The Press Box - Fox's Kevin Burkhardt on Calling Games, Selling Cars, and Learning Via 'Tecmo Bowl'

Episode Date: September 7, 2022

Bryan is joined by Fox sportscaster Kevin Burkhardt to talk through his career, from announcing high school games to working at daytime stations, to eventually working for WCBS and WFAN. They discuss Burkhardt’s hiatus from broadcasting and the transition back into announcing, covering a variety of sports, and later weigh in on his new role as lead NFL play-by-play announcer at Fox. Host: Bryan Curtis Guest: Kevin Burkhardt Associate Producer: Erika Cervantes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mac Jones is ripped. Matt Patricia's calling plays. The Celtics are title favorites. And The Ringer has a new Boston show. I'm Brian Barrett, host of Off the Pike, the show covering all things Boston sports. I'll have shows multiple times a week covering your favorite teams and with your favorite ringer and local guests. Plus, maybe Bill will stop by to rant about the socks. Follow off the pike with me, Brian Barrett, now on Spotify.

Hello, media consumers. Welcome to the press box. Brian Curtis of the Ringer here, along with producer Erica. Cervantes. Today's guest is Fox announcer Kevin Burkhart. This offseason, Burkhard had what on Twitter we call some personal news. After nearly a decade of calling games as Fox's number two announcer, Burkhart is now Fox's number one announcer, replacing Joe Buck who went to ESPN. That means Burkhart gets to call this year's Super Bowl with his partner Greg Olson and call games with Tom Brady at some undefined point in the future. Now here are a couple of interesting things to

about Burkhard. Number one, every announcer who gets to a certain level in this business has at least one superpower. Former Fox executive John Enst told me recently, Burkhart has the power to appear comfortable on television. Partly it's that Jim Halpert presence he has on camera at the beginning of games, partly it's his lack of a sing-songy announcer voice, but there is something about Burkhart that puts viewers at ease. Point number two comes from a different Fox executive, who reminds me that the people who watch NFL games don't really get to know announcers until they make a big call, till they contribute a helmet catch or a Kirby Puckett Homer to the eternal soundtrack of sports.

Burckhard hasn't really had a chance to make a call like that. So for a lot of people who watch Vikings Packers on Sunday, Burkhart will be somewhat undefined. Let's take a stab at defining him. Here's Kevin Burckhard. All right, Kevin, you grew up in New Jersey. When did you first get the idea of being an announcer? I was young. I mean, I wasn't a good athlete.

So I was like, well, I love sports, so maybe I could just talk about it. You know, so we, it was probably maybe eighth grade, 7th grade, was started announcing games on Nintendo into a tape recorder. Yeah, you know, I don't know of your big Nintendo guy, Brian, but like Tecmo Bowl and baseball stars. You remember those? Sure. So that was like all we played.

So we had the double deck tape recorder. And we would, you know, we'd record and have, you know, announced the game. And then when the game was over, we would do the post game show. So we would do the post game. And then we'd put another tape in and like, let's go back to the second inning when this happened and play like the tape. Because that's how they used to do it. So it probably started there. And then in high school, we didn't really have much of a program like,

We had, I forget what the class was, it was like AV class or whatever it was. So they had like one camera and like one microphone. So buddy of mine said, well, can we go to the high school games and do the game? So we literally would drag the camera and the mic and we'd sit at the top of the stadium and announce the games. And they would run it on public access in Bloomfield, New Jersey. So pretty young is when the itch kind of started. That was my beginning of my career on Nintendo. When Tegmo, Bo Jackson ran into the end zone, did you lay out?

That's a great question. See, actually, I played Tecmo Super Bowl. So that was the one where, like, Randall Cunningham was unbelievable because you could pass her. He was like the ultimate weapon in that game. But I remember we announced the whole year and I got to the Tecmo Super Bowl and Neil Anderson on the Bears like tore me to shreds. And I was upset. I threw like a notebook down the stairs. It just, it was tough.

