Episode 248
Ken Morrow, Curtis Pride
Host Bill Donohue engages in a compelling dialogue with two distinguished athletes, Ken Morrow and Curtis Pride. Ken Morrow, revered for his pivotal role as a defenseman for the New York Islanders and as a member of the legendary 1980 USA Olympic hockey team, shares insights from his illustrious career and discusses his newly published book, Ken Morrow: Miracle Gold, Four Stanley Cups and a Lifetime of Islanders Hockey. Following this, Curtis Pride, a former Major League Baseball outfielder and a symbol of resilience, recounts his inspiring journey as a profoundly deaf athlete. He elaborates on the challenges he faced and the triumphs he achieved in his career, emphasizing the importance of determination and belief in one's abilities. This episode not only celebrates their remarkable accomplishments but also serves as an inspiration for overcoming adversity in sports and life.
Show Details:
This episode of the show host Bill Donohue engages in an enlightening dialogue with Ken Morrow, the esteemed former New York Islanders defenseman and member of the legendary 1980 USA Olympic Miracle on Ice hockey team. Morrow, who boasts a distinguished career that includes playing over 550 games in the NHL and being an integral part of the Islanders' four consecutive Stanley Cup victories, shares insights from both his athletic journey and his current role as the director of pro scouting for the Islanders. He discusses the pivotal moments of his career, including the rigorous selection process leading up to the Olympics, the intense training under coach Herb Brooks, and the unforgettable thrill of competing against the Soviet Union. Morrow’s reflections on teamwork, perseverance, and the mental fortitude required to excel in professional sports offer listeners a profound understanding of the sacrifices and dedication involved in achieving greatness. Furthermore, he introduces his new book, Ken Morrow: Miracle Gold, Four Stanley Cups and a Lifetime of Islanders Hockey, in which he chronicles his experiences, and the lessons learned throughout his illustrious career, providing a compelling narrative that resonates with both sports enthusiasts and aspiring athletes alike.
Following Morrow's segment, Curtis Pride, a former Major League Baseball outfielder and a symbol of resilience for individuals with disabilities, joins the program. Pride, who is deaf, shares his remarkable journey from facing skepticism and adversity to achieving success in the major leagues. He discusses the importance of representation and inclusion in sports, particularly for those with disabilities, and recounts his experiences playing for various teams, including the Yankees and Red Sox. His narrative highlights the importance of hard work and determination, showcasing how he overcame challenges and inspired others along the way. Curtis also highlights the role of his family and mentors in shaping his path, culminating in the release of his book, *I Felt the Cheers: The Remarkable Silent Life of Curtis Pride*, which encapsulates the triumphs and struggles of his life in sports and beyond. His story serves as a powerful testament to the impact of perseverance and belief in oneself, encouraging listeners to pursue their dreams regardless of the obstacles they may encounter.
Guest Info:
Ken Morrow is a former New York Islanders defenseman, member of the 1980 USA Olympic Miracle on Ice hockey team, and currently the director of pro scouting for the New York Islanders. A member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, Ken played 550 regular-season games in the National Hockey League between 1980 and 1989.
Curtis Pride is a former professional baseball outfielder who is deaf. He played Major League Baseball from 1993 to 2006 for the Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Takeaways:
- Ken Morrow reflects on his experiences growing up in Michigan and his early inspirations in sports, emphasizing the joy of simply playing with his brother.
- Morrow provides insights into the rigorous selection process for the 1980 Olympic hockey team and the significant impact it had on team dynamics.
- Curtis Pride shares his journey as a deaf athlete, highlighting the importance of perseverance and determination in overcoming obstacles in professional sports.
- Pride discusses the challenges he faced in Major League Baseball and the necessity for coaches and scouts to recognize ability over disability.
- Both Morrow and Pride emphasize the role of mentorship and support from family in their athletic careers, attributing much of their success to their early influences.
- Morrow's recounting of the infamous 'Herbies' conditioning drills serves as a testament to the demanding training regimens that shaped the Olympic team into champions.
Transcript
The views expressed in the following program do not necessarily represent those of the staff, management or owners of wgbb.
Speaker A:Live from the WGBB studios in Merritt, New York, this is Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B:Good evening and hello again everybody.
Speaker B:Welcome to SPORTS Talk New York on WGVB in Merrick, Long Island, New York.
Speaker B:Bill Donahue here with you on this.
Speaker B: th day of March in: Speaker B:Our engineer Brian Graves is with us as always, keeping us running like a well oiled machine.
Speaker B:I'm happy that you joined us tonight.
Speaker B:We've got some great talk up ahead.
Speaker B: nders dynasty USA Olympian in: Speaker B:He's got a new book out and we're going to talk to him about that in the second half.
Speaker B:We welcome in former major league, former Yankee and some of you also may remember him as a member of the Nashua Pride.
Speaker B:If you went out to the Ducks game about 10 years ago, Curtis Pride will chat with us about his new book.
Speaker B:Curtis, as you may or may not know, he's profoundly deaf and he has really broken down barriers in the sports world and succeeded at it.
Speaker B:A real role model for everyone.
Speaker B:So sit back, folks, relax, get yourself a drink and a snack at Comfy.
Speaker B:Let us paint the picture for you in the theater of the mind tonight and enjoy the show as always.
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Speaker B:Well, our first guest, he played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League for the New York Islanders.
Speaker B:He was a member of all four Stanley cup winning teams.
Speaker B: Also a member of the: Speaker B: Since: Speaker B: States Hockey hall of fame in: Speaker B:And he has a new book out from our buddies out in Chicago, Triumph Books.
Speaker B:It's titled Miracle 4 Stanley Cups and a Lifetime of Islanders Hockey.
Speaker B:Welcome back to Sports Talk New York tonight, Ken Morrow.
Speaker B:Ken, good evening.
Speaker C:Hey, good evening.
