The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Former Bulls Broadcaster Tom Dore Talks The Last Dance EP 1 & 2

Episode Date: April 20, 2020

Right now we're going to visit with the former voice of the Chicago Bulls on, I want to say, Sports Channel, Fox Sports Chicago, I want to say, and he's now an Austin resident, now running a very successful energy company. Tom Dorwith us here on the Matt Thomas Show. Tom, it's Matt and Ross. First of all, thank you for joining us. I'm going to assume that you've been quite busy. I saw your live tweeting last night, so you were right in the middle of it. What's it been like for you watching the first two episodes of Last Night's Last Dance?

It was really interesting last night. You know, I wondered how much they really pulled back the curtain. You know, this be kind of a tell-all book, instant replay, you know, something like that. And I was surprised at how candid Michael and Scotty were about what they felt, what they did, and why they did it. I think fans got a really good idea at how the season. started, why it started the way it did, and why things unfolded the way they did. And now I'm just cannot wait for the next eight episodes. I guess the number one thing we're all kind of thinking about is the fact that Jerry

Krause, unfortunately, because of his passing, is not able to give us his own anecdotal thing. Without giving way too many companies, secrets, if you don't mind, what was your relationship like with Jerry? And tell us one or two things if you don't mind that we're probably not going to find out because Jerry's no longer with us and how he would respond to this time in Bull's history. I think it was Steve Kerr who said that Jerry was really good at his job, but had personality issues. One of the other guys on there talked about how Jerry had small man syndrome or whatever they call it. Look, I'm 7-2, and Jerry was 5-2, whatever he was. and when we were going somewhere, he and I would sit and talk baseball.

He was as big a Roger Clemens fan as there was in the world. He wanted the White Sox, I think it was the White Sox, to take him coming out of college. Anyway, I got along great with him, but I could see why, especially personality-wise, he could be off-putting and why Michael Scottie and the other guys felt the way they did about him. You know, he, personality-wise, he was not a guy you'd want to go to lunch with, probably, if you were in that position. My position, we had a blast. But he was a guy that was spectacular at putting those teams together

and finding the right pieces and that kind of thing. visiting with Tom Doer, the longtime television voice of the Chicago Bulls here on the Matt Thomas show. Tom, did you know that this crew was watching you guys that year? Was it apparent that they were with you every step of the way? Were you surprised by this? Or did you think, okay, this is NBA films is doing something just to watch maybe the greatest collection of players ever assembled for a half decade or so? We knew. They got, and being the local TV guys, the TV broadcaster, the team partner,

you wanted access that they got, but you didn't get. You know, locker room stuff. I could ask any player anything. If I needed to know something, I'd go over, sit by Michael on the bus or the plane and say, okay, explain this to me. What happened? Why did this happen? What are you looking for tomorrow night?

And he would always, always give me great answers. I think with Scottie. Scott and I did TV games together last. couple years that I was there. So I had great access to them, but not for stuff that I could use on camera. So we knew what was going on. We had a little envy. Yeah, I'm not going to be I'm not going to lie to you guys. But at the same time, this was the Rolling Stones and the Beatles and, you know, pick about eight other groups, all rolled into one. Not only have they won five championships. Not only was it Michael and Scottie, throw in Dennis, throwing Phil Jackson,

throw in Jerry Krause, throwing everything in the pot. And man, you got, you got a hell of a soap opera, you got a hell of a sports team. I mean, you got storylines everywhere. And that, so was I surprised by any of it? No, there's nothing that could surprise you with their group. I was going to say, Tom, and I'm very blessed. I've been calling Rocket Games for four years, and I'm kind of in that behind the curtain, occasionally in that situation, for you to be around that group. I mean, the greatest team ever assembled, probably among the greatest in unsports history, you still are probably asked about it all the time. I'm sure you probably, if you're having a couple of pops somewhere in the Austin area, people want to debate you, LeBron versus Michael Jordan.