It was a tough loss. I read that Gary Cohen, the Mets play-by-play announcer was a childhood idol. What about the way he called the game? Spoke to you. everything really um i just i for me like when i was a kid i mean i i loved his voice and i you know i love the met's so that was an easy one but it was it just he always had command of everything you know he always had command of everything and he like everything he did whether it was you know just the simple the simple uh mechanics of play by player telling a story or certainly the big calls

you know i remember we had this little you know toys or us above ground three foot pool in a backyard. We had a small backyard. And like, that's what, you know, we didn't have a lot, a lot of room or a big house or anything. And so we always had the Mets games on the radio in, in the summer. You know, and he, it was Bob Murphy first for me, but then him, it was just, you know, something big would happen. I would, like, jump out of the pool because it was just, it was so big. It just felt so big with Gary. And then when I got to work with him, you know, seeing the work that he put in, it was just, it just, I, I liked him even more, honestly. someone who knows you told me

Kevin is 98% an incredibly nice guy and 2% jersey That's an amazing quote I could probably guess a couple of I might have told you that But it definitely fits I would say Yeah I'm pretty laid back

I think I'm You know I've been in California for a decade And I feel like I've taken on the California vibe And I've always been pretty laid back Like I'm it's just I don't know It's too much work to not be But like if I get to that point where the jersey comes out, then yeah, then I can get angry. It takes a lot to get there, though, boy.

I mean, but I can get there. It's in there. What brings it out? Well, it used to be alcohol. I mean, you know, I mean, you get to a certain point, especially when you're a kid. And like, then it just comes out. You can't do anything about it. But now that I'm 48, it's really, I don't know, it's really, you know, we grew up just

busting chops nonstop and needleing all of our friends. So it just takes a lot. I mean, people really have to be a, people really have to be a total asshole to me or my family for it to really come out, to be honest. I just, it just don't see a point in acting that way. You went to William Patterson College in New Jersey, late 90s, you get out of college and you start working at WGHT, which is the type of radio station known as a daytimeer for the uninitiated. What is a daytimeer? It is a station that turns off at night. No, joke. Just off the air. There's a switch, transmitter

goes off and we're done. So in December, when the sun goes down at 4.30, we're off the air at 4.30. It's the craziest thing of all time. Wow. Yeah, that was my first gig. It was this local station that people in North Jersey are listening,

they'll remember it, but those around the country will have no idea. And, you know, it was local. It was an oldie station, but it was like local news and community events and high school football and it was great, but it was like the craziest thing of all time. Like we would be doing high school football games Saturday and December. Like, my God, this game is run along.

I hope it ends so we don't get shut off. That's what it was. So it was a great start. It was a perfect start for me. I learned a lot. You're calling high school football there? Yeah. I read in a New Jersey paper, these broadcasts were actually pretty elaborate.

45 minute pregame spot, play-by-play and colored commentary of the game, and then a 45-minute post-game recap. Are the guy that owned the station, John Silliman, and then the engineer, Tom Niven, who I became really close with. And they weren't sports guys, but they understood the local angle of it. And so they essentially let me run.

I just came with these ideas, and I'm like, hey, I wanted it to be like the pros, but high school. So I just came with these ideas and they let me run with it. I mean, like, it got to the point where I would hire people and we were trying to do like in-game updates. So I have no concept technologically wise or how to do it.

So came up with this crazy system. And remember, this is like in the early days of cell phones when I was there, right? So this is when pagers were still there. So no joke, this is how we did it. I wore a pager. And so what's to say, Brian, you're at a game, another high school game and somebody scores. So you call into the studio. there's a guy in the studio recording it.

You give the update. And then that guy in the studio records it and he has it like on a cart. Again, it was not digital. So he pages me with a code like 1-1-1-1. Oh, that's the Palmton Lakes game. So I'm like, and then I just hope to God he's ready to hit play. I'm like, all right, let's get an update from Palmton Lakes with so-and-so. And he would play and the thing would run.

So it sounded like we had like this unbelievable arm. I just made it up as I went. That's pretty amazing. It's pretty cool. It's like NFL today of. That's what we tried to do. New Jersey High School football. And they let me, I mean, our budget for what the station was.

Like, I mean, I had like five cell phone contracts and Pager contracts and hiring all these freelancers on Saturday. But it was a hit. Like the people in the community loved it. It was like, I think it was as good as we could make it be for a 1,000 daytime radio. You know, it was fun. I mean, we poured all of our energy into it. It was pretty cool. You're in your 20s at this point.