Speaker C:It's great to be talking to you Tonight.
Speaker B:Bill, great to have you with us.
Speaker B:Ken, now, growing up in Michigan, who were your sports heroes and your favorite teams back when you were a kid?
Speaker C:Well, I guess most people would probably think it might have been the Detroit Red Wings, but we actually called them the Dead Wings back in those days because they weren't a very good team back in the 70s and early 80s.
Speaker C:But I guess, you know, I grew up skating on a backyard rink.
Speaker C:My dad got my brother and I started.
Speaker C:I wouldn't say that I, I had any hockey heroes at that time.
Speaker C:Gordie Howe was obviously the big name around the Michigan area and in hockey in general.
Speaker C:Mr.
Speaker C:Hockey, I guess, as he was called.
Speaker C:But no, it was just.
Speaker C:For me, it was more being in the moment as a kid, really, just having fun.
Speaker C:I didn't have any visions of, of, you know, playing in college or going any further than that.
Speaker C:So for me, it was just having a great time with my dad coaching me and playing with my brother.
Speaker C:Just being a kid outdoors.
Speaker C:Yeah, being a kid.
Speaker B:That's great.
Speaker B:Very good, Kenny.
Speaker B:Now, your dad was a baseball player of some renown?
Speaker C:He was, yeah.
Speaker C:I mean, baseball was the sport back in America in those days, back in the, in the 40s and 50s.
Speaker C:And my dad was a terrific athlete.
Speaker C:He was 6 foot 5.
Speaker C:I got some of his height.
Speaker C:I was 6 foot 4.
Speaker C:But yeah, he, he was a terrific baseball player.
Speaker C:Played professional baseball, also played basketball.
Speaker C:He was all city in basketball.
Speaker C:And.
Speaker C:And then, as I mentioned, he got my brother and I started hockey.
Speaker C:So we were, you know, we were involved in a lot of athletics growing up, as most kids did back then, but he never pushed me or my brother toward baseball.
Speaker C:And when he saw the passion we had for hockey at a young age, as I mentioned, he coached us all the way through.
Speaker C:And he's the one.
Speaker C:I give him credit for getting me started and for my hockey career.
Speaker B:Okay, now, talking about the Road to Lake Placid, does the Disney film, does that accurately depict the selection process that Herb Brooks went through?
Speaker C:I think it did a good job.
Speaker C:I wouldn't say it was 100% accurate, but, you know, the way I describe the movie is for a lot of the defining moments of the team throughout the year.
Speaker C:They did a nice job on bringing those to light.
Speaker C: n Colorado Springs in July of: Speaker C:And we actually played a tournament at the National Sports Festival, they split us up into four teams of 20 players, played an actual tournament where they gave out medals and everything.
Speaker C:And then at the end of that selection process, Herb brought us into a room at the Olympic Training center and called off 26 names is what he called off.
Speaker C:And he was able to.
Speaker C:He had to cut that down to 20 players just a couple days before we left for Lake Placid in February.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's a tough job by Herb there, that's for sure.
Speaker B:Now, the game where you guys ran the sprints afterwards.
Speaker B:Talk a little bit about that night, Ken.
Speaker C:Yeah, that was early in our pre Olympic season.
Speaker C:You know, the one thing, again, giving Herb Brooks so much credit for what happened.
Speaker C:But we were the first Olympic team to actually be together for five months before Lake Placid.
Speaker C:So we played a 61 game schedule.
Speaker C:And before that, most Olympic teams would play a few exhibition games and go in and play the tournament.
Speaker C:And Herb felt that we needed to change, that.
Speaker C:We needed to do something different.
Speaker C:You know, doing the same thing over again and expecting better results was not something that Herb wanted to do.
Speaker C:So that game you're talking about was one of our first games.
Speaker C:After you had selected a team, we made a trip over to Europe, I think we played eight games between Finland and Norway, and one of our last games in Norway, we were playing Norway national team two games in a row back to back.
Speaker C:The first game, a team we should have beaten, we played a lackluster 3, 3 tie.
Speaker C:And he stopped us as we went to skate off the ice, and he had us line up at both ends of the ring, pulled out his whistle, and he said, if you're not going to skate in the game, we're going to skate now.
Speaker C:And we proceeded to do our, what we called Herbies, our conditioning punishment drills, if you want to call them that.
Speaker C:And we started doing those for about a half hour or so.
Speaker C:And at that point, the rink manager came out, told Herb he had to go home.
Speaker C:And essentially, Herb told him, well, leave me the keys.
Speaker C:And so the ring manager left the ice, we kept skating, and he turned the lights off on us, thinking that that would end it.
Speaker C:We continued to skate in the dark for another half hour or so.
Speaker C:And so that was one of those early season defining moments that I talk about where, you know, I think it galvanized the team.
Speaker C:It was kind of an us against him mentality.
Speaker C:And, you know, come to find out all these years later, it was by design.
Speaker C:He wanted it that way.
Speaker C:He wanted the team to Come together, you know, and he was going to be the common enemy of the team, and he felt that was one way that we were all going to bond.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And he was right.
Speaker B:I've heard the term Herbies before, Ken, from one of the other guys.
Speaker B:It might have been O.C.
Speaker B:but.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's pretty funny.
Speaker B:Folks would enjoy hearing about that, that's for sure.
Speaker B:Ken Morrow is with us tonight on Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B:Now, Herb's pregame speech that Kurt Russell really kills in the movie.
Speaker B:What did you feel while he was speaking and talking to you guys before the game with the Soviets?
Speaker C:Yeah, I mean, setting the stage.
Speaker C:You know, here we're all about playing the game of our lives.
Speaker C:We were such a young team.
Speaker C:You know, I think our average age was 22 years old, and we're all sitting in this small locker room before the game.
Speaker C:And my memory of it, and we have different memories from.
Speaker C:Guys, it's been 45 years, but my memory was.
