Season's Over

 

Tonight was the last edition of "The Clubhouse" for now.

It's a dance.

There are two, yet three, yet four main characters on the show. First, there's Mark Jeffers, who has been there since day one. I came along later and have been with the show for well over a decade now.

Then there is Dave Torromeo, the third host of the program, followed by Bob Small, who engineers and oversees the operation.

Now, if you don't know, I'm a stickler for making us sound "like a radio show." This is who I've been for basically 30 years in anything I've done. Go back to my days on the old softball videos in the 90s and it was me battling for us to look "right."

The same goes with radio. Now, that doesn't mean I'm hung up on some "back in my day" type of nonsense. It's more of a sense of knowing what an audience wants to hear.

Anyway, tonight's show started with two guests  -- one is an entrepreneur who runs a collectibles store in the Jefferson Valley Mall, while the other was former Yankees legend Roy White -- and popped up to three with the addition of fitness guru Denise Austin.

Oh, then the decision was made to fit into the format of a distribution group that will put our show on SiriusXM this weekend.  This means we can't afford technical issues and interviews need to be tight. We need to hit all breaks within time restraints.

I'm thrilled to say that it all worked out but, as I said, it's a dance. It means I have to put on my hat to keep us on time.

The Roy White interview was in part for me. Those early 70s Yankees weren't necessarily good but they were the teams I first fell in love with. You all know what Bobby Murcer means to me but White, Mel Stottlemyre, and Thurman Munson all helped foster my passion for the Bombers.

It's in the home movies of the early 70s that I can be spotted running around my parents' front yard wearing a plastic batting helmet and a mustache drawn onto a piece of Scotch tape. Yep. I was being Roy White.

So to have just a precious few minutes tonight with him was such a delight. I can only imagine how much it would have made my mom smile. That little boy of the home movies in 1972 was brought to life.

There was so much to ask and yet it was OK. He has a book and you should read it. Heck, I still need to read it.

But Denise Austin was also a joy. She is arguably the most positive person you've ever met and it takes me back to hearing her on Imus in the Morning years ago. She's now 66 and is very much the same person she's always been. She had us working out as we talked via phone.

That energy comes with a price as we did nearly miss a commercial break but we rallied to hit the mark in time.

Dinner followed, including being joined by station owner Gideon Fountain. Laughs and food were consumed by all, including Sean, who was there to help set up and break down since Bob Small recently had surgery.

This was the end of our run for the spring of 2023. The reality is that we'll probably be back in the fall but the reality is also that you just never know. Nothing is certain, such as being able to get sponsors or anything else.

I've learned you always have to be prepared.

While I don't think it was our last show ever, I'd say it was a pretty good way to go out if that was the case.

But it wasn't the end.

We'll be back.