Is the goal to be a network play-by-play announcer? I, I mean, yes. No, right? Like, did I, did I say when I was at that point, like, getting updates on a pager that I was going to do the Super Bowl for Fox? Probably not. You know? But yeah, I mean, I always, I loved, especially football play by play. It's what I always wanted to do. And so I thought that in the future that I wanted to do it at a high level. But, I mean, I could never imagine like this in my wildest dreams back then. How long are you at the station? Eight years, long time. That's a long time. Just trying to get breaks and trying to figure. it out. Yeah, it was there a long time. It was my first job out of school and I was there for a while. You're sending your tape off to other people saying, hey, I'm doing this. Will you hire me for your slightly higher wattage radio station? Yeah, I was sending, you know, I mean, I got like small things. Like I did independent minor league baseball off of that, the New Jersey Jackals.

I did like a bunch of small little gigs and just trying to get people to respond, let alone hire me. Just like, can you get back to what I send you? Just tell me if I'm terrible, just anything. So it was tough. You know, and there's no, you know, there's, we're sending out, I'm sending out CDs or tapes. There's, I'm not sending out clips to YouTube, you know, it's a little different. What'd you do after WGHD? Sold cars. So it wasn't exactly on the direction towards Fox at that particular time.

This is Pine Belt Chevrolet in New Jersey. Yeah, yeah. I just, you know, I was doing a lot of stuff and just trying to kind of grind and move up. And I knew I was, in my heart of hearts, I knew. I knew I was good enough to move forward. And I just couldn't get anybody to even, like, respond to tell you anything, right? So it was just hard getting gigs and finding out how to get people to talk to you. So, um, I, you know, I just said, okay, I've just kind of frustrated.

And I opened up the Sunday classifieds and was sick of just kind of hit my head into a brick wall. And I just put my finger down. It was on a car dealership in Eaton Town, New Jersey. And I said, all right, I'm going to go work there. Literally what I did. Walked into the place on Monday and I said, hey, here's the ad. Is it ever sold cars before? Nope.

You ever sold anything before? Nope. All right, you're hired. Go ahead on the floor. And then walk out on the floor and I had literally no idea what I was doing there. And it's, you know, that that was the training. So I was just trying to like figure it out, like survive. But it was the best thing I ever did.

What was the easiest kind of Chevy to sell? Hmm. I probably sold, I probably sold, I would say probably Malibu's were the, the car that I sold the most. I sold a lot of Tahos too. But they, none of them were particularly easy because I don't know if it's changed. It's been a while, but like there was not a, you'd be amazed. There was not a lot of leeway between what the new car costs, like what the dealership had and then, you know, like what you had to make money. There was not a lot. So if you negotiate a little bit, it kind of disappears. Like, I, I would sell a $40,000 Tahoe and my cut would be $50. No joke. Wow. You made money on like units. You would like, so if I hit whatever, I don't remember what it was, but 12 units per month. Then then all of a sudden I get a bigger bonus.

But like, yeah, people would be like no way. I was like, yeah, you'd sell it crazy. Like if the negotiation went a certain way, like it, we didn't, it's just depending on like incentives. There were all these different things. So people would come in and they would just grinds it or nothing. And then I'd be like, listen, either take it or leave it. Like I got to move on.

I've spent four hours. going to get $50. Like, I'm just over this. You know what I mean? And it was a good learning experience for me. Is there a skill you learned selling cars that helped you as a broadcaster? Oh, immensely. I think the biggest skill, maybe not a broadcaster, but just in life in terms of just negotiating and asking what you want, like asking for what you want, right? I'm always just kind of like, ah, I'm not going to rock the boat. It's not my style. You know, just kind of let it be. So it just told me like if you don't ask for what you want, you come in to buy a car and I don't try to get the price, you know, from you that I need, well, I'm never going to get it. So then I have no chance of making money and putting food on the table for my family.

So once you go through that and realize, okay, if you don't ask for things that you want in life, well, you have no chance again. Worst they could say is no. I just never really knew that. You know, maybe this is me being naive or just my personality. So it taught me that. So I never didn't ask for something ever again after that. Not in a negative or a rough way, but just, you know, it just taught you to be like, okay, this is how you have to do it. You have to move forward, you know, talk about things, ask for things, you know, taught you how you have to deal with people.