Speaker C:I think it was written on a napkin or just a small piece of paper that he pulled out, and it was, you were born to be a player.
Speaker C:You were meant to be here.
Speaker C:This is your moment.
Speaker C:Now, I know the Kurt Russell speech in the movie, which I get a lot of requests to come in and do speeches before soccer games and football games and basketball games and everything else.
Speaker C:The Kurt Russell speech in the movie is just fantastic.
Speaker C:I think they made it a little longer than it was in the locker room, but I still get fired up.
Speaker B:Every time I hear that's Kurt Russell's defining moment.
Speaker B:I think right there.
Speaker B:That was tremendous.
Speaker B:Now, did the Soviets seem surprised when you guys came out the way you did that night?
Speaker C:Yeah, and they were shocked.
Speaker C:And I think, you know, again, what led up to that was a week and a half before, three days before the Olympics started, we played them in an exhibition, our final exhibition game of that season I told you about, and it was in Madison Square Garden, and they beat us 10 to 3.
Speaker C:You know, it was a shellacking by the Soviet team, but it really did a couple things that worked in our favor.
Speaker C:You know, it got us on the ice with these guys.
Speaker C:It got kind of the nerves out before going to Lake Placid.
Speaker C:And secondly, it just made them so overconfident that any game against us in the Olympics was not going to be a challenge.
Speaker C:And so I think there was a bit of overconfidence maybe on their part, and the fact that we had been just, you know, snowballing, playing better every game from the start of The Olympics right through until that miracle and ice game on a Friday evening.
Speaker C:So, you know, a lot of things worked in our favor.
Speaker C:Being in front of our home crowd was certainly a huge advantage for us being the underdog.
Speaker C:You know, nobody expecting us to even keep the game close.
Speaker C:So there wasn't a whole lot of pressure on us at the time.
Speaker C:And as I mentioned, we'd been playing really well.
Speaker C:You know, we carried a lot of great momentum into the game, so a lot of good things were going in our favor.
Speaker B:What did you think, Ken, or what did the other guys think when Tikonov pulled Tretiac out of the goal?
Speaker C:Yeah, I mean, that was a big moment in the game again, for people that don't remember.
Speaker C:The Soviets were up two to one in the first period, and we had.
Speaker C:Right toward the end of the period, I dropped the puck back to Davy Christian, knowing There were only 10 seconds left.
Speaker C:Davy skated up to the red line, fired a long shot at the goal, and Treciak left an uncharacteristic rebound thinking that the period was going to end.
Speaker C:And Mark Johnson raced in and scored with 1 second left.
Speaker C:Tikonok pulled.
Speaker C:Tretyak at that point sent the other goalie out.
Speaker C:Mishkin, again, a world class goalie.
Speaker C:The Soviet team, it wasn't like they were replacing, you know, a great goalie with a mediocre goalie.
Speaker C:You know, Mishkin was a terrific goalie himself, but I don't remember talking about it in the locker room.
Speaker C:You know, it happened at the end of the first period, coming out, not really understanding why they had pulled them.
Speaker C:But, you know, our focus wasn't on who their goaltender was.
Speaker C:Our focus was on just trying to keep the game close and playing against all these great, great players.
Speaker C:So I don't think it factored into too much of didn't change anything that we were doing at the time.
Speaker B:Like people say, it was the longest 10 minutes of their life in that period.
Speaker B:What was going through your mind in the final seconds, Ken?
Speaker C:Yeah, I was on the ice for the last minute and a half.
Speaker C:Mike Ramsey and myself were the two defensemen out there.
Speaker C:And Face off was in their end with a minute and a half, exactly a minute and a half to go.
Speaker C:And yeah, people have asked me over and over, you know, what were you thinking about at the end of the game?
Speaker C:My only thoughts that whole last minute and a half were to get the puck out of our end, get it out over the blue line, don't spend any time in your own end.
Speaker C:And of Course, we did spend quite a bit of time in our own end.
Speaker C:You know, this team could go out and score, you know, two or three goals in the last minute of the game.
Speaker C:So, yeah, just trying to keep it out.
Speaker C:You know, Jimmy Craig played out of his mind, you know, not only through the whole tournament, but in that game as well.
Speaker C:And, yeah, those last few seconds, I thank Al Michaels every time I hear that call because he mentions my name right toward the end.
Speaker C:So, yeah, just, you know, indescribable.
Speaker C:The feeling, you know, when that final buzzer went off.
Speaker B: of talking to the fans about: Speaker B:He figures that maybe about three, half a million people were in Shea Stadium that day because everybody tells them they were there.
Speaker B:They always bring it up, inevitably.
Speaker B:Do you feel the same way about the Miracle on Ice?
Speaker C:I do.
Speaker C:The greatest joy for me over the last 45 years, and it maybe even is growing in stature now, all these years later, my greatest joy is just having people come up to me and tell me their story.
Speaker C: he case, you know, ever since: Speaker C:You know, the reaction, it.
Speaker C:And it's.
Speaker C:It's hard to believe that I'm comparing it to some of these great moments in history.
Speaker C:But, you know, for me growing up, I remember when JFK was assassinated.
Speaker C:I remember when we all.
Speaker C:Armstrong walked on the moon.
Speaker C:You remember when 911 happened.
Speaker C:Those things are etched into your mind and your soul, and you remember those moments, and that's the reaction from people that come up to me that thought that were a part of it.
Speaker C:It's either I was watching the game with my dad, first time I ever saw him cry to people that were on airplanes.
Speaker C:They all stood up and cheered and hugged.
Speaker C:Total strangers.
Speaker C:I've had military people tell me that they were back and forth with the Russians, this is during the Cold War, letting them know we had beat their hockey team.
Speaker C:People that have told me that that's the day that they either became a hockey fan or became a player, was when they watched us win.
Speaker C:So it's just been truly remarkable to hear all these stories.