What gets asked most about that time, maybe not saying Michael Jordan? What's the second most thing that's brought up. Is it Rodman? Is it Bill Jackson? Is it Krause? I mean, what's brought up besides, obviously, number 23? Yeah, Krause doesn't get much. You know, Jerry, outside of Chicago, this is really America's first chance to get to see what happened with that team and how it ended and a whole bit. But the biggest thing that I get is that Bulls team versus Gold State from two years

ago, whatever it was. that's what people ask me about more by far, more than anything else. But we got a lot of California people here in Austin. Right. You know, if I went up Chicago, not a hell of a lot of people would have that question because they'd already, you know, imagine Chicago being the George Went guys. Yeah. You know, that's Chicago.

You couldn't beat Michael Jordan if you had 18 Larry Bird. You aren't going to beat Michael George. You know, so. But outside of Chicago, that's the one that I get probably more than anything else. All right. Before the last question, wrap things up. By the way, I think you are the tallest play-by-play player in NBA history, right? In 7-2, I can't think of anybody taller than 7-2 that's ever broadcast a game, at least from a play-by-play perspective, right?

Yeah, I don't think so. You know, and then Johnny Kerr was 6-9. Yeah. And then Stacey King joined us at 6-8-6-9. and Bill Wennington was our sideline reporter. Wow. Until I told him he wasn't cute enough, and he couldn't hang out of the job. And I love Billy.

Billy is one of my best buddies through texting this morning. But no, that was, to me, that was the fun part, was the guys. So let me ask you this. What, is there anything? Do you know what's ahead? They still haven't finished production of all this because they rush it. What are we going to be most amazed about it? Do you have any idea what's coming up that we would be like, wow, I can't.

You can't believe that. You see exactly what I see. I have no idea. They didn't talk to me. Sports Channel and then Fox Sports Chicago and then what was the last thing? Comcast. Yeah. We're non-union shops.

And so they couldn't talk to me because we were non-union shops. You won't hear any of our clips during the thing. But if you listened to Steve Kerr last night, Steve Kurt talked about Dennis Rodman. That's the next episode. Dennis is, just like Steve told you, Dennis is exactly what you don't think he is. He's shy, quiet, and introverted. I'm not a real outgoing guy.

Dennis used to sit right in front of me on the plane. We talked about, I mean, when he came on with his book, we had a blast, you know, busted him about his book and the Photoshop pictures and the whole bit. And he, I mean, he laughed with it, too. But for the most part, Dennis was, is a very, very shy person. Madonna taught him all of the marketing stuff, you know, the wedding dress. I remember when he told me what he was going to do with the wedding dress the next day with the book signing. And I just said, you got a screw loose.

And he said, I was a screw, just one. But, no, Dennis is, and Dennis is one of the. nicest, sweetest people you could ever meet, he would give you the shirt off his back and his last five bucks. Wow. That's Dennis Rodman. But he, Dennis got married and his wife divorced him. He married a stripper. I'm sure this is going to come out next, you know, next weekend. And they had a child. And so, um, he loved that his daughter, more than life itself. But they moved to Sacramento. so he could never see her, never see her. And we, you know, a bunch of us think that was on purpose to try and drive him, you know, crazy.

But I know when we were going to Sacramento or San Francisco, his eyes would be lighting up because he'd get to see his daughter. And he would tell me about how much he wanted to do all those dad things with her. And so that's who he is. now all the other stuff the marketing stuff is great but dennis is that that's not he's not the wild guy he is anything but that wild guy he's very shy and very loyal so i don't know what the fourth episode is but um but i think you'll see that and then i think when scotty pippin comes back i mean that you know people have talked about well they were old and it was getting pretty close at the time Scotty Pipham comes back

and after kind of getting in shape and all that he was a beast well you remember right after that he got traded to Houston oh yeah and and he was terrific with Houston but yeah I I think the Dennis

Rodman piece is probably going to be the most surprising to most of the people to me the most surprising thing was how honest Michael and Scotty were last night You mean, they don't know anything back. I think we'll get more of it. Hey, if we can call you when it's all setting down, we would greatly appreciate it. Your insights have been fantastic.

I'd like to visit with you once it's all done if you don't mind. Yeah, glad you, Matt. Great. Tom, thank you very much for the time. We really, really appreciate it. Good luck to you and everybody in Austin, okay? Thanks. Thank you. Tom Doard.