Do all that with the human drama and the greatest example right now the modern example is connor migrager

[01:37:32] If you don't know who this guy is

[01:37:34] He is like he is the he's the johnny horton of mma

[01:37:39] And then we've have these guys every era mike tyson's another great example, but um the spectator

[01:37:45] Is can be drawn to the talent they don't have they could be drawn to the over achievement or success or precision that they don't have

[01:37:53] But it's all amplified when they're drawn to the the drama

[01:37:57] The human element and johnny had that thing where like 80 percent of people

[01:38:02] Might really enjoy the antics and 20 percent of people might hate it

[01:38:07] But everybody watched he got all 100 watching and because he he delivered all of it

[01:38:13] Yeah, he had the charisma whatever charisma is right? We really can't even quantify exactly what it is

[01:38:19] It's just some this compelling attraction that we have

[01:38:22] Um, you know for watching players like him or fighters like tyson or migrager

[01:38:27] That's a great point

[01:38:30] Because if everybody in the room's horton then it doesn't even matter. It's different right?

[01:38:34] You gotta have you know, you gotta have be on board playing macaro. Yes

[01:38:38] You gotta have evan lendo playing conners right and you gotta have spear playing horton

[01:38:43] And if people choose their sides, you know which side am i on without that then it's who gets pandemonium

[01:38:49] You know, but you gotta have a you gotta have a fringe on both sides

[01:38:53] Most players will go fall in the middle. It's the black cat versus the white hat, right?

[01:38:57] You know, it's good. Yeah versus evil. You gotta have a bad guy and a good guy. Yeah

[01:39:01] And the wwe they've done this for years. They have a you know, these guys these championship wrestlers as we were talking to

[01:39:09] You know chris dubby last week

[01:39:11] You know somebody plays a bad guy some would place a good guy and those roles switch sometimes but

[01:39:16] There's always got to be that you gotta have that conflict for people to really check it out

[01:39:19] I had some fun times with dubby on the table that guy. Here's another guy that would use his size against you

[01:39:25] Especially when he's playing me. I remember a match that guy would you know, here's what here's what dubby would do

[01:39:32] First of all about 1983

[01:39:37] We weren't just going this big

[01:39:39] uh discotec in texas was called

[01:39:42] uh

[01:39:45] spinnakers or something like that and uh

[01:39:47] I snuck him in here. You know, he had but he like got my trench coat, you know, and I walked in with him

[01:39:54] It's a true story man. So i'm playing dubby. I'm playing dubby in a match in the pit

[01:39:58] There's a big crowd, you know, it's on tornado and he keeps calling himself midget because that's what dubby does

[01:40:04] You know, he calls himself midget. Okay, but he does it too. You know, come on midget

[01:40:09] You know, and then he'll you know, you know how certain people hand me the ball. They don't hand it to you. They like slam your hand

[01:40:15] Yeah, yeah, yeah

[01:40:16] So what happened was and I used to let dubby

[01:40:20] Punch me hard as you wanted to stomach because he can't get no, you know, he can't

[01:40:25] That wind up, you know

[01:40:28] Pretty high there too. Yeah, yeah, but uh, you know, I'm playing him in the pits

[01:40:32] The next thing I know I say come on midget and I slamming the ball and he goes

[01:40:35] Oh a guy called me a midget. So now he tries to turn it all around on me

[01:40:40] And then finally I back up from the table and I said you ready to play and he goes, I'm not done yet

[01:40:45] You call me a midget and I said well, I'm done

[01:40:47] I tied it up to here with you and I put my hand across my knees

[01:40:56] And then um, yeah

[01:41:00] This is the formula this is what we need we need this kind of circus

[01:41:03] It's like this is so much fun. Um, just to hear about the stories man. It just it just it's endless. It's fantastic

[01:41:10] I think about lately about writing stuff down because I remember well, you know, and I talked a lot different people

[01:41:17] some people

[01:41:19] I know you guys me. I don't know if you see this as much as I do or pay attention to it

[01:41:24] But some people try to rewrite history

[01:41:27] You know what I mean? You can't be the bad guy

[01:41:30] Make everybody mad. You're always controversy

[01:41:34] Man try to turn it around years later. Like, you know, you're

[01:41:39] You know, you could try

[01:41:43] But we know

[01:41:47] But man what uh, we'll go ahead so Steve from your perspective in your career, especially of those days

[01:41:54] Who was your direct rival? Who did you want to pound the most?

[01:42:02] Too nice of a guy too nice

[01:42:06] Yeah, Johnny

[01:42:08] Yeah, I mean, uh, Jim probably would remember this uh

[01:42:13] The reason johnny wanted to play with me is because him and deus kept running to me and swan and losing

[01:42:18] You know like three majors in a row and um

[01:42:21] Yeah, so that's kind of like the way

[01:42:25] You know that started like early on johnny kept wanting to play and johnny was always asking me, you know

[01:42:29] Hey, let's talk strategy. You know what biny man biny? What's the big? You know, what's the big?

[01:42:33] What's the key?

[01:42:34] You know, come on man

[01:42:36] And I remember telling him one time and it never went away because he will remember things

[01:42:41] Like i'm gonna tell you a story. You ask him a question for me. You remember that foosball video

[01:42:46] He was I mean the foosball movie he was in yeah, yeah

[01:42:50] 90 percent either great. Yeah 90 of the one-liners he used in there

[01:42:55] They were mine. So he tells me yeah, they were yours, but I made a famous baby

[01:43:03] So I used to tell him, you know, I I meant it and all in fun, you know

[01:43:08] But he would use them draugatory. He stole my team names on ts

[01:43:12] My team name was my turn to burn next thing. I know he signs up and I hear you know my turn to burn and he stole my name

[01:43:19] You know

[01:43:22] Uh, what was it gonna tell you about?

[01:43:24] Yeah, he's your rival then he's your partner and your rival all through the same time

[01:43:28] And you know, you know me and Todd went out a lot, but I used to tell him, you know

[01:43:34] Bacon yeah

[01:43:36] I used to say that, you know foosball

[01:43:39] When you play at this level

[01:43:41] It's all about heat and pressure, you know heat and pressure, you know, those are the two things

[01:43:46] I remember when I was a kid jack nicholas. Everybody knows jack. Oh, yeah

[01:43:49] I never forget this interview. They said jack. How did you get to be?

[01:43:53] I mean, you're so better than everybody how and he goes look there's a thousand jack nicholas is all across the world

[01:43:59] I've met him. I've seen him play. I played with him

[01:44:02] until

[01:44:03] We play for a dollar

[01:44:05] And then i'm jack nicholas

[01:44:07] And johnny started understanding out of a young age

[01:44:10] you know

[01:44:11] and uh

[01:44:13] so

[01:44:15] You know, he's very uh, you know usually guys that get good

[01:44:19] They're pretty smart in certain ways, you know, I mean like sure not gonna be a good player and be a dummy

[01:44:25] You were talking about terry more earlier

[01:44:27] And uh, I'll answer that question for you. I terry shot a pull shot

[01:44:33] Pretty good. He shot a rollover. I know okay, but you know, but he wasn't going to be one of the majors with that pull shot, you know

[01:44:40] I mean, uh

[01:44:42] Uh

[01:44:43] But he told me, you know, we played against each other a lot, you know

[01:44:47] And what the shot did for him is it allowed him to focus on his five bar lot because one night terry drove to columbus from houston

[01:44:57] And there's a bunch of players

[01:44:59] We're a bob helitons house. I mean like, you know deas

[01:45:02] Uh, you know swan me

[01:45:06] There's a lot. There's probably 12 masters there

[01:45:09] And terry comes in we're playing for money and I said terry how in the world are you

[01:45:14] Crank in that shot like that

[01:45:16] That's like you've been because the guy's been up for like two days

[01:45:19] Yeah, he goes that shot's automatic. I don't have to do anything. There's no muscle in it. It's just all you know

[01:45:25] it's all uh

[01:45:27] You know rod does the work and

[01:45:29] you know, um

[01:45:31] Yeah, it really changed the game, you know a lot but uh, how did you feel when you first noticed this?

[01:45:37] This this shot coming into play and there was this contemplation of making it illegal

[01:45:41] But uh, how did you feel about it personally?

[01:45:43] Well, I had a big match and uh, let's see

[01:45:47] 92

[01:45:48] I was playing and we were playing the finals. It was me and gummison playing terry and uh

[01:45:54] Eddie gartman

[01:45:56] The next thing I know

[01:45:58] You know terry shooting us shot

[01:46:02] And the ref's there and i'm like, how's that legal? Now i was going to make a point

[01:46:06] Hmm and because the rule at the time I think it was 18

[01:46:10] Four it said before the attempt of a shot or pass

[01:46:15] Both hands must grasp the handles for a full second

[01:46:19] And terry goes my hand is grap. I'm grasping it with my wrist

[01:46:23] And he got a can of coke on the floor underneath the table

[01:46:26] Yeah, grasp some of your wrist and I picked it up and I said here grasp this with your wrist

[01:46:30] Oh god you got me now

[01:46:33] But it was something that was never uh, I don't you know, it's it's like

[01:46:38] Doesn't really matter what I say now about it now, you know, it's part of the game. Yeah, um, I think it's really really

[01:46:45] I think about five or six years ago. I was in vegas at the

[01:46:50] Hall of Fame and I made it a point first round rookie doubles

[01:46:54] I mean, you know match after match

[01:46:57] Every single match but one

[01:47:01] Was a rollover. Yeah, one one guy was shooting a

[01:47:04] Um a pull shot, but it really limited, you know

[01:47:09] And it really limited in that way. Um, Todd said something to me one time. I think it sounds maybe kind of

[01:47:20] I don't want to make it sound like

[01:47:23] What's the word? I'm looking

[01:47:25] I'll just say it. Todd we're sitting at pits one time. We're watching the match

[01:47:29] And uh, this is probably about you know, 10 years ago

[01:47:33] Eight years ago and Todd says, you know, steve

[01:47:36] Imagine if the rollover was never legal

[01:47:38] Do you realize

[01:47:39] What me and you are history what we've been in foosball like who would touch our shots? Sure, you know

[01:47:46] But that you know, and I never forgot when he said that, you know, like imagine if that shot was never legal

[01:47:52] And they had everybody had to deal with it with me and your shot

[01:47:55] Yeah, you know, you realize how many titles we would have, you know, like that

[01:47:59] Todd saying that hysterical. Yeah

[01:48:01] Yeah, it is

[01:48:03] Speaking of Todd man. I got really really

[01:48:06] Smashed one Vegas tournament. You were in the finals of Todd

[01:48:10] In senior doubles playing against Lewis and Mike's plane and I was so drunk

[01:48:15] You're yelling over the soundproof wall and you were being yourself and Todd was ignoring me

[01:48:21] Lewis was making a mistake of responding to me

[01:48:25] What what is your memory of that? Was that really? I mean, it's I really blacked out later that night

[01:48:30] So what do you remember that?

[01:48:32] by the yeah, I do I remember

[01:48:34] I'll tell you what I remember

[01:48:37] It was like fog horn leg horn guys out there, you know what a bullhorn or something I said

[01:48:41] The world I said Todd's like oh, I think I need to keep it down. I said let him go. He's put all the pressure on Lou

[01:48:47] Yeah, he felt the loose spell apart. Lewis fell apart. You guys smashed him

[01:48:51] He was putting a little pressure on me too. I gotta tell you

[01:48:54] You remember Lou's getting the ball pretty good. Yeah, he was shooting a pull shot

[01:48:58] Yeah, and I'm like trying to use it, you know to my advantage like I'm being a nice guy, but I'm loving it, you know like

[01:49:05] He's wanting to go long because he's wanting to you know, you know, and I know that so he ain't gonna do it

[01:49:11] I remember that

[01:49:19] The memories are amazing and that's the one thing we have found

[01:49:21] We've had, you know, so many great master players on with us on on foostock live and it's the memories of those days

[01:49:27] It's like it was yesterday in many cases. It's going even back to the 70s 80s or whatever

[01:49:32] I want to switch gears with a little bit though because I know Steve you are you are involved

[01:49:38] On an annual basis with the united states table soccer hall of fame

[01:49:42] And a lot of people out there don't really know how all of that works

[01:49:45] How do how do we decide and I'm on that board as well along with Steve Murray and others?

[01:49:50] But how do how does that process work? And of course you're a hall of famer

[01:49:54] Um, you know, there are nominees and there's there's an election each year

[01:49:59] Talk a little bit about the process of how we determine who goes into the united states hall of fame

[01:50:05] So there's a lot of confusion there, but it's really once I explain to people they're like, oh, okay

[01:50:11] That's how and man. I'll tell you what I've taken some phone calls before

[01:50:14] Over

[01:50:17] People are like, man. Well, how did this happen? You know like they're

[01:50:20] I'm thinking if it wasn't me they want to cuss me out

[01:50:22] But you know, they're trying to choose their words wisely most times but so here's the deal

[01:50:28] Um, you know the history is an 86 at the reunion tournament. I remember I was there, uh, johnny lot

[01:50:34] You know instituted the uh

[01:50:37] Hall of Fame and I believe there were 12 people

[01:50:40] inducted

[01:50:42] And um, I remember the last one to speak was billy sumpson. I had to go get

[01:50:47] Johnny and say johnny, please man billy's still on the microphone. He goes what?

[01:50:51] He goes right because the guy had been up there for like an hour and 47 minutes. I timed

[01:50:56] and uh

[01:50:57] so

[01:50:58] But from there, then it you know, it was uh, what do you say uh dormant for a while and then

[01:51:02] Jim picked it up and then what happened was there was a transition

[01:51:07] and

[01:51:08] Kelly steitz bought

[01:51:11] Fornato dynamo valley and um, then they

[01:51:17] As I recollect jimma could be wrong. Um, but I think it was maybe 2008 2009

[01:51:23] They had the brothers in their running tournament. Uh, refresh me

[01:51:26] Elliott's yeah, elliott's okay

[01:51:29] man

[01:51:30] Fornato had to lose a lot of money right there things just weren't

[01:51:34] Going right which I believe is what led them to go to marry, you know because she'd been doing this for a while

[01:51:39] So the mary took it over and then they basically said here mary you do the hall of fame

[01:51:45] And um, actually they never did but yes, she did take the whole thing. Yes

[01:51:50] I remember

[01:51:52] You know talking with you in vegas that first year

[01:51:55] And thinking like, you know, we got to get this

[01:51:59] Work, you know, we got to get you videoing. We got to get this back on track

[01:52:02] I don't know if you remember that or not, but but uh, I did talk to mary and uh, so

[01:52:07] So fast forward to now

[01:52:10] uh, kathy brainer

[01:52:12] um

[01:52:14] And talking a lot and other people

[01:52:17] She developed some guidelines

[01:52:19] Um anybody can go to i fp foosball the web page. There are years of

[01:52:27] Brochures and um

[01:52:30] The information on there on the induction process

[01:52:33] You know, basically there's like four categories, you know people can be nominated as a player as a contributor

[01:52:41] um as a female

[01:52:45] As a player, you know, maybe uh a player at large

[01:52:50] There are uh

[01:52:53] Anybody in the u.s in a u.s player can nominate

[01:52:57] One player per year. So what we ask you to do is let's say uh

[01:53:01] mark things that uh

[01:53:03] bob gibson should be

[01:53:05] He wants to well then we you know

[01:53:09] We're saying okay. Well, you provide some documentation, you know get the ball rolling why you think that

[01:53:14] and um, but all balls down to there's

[01:53:18] There's uh certain criteria

[01:53:20] And there's really four main criteria

[01:53:24] And one is

[01:53:25] That there's a world the player has a world title and out of these four criteria

[01:53:31] You have to meet at least two

[01:53:34] So like the first criteria would be you have a world championship title in an open category of play meaning