Speaker C:And as I said, it's the greatest joy I've gotten over the years.
Speaker B:Have you spoken to any of the Russian players since then, Ken?
Speaker B:Any conversations?
Speaker B:What do they say about it?
Speaker C:No real conversations.
Speaker C:As you know, the Iron Curtain Kind of came down toward the late 80s.
Speaker C:And then we started seeing a few of these players come over, play in the NHL.
Speaker C: lay against any of them after: Speaker C:I did have an encounter with Treciak and one of the press boxes.
Speaker C:He was actually a goalie coach for the Chicago Blackhawks for a couple years.
Speaker B:Oh, I didn't know that back in.
Speaker C: The early: Speaker C:And I.
Speaker C:I approached him and I went over, and I was really nervous to go over and just say hello to him, but I felt I had to do it.
Speaker C:And I walked over, and before I could get a word out, he said, I know who you are.
Speaker C:And he had a big smile on his face.
Speaker B:Oh, man, that's a great one.
Speaker B:You go to the Islanders right after that, Ken, from a gold medal, right to the New York Islanders, who, of course, were a contending hockey team.
Speaker B:Not too bad of a run of luck there, huh?
Speaker C:Well, as I explained to people, timing is everything, and I was really fortunate with great timing throughout my career.
Speaker C:And, you know, I got to play all four years in college, and then the Olympic experience came along the next year, so it was seamless for me.
Speaker C:And then who'd have thought, you know, I would ever get the opportunity to step right from the Olympic team onto the New York Islanders.
Speaker C:And Bill Torrey had let me know up in Lake Placid that they were going to bring me in to Long Island.
Speaker C:I didn't know whether they were going to send me to their farm team or whatever.
Speaker C:He said, we're going to bring in.
Speaker C:And again, this is late in the season.
Speaker C:You know, this isn't a training camp.
Speaker C:This is late in the year, and you're coming in and joining a team, a new, you know, a new team for me.
Speaker C:And I can't say enough about the character.
Speaker C:You don't win all those championships without having great character players.
Speaker C:And Bill Torrey and Al Arbor throughout the whole organization.
Speaker C:They just made me feel welcome.
Speaker C:And.
Speaker C:And then, as I say, I just got swept up in this wave of just a team on the precipice of going and becoming a dynasty at that time.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:All hall of Famers deserve to be there.
Speaker B: u joined the islanders now in: Speaker C:Well, as an individual highlight, it's right probably at the top.
Speaker C:You know, I was a guy that didn't score a Whole lot of goals.
Speaker C:I think I had 11, I think I had something like, I don't know, 17 regular season goals in 10 years and I had 11 playoff goals.
Speaker C:Three of them were overtime.
Speaker C:So as I kind of jokingly say, Mike Bossi doesn't remember all his goals, but I remember all mine.
Speaker C:But in the course of writing the book, I've had, you know, some stats thrown at me and, you know, they had people that can look up all these stats now.
Speaker C:And, and so I was told that I, you know, in that five year run, you know, from 80 to 84, the five Stanley cup finals, that I ended up scoring, you know, three overtime goals, and that was more than anybody else on the team.
Speaker C:Bobby Nystrom had four overtime goals through his career, but two of them during that, that five year run there.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:So how do you explain that?
Speaker C:You know, I, I give all thanks to the hockey gods because I wasn't a goal scorer.
Speaker B:We're speaking with Ken Morrow tonight on Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B:Now.
Speaker B:Scouting I always say in baseball, scouts do not get the credit they deserve.
Speaker B:I always tell people that there should be a scout swing in Cooperstown because they're very unsung heroes when it comes to the sports world.
Speaker B:What would be a typical week for a scout in the National Hockey League?
Speaker C:Ken well, I can tell you, I mean, I've been doing it for over 30 years now and it's changed.
Speaker C:I can tell you.
Speaker C: Islanders when I was hired in: Speaker C:And at that time he told me, it's going to take you, you know, two or three years to just go out, see games and get a feel for players and get a feel for, you know, what you're looking for.
Speaker C:And he was absolutely right.
Speaker C:It took a couple years to kind of get your bearings on doing something like that.
Speaker C:And at the time I was the only one.
Speaker C:So I was covering not only the NHL, I was covering the American Hockey League and the International Hockey League, which were the two top minor leagues.
Speaker C:So there were over 60 teams that won.
Speaker C:One guy I was covering.
Speaker C:So it was overwhelming at that time.
Speaker C:But as years went along, we added more people.
Speaker C:We had to and every organization did to where you may now have four or five dedicated pro scouts.
Speaker C:And when I first started, it was more about trades.
Speaker C:You know, you were keeping track of all the other organizations for case you were going to make a trade.
Speaker C:And there was very little free agency at that time in the NHL.
Speaker C:Not a lot of movement of players through free agency, but it's totally flipped to where nowadays most of your scouting is done because there's hundreds of free agents every summer now.
Speaker C:And making a trade is much more difficult with the salary cap and trying to make the money and the hockey end of it works.
Speaker C:So a lot of changes.
Speaker C:It's all computerized now.
Speaker C:When I started, it was writing out reports on paper and sending in carbon copies to faxing in reports to.
Speaker C:Now everything's done on the computer.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Gotta make things a little bit easier for you guys doing things online.
Speaker B:What made you want to steer your career towards scouting, Ken?
Speaker B:Was it just that the job was offered to you or you also had an interest in that direction?
Speaker C:I didn't.
Speaker C:You know, as a player, your total focus is on playing rightfully so.
Speaker C:And my career ended, as you mentioned.
Speaker C:I played 10 years.
Speaker C: My career ended in: Speaker C:I wasn't ready for it.
Speaker C:Wanted to keep playing, but just wasn't able to.
Speaker C:So I kind of had to change course.