I think I was always pretty good relationship-wise, but just all those really life lessons that I wouldn't, I mean, it was the best thing I ever did. certain basics of human interaction. For sure. For sure. And just, you know, let's face facts. You go into this thing that I, first I kind of did as like,

I was so frustrated as almost like a joke to myself. And then you dive into it and then you're really doing it. And it's like, okay. You know, the other part of it is that, it's like, okay,

do I want to keep doing this or do I want to give the broadcasting another try? So it was motivating. It was big time motivating for me just in terms of, okay, it was kind of my reset, maybe the luck didn't go my way. I believed in myself that I was better and could do better than where I was broadcasting-wise.

So that was like the shot, you know, in the backside that I needed to move forward. I was like, okay, had my break, did this. Now let's just go and fucking ask for what I want to, for what I want. If I don't get it, then I'll take it to the house. I'll do something else. I'll be content.

But if I never did go back into it, I would have been mad at myself. If I just ended it there and never went back into broadcasting, I would have been like, what if, what if? So that was my goal. to that. It's like just ask, go forward and like, you know, be who you can be. If they say no, they say no. And then you move on. What's the gig that gets you out of selling chevies? W-CBS, AM in New York and WFAN. You know, I'd gotten in at a very part-time level at CBS, like right

when the car dealership thing happened, I was like, you know, way down the depth chart. Like, I need somebody to get sick and someone else to have a baby, someone else to leave town, like, way down to get like a shift. And then I got a couple. And my boss who owned the dealership, you know, I was like, hey, can I leave early? I got, you know, and he's like, he was great. He was always so supportive. He's like, all right, go ahead.

And then he heard me driving home. He's like, you weren't kidding. Like, you really. And so we had a long talk. And he's like, all right, listen, anytime you want to leave, if you have work like this, you let me know is our little thing. As long as you work hard while you're here and sell, like, you know, that's our agreement. I was like, so he was amazing.

So I was like, boom. So I started getting a little bit more. And then I started getting part-time at WFAN because one of the bosses at CBS, I guess technically it was shadow traffic at the time, the umbrella. But it was Eric Spitz, who was at the fan for a long time, and then went back to the fan. I'm sure you've heard the name. He's now at Sirius. He's great.

He's one of my mentors, really. So he went back to the fan. And I just called him, again, the card, I just called him. I was like, hey, you know, Spitzie, like, I think I'm good enough to work at the fan. So I want to come in an audition. He's like, okay. How about Friday? And I was like, wait, are you serious?

Are you just like, so you know what I mean? It was like one of those full circle things. And I was like, yeah, so I went in and they put me on their roster too. And slowly but surely I started getting some backup shifts or overnight weekend shifts for them. So it just, once I took myself out of hitting myself against the wall, I was so frustrated that was eight years of WGHT and couldn't get anything, it was making 17 grand a year. Once I took myself out of that and kind of reset, it opened my eyes to everything else. you eventually became the Jets reporter at FAN.

Yeah. What was your biggest scoop on the Jets beat? I don't know if I had a real big scoop. I mean, I did, I wasn't like just, that wasn't my only thing. I was like Jets, talk show host, updates. I did a little of everything. I mean, when they hired Eric Manjini, I knew he was the frontrunner, and I threw it out there and I had it.

But then someone else actually broke it. So I don't know if I really broke any big time stories to be, it's probably not my forte. But it was fun. And again, another good learning experience is to be around and cover a team like that. First time I had a chance to cover like a pro team on an everyday basis. As you know, there are a lot of people in this business who go to Syracuse, get a AAA baseball job at a college and then are calling football games on cable two years later, college football games.

Do you think you call a football game differently because you went the way you did? I think I'm better now because of the way I did. I don't think there are a lot of people that, you know, like there are a lot of people, like you said, that take that route and they're just fantastic off the jump and they get in early and they succeed and kill it. I don't know that I would have been one of those. I think I needed the path I needed to be where I am now because, like, I don't know, you just, I'm so much better than I was when I was in my 20s. I mean, so much better. And I just, my understanding, my style, my, I don't know. I think I was just clueless.