[01:53:42] um a world championship and open doubles open singles

[01:53:45] Uh women's doubles women singles

[01:53:48] Mixed doubles and I think kathy later added

[01:53:52] Senior doubles because of the all the masters playing it about that time

[01:53:56] And I think that was right about the time that when jeep got in that's how that happened

[01:54:00] Um, so but I don't think I was ever put in writing then or you would have to meet the um second criteria would be

[01:54:10] You have to win multiple

[01:54:12] um

[01:54:13] regional

[01:54:15] National titles over a five-year period

[01:54:18] So they want to show some consistency that you've been and you need to maintain the highest ranking

[01:54:24] So that would mean under tornado

[01:54:27] If you didn't win the world title

[01:54:29] then

[01:54:31] But you were a master for five years and you won multiple

[01:54:36] national or regional titles

[01:54:38] over that five-year period

[01:54:40] Which historically we've used as a ten thousand dollar minimum tournament

[01:54:45] Unless it was like early

[01:54:48] dynamo

[01:54:51] Tornado where there were big tournaments, but the money wasn't as much right then

[01:54:56] um

[01:54:57] And then the other thing would be I think I named three the fourth one would be like, um, you make a significant

[01:55:04] Contribution to the game

[01:55:07] You know

[01:55:09] Maybe you developed the rollover or maybe you have a new shot a new defense new pad that

[01:55:16] Dramatically changes the professional style of play

[01:55:21] So it's basically those four criteria and it's in writing its own ifp

[01:55:26] I think you go to ifp foosball and there's a hall of fame tab

[01:55:30] And you can look at like the last 10 or 11 years all the brochures

[01:55:34] And in the brochure is this criteria

[01:55:36] So i'll tell you personally

[01:55:39] Um, and i'm not ready to send an email out there buddy, but since jim's listening right now

[01:55:44] um

[01:55:45] I have reached out

[01:55:51] I would say

[01:55:53] Over the last year

[01:55:55] Eight more players

[01:55:57] And I've I said look, I need you know, here's what we're trying to do is we have a committee

[01:56:02] It's me

[01:56:04] Steve Murray

[01:56:05] Dave gummison jim steven

[01:56:08] Mary does not vote on that

[01:56:11] but she's

[01:56:13] She's the sponsor of it so to speak she does provide you know provide jackets

[01:56:18] entries

[01:56:20] a plaque a dinner things of that nature

[01:56:22] And um, I want to point out before I forget that going in this year for last year will be christina fuchs

[01:56:30] Charles magnetosh and tom york

[01:56:33] but um

[01:56:34] So what we do is let's say and i've asked people

[01:56:38] I could think of about eight, but I don't get anything back

[01:56:42] you know, um

[01:56:44] Because who knows their history better than they do

[01:56:47] And uh, you know it's work to go through

[01:56:51] and verify double check that these people

[01:56:54] um

[01:56:55] I'll give example. Uh, well, I don't it's hard to name a player

[01:56:58] But I think we currently have probably and people think you know you nominate somebody this year they might go in

[01:57:05] I don't know jim. What do you think there's probably still

[01:57:09] On the ballot

[01:57:11] Would you say 20 to 25 players jim?

[01:57:16] Um on the ballot itself. Yeah, I mean whether or not they're ever going to get in or not is another matter, but

[01:57:22] Right pretty good sides number of players and of course as steve said that also

[01:57:27] Uh includes contributors and and and people like that

[01:57:31] Um, so yeah, there's still a fair amount on the ballot for sure

[01:57:34] And and the reason I say that jim is so that people wouldn't think like well, I'm gonna nominate um

[01:57:41] Like I said bob gibson and maybe he'll go in this year well he might

[01:57:45] But there's still players on there

[01:57:47] I can think of

[01:57:50] Players that have multiple dude gustavino

[01:57:53] Gustavino scottie wideman. There's a list man, you know guys. Yeah

[01:57:59] um

[01:58:01] Jim what's the female?

[01:58:03] Tarnit

[01:58:05] He's got seven world titles

[01:58:07] Gina joy steward joy steward

[01:58:09] You know

[01:58:10] I did reach out to joy steward, but you know and I asked her to you know, I wanted to get her present her

[01:58:17] bio to the committee

[01:58:19] For consideration to place on the ballot. I just haven't heard back yet. You know sometimes you have to

[01:58:24] You know life happens you gotta

[01:58:27] um

[01:58:28] No the female jim, um

[01:58:34] With seven world champions. Hmm. She's got seven. Um, but she still hasn't been inducted yet and it isn't like

[01:58:42] Who do you take out everybody's got there and and here's another thing I want to say is

[01:58:48] In the in the when you look at the bro shore if you go to ifp foosball

[01:58:53] People they'll say something like I don't know why so-and-so is not in there. I don't know why

[01:58:59] well

[01:59:00] These hall of famers, they're the ones that vote. They know they're not dummies. They know who's who you know

[01:59:07] But everybody's got one vote and that's the way it goes

[01:59:11] And that's the way

[01:59:13] Certain people will lobby. I don't do it because

[01:59:17] Um my position, I don't think it's right for me to lobby

[01:59:21] Uh when i'm counting up votes. So I don't do that

[01:59:24] I don't petition for somebody

[01:59:26] Yeah, like you say it is it is basically if you're a hall of famer you get a vote

[01:59:29] You know, that's the way it's been for the last 10 years and uh

[01:59:32] And if you're a player from the 70s and maybe he doesn't have a lot of information about

[01:59:37] What's going on presently or in the last 20 years, uh johnny lottle just tell you who to vote for but anyway

[01:59:44] Um, do you uh do you as a community thing out jim am I explaining it?

[01:59:49] Right, no, I think I think so. I mean there is a process

[01:59:52] You know that that must be gone

[01:59:54] There's a nomination process and of course the voting process with all the all the players

[01:59:57] And I think over the last few years we've started to really iron out

[02:00:01] Some of the weaknesses in the system and and take care of those to where now I think uh

[02:00:06] That that things have improved now you mentioned that there will be no new hall of famers this year because of the covid situation

[02:00:12] It's going to be uh christina fuchs and charles macintosh and tom yore who will hopefully be inducted in april

[02:00:18] In if the hall of fame classic in los vegas if it takes place

[02:00:22] We hope it does and if it does we'll be there. Um, and so this year, you know because we couldn't honor them

[02:00:27] Although we did to some degree

[02:00:29] At inside foods tv this past year but to really have them stand up in front of a crowd

[02:00:34] Acknowledge, you know the the induction and and and be there with all their friends and their competitors and everyone else

[02:00:40] We're really looking forward to those three. Hopefully this year in los vegas, steven

[02:00:45] I know you'll be there too to induct them as well

[02:00:48] Yeah, I uh just

[02:00:50] I think it was yesterday jim or

[02:00:53] Maybe it was the day before I reached out to all of them

[02:00:57] And you know, here's the thing is I hate to see a year go by where we don't induct

[02:01:02] someone

[02:01:04] But I've talked to mary, you know repeatedly and and and here's the thing

[02:01:09] She really wasn't sure she could even have the tournament

[02:01:12] Could you imagine if we have inductees for 2020?

[02:01:15] And then for 2021 and we don't get induct any of them now. We're looking at 2022 and we've got maybe six people that we

[02:01:23] You just can't do that and it takes away. I don't know what your feelings are. You're free to speak up

[02:01:29] But I don't think it's kind of fair to christina charles and tom

[02:01:35] That they never got really recognized. We did get them their jackets

[02:01:39] They didn't get their plaque. I'm working right now on updating their

[02:01:44] At least to do an online

[02:01:47] Program

[02:01:49] brochure

[02:01:51] I guess program and um, but I don't know what your guys feelings are on that but

[02:01:56] It's really kind of like

[02:01:58] I even asked mary

[02:02:00] Just just before kentucky state, you know, or is this good?

[02:02:03] I don't want to get ahold of these people and then send the email out to the hall of famers

[02:02:07] And here's what we're doing because you got to give people enough notice obviously for work and traveling all that

[02:02:13] But um, it's a tough time, you know

[02:02:18] I don't know what it is about me

[02:02:21] At my age, I still get

[02:02:24] Players that think i'm you know, mr. Beine and some think i'm their brother friend, you know, it's a mixture

[02:02:30] I I stay in touch people contact me

[02:02:34] And I think it's maybe because maybe the

[02:02:38] Me being in ohio marries in kentucky are our friendship over the years or

[02:02:43] You know like they're having kentucky right now and the mask thing is very

[02:02:48] um

[02:02:51] What's the word uh controversial not adversarial yeah controversial. I mean you got people that are

[02:02:57] I mean so now, you know, i'm getting texts or calls, you know, what are you going to do about like me?

[02:03:02] I don't run a tour. What are you going to do about there's people down there? They're not wearing a mask and if they do

[02:03:06] It's not over their nose or if they

[02:03:09] You know, it's a it's a subject, you know, I don't know how to answer for it, but I think in vegas

[02:03:14] Uh what mary's told me is you know, you're gonna have to wear that mask because out there

[02:03:18] It's not going to be like the hotel in kentucky, but what are your guys thoughts on that about?

[02:03:24] I see some and she also reduced it by the way

[02:03:26] It's it's only a 30 grander this year because she does not have any idea what the turnout will be but go ahead

[02:03:32] I got two thoughts first thing is from as from a business owner perspective

[02:03:37] One of the things you manage your liability and risk whatever your political ideology is

[02:03:42] If you're mandated especially like if you have people on camera, they tell you you got to wear a mask

[02:03:48] Whatever your political affiliation is

[02:03:51] It doesn't matter if you're going to get sued or you're exposed because people are on video

[02:03:56] Not wearing their mask when you promise they would now anyone you just got it's it's a sad reality

[02:04:01] That if someone gets coveted and taught and other people get it

[02:04:04] Um as a business owner you're exposed, right? There's no amount of insurance that's going to cover you

[02:04:10] That's the first thing but to the other point you made and i'm not sure quite what you're asking

[02:04:13] But if if I got into the hall of fame or any i'm speaking for anybody and i respect you

[02:04:18] If somebody gets in the hall of fame they should get their time, right?

[02:04:21] Their time gets memorialized to speak to thank the people they want to thank their family their friends their community

[02:04:27] Um, they deserve that time that time is memorialized. It's archived. It's remembered one day their grandkids may see it

[02:04:33] It's a big moment for people that work really really hard. So if the question is

[02:04:37] I don't know if this is your part of your question at all

[02:04:39] But I just hope you guys figure out how people get their moment on the stage to ingratiate themselves to their community

[02:04:45] Their family their friends in an appropriate way like everyone else got to

[02:04:49] So yeah, no, no for sure and we try to do that a little bit this past year through the use of video

[02:04:54] But obviously ideally you want them in front of their friends in front of a crowd in a major

[02:05:01] tournament situation in a ceremony type of environment

[02:05:04] um, you know talking about the hall of fame classic and about

[02:05:07] You know one thing we can count on is that los vegas

[02:05:10] Is going to do it the right way, you know, they're they're going to be careful

[02:05:15] You're going to have to wear a mask there. I would assume even in april

[02:05:18] You know, even as things come

[02:05:20] But the one thing you can kind of count on is that if it's going to happen

[02:05:24] Las vegas is going to make the call

[02:05:26] And they're going to make a smart call because they have to as mark mentioned the liability involved with a business

[02:05:31] In this case the business being the hotel

[02:05:34] That you in the environment the tournament is held in

[02:05:37] um

[02:05:38] And so, you know, we will see and again so much of this past year has been about

[02:05:43] One day at a time making decisions on a daily basis. We really don't know

[02:05:47] We've got a plan for things knowing that maybe they're not going to happen yet

[02:05:52] We still have to make the plans because in order to pull off something like a las vegas tournament

[02:05:57] You've got a plan, you know, you've got to get every all your ducks in a row

[02:06:01] And so you still have to until the answer is no

[02:06:04] But um, you know, hopefully, you know, we are able to to have this tournament in april. Hopefully mary's able to to run this event

[02:06:12] Hopefully we are able to personally

[02:06:14] induct to these three individuals

[02:06:16] deservingly so into the hall of fame

[02:06:19] But again, who knows right? That's the environment we're in we can hope

[02:06:23] And uh, and we will see what happens

[02:06:26] Let's hope that in a year's time jim, uh guys that this is completely moot

[02:06:31] That you know, I'll get to worry about any of this and uh, we'll move forward and do the things we need to do

[02:06:37] Yeah, uh, steve before we, uh, we only have a few minutes left here

[02:06:41] But I first of all want to thank you for taking the time

[02:06:44] Uh outside of foods by understand that you worked in law enforcement. Is that correct?

[02:06:49] Yes, and I retired a couple years ago. No kidding in it. And how long did you do that for?

[02:06:54] Uh, 33 years 33 years

[02:06:58] Wow. Well, thank you so much for your service

[02:07:01] Truly and your daughter now and your daughter and her husband now understand are

[02:07:05] On the streets protecting and serving so

[02:07:08] Eternally grateful. Yeah, really really love that man. Appreciate all that from you and your family. So cool. Yeah

[02:07:15] Yeah, I'm on that. I'm on that mailbox money now

[02:07:19] Do you miss your uh

[02:07:21] Your former that you mentioned jack nickle is jack nickle is also out of columbus, oh, hi

[02:07:26] Oh, so steve biney kind of the jack nickle is yes who's well no doubt about it

[02:07:29] He is so right

[02:07:31] About the heat in the intensity and the pressure and that's what it's all about. It doesn't necessarily it's not the most talented guy

[02:07:37] It's the it's the guy or gal who can handle those

[02:07:41] The best and and you made a great analogy with jack nicklaus because yeah jack could hit the ball a long ways

[02:07:46] He was a good putter good with short game

[02:07:48] But it was his his bulldog mentality is his ability to perform under pressure that paid off so many times for him

[02:07:55] And for you as well steve. Thank you so much for for joining us tonight. Yeah, terrific. I appreciate it man

[02:08:02] It's been great. I really appreciate talking with you guys and uh

[02:08:07] Trying to well steve has uh, it's our johnny's question is ought to call him out to this

[02:08:12] What happened to our non-disclosure agreement?

[02:08:15] Taurus dude, I don't believe we'll get johnny on here. Maybe next week or whenever he's ready

[02:08:20] It'll stress him out and tell him man. I can't help it. I want a full metal jacket on you dude

[02:08:25] You probably won't be able to show your face together turn that dude

[02:08:27] Don't do that. He'll never show up on the show tell him that she was great into showp on the damn show

[02:08:32] Right. All right. Oh there i'll get him on the show if you want him on the show. All right. Yes

[02:08:36] The answer is yes. Yes. Yes

[02:08:38] Yeah, give me one dude

[02:08:39] You might have to play bat you might have to play goalie from again to make sure he doesn't get crazy

[02:08:43] Or the only way I'll come on is with you bring him both. We'll take both

[02:08:47] Looking forward to it. Yeah

[02:08:49] I'll talk about the show too for both of you come on the show

[02:08:53] Yeah

[02:08:56] On behind we're really gonna get some insight. Yeah

[02:08:59] And we're gonna get something as for sure

[02:09:02] I can speak for the rest of us here that you are absolutely welcome here anytime the door is wide open for you

[02:09:08] So you are you're a permitted guest. Yeah for sure steve. Thanks for joining us buddy

[02:09:13] Hopefully we'll see you in vegas man. We'll see you in vegas. All right. I hope to see you guys out there. Thank you

[02:09:17] All right. Thank you steve. All right. Have a good evening you too

[02:09:21] Wow guys, uh, I you know, I don't know how we're gonna do it. It's it's like each week

[02:09:25] I'm thinking how are we gonna top that

[02:09:27] That that uh, steve. Yeah, you know, it's so great having these guys on especially the guys that go back as far as

[02:09:32] Steve does to hear the stories that I learned several things again tonight

[02:09:36] Okay, johnny and about steve and about about the foosball tour in general

[02:09:40] And it's just been so educational and enlightening a week after week

[02:09:44] It seems to talk to these guys

[02:09:46] And hear their great stories. You know the stories and its memory is nostalgia

[02:09:49] But it's not just that there are keys to winning in foosball in the stories

[02:09:53] Listening to the stories you could find winning foosball

[02:09:59] Maxims they're in there. So just listen to the show man. It's true man. It's absolutely true

[02:10:03] It's three there is a reason why they were top of the field

[02:10:07] That's there's there's a reason and of course it has a lot to do with their attitude

[02:10:11] The way they looked at life the way they looked at the game all of these things come into play

[02:10:16] And uh, if you ignore those things well, you may not necessarily ever be a champion either, you know, so

[02:10:21] I think that's yeah, truly valuable truly value. Yeah another great show tonight guys. Yeah

[02:10:26] Well, we're gonna do it again next week. No doubt about it. Uh looking forward to it

[02:10:31] Maybe we'll get johnny on here one of these days called johnny. Yeah get johnny on the horn

[02:10:35] But uh, here's johnny our sincere. Thanks to steve biding for jumping in tonight. We really appreciate him being our special guest

[02:10:42] Uh, jim any parting shots?