Speaker C:And as I explained in the book, I didn't have a plan B at that time, but I had a coaching position offered to me, which I took in the minor leagues and I did.
Speaker C:Coached in the minor leagues for a couple years as an assistant coach and then one year back with the Islanders with Al Arbor and Bill Torrey again as an assistant coach in 91, 92.
Speaker C:And then at the end of that third year of coaching, I sat down with Bill Torre and I just, I had, you know, lived away from my family for two of those three years coaching.
Speaker C:Didn't want to do that anymore, didn't want to chase coaching jobs.
Speaker C:And Bill had offered me to, you know, to become a pro scout and I accepted the offer.
Speaker C:And I haven't looked back.
Speaker B:Well, we can see why you were held in such high regard by the man with the bow tie.
Speaker B:And I have to ask you, Ken, you played for Al Arbour, a Hall of Famer, Herb Brooks, an immortal contrast, the styles of the two for us, Al Arbour versus Herb Brooks.
Speaker C:I will.
Speaker C:And I, you know, I'm going to add in one more coach, my college coach, Ron Mason.
Speaker C:He was at one point the all time winningest college coach in history until just a few years ago he got surpassed.
Speaker C:So I, you know, through a 15 year playing career, if you include four years of college, one year with her Brooks and 10 years with Al Arbor, I coached or I was, I played for three all time great legendary coaches, you know, at each level they were all similar in that, you know, they were all demanding, they all had high standards.
Speaker C:They were all hard on players, but in a good way, you know, they brought out the best in you.
Speaker C:The differences, I would say, between Herb and Al was that Herb was very innovative.
Speaker C:You know, he was 30 years ahead of his time with how he wanted to play the game.
Speaker C:Puck possession.
Speaker C: t the NHL got to in the early: Speaker C:So Herb was very innovative, very psychological, if you want to say that.
Speaker C:You know, a lot of mind games knew how to get the best out of players, you know, through, you know, pushing the right buttons.
Speaker C:And I know the players that played for Herbert at Minnesota.
Speaker C:We had 10 of them on our Olympic team that played for them.
Speaker C:They told us we got the soft version of Herb with the Olympic team.
Speaker C:They said he was much harder on them in Minnesota.
Speaker C:Yeah, Herbie could.
Speaker C:You know, he could.
Speaker C:He could push the right buttons and get more out of you than they ever thought you could give.
Speaker C:Al Arbor just the classic, you know, father figure, stern father figure of a coach who drilled fundamentals.
Speaker C:Those Islander teams didn't beat themselves.
Speaker C:That was a theme in talking to coach players that I played against in those years.
Speaker C:We were just a team that didn't beat ourselves.
Speaker C:We could play any style of game you wanted.
Speaker C:Physical skating, outscore teams shut them out.
Speaker C:I think they were a great reflection of Al himself.
Speaker C:You know, just the stoic, hardworking, fundamentally sound teams that.
Speaker C:That were just really hard to play out.
Speaker B:Well, Ken Morrow, I tell you, it's been an honor and a pleasure having you with us.
Speaker B:I thank you for taking time out of your Sunday night to spend it with us back here on the island.
Speaker B:The book again, folks, a tremendous read called Miracle Gold.
Speaker B:Four Stanley Cups and a Lifetime of Islanders Hockey.
Speaker B:It's from Triumph.
Speaker B:You can get it at Barnes and Noble.
Speaker B:You can get it on Amazon.
Speaker B:Once again, Ken, thanks again, and we hope to speak to you again down the road.
Speaker C:My pleasure, Bill.
Speaker C:Thank you.
Speaker B:That is the great Ken Morrow, ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker B:Up next on Sports Talk New York, we'll speak to former major leaguer and really a role model and symbol of hope for anyone with an impediment, as he is profoundly deaf.
Speaker B:So, Curtis Pride joins us right after the break.
Speaker B:Stick around, folks.
Speaker A:You are listening to Sports Talk New York.
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Speaker A:You're listening to Sports Talk New York on Long Island's wgb.
Speaker A:And now back to the show.
Speaker B:All right, we're back.
Speaker B:Our next guest, he's a former professional outfielder with Major League Baseball, of course, who's deaf.
Speaker B: to: Speaker B:Some folks out there on Long island will remember him stopping by to play the Ducks when he was with the Nashua Pride and the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.
Speaker B: s ambassador for inclusion in: Speaker B: And in: Speaker B:Unfortunately, the program has been discontinued, but he has an amazing new book out, folks.
Speaker B:It's titled I Felt the Cheers, the Remarkable Silent Life of Curtis Pride.
Speaker B:Welcome to Sports TALK tonight, Curtis.
Speaker B:It's great to have you with us.
Speaker D:Thank you.
Speaker D:Thank you for having me.
Speaker B:Wonderful to be speaking with you.
Speaker B:Let's see, I'm losing it here.
Speaker B:Growing up in Maryland, Curtis, who were your sports heroes as a youth?
Speaker D:Well, that was rubbing me out.
Speaker D:I followed the Cal Ripkey.
Speaker D:The Cal Ripkin was this huge local hero because we played for the Baltimore Orioles.
Speaker D:And he was basically one guy that I followed for most of my salary.
Speaker B:People would probably be interested to note that Cal Ripken wrote the foreword for Curtis book.
Speaker B:And I have to ask you, for the audience, Curtis, and for ourselves, you were born deaf and because of Rubella.
Speaker D:Yes, yes, I was born deaf.
Speaker D:My mom, she was exposed.
Speaker D:She moved Ellen while she was pregnant with me.
Speaker D:And that's how I lost my hearing.
Speaker D:I had 95% hearing loss.
Speaker B:Yeah, that is a real tragedy.
Speaker B:Now, you excelled in baseball, basketball and soccer in high school.
Speaker B:You attended William and Mary after high school and you were the starting point guard on the basketball team.