Not that I'm not clueless now, but I'm a little less clueless. You know, I needed the time and the experience and the reps at the lower places. And all the things that I did kind of built me into what I am. Like all like the radio background, sideline reporter, working overnight, selling cars. Like, that's all my DNA. So I personally, if I came out and got that job and was doing football right away, I don't think I would have made it. That's just the way I feel. become the Mets field reporter on S&Y starting in 2007.

How'd you get that, John? Well, it's from WFAN, really. I was at WFAN, and there's so many eyeballs, and eyeballs, because it was on yes at the time. They sim okay, I'm a fan on yes. And then just everybody listens to the fan. So I had started doing, by covering the Jets, S&Y had me on a couple times as like, you know,

Jets reporter. I think I actually hosted a show as like a fill-in one time. So I kind of got in the door a little bit with them, just doing a couple of things. And then from what he told me, which certainly didn't hurt, is I was hosting a show. It was some holiday. Maybe it was like Memorial Day weekend, you know. And Fred Wilpon, the owner of the Mets, was driving around the car and he heard me. And he's like, this guy's pretty good.

And so when my name came up in the mix, he's like, oh, I heard that guy on the fan. he's pretty good. He's like agreed to it because of that. So I guess I got Fred in his car at the right time. And when I was in the mix for S&Y because I had gotten on their radar, like he had to give the approval. And he said, yeah, I kind of like that dude. So just timing, you know, good luck in timing.

But really, like the fan opened the door for me to get in S&Y and get that job. When we watch a baseball game, we see the field reporter pop in, what, half dozen times a game? What's a good pop in? A good pop-in is a pop-in that's just not, you're just not doing it to say I had four hits. It's really what it comes down to. I mean, how many games do you watch where it's like that was a waste of time? I need to be on television because it's the fourth thing. Oh, I haven't been on TV yet.

So the best advice I got when I started, you know, and I was talking to people but trying to figure out the role. Like, how do I do this? How do I sign-line report and do it for a full season of baseball games? and our producer, Greg Picker, who's still the producer for us and why. We had a long talk and he said, listen, I could care less how many times you're on a game. Does it matter to me? Does it matter if you, excuse me, if you come to me and one day you have 10 things, next day you have none, that's totally fine. I'd rather you work on substance and, you know, work on good stuff.

And when you're on, it's good. Or if you're listening to the broadcast and you have something like pertinent or fun to add, great. I'm not going to sit here and be like, okay, third inning, it's time for your first hit, fifth inning time for your next hit. And that was the best thing I heard because I was like, okay, because I like to be creative. And also I didn't know what I was doing. I was trying to figure out the job. So instead of like worrying like, oh my God, I've only got two hits today, it was like, okay, these are all my ideas. I'm going to work on them. And like, Greg, today I've got a ton of stuff. He's like, well, let's do this and this today. And then we'll see where we go.

or like, you know, you get to the point where you're just mid-August and you're out of gas and you're exhausted and you have nothing. He's like, just listen to the broadcast today and chime in. And I was like, okay. You know, so it's like it was just so freeing to be able to be creative and not worry about like, oh my God, I didn't get my hits today. It didn't matter. It was the best thing ever because it just allowed me to expand. And he allowed me to do some, just some crazy stuff that I haven't seen, I hadn't seen sideline people. do before, you know, sent it down me and I'm doing play by play. And that's because Gary, like,

was cool with it. How many guys would be cool with that? How many guys would be cool with sending it down to a silent report than the guy calling a home run? Nobody. I don't think anybody. But Gary was like, just do it. Like, it comes down to you, just take it. So you're an S&Y for a number years. How do you get back to Colin football? Let me think of the time frame here. I think, yeah, what it happened is like my next thing is that I wanted to do, you know, what I missed was doing play by play. And so I did play by play at GHT all those years high school football, but then I didn't really do it for a while because they're hard gigs to come by, right? You don't find those growing on trees. So I had at one point, you know, I had asked my agent to just get me a game just so I could

have a tape like high school game for free. It doesn't matter just to get me something. And then at S&Y, they, you know, they knew that I want to do playbop play play play too. So like, okay, we're going to put you on spring training and, you know, Gary didn't take many days off because he's a beast. So I was like, oh, well, Gary's off. We'll give you his couple games. So it was like, we're going to try and get you reps, which is what I needed. And then there was a college bowl game for Compass Media Networks on New Year's Day. Forget the year.