[02:10:45] No, not much just uh, you know, take it all one day at a time people one ball at a time good things are coming

[02:10:50] I promise you. Oh nice mark

[02:10:53] I'm looking forward to next week fellas. I'm excited about next week

[02:10:56] All right, let's keep this get the week over quick so we can get back to the show. Cool

[02:10:59] Let's do it. All right. Yep and clay. Uh, you want to chime in uh any uh, false stats that you want to point out?

[02:11:07] No, I have a real stat though. We're about 20 seconds away from it

[02:11:12] Well there the timekeeper has spoken. Hey, thanks for tuning into foos talk live

[02:11:16] I'm tom robinson. Let's get together again next sunday at nine eastern standard time

[02:11:24] Foos talk live is a product of foosball radio and inside foos tv

[02:11:29] All rights reserved our sincere thanks to five one eight prince foosball clubs

[02:11:35] usa

[02:11:35] foosballers the movie and the united states table soccer

[02:11:40] Organization join us next sunday for another episode of foos talk live in the meantime

[02:11:47] Coming in at number four on the top ten most downloaded episodes of foosball radio foos talk live

[02:11:53] Steve biney who is not just a great foosball legend

[02:11:57] But your favorite topic in the foos talk live series with 740 downloads

[02:12:03] Originally airing january 31st of 2021

[02:12:08] We're counting down the top 10 most downloaded episodes of foos talk live and foosball radio

[02:12:13] Now here's the third most downloaded episode originally released in december of 2018

[02:12:19] This episode was special because it featured the world's greatest foosball play-by-play announcer

[02:12:26] Jim Stevens

[02:12:27] This was only our third episode of the foosball radio podcast and to this date has been downloaded

[02:12:36] 741 times just barely edging up the steve biney episode by one download

[02:12:44] Next time on foosball radio

[02:12:47] Once you get a jacket then it's like the next level we move up to expert ever

[02:12:50] But one of my main goals was uh for years was to get on an inside foos video from inside foos

[02:12:58] Legendary foosball commentator jim stevens. Jim like i've got this kid. I've got this kid up here, you know, and I said

[02:13:06] That's great bill good to see you

[02:13:09] You know and then tony spraiderman becomes great relatively out of nowhere in back in 2001 and he wins five titles

[02:13:16] The junior titles and the expert titles and everything and I go, okay

[02:13:19] Yeah, the kid's pretty good. He's not bad. You know, but these are only non-pro

[02:13:24] Events billed it's good to see you though

[02:13:27] Um and then the next year he's in the finals of open singles and the rest is history

[02:13:31] So I always kind of look back on that as one of the real

[02:13:34] surprises a pleasant surprise that

[02:13:36] That someone told me something and it actually did actually happen foosball radio the ultimate foosball podcast

[02:13:50] Welcome to foosball radio

[02:14:00] Yep, we are back. It's foosball radio. Hey there i'm tom robinson with chuck duly and nino dijon. Hello chuck. Hello tom

[02:14:09] Hello nino tom. Good day to you sir. Yeah same to you. Hey, you know, we've got another episode

[02:14:14] This is our third episode and so this one is called sound and vision

[02:14:19] This particular episode is built around the career of a very storied personality within foosball

[02:14:25] Everybody knows jim stevens play-by-play commentator in the sport chuck. I know that you know jim

[02:14:31] I've known jim for years. Yeah, yeah and nino. Yeah years. Yep one of a kind

[02:14:36] One of a kind great guy. Yeah, I mean

[02:14:39] Guys at class act so we're gonna build this episode around jim stevens and his career

[02:14:44] Yes, we'll be talking to him in just a few moments and I do want to mention you may have heard in the very beginning of the show

[02:14:50] That we now have our first sponsor. It's called kick track and it's a brand new app

[02:14:55] We'll be hearing more about that but I want to say a shout out to uh,

[02:15:00] Dave urbanski who is the software developer for this new app called kick track

[02:15:04] Contacted us via germany and we want to thank him for being on the show at any rate

[02:15:10] Not only you're going to be talking about jim stevens and speaking with jim today. We're also going to be

[02:15:16] Delving into something chuck. I believe you did some research on this

[02:15:20] It's called celebrities who play foosball

[02:15:24] So we'll wrap up with that and of course, we've got the the mail bag

[02:15:27] We'll talk about some feedback all this is coming up next on foosball radio. Don't go away

[02:15:34] And welcome back to foosball radio. Hey, I'm tom. I'm with chuck and nino and we are in our third episode

[02:15:47] Really psyched about this when we have a chance to hear about the career of one of the greatest foosball commentators

[02:15:53] Jim stevens coming up very soon

[02:15:56] And I do want to take some time out to talk about

[02:15:59] Some things that just recently happened for both of you guys now. You both took the trip out to

[02:16:04] Colorado for it's called the colorado states correct

[02:16:08] So nino you give me an idea. Uh, you went out there with the kids. How did things go?

[02:16:12] Things went well. The kid the kids played well. It was a great great tournament

[02:16:17] This is our second year there. Uh, the chatmans and uh, tim walters

[02:16:22] They do a phenomenal job putting on this event. It's a great event if I can

[02:16:27] Suggest a tournament. It's definitely one you want to put on your bucket list

[02:16:31] Yeah, so so how do the kids do by the way? The kids did well

[02:16:34] Yeah, the kids uh, both kyler and sam did very well there and uh, you know the experience alone is just something and

[02:16:42] That they can take back with them. So this is something you always do every year

[02:16:46] You always go to Colorado states

[02:16:47] This is our second. This is our second one and we'll probably continue to go to it

[02:16:50] It's a it's a great run tournament the chatmans and tim walters. They do a phenomenal job

[02:16:56] They give back to the sport. Sure. They give back to the players

[02:17:00] The venue is a phenomenal venue the hotel is very accommodating and it's just a great event

[02:17:06] That's the way anybody anybody that's been to it would probably vouch for it. So it is the gold standard, shall we say? I would say

[02:17:13] Yeah, yeah, they have a great setup there

[02:17:15] Yeah, it's a great everything that the the food and the bars is right there in the room

[02:17:20] It's two tier big and yeah, you know, you can go upstairs and look down onto the tables and watch players

[02:17:27] That's ideal. Yeah, you know, it's just they've they've put all the small touches into it

[02:17:33] So so chuck how about you? I mean you were out there too. What what uh, what did you see that you thought was significant?

[02:17:38] Just the way they ran everything

[02:17:40] I mean like I say every detail was was attended to they are from the beginning of start, you know

[02:17:46] To the end you could tell that they spent a lot of time and effort into it

[02:17:49] You know the the hall of fame ceremony that they have is nice outstanding, you know that they honored local

[02:17:55] You know colorado people and yeah, and uh

[02:17:58] All the little fine touches that they put into it is just amazing. Yeah, cool

[02:18:02] I mean colorado foosball history is just goes back a long time

[02:18:07] And how long has this state championship been going there? Do you know?

[02:18:10] This was six years. I think six years. Okay for this, you know incarnation

[02:18:14] They've had it, you know years past but right right right

[02:18:16] But this is run by the the Chapmans and and tim walters, right?

[02:18:21] I notice they have pretty cool trophies. They do they have unique trophies and

[02:18:26] They're you know one of a kind. Yeah, no sure. Well, here's to uh, you know next year

[02:18:32] You know 2019 hopefully that I can join you guys. Yeah, that'd be great. Yeah

[02:18:36] It's definitely a place you'd want to definitely hit just just spend even just watching

[02:18:41] Sure

[02:18:41] You know checking it out the competition is fierce there and you get all the top players there speaking of watching at colorado

[02:18:47] You guys played somebody pretty pretty high end when it comes to players. What was your match like with ton?

[02:18:54] Todd LaFredo, what was that like?

[02:18:57] Let's cut that one

[02:19:00] No, no, no, no

[02:19:03] So you did play Todd LaFredo, right? We did. Yes. Yes, and then go our way

[02:19:08] Well, it didn't even come close to not even go well hold on a second here

[02:19:12] Now I mean, you know, how many people can say, you know, they went to colorado and played a person like Todd LaFredo

[02:19:17] Who's his partner by the way?

[02:19:19] Kane Gabriel. Yep. Gotcha. Colorado foosball player. Got it. You know, he's a master. He's he's out of canada

[02:19:26] Yeah, okay. Yeah, so so yeah, this is something not everybody and you know, I don't want to pick on you necessarily

[02:19:33] But you know, hey, you know, I've never played Todd LaFredo

[02:19:36] Not likely to anytime soon. Let's uh, you know, I get very very lucky fun stuff

[02:19:41] Fun stuff. So let's go to colorado states together in 2019 has that sounds like a plan

[02:19:46] Very cool. Yeah, awesome. So the other thing I wanted to touch base with you guys on real quick is something

[02:19:52] We're hearing a lot from across the country and across the planet in fact

[02:19:57] From people who are listening to foosball radio or are inspired to write us and I gotta I have to mention the name gary sanders

[02:20:06] From cincy foos or cincinati

[02:20:09] He has given me, I don't know four

[02:20:13] emails so far

[02:20:15] And a ton of material a lot of things that we could certainly talk about it in future episodes

[02:20:20] But and I want to go too deep into it, but uh, they're apparently in cincy, uh, cincinati. They're playing five nights a week

[02:20:28] That's great. Yeah. Yeah, we need to meet more of that across the country. No doubt

[02:20:33] Perhaps we can get uh, you know, I guess, uh, Dave is one of the organizers out there

[02:20:38] Gary sanders has been saying hey, you can contact Dave and I'll talk to you guys about about the cincy scene

[02:20:44] This is cool. I mean we eventually would like to talk talk to people from all the clubs across the planet

[02:20:50] As well as you know here in definitely want to see what's working in other places and right and you know

[02:20:55] Just match it and clone it. Sure. You know, I know he does a

[02:21:00] Beginners and a kids event there too. And oh, he has a couple different class

[02:21:05] tournaments that he runs there

[02:21:08] What we hear so yeah, I like the fact. I think they're doing like a dyp for beginners

[02:21:13] Which is like that is so cool. Uh, no pros allowed

[02:21:17] And it gives people, you know, uh motivation to come back every week and continue to improve

[02:21:21] And then they have a goal where they can step into let's say the next level of players

[02:21:26] And in a regular dyp where they're kind of quote-unquote, uh seasoned already, right? What do they call that farm farm club?

[02:21:33] That foosball they call it baseball. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Got you. You got to develop your talent and bring them up through the ranks

[02:21:39] But uh, very very cool and and thanks to gary sanders for reaching out and uh, man

[02:21:43] He's given us more uh more information and more ideas for future episodes and we greatly appreciate it

[02:21:49] So uh, if you're like gary and you have a club you'd like to tell us about by all means

[02:21:55] info at foosball.com is our email address and contact us

[02:22:00] foosball radio dot com sorry yeah info. Yep. This is saturday afternoon

[02:22:05] Had a tough couple bloody marries. I think we need right now. Yeah, exactly that would help

[02:22:09] So it's in uh info at foosball radio dot com. Thank you, nino

[02:22:14] Thank you for catching me as I fall

[02:22:18] So uh in just a few moments we'll come back and we're going to be talking to jim Stevens

[02:22:24] Uh who was very generous with his time

[02:22:26] Gave us a very good conversation. We'll talk to jim about his career

[02:22:30] As one of the greatest full-time foosball commentators who is all over the planet

[02:22:36] Doing play by play activity. He works for our company called inside foos

[02:22:41] And uh, we'll be hearing from jim Stevens coming up next

[02:22:44] You're listening to foosball radio and we'll be back in just a moment telling your story of foosball

[02:22:50] One player at a time

[02:22:52] foosball radio

[02:22:57] Welcome back to foosball radio. This episode is called sound and vision

[02:23:07] I'm tom with chuck and nino and the reason we call this episode sound and vision is because we're spending some time today

[02:23:15] Speaking to jim Stevens of inside foos who is a world famous

[02:23:21] Commentator for foosball. He's been at this some 25 years now

[02:23:26] And we'll get to that in just a couple of seconds. But first of all, chuck, I know you have a

[02:23:31] Past with jim. You've known you've actually played foosball with jim. I played foosball with him before. Yeah, it was uh, it was fun

[02:23:38] He's a great guy. Yeah, I mean

[02:23:40] I could just sit around and talk to jim all day. He's just you know a wealth of knowledge

[02:23:45] And just a great guy. I mean just somebody who wants to down have a beer with exactly, you know

[02:23:50] I mean who out there that's good at foosball didn't learn something from jen's videos. Exactly

[02:23:55] I could remember though, uh, I mean back in our dyps matt and our little used to show up with his uh laptop and he'd put

[02:24:01] Jim's videos on there. I remember that and uh, it was great because you know, I mean when you're not playing in a match

[02:24:07] You could watch, you know, tony speedman against ryan more or something like that

[02:24:11] You know, it's a great learning tool and then spark discussion

[02:24:14] You know, I mean it's different when you're watching the video by yourself than when you're watching it with a couple people

[02:24:19] Because you know, you might get a different perspective, you know, maybe if he had done that or if

[02:24:23] I loved the way he did this, you know that kind of thing, you know

[02:24:26] So it's nice to get a little group discussion going like that when you're watching it was

[02:24:30] It's great to get the insight that jim provides with the inside foos comment. Definitely. Yeah, he's he's such a

[02:24:36] Ordinary seeming person, right? He doesn't carry any kind of ego at all not at all

[02:24:41] But just you know is so well respected within within the sport

[02:24:45] So nino about you know, here's the thing when it comes to uh, sam

[02:24:49] Developing his now. Do you guys watch the inside foos? We do we ordered, uh, you know the the year

[02:24:56] Season pass season pass this year and you know, it has all the major tournaments

[02:25:01] That sam is you know played in so he can go back and watch

[02:25:04] You know his his matches to see things that he needs to work on and

[02:25:09] Things that are working for him and you know and I also get a little

[02:25:15] Preview of competitors that he's competing against

[02:25:18] To see their game. Yeah their game. So I know he studies like ryan moore's

[02:25:22] Two bars stuff like that. Yeah, you know, right? He studies ryan's dubar and he you know, tony's

[02:25:28] five bar and

[02:25:29] Yeah, and uh, yeah, there's just so much you can learn from these videos that

[02:25:35] You know jim has out there for at your disposal

[02:25:38] You know and um people should take advantage of it because there's just so much information out there that can help your game

[02:25:45] You know, absolutely. You can pick up a lot from it. So I recommend it personally. I mean, I don't have the raw

[02:25:52] Physical speed like like nino does, you know, it's just a natural either you have it or you don't but yep from watching the videos

[02:25:57] I could I could learn the mental game also

[02:26:00] You know, you can learn how to you know get around your your faults and and

[02:26:04] Make a game work be more controlled be more controlled me. You know just uh be more methodical maybe yeah

[02:26:10] Yeah, no it's it's it's truly a great benefit to the sport of foosball

[02:26:15] And that's why we call this episode sound division talking about jim stevens

[02:26:19] So yeah guys, what do you say? Well, we'll we'll go backstage now to uh, the pennsylvania state championships where we caught up to

[02:26:27] Jim stevens, uh, and here is that interview

[02:26:30] foosball radio the ultimate foosball podcast welcome back. It's foosball radio

[02:26:37] I'm tom robinson with chuck duly and nino dijon and we are having such a great time with this podcast

[02:26:43] By the way, this podcast is the ultimate foosball podcast and we are telling the story of foosball one player

[02:26:51] At a time, but it's not just players. It's also the people who are involved in this this sport and making it as classy

[02:26:57] As it is

[02:26:58] We're very lucky right now to have jim stevens of inside foos with us who has been at this what how many years now jim

[02:27:05] 25 started in

[02:27:07] 1993 on the professional tour. So I guess technically this would be my 26th year doing what I do

[02:27:12] Congratulations. Thanks. That's a I gotta say when it comes to

[02:27:17] Anyone who's in the know when it comes to this the sport

[02:27:20] We know jim stevens name because of the fact that he commentates the the best the most ultimate matches when it comes to

[02:27:27] The major championships the major tournaments

[02:27:30] So just give me an idea. How many tournaments do you do in a year this year 13?