Speaker B:So you were pretty well rounded athlete.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker D:I would have the opportunity to play all the different sports and soccer, but that's my best sport.
Speaker D:But I've always wanted to play college basketball.
Speaker D:And sure enough, I was drafting out of high school and I had already accepted a basketball scholarship through the College of William.
Speaker D:9.
Speaker D:So my dad was able to negotiate a contract, went there with the mess detecting me that they were allowed me to go to college on a full basketball skeleton and still be able to play professional baseball during the summers.
Speaker D:The race upgraded college from August 15th all the way through May 15th.
Speaker D:And that's why quality my elite team from May 15th through August 15th.
Speaker D:I did that for four years until I graduated from college and I became a full time baseball player.
Speaker D:It was important for me because there's no guarantee of being a professional at me and it was important for me to get my college degree.
Speaker D:Never know what can happen.
Speaker B:Well, we're speaking with Curtis Pride tonight on Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B:Now, as you mentioned, Curtis, you were originally signed by the Mets, but we know the Mets have a history of letting talented people go.
Speaker B:Don't feel bad, Curtis.
Speaker B:They let go of Nolan Ryan too.
Speaker B:So you're not the only.
Speaker B: majors since dick sidepeck in: Speaker B:So it had been a while till the major leagues had someone of your caliber.
Speaker D:Yeah, I mean I've been blessed to have the opportunity to play the major leagues and it wasn't easy.
Speaker D:Now I think put a lot of time in recording and prove to you the baseball coaches know general managers to look at my ability, not my disability.
Speaker D:And I suggest you work harder than most of the guys you want to see babies have the opportunities to play if you make your leagues.
Speaker B:That's a wonderful way to put it, Curtis.
Speaker B:And I think that's great for the kids and the people with impediments out there that they looked at your ability rather than your disability.
Speaker B:I think that's a great, a great thing to go on.
Speaker B:Yeah, very good point.
Speaker B: ,: Speaker B:Do you remember that first hit, Curtis?
Speaker D:Oh, yes, yes, I think any of it part of it.
Speaker D:The most emotional experience in my Italian baseball career.
Speaker D:And it was the middle of the penny race against the Phillies and I was called going to pitch in and yeah, he did a 21 double.
Speaker D:And I'm standing there, Jackie Bears and $45 dance to them.
Speaker D:He gave me a sandy ovation.
Speaker D:It felt like five, ten minutes standing ovation.
Speaker D:And my therapist couldn't call me over while they were dancing the Piston.
Speaker D:And my therapist could call me over and told me he poured me in my helmet.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:So I thought there was something in my helmet.
Speaker D:I said no, just take my helmet off my head and kiss you the crown X.
Speaker D:And I was down.
Speaker D:And so if I did that, that's where everybody goes going crazy.
Speaker D:It was very emotional.
Speaker D:I would never ever forget it.
Speaker B:What an experience that must have Been Curtis, do you remember what pitch you hit?
Speaker D:It was the bass bars with the sticker wing.
Speaker B:There you go.
Speaker B:Never forget, folks, Curtis lit that one up.
Speaker B:Now there's a story in the book, Curtis, that I want you to talk to the folks about without giving away the whole book.
Speaker B:There's a story about Greg Maddox who came to know about you and he instituted a little habit that's continued to this day.
Speaker B:Tell us about Greg Maddox.
Speaker D:Yeah, I know where I was with the Montreal villain Expos.
Speaker D:And I was deleted that down and I was the talk as you Graymatic's brother, Mike Maddox.
Speaker B:Mike Maddox.
Speaker D:And he noticed I was watching the pictures, had a conference on the mountain with the kisses and I could actually lip read what they say.
Speaker D:And so that's how Mike knew.
Speaker D:So he kind of told his brother and David.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker D:Aha.
Speaker D:So he made a point from now on, basically covered him out because no Eddie Bikin tried every pistol.
Speaker D:The conversation between the pistol anti testing.
Speaker B:There you go, folks.
Speaker B:So it's Curtis Pride who is responsible for that habit, you see of meetings on the mound all, all over the baseball field of covering the mouth.
Speaker B:Because you never know if there's a lip reader out there.
Speaker B:And there was Curtis Pride.
Speaker B:So there you go with an instance right there, folks.
Speaker B:Now on the.
Speaker B:On the next point.
Speaker B:You became a free agent before the 96 season.
Speaker B:You signed with the Tigers and you really had a great year in Detroit.
Speaker D:Yes, I did.
Speaker D:It was my best season.
Speaker D:I started off slow because I got hurt and bad.
Speaker D:I started with the pitch hitter, but that started producing and started hitting and it sort of kept giving me more opportunity to play.
Speaker D:And then I ended up playing almost every day with the rest of the season.
Speaker D:Had my best season, batting.300.
Speaker B:Nice.
Speaker B:Yeah, nice year.
Speaker B:We are speaking with Curtis Pride tonight about his great new book.
Speaker B:I felt the Cheers a great read, folks.
Speaker B:You should pick it up Amazon, Barnes and Noble.
Speaker B:Now, people may not realize that we're talking about your career, Curtis.
Speaker B:You had much more than what people call a cup of coffee.
Speaker B:You had a fairly full career.
Speaker D:Yes, I did 23 years in full base form, 11 years in next week.
Speaker D:But my book is more down my life, you know, what I went through, the struggle, you know, learning how to talk, you know, growing up, dealing with different things, you know, kids making fun of me, you know, people telling me no, not believing me, document miseries.
Speaker D:And so it's a great inspirational book that I hope to inspire many, many readers.
Speaker B:There you go, folks.
Speaker B:A terrific example and a terrific statement from Curtis about the book, not just baseball.
Speaker B:It's about life.
Speaker B:And that's the important thing to keep in mind.
Speaker B:Now, as I said, Curtis is with us tonight on the program.
Speaker B:You played for some great managers in the major leagues.