I'd have to go back and look. But there was like one of those situations where the guy was going to do it, couldn't do it. And they had a few days notice. And they're like, hey, do we have anybody? So I guys like, oh, yeah. You know, I have, you know, Kevin Burkart. and he's doing this. And so the person who was hiring for it, Michelle Salvatore,

worked at the fan as an assistant to Mark Turnoff when I was there. So I knew her and she knew me. So she's like, oh, yeah, sure. That would be great. Let's have Kevin. So that was my like reentry into the football play by play world for the first time and a long time. And then that went okay.

And then I got some more games for them the next year. And then I started getting games. So it kind of one thing led to another. I started building up my tape again. These are radio games? Radio, all radio. So you get hired by Fox in 2013. Yep.

Had you called an NFL or called a football game on television? No. It was the first one. That's a pretty big projection by them. Yeah. So I called football games on TV in college at my college campus station. But they were, look, they took a big shot on me. They, you know, they went off of my, you know, look, I obviously had been on TV for S&Y.

So they were hoping that I can handle TV. which I think I proved that I could. But as far as the TV play-by-play, they were going off of radio play-by-play. They went off of my... I was doing Cowboys radio. Same company, Compass, had a deal with the Cowboys, so they had like a national Cowboys network.

They put me on that for a couple years. You know, Eric Shanks hired me off that tape. It said, all right, well, I see him on TV. I like the way he sounds. And pretty amazing when you think about it. Talk about, like, taking a shot on someone. They took a big chance. So yeah, luckily, I guess 10 years later, I haven't screwed it up too bad.

And so total reversal of earlier in your career, you can't get somebody to give you a marginally better job in New Jersey radio. Right. And now Fox is looking at you, like, we'd like to put him on the NFL. Yeah. So you have that former car salesman who like hasn't done any TV games. We'll take him. That's just, yeah, right? Like totally nuts.

Would you have to get better at going from radio to TV, at least in terms of play by play? I just had to learn it. So, you know, I, you know, I grew up on summer on that. Like, our family was like diehard football fans. So like, I, in the back of my head, I was like, okay, radio, not like, shut up, don't talk. Like, it's TV. You don't have to describe everything. You know, like, just kind of going through that, like leading up to the season and

preparing myself for that. But until you actually step in and do it, you don't know exactly how it's going to go. So I had to find my style. I mean, I had a style how I call games, but it's totally different. And then I was just really lucky because, you know, our crew was so good. Our producer, Pete Macheska, been around forever, done the World Series forever, and, you know, done football for a long time. Our director, Artie Kempner had done Super Bowls.

Like, I was with really good people who knew what they were doing. And so, like, the first game on Fox, I was doing the Bucks at the Jets, which for me was awesome because it was in New York. I wasn't scared about that. I mean, I grew up there in New York. You know, I've done plenty of media there. Whereas, like, some others may have been like, oh, New York.

Like, didn't bother me. But, like, what was great is, like, throughout the whole game, you know, PEDY's in my ear. He's like, all right, kiddo, just remember like this. And, like, you know, he's got the big North Jersey accent, you know. And it was the best. So he just kind of guided me along, like, just, you know, help me out and, like, did the first game.

And I was like, all right. And, you know, I kind of after that was like, all right, I kind of know, like, how I have to go about this and trying to find my style and craft my style. So, yeah, I didn't know how it was. I didn't know what I didn't know. I had not done a TV football game until week one, 2013 in New York. How long did it take to find your style?

I mean, I'd say midway through the first year, but realistically two years. So you felt at ease going in there. No, just, I would say like, midway through the first year until I started to figure out exactly like how I wanted to do it and like what was good what was not like get away from radio um I mean you know so like and we we got in a groove pretty quick I you know John Lynch was my partner and he was just awesome to work with so like I felt like we found a groove and I started to figure it out but I would say you know two years then I started to feel like I have a style and I have like this is this is my way you know what I mean like to really feel like in command of the whole thing

What do you want to your sound to be like when you're calling a football game? I want it to feel like it's a big game. I want people who turn on and whether they see me or not, whether they hear it to feel like it's a big game. That's the ultimate goal. I can care less about anything else. When I was talking to people about you, the word that kept coming up is likable.