[02:27:34] Although I've worked as many as 17. I think even 18 in a year in the past, which is a lot of traveling

[02:27:39] I think one year I did 125,000 air miles

[02:27:43] Traveling to tournaments around the world went to europe seven times one year. Don't know don't know how I did it

[02:27:49] Seriously couldn't do it now, but uh working events in I think 16 different countries around the world and

[02:27:56] Most of the states here in the united states

[02:27:58] That's incredible. So, you know, we're always interested in in where this whole thing started

[02:28:03] Of course when it comes to the game of foosball how now were you a player at any time?

[02:28:07] I was I was a pro player started back on the tournament soccer era as a an amateur as a novice player

[02:28:12] And got to experience that and then became a pro in the early 80s

[02:28:15] Okay, um and then a little later in the 80s in the early 90s

[02:28:19] I kind of took what I knew about foosball and combined it with my love of

[02:28:24] Broadcasting I high school I did a little baseball and basketball grew up in Los Angeles listening to some of the great sports casters

[02:28:29] About all time huge sports fan and kind of combined those things started doing it locally in Los Angeles at a tournament

[02:28:35] And people seemed to enjoy it

[02:28:36] Steve murray the great hall of fame player and at that time promoter working for tornado

[02:28:41] Heard about what I did and brought me out on tour and we've been doing it ever since ever since

[02:28:45] So was there anyone to build your your career on?

[02:28:48] I mean anybody that you necessarily wanted to to emulate when you first got into this

[02:28:52] Well besides the Ben Scully of course great Dodger broadcaster and checkerna the Lakers and the other

[02:28:58] Dick Enberg who worked in Los Angeles for a number of years, but no one in foosball

[02:29:01] This is something I pretty much created from scratch

[02:29:04] Yes, and when I first did it people were surprised and shocked to even think that it could be done

[02:29:09] And then of course we've been doing it ever since and we get great feedback

[02:29:13] From people around the world who really enjoy what we do even in countries where english is not the first language

[02:29:19] I'm the first choice as far as a commentator's goal. Well, it's that's a great compliment

[02:29:23] Absolutely first and only choices for as far as I'm concerned. Yeah. This is great. Chuck. Did you have you ever played foosball against jim?

[02:29:31] I have actually played with jim

[02:29:33] In more team at one time

[02:29:35] Yeah, chuck and I played together and how did you how did you guys do typically?

[02:29:39] Oh, well jim is like the push kick guy

[02:29:42] Extraordinary

[02:29:43] I seem to remember us doing pretty well did we did I think yeah, I don't remember the exact results

[02:29:48] I mean that's early all time or setting me

[02:29:52] But I do remember playing I had I remember having a good time

[02:29:56] And so there's something about the fastest foosball shot

[02:30:00] Was that question mark? Yes, the world's fastest foosball shot question mark. Okay. Okay, and there was me

[02:30:06] He's described it as gospel I thought

[02:30:10] I wasn't asking myself I knew the answer but for everyone else I wanted to you know

[02:30:14] Just put that question out there and a hundred or a million views later on youtube

[02:30:20] It's still the question still out there now

[02:30:21] I was shot on a bonzini table at the at the bonzini world championships in france

[02:30:26] Where the goal is about two feet wide and the men's feet are about a half an inch wide

[02:30:31] And the men are heavy and the rods are light and we were able to to actually shoot it pretty well

[02:30:36] That was in a match against the danish team

[02:30:39] Interesting in the team competition. Yeah, so

[02:30:42] Just I'm curious. What was the first time you actually saw a foosball table?

[02:30:46] Well, and when I was a kid I at christmas time

[02:30:49] I asked for a bubble hockey game from my grandparents. All right

[02:30:52] If you know what bubble hockey is you slide the little men around you slap the puck. I really really wanted one

[02:30:59] And so I get up on christmas morning

[02:31:00] And I've got a foosball table sitting there and I was disappointed. I said that's not

[02:31:04] What I wanted, you know, but I wasn't going to complain and I started playing on it

[02:31:08] And I realized hey, I'm pretty good at this I can hit the ball hard

[02:31:11] You know, I'm beating all my friends and then of course six months later the table deteriorated and what's gone and sure

[02:31:17] But about eight years later

[02:31:18] I walked into an arcade in marina del Rey california and saw the foosball table and I said hey

[02:31:23] I'm pretty good at that. You know because you you had played the the table hockey

[02:31:27] Well, no, it wasn't that it wasn't that he wish that I had played on that foosball table

[02:31:32] That was mistakenly bought for me for christmas. He wanted to play. I wanted to play bubble hockey

[02:31:36] But I got a foosball table instead

[02:31:39] And then I walked into this arcade in marina del Rey and

[02:31:42] Started playing there. There were some very good players there and this was during the tournament soccer era

[02:31:46] So there was a poster on the wall advertising at 25 000 los angeles open tournament 25 000 in 19

[02:31:52] This would have been 1977 wow i was three

[02:31:57] 25 000

[02:31:59] dollar tournament

[02:32:00] And that was of course

[02:32:01] A couple years later it was a million dollar tour in the late 70s a million dollar tour guys making 50 and

[02:32:06] $5 000 a year traveling around playing foosball and that was great money and yeah in those days especially for back then

[02:32:12] I know it really was a lot of money. Yeah, it really was jackpot

[02:32:16] Yeah, so of course as we all have if you're a foosball player, there's a there's a point where you get foosball fever

[02:32:21] Suddenly it just clicks and you I went to bed and I'd thinking about what I was going to do the next day

[02:32:25] When I went back to play whether it was a pass or a shot or just ball handling or whatever

[02:32:29] And I caught the fever, you know and loved it loved the game

[02:32:32] Actually played for a couple of years in los angeles. That's all I did. I played foosball

[02:32:37] Okay, playing seven tournaments a week locally and traveling the regional tour on the west coast mostly and a little bit into the midwest

[02:32:44] And that's all I did for a couple of years. You weren't just addicted. I was more than addicted. Yes

[02:32:49] So so uh, here's here's the thing that i'm very curious about you've seen

[02:32:54] I'm untold numbers of matches because you have to watch

[02:32:57] You have to be very careful about what you're saying about each each uh each play

[02:33:01] So i'm wondering what comes to your mind if I ask you the question

[02:33:05] What is the most extraordinary comeback you've ever seen biggest comeback?

[02:33:09] I've ever seen well, certainly there's been a couple of them. I remember a johnny horton

[02:33:12] I think versus it might have been todd lefredo where he was down two games down four nothing in the third game

[02:33:18] And he started if you know johnny horton started

[02:33:21] Doing his act and might have stepped to the bathroom briefly

[02:33:24] When he was down for a breath

[02:33:28] But that that comes to mind and certainly um, you know over the years we've seen a lot of them a lot of a lot of great

[02:33:34] Comebacks um players who seemingly were down and out or teams that were down and out before yeah before coming back to win

[02:33:40] I think maybe it's not a comeback

[02:33:42] But todd lefredo's performance a couple of years ago when he was playing open singles at the world championships

[02:33:46] And hurt his arm and singles that was really I mean was going to be playing forward for scottie wideman

[02:33:52] In doubles at the world championship, but could not play forward

[02:33:55] So he had to play goalie the entire tournament put wideman up at forward and wideman's not bad

[02:34:00] Etc

[02:34:00] But lefredo just played extraordinary foosball scoring two a game from goal and despite the

[02:34:06] Injury he was shooting those banks. It was like he couldn't even really move the ball

[02:34:09] It was just he was just picking people apart with those banks

[02:34:12] Yeah, but he did it with his brain and with his ability to adjust and it was it was just unbelievable that you see and so

[02:34:19] You know and i've been lucky enough to be in the middle of

[02:34:22] Most of the great matches the last 25 years certainly

[02:34:25] The biggest match ever that I did i've experienced was able to to work was in 19 or rather in 2006

[02:34:32] The very first world cup in germany when the usa faced france in a quarter final match

[02:34:37] That ended up going four and a half hours on a saturday night

[02:34:39] I think I stood up for the entire thing four and a half hours

[02:34:43] Four and a half hours went back and forth

[02:34:45] It's you know, they play several matches and going back and forth from benzene to tornado to benzene

[02:34:50] And it was just incredible the crowd kept building as other matches ended and by the end of the evening

[02:34:54] There were 1500 people in this 400 year old building

[02:34:58] This old fish auctions hall on the banks of the elba river in hamburg germany

[02:35:02] Cheering on every point and it was just even thinking back on it. I get chills and

[02:35:07] If any of you have ever seen that and you can't see it if you go to my youtube channel

[02:35:10] I wish it was like that more in the united states, you know, right? It's not really a spectator sport here

[02:35:16] Why why would it be a spectator sport over there so much but but not well that one in particular the world cup is a whole different animal

[02:35:22] It's 10 levels above anything else and it is designed to be a spectator sport

[02:35:26] It's held in theaters that see the thousand two thousand people

[02:35:30] And the way we we sell it and package it with the music and the lights and the presentation of it

[02:35:35] It really is designed to be a spectator sport

[02:35:37] And I think it is here. It is just not focused on

[02:35:41] The attention isn't on making it a spectator sport beyond what I do, right obviously

[02:35:46] But um, I mean we need big bleachers you need the environment that creates that and sometimes it just happens organically

[02:35:52] It isn't something you can really force

[02:35:54] True, you know, get you take this year's world championship. It's just four weeks ago on the final day

[02:35:58] I think it was a spectator sport an interactive spectator sport because most everybody was booing and

[02:36:04] And and spinning at bobby ds as he was doing his thing

[02:36:08] In that final day, but it was great entertainment, you know, and it can be and it has been on numerous occasions over the years

[02:36:14] So what do you what do you think in this country? What could we do and you say we can't force it obviously

[02:36:18] But what what what steps do we need to take to kind of help it to happen?

[02:36:23] Well, certainly there's a history of it and the tournament soccer era when these guys were playing for $30,000 for first place

[02:36:29] Right, you know when the money is that big and these guys are that fired up

[02:36:33] To to compete and to work on their games in between tournaments to to do notes and to study and to work hard on their games

[02:36:40] Because they're making a living at it

[02:36:42] And then playing for substantial amount of money

[02:36:45] I think that's part of the equation and then of course having an arena set up like they do at the world cup

[02:36:50] Yeah to create that sort of environment also. I think helps to promote that and

[02:36:54] You know, it's just venues. Yeah venues. Yeah, it certainly makes a big difference

[02:36:59] Now we with us, of course, we have Nino Dijon is one of our hosts and

[02:37:06] Nino is thank you

[02:37:09] Nino is raising one of the next foosball stars and we're we're certainly going to be focusing on the next generation. So

[02:37:16] To your estimation, what are the rising stars right now? Who are you seeing you think are going to be a huge?

[02:37:22] Well, certainly the young man sitting next to me here, uh, sam dijon

[02:37:26] Obviously, what is he? Are you nine nine years old 10 now? He's turned turn 10. Okay

[02:37:31] Certainly if he continues on the path, he's going he's going to be one of the greats

[02:37:33] There isn't any question about it

[02:37:35] And I think to be one of the greats you have to start

[02:37:38] In your single digits you look at everybody you look at tony spratum and and ryan moore and you know the other great players

[02:37:44] Frederick colonio and their second generation players who started when they're very young

[02:37:47] Rob Ather

[02:37:50] I always call it the tiger wood syndrome because tiger started when he was three and four years old

[02:37:54] He's on the mic douglas show at three, you know, yeah

[02:37:57] Yep, true

[02:37:58] Exactly and of course, you know, you kind of have to in order to form your yourself and to become that level of player

[02:38:06] So certainly, you know sam is somebody we got to look at and sully sullivan rue as you talked about

[02:38:11] Anominal. Yeah, my kids both. Yeah, as soon as they start playing

[02:38:14] Yeah, wait, you have kids in this world

[02:38:16] Well, my wife is a pro player and I have I have a seven-year-old daughter and a four-year-old son who it's inevitable

[02:38:22] I think that they're going to play and great. I hope so. That's very cool. Very cool

[02:38:26] And so um, but you know, there are there are really good young players the brandon munoz who and and tommy yore

[02:38:33] What can we say about another second generation player and tommy yore just a superstar talent?

[02:38:38] Yes, so he's certainly somebody to keep an eye on hearing this name a lot now

[02:38:42] Yeah, you're gonna hear it a lot

[02:38:44] Yeah, yeah, so so what do you think about the next generation? How do we how do we grow the sports and from what it is?

[02:38:49] Because obviously

[02:38:50] I'm hearing the stories now just to give you an idea. I am the world's oldest rookie

[02:38:55] I started back at this sport in 2010. I think it was 2011

[02:39:00] So I haven't been to very many tournaments and i'm learning a lot from both chuck and nino them and great coaches great teachers

[02:39:06] So i'm wondering how do we get more people

[02:39:10] To get into this sport a couple of different ways obviously the school program that john wilbryant is promoting up in new york and

[02:39:17] And that that's that's one thing but the formation of the united states table soccer organization the new federation that has been formed by terry

[02:39:24] rou and others

[02:39:26] Will allow us to sort of spread what john is doing around the country

[02:39:30] Uh, and also as a result of that federation there's going to be a club system

[02:39:34] Where clubs are going to be formed around the country and it's going to be mandated actually at some point by

[02:39:38] It's a president for read lunas that you have to be in a club in order to play in an itsf sanctioned event

[02:39:43] What these clubs will do

[02:39:45] Is allow you to bring in players from the bottom teach them to play the right way not put them up against tough competition too

[02:39:51] Soon because one of the problems we have i mean i don't know what the exact numbers are

[02:39:55] But maybe one out of every hundred players that starts playing foosball

[02:39:59] Runs the gauntlet and makes it through to become a tournament player

[02:40:02] We need to cut that number down and if you can do that by bringing them in and doing it the right way through the club system

[02:40:08] However, you recruit them whether it's from the schools or from your local bar or

[02:40:12] Pro-creating

[02:40:15] Over the last few years. Yes. It's cloning. Yes

[02:40:18] Well what it is is you you bring them in and then once they get to the aforementioned foosball fever

[02:40:22] Period. Yeah, they're hooked and then it's okay. Then we've got them right and then we can move on and bring the next player in but

[02:40:29] Um, so it is it is a hands-on thing

[02:40:31] But it's also something where we really need to cherish each player and we know

[02:40:34] Yes, that at some point they're going to get the fever

[02:40:36] Yeah and become you know tournament players. We know how does it feel?