Speaker B:Curtis, you played for Felipe Alou in Montreal, hall of Famer Bobby Cox in Atlanta, Mike Scioscha out in Los Angeles, and of course Joe Torrey with the Yankees.
Speaker B:Talk a little bit about these managers and their different style of managing.
Speaker D:Yeah, I've been fortunate to have the opportunity to play for hall of Fame managers.
Speaker D:And then each one of them, I noticed that each one had their own different amounts of these.
Speaker D:And like Philippe Hagalu, it was more of small ball game.
Speaker D:Small ball, hit it run, New Zealand.
Speaker D:And Bobby Cox is just a great communicator.
Speaker D:His method play the game and was so Troy his very laid back.
Speaker D:And of course we have a lot of talent on the team, so he trusts the players, he played the game the right way.
Speaker D:And Mike Zosin, he is a very aggressive manager.
Speaker D:He likes to go from first to third base, buddy.
Speaker D:He doesn't believe it, never makes it first or third out at thorn base.
Speaker D:And they like to see all the math.
Speaker D:So I kind of try to incorporate different meth and one philosophy.
Speaker D:And that's how I was able to coach my college team at Gallaudet University and never had a lot of success.
Speaker B:Did any of your managers or teammates, Curtis, try to learn als, sorry, American Sign Language while you were with them?
Speaker B:Any guys make the effort to at least learn?
Speaker D:Well, to be honest with you, I never learned asl.
Speaker D:So I became the head baseball coach at Gallaudet University and it was a great experience and it's good to have a second language and be able to communicate with war more people like death and sign.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Now, let's talk about your time out here or up here in the Atlantic League.
Speaker B:You played with the Nashua Pride, Butch Hobson's Club and Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.
Speaker B:Excuse me.
Speaker B:You were the only player from the Atlantic League, though, Curtis, to make it back to the big leagues twice after playing in the Atlantic League.
Speaker D:Yes, yes.
Speaker D:I mean, it was a bit lucky.
Speaker D:I mean, it was not easy.
Speaker D:But you know, I believe in my ability.
Speaker D:I believe I still have what it takes to get back into big league.
Speaker D:All I had to do is know just recording, put up the numbers.
Speaker D:It shows that I can still play.
Speaker D:And fortunately a couple teams saw my numbers and took a chance to find me and.
Speaker D:And I was able to make it.
Speaker D:That makes the leaks.
Speaker D:So it's just a matter of perseverance, not giving up.
Speaker D:You know, believe in yourself that anything can happen.
Speaker B:Now, Curtis, you had a great highlight, a career highlight with the New York Yankees that a lot of Yankee fans out there do remember.
Speaker B:Tell us about that particular highlight of your career.
Speaker D:Yes, yes, I remember.
Speaker D:It was my first hit.
Speaker D:My hit the whole run against Boston Red Sox and it was just a great experience.
Speaker D:They had a sanity ovation and now just be a jakey stand wearing pinstripe uniforms and to be able to get a home run and get the old rifles off the bed socks.
Speaker D:Wonderful experience.
Speaker B:Oh, must have been amazing.
Speaker B:Curtis.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:I want to ask you about a topic that I'm very familiar with.
Speaker B:I know there's some people who want to get this gentleman into the Baseball hall of Fame and that's Dummy Hoy.
Speaker B:And I know you know the story of dummy.
Speaker B:Talk a little bit about dummy to the folks.
Speaker D: Middle east back in the late: Speaker D:That's how they started with the unpolished balls.
Speaker D:Balls of drinks called was started because of Demi Hoy and he had great numbers and I feel that should be the hall of Fame one day.
Speaker B:That would be tremendous to have a def ball player in the hall of Fame.
Speaker B:I think that would speak volumes for the hall and really do a lot for them.
Speaker B:Now, Curtis Pride with us tonight on Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B:Now you mentioned, Curtis, Gallaudet University, which of course is a university for people without speech and without hearing.
Speaker B:Tell us about your time as a manager at Gallaudet.
Speaker D:Yes, I coached Gallaudet for about 16 years and yeah, I remember right.
Speaker D:My first year we didn't have a good team and so I had to change the whole culture, the whole baseball program.
Speaker D:And I remember the team we played against other college, they would beat us bad 221 or 32.
Speaker D:Not easy.
Speaker D:And so I had to change the whole program.
Speaker D:And if he got better every year by my fifth year we had our best season ever.
Speaker D:We won 27 game and we beat by our top 20 teams in the country.
Speaker B:Amazing.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Now you were playing hearing teams, right?
Speaker D:Yes, we play all hearing team.
Speaker D:We were the only team with hearing disabilities.
Speaker B:That is great.
Speaker B:And why did they cancel the program, Curtis?
Speaker D:I had no idea.
Speaker D:Oh boy, no idea.
Speaker D:I wish I knew.
Speaker D:But they never told me that.
Speaker B:That, that's a real shame.
Speaker D:Now I was kind of disappointed but it Is what is.
Speaker B:You're right, Curtis.
Speaker B:Now your wife Lisa, your lovely wife Lisa, together with her, you run the Pride Foundation.
Speaker B:Together with Pride Foundation.
Speaker B:Tell us a little bit about your foundation.
Speaker D:Next.
Speaker D: We started the: Speaker D:And we also provide monies to baby kids who could afford funeral years.
Speaker D:And we ran that program.
Speaker D:We ran that Delta for about 10 to 12 years and unfortunately we stopped running the program because, you know, I took a full time job at Gallatin and I have two kids who have hearing disabilities.
Speaker D:And so we take a lot of our time away from the garden still because put on gardens on hold.
Speaker B:I see.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:With very good reasons though, that's for sure.
Speaker B:Curtis, now, the story of your major league career.
Speaker B:Have you ever thought of making it into a movie, Curtis?
Speaker D:Well, that'd be nice though.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Who would you like to play you?