Kevin is very likable. Is it important for you to be likable on the air? 100%. don't you when you watch when you watch tv don't you want to feel close to the characters that you're watching i mean you know i think when you're when you're look people are going to watch games no matter what right so they're going to watch games but you can either really make that experience more negative or you can really enhance the experience um pre-imposed game shows people are going to watch those things but if they feel like people that they're watching or they're friends

They're really going to watch it, right? So, yeah, being likable is hugely important. I mean, I got to tell you, Brian, like, the only way I know how to do that is to be myself. I love the fact that people told you that. I hope people feel that way. I certainly would want people to feel that way. But I try to be on TV the way I am if I'm at a restaurant with buddies. Like, I don't know really another way to do it.

I think if you fake it, people see right through it. It sounds really obvious. I want people to like me. But there have been a lot of people that are really, really successful in this business who don't come off as terribly likable necessarily on TV

and don't really seem to care about it that much. Yeah, I mean, everybody wants to be liked. Liked. That's different. Correct. But being likable, I just think it's,

I think it's such an important cog. I mean, I can't tell you how many people like with our postseason stuff. It's like, oh, I love watching you guys. It feels like I'm just hanging out shooting the breeze with you and Frank. and Poppy and Alex. That's the point. Like, you know, I want to feel like I'm at the table with

you. Like, we're just talking ball and you're there too, right? Like, so when the game comes, like, you know, I'm a little bit of a goofball, right? So I may do something or say something. Maybe not everybody likes, but I don't know. Like, it's just who I am, right? Or maybe not everybody likes a certain call or maybe I, I don't know. I just think, I think it's such a big deal when you're spending so much time in people's living rooms. You know, it sure would be better for people. be like, oh, you know what? I like that guy, Kevin. He seems like a good dude rather than I hate this guy, right? I don't know if I want to watch this. So I don't know how you're coach to do it, but I think it's like the most important thing. I want to ask you about your

partners. You mentioned Lynch, now the GM of the 49ers. What kind of stuff did he want to talk about during a football game? He was, he was so good at teaching. He would, I got compliments from people that didn't know the game that well. You know, we're just like Sunday casual watchers or fantasy football people and said, man, I watch you guys. Like, John will take a play and I have literally no idea what's going on. And the way he diagrams and explains it, it's like, oh, now I understand why that happened. So he was just so good at teaching.

I mean, I learned. I would be next time. I was like, oh, wow, that's really interesting. I didn't, you know what I mean? As the game's going on. So I think, I mean, he was great at so many things. things. He was such a good teammate. It was so easy to see why he was such a leader playing because he was a leader of our group broadcasting, like the whole group. He would give us talks

and bring us in and pep us, give us pep talks and just like he, he, you just followed him. That's what he did well. You told me this story one time. It was a Fox seminar, I believe, and there was always a little drinking in the bar after, after hours. And, you know, people would sometimes do a little karaoke. And what was Lynch's favorite music? God bless America. We'd sing God bless America. It was the greatest. I mean, John, so, you know, yeah, we would, you know, we had a seminar.

I think it's all Fox people. And, you know, yeah, we have some meetings and we go through some very helpful things, some rules things. And then there's just team bonding, right? You're just bonding with your teammates and your coworkers. And, you know, we'd all have a couple and we're having a good time. And then John would get everybody's attention, you know, kind of like he's breaking down the team meeting of the Super Bowl and said, you know, here we go. go and he would lead God bless America and you better darn sing it with him. So all the Fox announcers are are chiming in.

Oh, you better. A rousing chorus. If he looks to you in the eye, you're not chiming in. Like, I don't want to be hit by John Lynch, which you, bro. I feel like that would really hurt. No, I'm all good. Yeah. I would put on my best patriotic fervor, I think, too.