[02:40:40] I mean you're talking about people getting good and and becoming better players

[02:40:44] How does it feel to be responsible for a lot of people in the foosball world?

[02:40:48] Getting better just by watching what you do. It's very satisfying and and you know

[02:40:51] I always tell the story about especially in the early days when we were doing this 15 20 years ago

[02:40:56] I would sell at that time of ehs tape

[02:40:59] to

[02:41:00] Players in eastern europe or in south america or in japan who had never seen american style foosball and american style foosball is the major leagues

[02:41:08] It's the it's the british primarily. Yeah, it is. It's the nhl

[02:41:11] It's the best of the best

[02:41:13] Because of the tables we've had in this country

[02:41:15] It allows us to create better players and the american style of play that was created in the 1970s

[02:41:20] The high percentage option style of play

[02:41:24] Because those guys were playing for big money. They pushed each other to a level to create this style of play

[02:41:29] This is the one I handed out to the world through my videos and I go to eastern europe

[02:41:34] And I watch these players in chequus levacchia shooting a snake shot and having american style fives

[02:41:39] And so I do feel like I've probably taught more players to play the game than anybody has no question

[02:41:44] And it's a great advantage. Yeah question. Chuck. It's it's very satisfying

[02:41:48] It's certainly you know one of the most satisfying things about my job

[02:41:51] Of course, you you've got the inside foos video series

[02:41:56] Now do you issue video series every time there's a tournament? Is that something I do?

[02:42:00] There's a video set after every event. I work

[02:42:04] There's a subscription, you know the subscriber and you get everything we record during the year you get the live streaming

[02:42:09] And I also have these days a offering on a hard drive my complete collection which goes back to 1993 and has every single event

[02:42:16] I've ever done it's about 2000 hours of foosball

[02:42:19] And there's probably 75 of those floating around and people people love them they get to go back and watch my vhs days

[02:42:25] That's amazing. How do people get a hold of these things? Is there do you have a website?

[02:42:29] I do coincidentally thanks for asking

[02:42:31] Inside foos.com it's our videos are available there and all the information can be found there

[02:42:37] On everything we do so nino. I gotta ask you so how fun do you sit down with sam and watch uh jim's videos

[02:42:43] How often we we watch them quite a bit, right? Yeah should watch them a little bit more

[02:42:47] Sam's trying to I think you'll learn a lot more

[02:42:50] Sam's trying to model his toolbar after ryan moore by watching your video

[02:42:55] You're gonna be responsible when he's a master. Yeah, well only somewhat

[02:43:01] But that's a good two-bar to model after first. Yeah, absolutely out. So this is uh, first of all

[02:43:07] We want to thank you so much for sitting down with us because I know you're a very busy person

[02:43:11] And and quite a voice and influence over the entire sport. So I we've got to ask you

[02:43:18] What do we need to do as a foosball podcast?

[02:43:22] What do we need to do to make this sport better and and what do you what would you expect from a podcast?

[02:43:27] What would you listen to or even just unite the foosball community to people to jump on board and

[02:43:33] Give opinions it's always difficult to you know to to

[02:43:38] You have the goal of uniting the the foosball public and being able to actually do it but

[02:43:43] I think you offer quality, which is what you're doing

[02:43:46] You know, you bring tony spread them and on you bring the top players on you bring some players who just have interesting stories on

[02:43:51] Right um and and create that sort of interest and then you actually

[02:43:55] You know be consistent with it stick with it put it out there

[02:43:58] Okay, and I think in this day and age with the ability to promote these sorts of things through facebook and through emailings and through every

[02:44:05] You know when I first started doing what I do I could advertise in two ways

[02:44:08] I could do it through table talk magazine which had a distribution of about 1500 or 2000

[02:44:13] Okay, or I could do it on site at tournaments now

[02:44:15] I can push a button and immediately go out to 20 000 people or more right let them know

[02:44:20] You know, it's and it's free right. It doesn't cost anything. It's amazing

[02:44:23] I mean when I was running tournaments, I used to have to mail them out by liars

[02:44:27] By mail you know snail mail and uh, you know now you got all this social media in all these ways to reach people

[02:44:33] But it seems like it's it's not reaching as many people and

[02:44:36] Having the same effect

[02:44:38] Well, I think you got to start with putting out a quality product

[02:44:40] And then and then from there the word of mouth is certainly going to gonna help and then utilizing all the various

[02:44:46] You know avenues that we have to promote these things right sure and certainly I'm a believer in this

[02:44:51] So anything I can do to to help out

[02:44:53] You are Jim then we thank you big time. I mean this is we talk about street cred

[02:44:59] Yeah, do you have any good stories? I mean you've been around you've been around everything

[02:45:04] You have to have a story. Okay, it sticks in your mind

[02:45:08] Not sure I'm not sure I could tell them on here

[02:45:11] Well, you know, I know there's a lot that you can't tell but we can edit you know

[02:45:14] You talked about Tony Spreiterman coming on earlier and um, and he was an interesting story

[02:45:18] People have came up to me for years and said oh, we've got these great young players in our area

[02:45:23] Etc. Bill Maloney who ran the wisconsin

[02:45:25] State tournament there and it was a big one. It was like a no-pro thing where you get three or 400 players

[02:45:30] And he told me for a couple of years. He said Jim, I've got this kid. I've got this kid up here

[02:45:35] You know and I said, oh, that's great bill. Good to see you

[02:45:39] You know and then Tony Spreiterman comes relatively out of nowhere and back in 2001 and he wins five titles

[02:45:45] When's the junior titles and the expert titles and everything and I go, okay

[02:45:49] Yeah, the kids the kids pretty good. He's not bad. You know, but these are only non-pro

[02:45:54] Events billed it's good to see you though

[02:45:58] And then the next year he's in the finals of open singles and the rest is history. So I always kind of look back on that

[02:46:02] Is one of the real

[02:46:04] surprises a pleasant surprise that

[02:46:06] That someone told me something and actually it actually happened even beyond what they what they thought and in your occupation

[02:46:12] It's like a hot hot hot stock tip

[02:46:15] And you didn't necessarily buy it right away, but but eventually realized. Okay. Yeah, there's something to this tip

[02:46:22] Yeah, yeah for sure. So so that's that's one and you know, there are a lot of them

[02:46:25] I'm not sure I can just off the top of my head come with one, you know, but um, I know that you and your wife

[02:46:31] Played foosball play foosball I should say and now your wife is is a mother

[02:46:37] And probably doesn't get to travel as much and when you go to foosball tournaments, you're you're working really

[02:46:41] I mean you don't get to play as much

[02:46:43] That's kind of you know, I mean you're going to all the tournaments, but you don't really get to to compete

[02:46:48] Does that bother you or no it doesn't and you know, it's I like playing and I play back home every Thursday night in Durango, Colorado

[02:46:55] At our local

[02:46:56] Um and every once in a while out on tour, you know at a tournament that isn't the world or

[02:47:00] Vegas or Colorado State one of the big ones where I'm just working too hard

[02:47:04] But I'll get in there and knock it around and my wife did come to the Maryland state championships

[02:47:08] And we played together. I will give you the story of how she and I met. Yes

[02:47:12] um

[02:47:13] 2008 us opened down at Atlanta

[02:47:16] That I was working and she reached the final of a of a no pro women's double C event got it and um and

[02:47:22] battled down to the final ball

[02:47:24] And she had a big pull shot from gold to win the championship

[02:47:28] And then after the match came up to get the videos from me and that's how we met we talked for one minute

[02:47:33] And she ordered the videos and and then a week later called me up wondering where they were

[02:47:39] And was a disgruntled customer

[02:47:42] Uh-oh, right. So but we we talked a little bit started exchanging

[02:47:45] You know emails, etc

[02:47:47] But but I always tell people if she doesn't and I usually show the picture

[02:47:50] But if she doesn't hit that pull shot from gold these two beautiful young children do not exist

[02:47:56] You know, you know, that was the biggest shot of her career. No doubt about it. But well, she got you that was the prize, right?

[02:48:03] I don't know. We'd have to ask her about that

[02:48:04] But but she does love to play and she misses coming although she's now that the kids are at an age where

[02:48:09] They're a little more manageable

[02:48:12] She is starting to play a little more played for events this year and we'll play it in colorado. So well, maybe in the future

[02:48:17] We could have the whole family on yeah, there you go the families of foosball. All right, write that down

[02:48:22] That's the next one. Yeah

[02:48:24] Next generation families of foosball

[02:48:27] And so as far as you're concerned when you're at home

[02:48:30] Uh, is there foosball going on in the house? Oh, yeah, okay

[02:48:33] What kind of table? Uh tornado, of course

[02:48:35] tornado table, you know, we've played on 15 or 20 or 25 different tables

[02:48:39] I've probably covered events on 14 or 15 different tables. There are five major sanctioned international tables that the itsf recognizes

[02:48:47] But I think tornado is and i'm not saying this because i'm an american i'm saying this because it's the truth

[02:48:52] Tornado is the best table. Yes, and produces the best players

[02:48:55] Because of the complexity of the game on the table no other table

[02:48:58] there are limitations on the other tables to

[02:49:01] You know creating great players a great players have to come over here out fred recalling yone robert atha

[02:49:06] Etc they had to come over here and compete against the american players on the the major league tour

[02:49:10] In order to become the great multi table players that they became

[02:49:13] Fred would not have been fred without having come over here and played on tornado

[02:49:16] There's no question about it as great as he is. He had to do that in order to become

[02:49:21] The greatest rice exactly you think that him playing with todd helped to I mean he's a great teacher

[02:49:26] I mean and he knows that the american game inside now. I mean no question. Chuck

[02:49:32] He um, he will tell you fred will tell you the greatest player in the world is todd lefredo

[02:49:35] You ask him you'll say no todd's the greatest and it's because of the influence he had on him

[02:49:40] Obviously and the things that he has seen todd do under you know stressful circumstances and etc the magic that todd can do

[02:49:47] Yeah, and so um, no question that had a lot to do with it as well

[02:49:51] But tornado is the best table we've got a t 3000 sitting in the living room in the living room

[02:49:56] How do you manage that because i've been trying to talk my wife into that for a while now

[02:49:59] Is there anything I got to say that?

[02:50:02] You gotta marry a foosball

[02:50:05] That's what it is. You know, I get it. Okay. I had to I had to marry a foosball woman

[02:50:09] There was no other no other way about it

[02:50:11] But so uh, we do have it in and we do play a few times a week and we're starting to get the kids playing

[02:50:16] We've got we've got the steps the sam de john, you know special steps

[02:50:22] There's a marketing idea there though guys

[02:50:25] And so the kids the kids are enjoying it and starting to start to play and in no doubt they will become players

[02:50:31] Yeah, no question looking forward to seeing them on the tour, you know, and of course now

[02:50:34] What's it going to be like though when dad is calling the match?

[02:50:37] What's that going to be like? Well, they they have come to tournaments before

[02:50:40] I've got a couple of pictures with my daughter sitting on my lap as i'm commentating

[02:50:43] Amy had to go play a match and the babysitter wasn't there. So I've got my daughter sitting right there

[02:50:47] That's my lab commentating. Yeah, it was great. Yeah, she enjoyed it. She enjoyed it a lot

[02:50:52] I don't know if my son would sit still for it, but

[02:50:55] Okay, so that leads me to the next question. So

[02:50:58] Okay, when it comes time for jim stevens to say, you know what?

[02:51:01] I'm going to take my headphones off and I'm going to let somebody else do this

[02:51:03] Would it be preferable to have one of the two kids take over perhaps? Yes, although I'd rather have them work baseball

[02:51:11] Oh really? Yeah

[02:51:13] Probably more money than that

[02:51:15] Yeah, yeah, it may be a little foosball on the side

[02:51:18] But you know, I don't have any at this point. I'm not thinking about laying down the the headphones or anything anytime too soon

[02:51:24] I'm good. We've had too much work to do still there are some things happening

[02:51:27] I think there's a window of opportunity for all of us including what you're doing here

[02:51:31] To take the sport to the next level. Yes start to create more players

[02:51:35] Create a higher profile among you know the common folk and

[02:51:39] And uh and to really turn turn foosball into what we all envision it to be right, right, right? That's why we're doing it

[02:51:44] Right, so it is. It's a very exciting thing to do

[02:51:47] A great way to spend

[02:51:49] Uh in our case of friday evening oftentimes we get together every week in our dyp

[02:51:54] For some people like like a tony sprateman

[02:51:56] It seems for him because he's winning so often and he's touring constantly. It's really more of a job

[02:52:01] Than anything else, but he still brings such excitement to the sport

[02:52:05] He does he's still a sportsman. It is a job for him. It is what he does

[02:52:08] For a living and I mean he has to win at least two of the big events at each tournament in order to really make a living

[02:52:14] Sure

[02:52:15] But it is what he it's what he does. It's who he is, you know and and again

[02:52:18] It's getting back to the doing what we can to make the sport great

[02:52:23] I think you know you you asked earlier on what you guys needed to do just do what you're doing

[02:52:27] I mean, okay a lot of people promise that they're going to do things over the years

[02:52:31] I've had people come up and tell me they've got these great ideas

[02:52:34] This is it's going to be this and that and one out of 50

[02:52:37] You know follows through sure my good friend clay to me who is doing this

[02:52:40] Statistics said amazing and I said, okay. Well, let's let's do it

[02:52:44] I'll always encourage people to do whatever sure but we need to have follow through

[02:52:48] And it's obvious to me you guys are you guys have follow through and it's going to happen

[02:52:51] And that's great. That's great what clays do

[02:52:53] To put down the numbers that I love watching you know needs to be there the percentages and all that just

[02:52:59] Understanding the game better. Oh, it's amazing

[02:53:01] And for me as a broadcaster to have that tool to work with

[02:53:05] Have access to this phenomenal and at the world's for the first time this year as you guys saw

[02:53:08] Yeah, we had the scoreboard with love that. Yeah, love that. Yeah, it was it was amazing

[02:53:13] And and so when you when you have something you can contribute the key is to do it

[02:53:17] Yep

[02:53:18] Despite what obstacles you might run up against and you're going to run up against absolutely

[02:53:21] But don't let them stop you just keep keep pushing through and keep doing what you're doing

[02:53:25] Keep bringing your particular

[02:53:27] Angle to the to the equation and and uh, and if all of us do that and sure we can make this

[02:53:33] And together

[02:53:34] We've been stubborn enough to stick with foosball and try to learn that

[02:53:37] Hopefully we can put some of that to use with this

[02:53:40] Exactly the light bulb is going to go off someday in our game. So yeah, so if I can get my tail kicked every week

[02:53:46] Going to the dyp locally in the 518 and still come back every time. I think I can do this too

[02:53:52] The local dyp it's really like family almost

[02:53:55] You know, I mean it whole sport is right. I mean that's kind of what makes this all special

[02:54:00] I love coming to tournaments like this and uh right now. We're in

[02:54:03] Pennsylvania states. Yeah, I love coming to tournaments like this because you get to see all your old friends

[02:54:08] Right, and it's you're an old friend. I mean I see, you know, just about everywhere I walk

[02:54:12] I'm seeing friends that I haven't seen maybe, you know a beer or two or whatever it was

[02:54:17] And we're seeing more of that we're seeing a lot of players returning players

[02:54:19] We they played in the 90s when there was significantly more players are coming back after having families or having

[02:54:25] You know better jobs or whatever it is

[02:54:27] Right

[02:54:27] Their love of foosball is resurfacing and they're they're returning tournaments

[02:54:31] And we're seeing a lot of that every tournament. I see a few people I haven't seen in 20 years

[02:54:34] We've actually got a few local one of them is at this tournament now. All right, it's it's great to have them back

[02:54:38] You know no doubt you might stop playing but you never stop thinking about it. Yeah, is that true?