Speaker B:What actor do you want to play you?
Speaker D:I don't know.
Speaker D:I have really thought of Gabby.
Speaker B:Well, that's something to think about now.
Speaker B:So there you go.
Speaker B:I might have a great idea there again, folks, Curtis Pride is with us.
Speaker B:Let's check the name of the book again.
Speaker B:I got to get back to my notes, folks.
Speaker B:I'm sorry.
Speaker B:The book is called I Felt the the Remarkable Silent Life, Curtis Pride.
Speaker B:Now tell the folks what you mean, Curtis, by I felt the cheers.
Speaker D:Well, we were thinking, we were thinking of a good title for my book and my ears since came up with the title.
Speaker D:I don't hear it because I did reveal that I got my voice nicely hit.
Speaker D:Now I was standing on Executive Edge and I got that busy Sandy ovation and it was so.
Speaker D:Well, I mean, I actually fell into the chairs and we thought that'd be a perfect title for our book.
Speaker B:And it worked.
Speaker B:Definitely.
Speaker B:You're definitely right, Curtis.
Speaker B:Now we say that you are a role model.
Speaker B:You're a role model for people with impediments for young kids growing up that may not be 100% in their hearing.
Speaker B:You are there to set the bar for them.
Speaker B:Who was your role model, Curtis?
Speaker D:Well, I would have to say my parents.
Speaker D:My parents were my biggest role model because they raised me.
Speaker D:They taught me to believe in myself, that anything is possible.
Speaker D:They never treat me differently.
Speaker D:They always felt that even though I have a hearing disability that I can be whatever I wanted to Be if I just work hard and believe in myself, anything is possible.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Good point.
Speaker B:Good point, Curtis.
Speaker B:Now, your time in Binghamton with the Mets.
Speaker B:How was your time up in Binghamton?
Speaker D:I had a great time in Binghamton and I enjoy my time.
Speaker D:But there were times where, to be honest with you, there were times where I got quickly because I started off the season playing every day and I was doing well.
Speaker D:And then for some reason, Joy, at some point during the season, I started to go downhill and, you know, I was drugged a little bit on the field and my girlfriend broke up with me and I called some of my teammates making fun of me.
Speaker D:So I was going through bad time and I wanted to quit.
Speaker D:So by my parents came up DP Hampton when I was about to walk away for basketball.
Speaker D:So my father told me that he didn't raise his son to be a quitter.
Speaker D:So he is honoring my commitment to better decision.
Speaker D:And they waited.
Speaker D:I said, it's easy making decisions if I wanted to continue playing for that moon baseball.
Speaker D:And so of course I ordered my community felicitism and we ended up winning the championship.
Speaker D:And that was fun.
Speaker D:I just feel like I was part of the team because I want to play much.
Speaker D:And after the season, I thought about it long and hard if I wanted to continue playing baseball again.
Speaker D:And so I decided to give it another try.
Speaker D:Double card offseason.
Speaker D:And sure enough, the following season, I had my best motherly season.
Speaker D:I went from AA to AAA and City Mason all the same season.
Speaker D:And I was this close to quitting.
Speaker D:So I'm glad that I did not quit and I learned my lesson.
Speaker D:Just never quit.
Speaker D:Says always to believe yourself.
Speaker D:Death, it is just more crime and good things will happen.
Speaker B:There's another lesson for the kids out there.
Speaker B:Don't quit, stick with it.
Speaker B:Better things will happen if you do stick with it.
Speaker B:That's for sure.
Speaker B:Your manager, Steve Swisher in Binghamton believed in you, didn't he?
Speaker D:Yes, he believed in me.
Speaker D:I felt bad because he worked hard with me to try home, correct my swears to help get back on track.
Speaker D:But I was a little frustrated.
Speaker D:It was more of a natural thing for me.
Speaker B:Who along the way in your major league career, Curtis, maybe you were on the field with them at the same time.
Speaker B:Maybe you crossed paths with them in the clubhouse.
Speaker B:Any ball player that really left you in awe.
Speaker D:Oh, man, I played with a lot of Greek Furnace.
Speaker D:No, had Fred Boothies.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:And Dee Super Jones, Gray Mattis Dill Cedar, Freddie Guerrero, all those guys.
Speaker D:This is not only they were great clients, but they also were great teammates.
Speaker D:They treated me well, and I appreciate it.
Speaker D:They never treated me any differently.
Speaker B:That's important.
Speaker B:That's some great names you mentioned, and we're glad to hear that they helped you along the way.
Speaker B:Well, Curtis, it's been an honor and a pleasure speaking with you tonight.
Speaker B:It was great to have you aboard.
Speaker B:I appreciate you taking time out of your Sunday night away from your family to spend it with us here at Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B:The book again, folks, I felt the cheers.
Speaker B:The Remarkable Silent Life of Curtis Pride.
Speaker B:It's on Amazon.
Speaker B:It's on Barnes and Noble.
Speaker B:I recommend it highly, Curtis.
Speaker B:Thank you very much, and we will keep in touch with you.
Speaker D:Thank you for having me.
Speaker B:That's Curtis Pride, ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker B:Well, that'll do it for me tonight on Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B:I would like to thank my guests, Kenny Morrow from the New York Islanders, and of course, Curtis Pride.
Speaker B:My engineer, Brian Graves.
Speaker B:As always, True Blue helped out immensely tonight with the technology, and I'd like to thank you guys for joining us.
Speaker B:I will see you Next on Sunday, April 13th.
Speaker B:It's not Friday the 13th, it's Sunday the 13th.
Speaker B:So don't worry about that, folks.
Speaker B:We'll talk about some great sports that night on Sports Talk New York.
Speaker B:Till then, be safe, be well.
Speaker B:Bill Donahue, wishing you a good evening, folks.
Speaker A:Views expressed in the previous program did not necessarily represent those of the staff, management or owners of wgb.