[02:54:43] It's never stopped thinking about it 10 years 10 12 years. I stopped but you never stopped thinking

[02:54:48] I always followed and watched

[02:54:50] Yeah, you know watch the big tournaments and watched his videos and watched the live streaming

[02:54:55] It's amazing kept the interest. Yeah, and now he's part of your life

[02:54:58] It does. Yeah, and now he's got three different tables in the basement

[02:55:01] That he and of course the

[02:55:02] Sammi and Hannah are constantly practicing on

[02:55:06] So yeah, and it shows uh, yeah

[02:55:09] So no, but that's that's one of the neat things about our sport is that it is this family atmosphere

[02:55:13] Yeah, we're gonna go out there and battle on the table

[02:55:15] But afterwards we're gonna have a beer together. We're going now we're gonna ask how the family is etc

[02:55:19] And I think it's kind of unique that you know what we have with this game and in this

[02:55:24] Family-like atmosphere that we have yet still highly competitive, right?

[02:55:29] Um, it's it's pretty cool. Yeah, I mean I know I know you know myself and I'm sure others are are similar

[02:55:34] I mean when I walk up to the table

[02:55:36] I'm I'm greeting my friends. We're talking about things and when that ball drops. They're they're my enemy. Yeah

[02:55:42] Oh, yeah, but but then as soon as the game's over we're friends again

[02:55:46] Well, they say you're showing the best respect for your friend if you give him your best game, right?

[02:55:50] If you try to beat him, it's good for him

[02:55:53] I'm under her, you know, okay. I'll keep that in mind from now on chuck

[02:55:57] I've hated you often time

[02:56:00] So jim what's next where you're going next after this four weeks? I'll head over to Germany for the

[02:56:06] Deutsche Meisterschaft the German championships, which I go to every year on a p4p tour nice

[02:56:12] Which there will be about six seven hundred players

[02:56:14] You know in a brand new hotel and about two hours outside Berlin

[02:56:18] And that will be nullified

[02:56:20] They talked about

[02:56:22] The Europeans learning from your videos about the american game. What do you think the americans can learn from the europeans?

[02:56:29] Um, certainly there's one thing they can learn that immediately comes to mind and that's to show up at the table immediately because it's amazing

[02:56:37] At least b4b tournaments the match is called

[02:56:39] Those players are at the table in less than a minute maybe two minutes

[02:56:42] Whereas oftentimes it's a little longer. They're on the american tour. Yeah people drag their feet

[02:56:46] That's that that should stop. I mean there's no reason for it. But certainly even beyond that

[02:56:51] I mean title afraid of you watch him every once in a while shoot a pin shot

[02:56:54] Which he really never did a whole lot before playing with fred and I think there's things the walking snake shot

[02:56:59] I think is a direct

[02:57:01] Result of fredrick colonio's success using the pin shot to fake a player off a hole the snake shooters billy pappas

[02:57:07] tony spreaderman

[02:57:08] Um saw that and said hmm that's an idea there and they started walking the snake shot around to fake

[02:57:13] Players off of holes and to give it a whole another dimension

[02:57:17] So I think that kind of came from european table soccer and uh

[02:57:20] And a few other things but you know the differences in the tables don't always allow

[02:57:24] Things to translate directly from one to another right fredrick colonio is the only player to ever have success shooting a pin shot on tornado

[02:57:31] And he had the ultimate success and why isn't anyone else? It's a good question testament is greatness

[02:57:36] I guess but there's that's one of the great things that itsf president for read lunas did 10 12 years ago was to start to bring the world

[02:57:43] Together to make it a truly international family. You know when i'm talking family it isn't just here this week

[02:57:48] It isn't just here in america. Mm-hmm. It's worldwide, you know and you guys you know from your international experience as well

[02:57:54] That that we are all foosball players whether we speak the same language have the same

[02:57:57] Yes culture and upbringing etc

[02:58:00] We have that one common denominator that really unites us and gives us

[02:58:03] Stuff to talk about over a year

[02:58:07] Absolutely. Yeah, we we certainly at foosball radio want to consider ourselves an international

[02:58:12] Broadcasting as well

[02:58:14] No question because it is it's a universal language. Yeah foosballs foosball

[02:58:18] I mean, yeah, everybody's playing the same game. It might be different tables and different styles

[02:58:22] But it's it's a little foosball. We're all family

[02:58:26] Ah kumbaya

[02:58:28] We'll hug now. Okay. Now foosball players don't hug now

[02:58:33] I noticed that what's what's up with that?

[02:58:37] Here's the bro hug everyone

[02:58:42] So one other question I have for before we wrap up

[02:58:44] I know we're going to do an episode called the females of foosball or the women

[02:58:48] Uh, who do you think we should talk to who do you? I think you should talk to well this weekend

[02:58:53] I think you should talk to lis lis more. Okay, certainly. I would see if you can get her

[02:58:57] On the microphone. Sure. Um, hall of famer one of the great lady players of all time and and someone who has been integral in really

[02:59:05] Putting the women's team together over the years to compete internationally

[02:59:08] And so she has a great feel for that and just a great perspective

[02:59:11] So certainly and she's here, which is nice. Okay. Um, so I certainly think you should talk to her earlier in the day

[02:59:17] It's better than later

[02:59:21] But uh, but certainly certainly but certainly her uh for sure christin grogan if you can get her on the microphone

[02:59:26] Also as well. So uh, and uh, yeah, I want to thank you so much for taking the time to spend with us

[02:59:33] This is an absolute thrill and an honor to have you here

[02:59:36] And anytime you're you're you're of a mind

[02:59:39] You're always what the door's always open if we're sad and ready to go

[02:59:42] And let's not forget if you want a video go to inside foods.com. That's it. Yes inside

[02:59:48] You want to get the best instructions and the best, uh, tutelage. That's the place

[02:59:53] Yeah, tutelage nice

[02:59:56] And you can always send us an email if you have any questions inside foods one at gmail.com and

[03:00:01] We can help you out with uh, whatever you'd like to see but thanks tom. Thanks. You know, thanks, dr

[03:00:06] Love what you're doing. You are welcome. Great. Thank you

[03:00:08] Coming in at number three foosball radio's third episode sound and vision with jim Stevens

[03:00:16] Just a few years later jim would join the foosball radio team to co-host foos talk live

[03:00:22] Thanks so much to jim for his contributions to the sport of foosball

[03:00:26] Let's take a listen to the number two most downloaded episode of foosball radio now this episode has been downloaded

[03:00:34] 834 times and was only our second episode of foosball radio

[03:00:39] Originally released in november of 2018. It features the next generation of foosball

[03:00:45] Let's listen to the youth and the adults who help them become foosball stars

[03:00:54] foosball radio the ultimate foosball podcast next time on foosball radio

[03:01:01] It's the next generation. We talk to the rising stars eat foosball plus the adults who are training the new players

[03:01:08] Like mark drollett teacher and inspirational foosball coach in the champlain new york school district

[03:01:15] One of my players missed a lot of school

[03:01:18] The year before

[03:01:19] Actually the club was in existence, but he wasn't playing and he missed it was up to almost 40 days

[03:01:26] Wow, and then the next year

[03:01:28] He he got to know me a little bit in the classroom and he realized hey

[03:01:33] He's got a table. So we started playing a little bit and he started coming to the tournaments and he got hooked

[03:01:38] And I looked at the attendance that year and he he had only missed one day that

[03:01:44] That's from one year to the next

[03:01:46] And I talked to him and I said and he told me as a cat foosball

[03:01:49] And it's the highlight of my day telling the story of foosball

[03:01:53] One player at a time foosball radio

[03:02:02] Welcome to foosball radio

[03:02:13] It's foosball radio the ultimate foosball podcast. Hey, welcome back. I'm tom robinson with

[03:02:19] Nino Dijon and chuck duly

[03:02:21] This is officially our second episode guys. How do we end up getting here? You brought us here, tom. That's right, tom

[03:02:28] Thanks for bringing us along. Uh, well, okay

[03:02:31] So yeah, so here we are with our second episode this one is entitled the next generation

[03:02:36] And just to let you know what's going on for today. We've got a lot of things first of all

[03:02:40] We're going to get to some feedback guys

[03:02:42] Some things that people have written to us so far about the first episode

[03:02:46] Want to share that with you

[03:02:48] Then we're going to talk to some of the folks that are involved in the next generation

[03:02:53] And adults and of course, uh, the young generation

[03:02:57] Children shall we say or the uh, the the rising stars in foosball

[03:03:02] We'll be talking to a whole group of those folks

[03:03:04] Including people like john o' brian mark droletz. Uh, we'll talk to like gabesisco

[03:03:10] Sam dijon hannah yager and a whole bunch of others. Uh, we're looking forward to this episode

[03:03:15] We'll get to the feedback aspect of this in just a few moments before we do that though

[03:03:20] I would like to take a couple of seconds to mention our fourth teammate's name

[03:03:25] He is uh, eric sasino and eric is our the guy who makes the magic shall we say so whenever you see something visual that applies to

[03:03:34] foosball radio

[03:03:35] That's eric

[03:03:37] And he's not the guy on mike necessarily, but he's also the person who gets our voices out there for the podcast

[03:03:44] He's the guru the internet guru, but uh, he is our fourth

[03:03:49] Uh, uh, shall we say our fourth teammate on foosball radio and thanks to eric

[03:03:55] So guys, we'll be back in just a few seconds here to talk about the the foosball radio feedback that's coming next

[03:04:01] On the ultimate foosball podcast

[03:04:05] foosball radio the ultimate foosball podcast

[03:04:09] And we are back it is foosball radio episode two this episode is called the next generation

[03:04:21] I'm tom along with nino and chuck and you know, I gotta tell you guys. It's it's it's absolutely amazing

[03:04:28] We've gotten some really good feedback and you know what? I don't think there's been any haters yet

[03:04:32] Do you have we seen any haters? No, not at all. No haters. Wow

[03:04:36] Okay, I the foosball community is such a loving crowd. I mean, yeah one big family

[03:04:43] Well, let's hope

[03:04:44] But yeah, so in the meantime what we'd like to do is take a few minutes here to recognize some of the folks who did write in with some great input

[03:04:51] In fact, uh, what I'd like to do is kick this off

[03:04:55] gentlemen by the name of thomas dyke, uh, who gave us a

[03:04:58] Took the time out to write a really thoughtful email and i'll just read some excerpts here, but uh, how do y'all

[03:05:05] Thomas said just finished your first episode and was really impressed with the quality and professionalism

[03:05:10] Obviously having tony come do the first show is a huge plus. Yeah, I think that's that's appropriate

[03:05:16] His story was interesting and genuine and you all did a great job guiding the conversation and providing interesting batch or throughout

[03:05:23] Uh, so here's some great stuff. He's giving us some feedback here. He says, um, so uh, some show topics

[03:05:29] I'd love to hear more about would be

[03:05:32] interviews from the various promoters around the country as to how they run their clubs on the local level

[03:05:38] What's their format?

[03:05:40] What's worked what hasn't uh, how they're doing things differently and how they're catering to the newbies and pros

[03:05:46] Like with limited tables and group numbers. So wow, this is this is great

[03:05:51] This is awesome input. So, uh, what do you guys think? I mean, uh, you think we can get some promoters on

[03:05:55] That's yeah, I don't see why we can't

[03:05:58] Okay

[03:05:59] Absolutely, I mean you guys technically chuck chuck. You've actually done some promotion in your day

[03:06:05] Well, we still do we still run tournaments. Yes, exactly

[03:06:09] So we need feedback from all the promoters and you know, we want to promote

[03:06:13] And learn

[03:06:14] Yeah, I can't wait to hear what other other clubs are doing to keep it alive because we we've experienced right in

[03:06:20] In our our area in the 518 foosball a club

[03:06:24] We've experienced the ebb and the flow the the interest that is common gone

[03:06:28] And some of it is is you know is great than there are other times when it's not so great

[03:06:33] Sure, sure. What do you do? Tell us what you do? So, uh, nino, do you have another one you'd like to share with us?

[03:06:38] I do this is uh from jesse ray, uh foosball withdrawals out of uh, texas dallas texas

[03:06:46] Jesse said, uh, you know proud of you guys and a way to go on your first episode on your in your podcast

[03:06:52] He says looking forward to uh many more episodes

[03:06:55] Hats off to the team. Nice. So, you know, that's some good feedback. Jesse. Thank you so much and uh, you know

[03:07:01] We'll certainly be uh, we'll be think we'll be very mindful of your input. Sure. Thanks, jesse

[03:07:05] Yeah, thanks for taking the time and chuck. What do you have? Well, we have one and forgive me if i'm getting his name

[03:07:11] Wrong, it's john deroying. Okay. He says he really enjoyed the podcast and you guys put on an awesome show

[03:07:16] He's interested in a regular segment where we could feature a community like different communities from around the country that are active in foosball

[03:07:24] and uh

[03:07:25] He just says keep up the good work

[03:07:27] Nice, nice. Very cool. So this is the kind of thing. Of course, we always love hearing praise

[03:07:32] That's that you know that feeding our egos here. That's what it's what it's all about

[03:07:36] But actually in reality, we we love the constructive criticism just as much if not more

[03:07:42] You know, don't get too brutal with us

[03:07:44] But certainly, you know, give us an idea as to how we can improve this for you because

[03:07:48] foosball radio in its concept is telling the story of foosball

[03:07:52] One player at a time

[03:07:54] But also one club at a time if you will because this country and beyond our country, of course into europe and asia

[03:08:00] It's all about the individual

[03:08:02] Players who are playing in their local dyps

[03:08:05] They're and uh participating in their clubs and of course finding out how to improve these things for everyone

[03:08:11] So we can all benefit from the the the ideas that are out there and sharing them

[03:08:15] So this episode is called the next generation and so we're going to get into our our interviews

[03:08:21] We've got a whole bunch of them coming up. In fact, everybody from

[03:08:26] John O'Brien to mark droolettes

[03:08:28] We're also going to be speaking to some very young players who are part of the next generation including Gabe Cisco

[03:08:33] Logan hern koji yabara will be hearing from sam dijon. I don't know where did I hear that name before?

[03:08:40] Hannah Jaeger kyler the roo just a sample of what's coming up very very soon

[03:08:44] And we'll get into that in just a couple of seconds. You are listening to foosball radio the ultimate foosball podcast

[03:08:51] We'll be right back

[03:09:03] Yeah, welcome back. It's foosball radio

[03:09:05] This is tom robinson with chuck duly and nino dijon and this episode is all about the next generation

[03:09:13] We're talking to people and of course kids about their experiences within foosball

[03:09:18] And this is how actually we're going to be growing the sport in the very near future

[03:09:22] And one of the bigger influences that we know of especially in the new york state area

[03:09:26] Is a man by the name of mark droolettes and mark happened to decide to take a little time out to talk to us about

[03:09:33] What he does in platzberg new york now mark. First of all, I want to welcome you to foosball radio

[03:09:38] Thanks. Thanks for having me. Oh, you're very welcome. So first of all

[03:09:42] How long have you been working with kids in foosball? So our club is in its fourth year right now, so

[03:09:49] And how does this how did this all come about? I mean, I understand that you're a teacher in platzberg, but

[03:09:54] When it comes to the idea of I don't know turning kids onto foosball. How did you get that idea?

[03:10:01] Well, I I play I've been playing foosball for

[03:10:04] A long time and I'd actually been on a break and a friend of mine

[03:10:09] Invited me to go to the new york state tournament in 2015

[03:10:14] I hadn't played in a long time like maybe even 10 years. Okay, but um, you know, everyone tells me it's like riding a bike

[03:10:23] So is it like riding a bike?

[03:10:27] Well, what happened was I went with my buddy jim. He uh, he really wanted to play so I went and I had fun playing

[03:10:34] But I noticed that there was a bunch of kids running around the tournament room and playing

[03:10:39] Uh, there were probably 10 12 kids and I recognized them as middle schoolers because that's those that that's the age group that I work with

[03:10:47] Right, so it started trying to figure out who had brought the kids

[03:10:50] And everyone pointed to john o'brien

[03:10:53] So I started having a conversation with him and let him know that I was really excited to see all the kids playing

[03:11:00] And then I was a teacher and he hooked me up with greg mendel

[03:11:05] And we went from there and got a I got a loner table from them

[03:11:09] Oh a loan like just a table you could use temporarily

[03:11:13] Yeah, so

[03:11:14] And it went from uh, just starting off with a couple of tables that greg actually delivered to the school for me

[03:11:22] It helped me set him up

[03:11:24] And man, it just it took off from there. Yes. So so you're a teacher and how many years as a teacher?

[03:11:30] Uh, I've been teaching for 10 years. Nice. And what's the what's the subject?

[03:11:34] What what grade?

[03:11:36] I'm in the middle school. I was an english teacher for about three years and our budget was really tight

[03:11:43] I lost that position went back to school and then got another certification in special education

[03:11:48] Oh, wow. Wow. So you have a busy day to say the least

[03:11:52] I do

[03:11:53] Yeah, oh, well, I'm actually I'm in Champlain. I live in plattsburg, but I teach in Champlain, New York

[03:11:58] Gotcha. Okay. So so what I did was I just went and talked to my principal and told him I was interested in starting a club

[03:12:06] And let him know that I was a player for a long time

[03:12:10] And I emphasized the social aspect of the game

[03:12:14] Okay, how much how much I enjoyed, you know, the interactions with the people

[03:12:19] And I thought that it would be a good tool for the kids to kind of mix with each other

[03:12:25] Yes, and he bought right into that and as soon as we put the tables in

[03:12:30] He he was right on board. He jumped in on the tables and started playing with the kids and he recognized it as a way to kind of connect

[03:12:37] That's great with the students

[03:12:39] How many tables do you have now mark?

[03:12:41] We're up to we have uh, I have eight tables in the middle school

[03:12:45] And after the eighth graders moved up to the high school

[03:12:49] Our school is connected the middle school and high school are connected

[03:12:52] And it was funny because the kids really enjoyed the game and they said mr. Drolet

[03:12:57] What are we gonna do next year in high school? Oh my god

[03:13:00] And I was like well talk to the principal and if he says yes, you know, I can help you find some tables

[03:13:05] That put up in the high school

[03:13:06] So the club moved up with those eighth graders who are now they're 11th graders now

[03:13:11] And um, there's four tables up there too

[03:13:14] And uh mark what kind of tables do you have there? Are there specific ones or?

[03:13:20] Yeah, so we started with uh fireball tables and um, which are really they're great tables are fun to play on

[03:13:29] What I like about them is they're just they're bulletproof. They really stand up tanks

[03:13:34] Yeah, they're those rods

[03:13:35] Yeah, you can't there's a picture of tony standing on the two rod

[03:13:39] You know, I'm just like I've never seen it. Yeah. Yeah, that's awesome

[03:13:43] Uh, so we started with those and it was funny. It was like only like a week

[03:13:49] And I got a call from a parent and he was just like hey my kids are playing foosball

[03:13:54] And they're telling me that there's only two tables and everyone's waiting to play or anything I could do to help

[03:14:00] And that's a good thing. Yeah, I was it was great. He was a local businessman

[03:14:04] And uh, he owned beeline trucking and I said well we could use some money, you know the budget's really tight

[03:14:10] Yeah, well, how how would uh, how much would you need to get a couple more tables?

[03:14:14] So I was reaching out and calling all different kinds of people trying to find tables

[03:14:18] And we wound up getting a couple of warriors and a tornado. I found a used tornado table

[03:14:25] And so we went from two to five tables like right away like wow, that's great, you know a couple months

[03:14:31] Yeah, so we have right now. We have fireball

[03:14:34] Uh, a couple of uh, we got about three tornadoes. Nice warriors

[03:14:40] We have a garlando

[03:14:42] We have two bonzinis

[03:14:47] We love we love the french table. Yeah, uh, we're so close to montreal. I mean it's only there's uh

[03:14:54] It's about an hour trip up into montreal and there's a huge player base. Yes

[03:14:58] Bonzini players in montreal and there's you were just up there, weren't you?

[03:15:02] Yeah, we went up for the canadian championships

[03:15:04] I was able to bring a couple of kids from the club. Uh, we've been up there twice

[03:15:10] How'd you do? I was able to bring uh, the kids did great. The kids won

[03:15:14] Liberty and Dakota won both

[03:15:17] juniors and the beginners

[03:15:20] Congratulations. Yeah. Oh, yeah

[03:15:23] They had a blast and it was really fun to see them

[03:15:25] Actually, they had a couple of great matches in the open

[03:15:28] they played together in the open and uh,

[03:15:30] They went five games against a really tough team in the first round

[03:15:35] No fear none

[03:15:37] Yeah, yeah, it was great to watch. So just give us an idea. What's the average age of the kids playing with you right now?

[03:15:43] Uh, so I'm in the middle school most of the day. So there, uh, 10 to probably 14 in the middle school

[03:15:50] Okay, maybe a 15 year old here and there and then there are quite a group of players up in the high school too

[03:15:57] But I don't I don't have that much time to make it up to the high school

[03:16:00] But I do run events for them and they mix, you know, so I'll run, you know an event on a saturday

[03:16:06] And they'll they all get to play against each other on the weekends. How many students are involved in this club?

[03:16:13] Well, I it's open to everybody who wants to play

[03:16:16] Like I ran a dance last night and there were probably 150

[03:16:22] Kids there from the school. No kidding

[03:16:24] And I think there were probably we sold bracelets for the fruzeball tables

[03:16:28] Just to kind of help raise some money and we we sold 50 bracelets

[03:16:32] So there were really great playing fruzeball out of the 150. Wow

[03:16:36] It was pretty cool

[03:16:38] I would guess I I mean like during lunch

[03:16:42] I've got two lunch periods where the kids play and the younger kids. There's probably 46 graders playing. Wow

[03:16:49] That's awesome. Yeah, it's well. I've got seven tables in the lunch room. So man, so eat lunch or play fruzeball

[03:16:56] Hey, uh, what do you do?

[03:16:58] Actually, they do they close the tables because there were problems. I can imagine

[03:17:03] So we have a 10 minute period where they have to sit down and eat lunch before they play

[03:17:15] Next we speak to mark drollett's mentor and the creative force behind fruzeballclubsusa.com. It's john o'brien

[03:17:24] In 2015 okay, and so we have a website. It's fruzeballclubsusa.com

[03:17:35] Okay, and and folks go out there. We've got a how-to page

[03:17:40] For people who are interested in you know, how do I even approach my school?

[03:17:44] So you give them like the blueprint on how to get get into the school get get the kids active and things like that

[03:17:50] Yeah, so how it was um after I reflected on what I did with my own school and then talked to other

[03:17:59] Um, uh teachers, you know mark drollett was one of the he was the second

[03:18:05] School that started a fruzeball program

[03:18:08] So the first in New York State was mine and then the second was marks. Uh, we ran into each other as an albany

[03:18:14] uh fruzeball tournament that uh, Kevin West got

[03:18:17] headed up

[03:18:19] And he wanted to start a fruzeball program and we had not actually not even started

[03:18:26] Contacting schools outside of my own area

[03:18:29] And so uh, he was a ready-made situation and he needed uh a table because his school had no money for a table

[03:18:37] But he was there and and that's really the most important thing

[03:18:41] Having somebody in the school who's willing to spearhead the program. You need a mentor. You really do need a mentor

[03:18:47] Yep, you know, you can't just drop it off and expect great things to happen

[03:18:52] It's not like they're selling schools a product that they're already buying

[03:18:56] They don't they don't know the value of fruzeball in the life of their students

[03:19:01] Right, uh, and so you meet someone who's going to separate it into the school and I'll tell you right now

[03:19:06] We've got six or so programs in New York state and no two are exactly alike

[03:19:12] You know, some of that school programs

[03:19:15] That's what mine started as now we have an F school program a lunch program

[03:19:19] We hold monthly tournaments

[03:19:21] Marks started as a fruzeball club and then a lunch program, but they don't have after school

[03:19:27] Although he gets together with his students informally before and after school

[03:19:32] We have another fella over in

[03:19:34] Um

[03:19:35] Wayne county and he's just a tech teacher like myself

[03:19:39] And he's got a food ball table in his his room and and students come down and they play down there

[03:19:44] But there's nothing official

[03:19:46] Another fool and sodas that they just picked up two used tables from me, uh, and they run an F school program

[03:19:53] You know, so you know

[03:19:54] That this you just have to have somebody to separate the program through and and and explain to the administration

[03:20:01] The value that that fruzeball can have for their school rights. What's the value you see at your school, john?

[03:20:08] What are the results you're seeing?

[03:20:11] There's so many and and the most important one was the one that I wasn't even

[03:20:17] anticipating at first

[03:20:19] We have a whole array of students at my school that play. I mean these are active kids. They're

[03:20:25] And they're sports kids. They're choir. They're band

[03:20:29] But the the group of students that I'm most excited about

[03:20:32] Are those who are not involved in anything else that the school offers

[03:20:38] Right, that's it's that student who we're actually providing something

[03:20:44] meaningful to that student right because whatever the school is doing

[03:20:48] They weren't reaching that student

[03:20:51] And there's something about fruzeball and and if you talk to a fruzeball player, you know

[03:20:56] There's just something about that that draws

[03:20:59] You know a kid to the table. Yes, all of a sudden they're hooked

[03:21:03] You know if their team was their club, it's their home

[03:21:06] Really? So some of my students if they're home away from home sure

[03:21:09] I have two tables in our in our cafeteria at my school and I have two tables in my own technology lab

[03:21:17] And I'll have 20 25 students every day after school in my lab during activity period

[03:21:24] And they the family, you know, they know they can come down and and they connect with the kids

[03:21:31] You know and the other thing that I found is it's like a it's an entryway

[03:21:36] Into the life of a student because at that point i'm not their teacher anymore

[03:21:42] I'm like their coach. Yes mentor

[03:21:45] And there's so much character development that takes place, you know

[03:21:50] sportsmanship and learning how to win well and lose well

[03:21:53] And and interact, you know and as you guys know, you know fruzeball

[03:21:57] There's a real culture of

[03:21:59] Of of congeniality and sportsmanship in the ready protocol and and you know congratulating your opponent and and and we emphasize that

[03:22:08] That's a sport sure players

[03:22:10] Then they're not involved, you know the sports and so they're not getting that kind of feedback

[03:22:17] uh, and so it's just

[03:22:19] So many life lessons that that I've been surprised pleasantly surprised seeing developing in the kids life

[03:22:25] And parents are seeing it too. Yeah, that's huge started when we first started 2015

[03:22:32] I felt uh like awkward asking if these students could go to a tournament, you know two hours three hours away

[03:22:40] Right, uh, but now

[03:22:43] I'm taking kids to Kentucky to worlds really kids five hours away to shampoos to play against your mark

[03:22:50] And parents, I mean as soon as I ask them. Oh, absolutely. Yes. So they'll be there

[03:22:55] You know, so the parents understand what it's doing for the kids too

[03:22:59] Cool results. Yeah

[03:23:02] Well, there's one fella who started the very first year that we started our after school program was 2012

[03:23:09] Uh, and we saw off in fifth grade. Then it's Kevin paul

[03:23:13] Uh, and so you guys already know him

[03:23:16] And Kevin was a fifth grader and he was one of these loner kids

[03:23:20] You know hood up kind of you didn't have too many friends

[03:23:24] You know very kind of socially awkward and his parents will say this is probably the same thing

[03:23:28] uh, and Kevin took the foosball and

[03:23:33] Just every time I turned around he was there every time the door's open. He was there, you know, and his mom when I asked

[03:23:41] Uh, if he could go with me to these tournaments, she said yes because there's nothing that kevin

[03:23:47] Was drawn to other than video games. Wow sure came along

[03:23:52] You know and then pat he played so well and so much

[03:23:56] And performance a while that he was invited play on tv lisa. Yeah, really? Yeah

[03:24:01] You know, wow that's astounding

[03:24:03] And so here this his wife has changed because of his association with this game football. Yeah

[03:24:11] Wow, that's uh, that's quite a success story

[03:24:13] He's a senior now. Yeah, he's a senior in school now, and it's still playing

[03:24:17] So so john when it comes to uh students like that, uh, how often do you see them?

[03:24:22] Actually set their phones down now to to play foosball

[03:24:26] Well at our table at our tables. I mean like I said during lunch

[03:24:30] We'll have we have two tables going at lunch

[03:24:32] And they can't even table with them. They can't be on the table, you know

[03:24:37] And so I'll have like 20 students at the table. It's so crowded during lunch

[03:24:43] That's that's a good thing. They have to they have to play three point games

[03:24:47] Three point games because there's yeah, there's so many kids everybody's got to get a turn

[03:24:52] There's so many students I want to play time for some more tables john

[03:24:57] Well, we don't have oh, I would love to but we just don't have room in our lunchroom

[03:25:02] I had to kind of you know

[03:25:04] Beg and borrow and and promise the administration that I would be their supervisor because

[03:25:09] The sometimes this administration just doesn't fully appreciate

[03:25:14] Well the value of it impact it has sure and so you have to kind of

[03:25:18] Demonstrate to them and so now a number of our principals are saying okay, you know not only the students play

[03:25:25] But they're well behaved. Yeah on the table. They're well behaved. They're policing themselves

[03:25:30] They're monitoring so they're mentoring the newer players

[03:25:34] And so yes those 30 kids that are around the table during lunch. They're not on their phone

[03:25:39] So when new players come up and they want to get on the table, what are the

[03:25:45] The rules that you explain to them when they first get on the table

[03:25:49] Well, you know, it's exciting is

[03:25:52] When we first started the program I was the only player, you know, and all the all the kids were new

[03:25:58] And so the learning was sort of slow

[03:26:02] and only a few really took to heart the fact of oh

[03:26:06] Passing patching developing a shot. No being patient. You know now

[03:26:12] I

[03:26:13] Really don't do much. I still teach in my x-school program the brand new kid

[03:26:19] But during lunch

[03:26:21] It's the other players that are teaching players who are teaching one another

[03:26:26] Cool. That's even better

[03:26:30] The trickle down effect

[03:26:37] They understand that there's rules to the game it's uh, it is

[03:26:45] Absolutely, it's a sport. Yes kids learn more by watching other kids than they do by listening to adults tell them what to do

[03:26:51] Right

[03:26:53] Then what's really fun is when students come into say hey, you know

[03:26:57] I went out onto youtube and I watched yo ryan more and tony spread of them and you know, I was watching matches

[03:27:03] Wow, and I'm gonna try to do what they do

[03:27:06] Sure

[03:27:08] Do you uh, do you have uh, do you have videos that the kids can watch of the of the pros?

[03:27:11] Do you ever play videos for them?

[03:27:14] Well, I I do but they beat me to it. Oh

[03:27:17] YouTube it's it's out there

[03:27:19] With access to the internet they're going out there watching, you know, uh, uh games on their own

[03:27:25] You're coming in and telling me about it. Oh, okay. Okay. No no need to show them videos

[03:27:31] Man, that's all over the internet

[03:27:34] The motivated students are going and finding it on their own. Yeah

[03:27:38] There's no self she started with me in sixth grade and he's a junior now and um

[03:27:45] He got away from foosball for a couple of years

[03:27:48] But now he's just got back into it this year and

[03:27:51] He waits for his dad to pick him up at six o'clock every day

[03:27:54] So he's after school and for about two hours. He's on the table by himself

[03:28:00] Working on his passing game his shooting game

[03:28:04] And he's just he's just working. I mean, it's like a sports team for him. I bet he's seen a difference how much better

[03:28:10] He's got a better

[03:28:11] Oh

[03:28:12] Yeah, his controller is getting so much better

[03:28:14] And he's one fella who I can point to and say hey this guy here

[03:28:19] He was part of the first program, you know, and now he's still playing. Yes

[03:28:24] All right, I said and that's an exciting thing to see how many students are continuing to play

[03:28:30] They started fifth and sixth grade and now they're juniors and seniors and they're still playing and they're even more excited about

[03:28:52] Yes, it's foosball radio and we are back for episode our second episode

[03:28:57] Which is called the next generation now this particular episode

[03:29:01] We're talking to those who are up and coming when it comes to this industry

[03:29:05] Getting into the sport

[03:29:07] They're they're shall we say the rising stars and on the phone with us right now

[03:29:11] We're very honored to have one of those rising stars. His name is Gabe Cisco. So Gabe welcome to foosball radio

[03:29:19] All right, thanks for having me. You're very welcome. So Gabe just give us an idea here

[03:29:23] How this whole thing about foosball and you when did it all start? Well, it started

[03:29:28] It's the ls in eighth grade

[03:29:30] And there were two tornado or not tornado fireball tables that were put into our school. Okay by mr. Drollett

[03:29:36] He's uh, he plays foosball quite a bit. We know his name. Yes. Yes. What school was that uh, Gabe?

[03:29:42] It was nccs up in upstate new york

[03:29:45] Which nccs stands for northeastern clinton central school district they put they started off with um

[03:29:52] Two fireball tables and you can play during lunch in the mornings

[03:29:57] And I really took to it right away at first. It was like it was like kind of different because he said the first rule is no spinning

[03:30:06] Defeats the purpose, right? Yeah, there goes my whole game. You're thinking right? Yeah

[03:30:11] So when when you started playing they had a set of rules you had to go by to to play

[03:30:17] Yeah, but first there were like three main rules. He started teaching us

[03:30:20] It was no talking with the balls and play no spinning and much two guys before you start

[03:30:26] That was pretty much how we started. Okay. Yeah

[03:30:28] And then as you played more he would teach you more rules and so on and so forth

[03:30:33] Gotcha

[03:30:34] So uh, just to just to give me an idea give us an idea as to why

[03:30:38] Other friends that that were also getting interested at the same time anybody else that you know

[03:30:42] Like your a close circle that we're getting into it as well as you

[03:30:45] Yeah, I had a few friends playing like um, Spencer true. Oh, he plays quite a bit

[03:30:49] Um, jaco blitner and then eventually got mason to play

[03:30:52] Nice. There's a big group of friends if we could all play it was a lot of fun

[03:30:56] Now I know you've uh gotten a little more serious than some of the other kids at the school

[03:30:59] You've you've come to some of our events and played in that you've played in other events in the new york area

[03:31:04] And uh, you recently went to the world championships didn't you? Yeah, I did two years ago two years ago

[03:31:09] Wow, what you think of that? Yeah, oh, it was the best. It was it really got me going

[03:31:14] Biggest point and uh, so when it comes to the world championships, how did you do?

[03:31:19] Um, I think my best placement. I got 13th and beginner singles

[03:31:24] Nice, that's great. And I got a third place in the wednesday dyp

[03:31:28] Wow, wow, congratulations. Who are you playing with for the dyp?

[03:31:32] I was playing with uh

[03:31:33] Amateur player. I think his name was brice wood rich. Okay, got you. Yeah

[03:31:38] Thrust to um, nino

[03:31:43] Oops

[03:31:45] How dare you I don't know that. Yeah beating up on little kids. Jesus. Oh, I know great

[03:31:50] Speaking of which we had to throw that in there, didn't you just give us give us a perspective. How old are you right now?

[03:31:55] Gabe

[03:31:56] I'm 16. Oh nice. Okay. So so uh, uh, did you get your last license yet? Have you started driving?

[03:32:02] Yeah, I got my permit um in august. Oh man, and I'll tell you

[03:32:06] Yeah, I I still remember uh, my poor dad taking me out for for driving lessons to your parents teach you how to drive

[03:32:12] Oh, yeah, sadly

[03:32:15] How'd that go?

[03:32:17] It's going it's going good. Good. Good. Way not to incriminate yourself. Right, right

[03:32:22] They're gonna continue teaching you now. So what's uh, what's the car you drive? Um, why drive my mom's um,

[03:32:29] mini van

[03:32:32] So if you hit something, that's a you know, that's okay. So I'm a car guy

[03:32:36] So I got to know the question. You know, I have the question for you if let's say money were no object

[03:32:40] What would you be driving right now? Oh, I don't know. I like chargers and

[03:32:44] Oh, nice. Nice. There you go. You have something with a little bit of um beef perhaps. Oh, yeah. Yeah

[03:32:51] So Gabe, uh back to foosball. Yes, uh, what's your next tournament? Um, hopefully the Thanksgiving tournament the smashdown

[03:32:57] And all of a nice right that was the correct answer by the way. Perfect. Yeah

[03:33:18] It's foosball radio

[03:33:20] I'm tom with chuck and nino and we are on with

[03:33:24] Another one of our next generation players. In fact, this entire episode is devoted to the next generation

[03:33:30] So, uh, we're very honored all the way from mississippi to have logan herne on the phone with us logan welcome

[03:33:37] I have to be here. Thank you. So, uh, logan first of all, uh, how long have you been playing foosball?

[03:33:42] For about seven eight years. Wow seven eight years and you are now hold

[03:33:47] Uh 16 16 great and uh, so where typically do you play on a do you play out on a regular basis?

[03:33:55] Around here there aren't really many tournaments. So my only tournaments are the big ones

[03:34:00] Like ones big ones are good big ones are good. Do you have anybody that you play with on a regular basis at their house or something?

[03:34:07] Yeah, my uh dad both play games every now and then

[03:34:11] So is it your dad that got you into this? Yes, sir. Are you considered a second generation foosball player?

[03:34:16] Your dad was a pro. Yes. So when it comes to mississippi, uh, the state itself

[03:34:20] What kind of what kind of tournaments do you guys have around there?

[03:34:22] We actually just started getting one tournament back that was stopped in like 2005 and then it's just

[03:34:30] One main tournament the mississippi states that just was uh, just happened last weekend, correct?

[03:34:36] Yes, sir. How'd you do?

[03:34:38] I got third in amateur doubles. I got nice

[03:34:41] Been rookie doubles and then I played goalie wars for the first time and ended up winning that

[03:34:45] Wow, congratulations. Awesome. Good job. Very cool. That's awesome

[03:34:50] So uh, very curious to know what what are your plans for the near future as far as being a foosball player?

[03:34:54] What what gold do you have for yourself for the next year?

[03:34:57] My goal is to

[03:34:59] Basically just progress as much as I can because I'm limited to tournaments and really good players

[03:35:05] Right. So so give us an idea. What is what is the uh, what is your routine when it comes to practicing?

[03:35:10] Do you practice each day? Yes, I'll try to practice every now and then but you know

[03:35:14] With so much stuff going on

[03:35:16] I hadn't been able to practice as much as I can sure and as I should be

[03:35:22] Because I've been slam packed with a whole bunch of stuff and school

[03:35:26] But every time yeah, every time I get a chance to practice is there something gets in the way

[03:35:32] Yeah, that's just something you have to force you have to get yourself to the table and make it happen

[03:35:38] So a quick question for you Logan. What what other sports do you play?

[03:35:41] Uh, I am the coder major for our band and I am the top runner for our cross country team

[03:35:48] Nice, very cool. So what's your favorite of the three?

[03:35:52] Uh

[03:35:54] That's a trick question, huh? They're all the same

[03:35:57] I don't have a favorite. They're all up there

[03:35:59] This is foosball radio. I'm tom robinson with chuck duly and nino dejan

[03:36:08] This episode is called the next generation and we have a we are a great honor to be speaking to one of the next generation

[03:36:16] A rising star out of texas

[03:36:19] And uh, his name is koji yabaro and koji want to welcome you to foosball radio

[03:36:25] Thank you

[03:36:26] You're welcome. So so give me an idea how long you've been playing this game

[03:36:30] So i've been playing for a little over two years now. Okay, my first tournament was

[03:36:36] 2016 texas state

[03:36:39] Nice texas states. Wow

[03:36:41] So how exactly did you get into foosball to start with?

[03:36:44] So as a little kid, um, my grandpa he had a foosball table and uh, we used to always play, you know for fun

[03:36:52] And um as a kid, I didn't know I didn't know about tournament foosball

[03:36:57] I just played with him for fun and uh, he was pretty good. Um

[03:37:02] I mean, you know for in my eyes, I thought he was like super good. Everybody I'd seen he would be

[03:37:09] Right, no doubt played him played him played and uh, i'm very competitive and so I wanted to beat him

[03:37:17] And your grandfather you mean?

[03:37:19] So you're beating up on your grandfather great

[03:37:22] Well, he used to beat up on me a lot

[03:37:24] Oh, okay. All right. We want to revenge thing. Yeah

[03:37:28] kept on trying to play

[03:37:29] Yeah, so he was taking you to the wood shed on a regular basis with when it came to foosball

[03:37:35] Yeah

[03:37:37] So uh, when it comes to your grandfather, what's what's his level of play? Was he a pro?

[03:37:42] No, so he was just like we would play for fun as a little kid and he wasn't ranked

[03:37:48] He made he said he played in a couple tournaments back in the tournament soccer days. Yes

[03:37:53] Okay

[03:37:54] But not not really like a pro level like he played in a couple tournaments just for fun

[03:38:00] But since I had that background, you know, I had an interest in it and uh with you know

[03:38:05] decently coordinated and I kind of knew the basics and so um

[03:38:10] Warren Van Landingham was the guy who really got me into at the wood

[03:38:16] Interesting. Okay. So Warren's kind of your mentor. Yes, and uh, he's a master

[03:38:22] Right now. He's from your area obviously. Yeah. Yes. Um, so how I met him was actually through my sister's soccer team

[03:38:29] he's a data

[03:38:31] Uh, little girl on my sister's soccer team was my dad coaches and he's the one who invited me to texas state the first year

[03:38:38] So your sister she's she's uh, an up-and-coming foosball player too, right? Yeah

[03:38:44] And how old is she?

[03:38:46] She's nine years old. She's nine. Oh no kidding. Yeah, okay future star. Absolutely gotta start early

[03:38:52] I mean, you know if she stays in it as long as you have, you know, you might have a lot of competition with her

[03:38:56] Yeah, she has a lot of potential. That's great. That's what we want to hear. Yeah

[03:39:01] So, uh, what do you do on a daily basis to practice? Is there anything specific you'd like to mention?

[03:39:06] Usually, um, like before tournament, I'd say about a month before that's when I really start to narrow down and start

[03:39:13] Really focusing on my tournament like practice. Sure. Um, I'll usually I'm a very like I like to train

[03:39:20] So I'm I don't get bored with the monotonous stuff that most people would okay

[03:39:25] Just doing a hundred passes in a row and a hundred shots in a row. I'll usually do

[03:39:31] Statication and so all like my practice usually consists of just repetition

[03:39:36] That's the best way to practice repetition over and over again

[03:39:39] I mean to sit there and do a hundred of the same pass is pretty hard

[03:39:44] Hard and to stay focused, right? Uh, but that's how you get better. Yeah, that is that is

[03:39:49] Do you have tournaments weekly tournaments that you go to? What's your foosball scene there in, uh, Texas?

[03:39:55] Um, so yeah, I live in Dallas area. So

[03:39:59] Really good local promoter who's named Jason wicks and um,

[03:40:03] Brittany sasasamo. She's also she uh, she's his girlfriend and um, they do a really good job

[03:40:09] They hold weekly tournaments Tuesday and Friday every single week pretty much cool. Wow

[03:40:15] The only time they won't hold a tournament is if there's a major tournament that they're at

[03:40:19] But even if it's a day after they'll go and hold it. What kind of turnouts do you get?

[03:40:25] At your tournaments, so you should get

[03:40:28] Arranged from like 16 to 24 people

[03:40:32] That's a good that's nice. That's great

[03:40:35] Tuesdays are usually a little bit lighter. So maybe

[03:40:38] 12 to 20 people

[03:40:40] Be off and on for a Tuesday night. That's not bad

[03:40:44] No, that's uh Tuesday nights are tough when you got to get up for school the next day too, right?

[03:40:49] And how does your mom and dad feel about that going on Tuesday nights? What time you guys usually wrapping up on Tuesday nights?

[03:40:55] um, so

[03:40:56] How the tournaments are ran here or they have a bunch of

[03:41:00] Preliminary rounds similar to the Swiss format and then if you're in the top cut then you uh

[03:41:06] You may get into the final bracket. It's called the elimination bracket

[03:41:10] And um, so if you don't make the cut then you'll probably be done around like 11

[03:41:17] But if you do make the cut then it's going on like midnight to one

[03:41:22] Oh, that's a long tournament. So it gets yeah, it gets pretty late. Um, and so that's why

[03:41:29] We usually won't go to the Tuesday tournament unless it's right before a major

[03:41:34] tournament. Okay, sure need to practice

[03:41:37] The Friday tournaments they're held later and we should go do that. Sure. I'm gonna have to get up the next day

[03:41:43] Right. So so, uh, I'm wondering coji. What's your what's your favorite shot up front off the three row?

[03:41:47] What do you like to shoot? So I shoot a rollover. Okay. Can't shoot a pull shot. Okay

[03:41:54] You just have to do 100 of them every day 100 pull shots 100 pull shots. Yep

[03:41:59] I don't know if you guys uh have heard of Dustin Gatlett

[03:42:03] Oh, yeah, but yeah, he created a really neat program that I used to train my rollover. Um, he has a bio of it

[03:42:11] So I have it on my like devices. Um, it's not public. I don't think um

[03:42:17] But basically what it does is it you can set a time range

[03:42:22] And it'll say like it would start a beat for when the time starts and then it'll randomly tell you a side to go

[03:42:29] And a side to shoot. Oh, that's a pretty good. That's a nice tool. Yeah. Yeah

[03:42:34] He's got a lot of nice teaching videos too

[03:42:37] So, um, your favorite tournaments major tournaments you have a couple? Yeah, so

[03:42:44] My favorite tournaments are definitely techie state because it's local. Sure. It's a good big tournament too

[03:42:52] There's a lot of players

[03:42:55] You get to see some of the local players

[03:42:58] Do well and you can root for them. Yeah. Yeah, but my probably

[03:43:03] Favorite one out of state

[03:43:05] Would be nationals

[03:43:07] Just because I feel like I I felt like the times that I've went I've performed the best at that tournament

[03:43:14] Right right and the nationals are where koji in louis anna. Okay. Yeah

[03:43:20] Right outside of norland. Sure. He called kanner. I think sure

[03:43:24] So koji's been uh, I'm talking to us from texas on foosball radio and we're looking forward to uh,

[03:43:28] Many more conversations in the future. Thanks again koji for being with us

[03:43:37] It's foosball radio and we are on with melody yabara from texas now when it comes to you as an individual

[03:43:45] Do you play foosball? I do now

[03:43:47] I