He was a, he's not was. I mean, he's just a beautiful human being, man. He's so much fun. You were a guy early in your career here. who was brought into audition prospective announcers when they would come in and get a look? Yeah, I mean, this is the first year I haven't done that. I've auditioned people every single year.

You auditioned Greg Olson? Mm-hmm. Would you make of him? He was the best audition I ever did. Why? Well, first of all, I had a little relationship with him. I call this high school football games. So think about that.

Talk about coming full circle that, you know, I knew his dad well. You know, I broadcast some of his games, so I knew him as a kid. I mean, so there was that. And then, you know, you come in and he's sitting here in Fox and, you know, I mean, he's in prime of his career. So I don't know like when this is going. But he's smart enough to say, okay, let me do this because maybe down the road I'll have a career in this.

But he came in and we just clicked. And then he was just so good. Like these auditions are so hard, Brian. Like you sit here, you know, in a setting like in a little technical closet and you have the TVs or monitors just like this. and you're doing a game that's already happened. And, you know, you can't see the fields. You're just going on what's off the monitor. It's a sterile environment.

So you have to be excited and be like, oh, like, it's really hard. So you kind of look for, okay, what do they do well? Or what do you think they could be if this were a real game or a real broadcast? And he was just pointing out stuff on the TV on the monitor. And like his energy level was great. Like we're sitting down in a chair like this. And it was like a dark room and it's like his energy. And he's like, and he's like,

I'm just sitting there like midway through. I'm like, good God, he is good. Like, I was thinking he could do it now. You know, and that audition was, I mean, I have to really go back. I mean, 2015, maybe. I mean, it was a while ago. So he had plenty of years playing. But I thought when we did it, I thought he could have done games right then and there.

That's how good he was. He comes off the field with you. His first full year in the booth. I know he did some games for Fox was last year. How do you help a first year analyst as a play-by-play guy? You just, you spend time with them, number one. So a lot of time on task, a lot of phone calls, a lot of dinners. I don't think there's anything that could, I don't think there's anything that could take the place to that.

Not only getting to know them, it would wake some tick what their thoughts are, what their philosophies are. And then it's just having their back, like knowing like what's important to them, what their thoughts are. If they stumble, you can pick them up. Just constantly saying, hey, when we do this, we're going to do this. or when I do this, like, you know, I'll lay out for you and give you an opportunity to talk. Or, you know, if the producer's asking for this, just this is what we're looking to do. So it's just like, you know, it's, you have to take it like a baby giraffe. Like, you know, they're learning how to walk.

You know, like, you know, here's this pro bowl tight end, one of the greatest tight ends ever play. He'll just come in and know how to do. I think everyone thinks you just walk in the booth and know how to do TV. It's so hard. And being a game analyst is the hardest thing there is. The whole broadcast revolves around you and your decision making and some of the replays that you like, what you want to draw. It's a lot. So it's just really just talking with him and trying to make it fun and having good chemistry and just letting it like, hey, I got your back.

Like if something goes wrong or if you stumble or whatever, like, we're good. Like I'll handle it. Or like, hey, I've got all this. You just do this. I'll do everything else. Just to make them at the beginning be like, okay. But he's a quick learner, man. He is smart.

It did not take him long to start understanding. And he asked so many questions like each week. Okay, what about this? Okay, got it. Never had to tell him again. I mean, it's incredible how quick he is. So that's the mindset. With anybody that you're starting with,

it's just trying to kind of help out as much as you can. Questions about the mechanics of TV? A lot of that, for sure. They don't know, right? Just like the basic stuff. Hey, we're running a replay. What's considered this? Do I talk now?

When to shut up? When do tell us rate this? How are they supposed to know? I have no idea how a truck works or how, you know, talking back to people during a game. People are talking in your ear during a game. Yeah, it's a lot of the mechanics for sure. Big chunk of the last decade, you're doing the baseball studio for Fox. You're on the number two NFL team.

Wind is potentially being a number one guy at some point in your career, enter your mind. I mean, it never did until until Joe left. Never? I mean, I think, like, I think, Brian, like, you go up and even as a kid, you're like, oh, man, like one day I want to call a Super Bowl, Right? Like when I was doing TechMobile, like, of course. And like when I'm here when I get to Fox and you're like, of course, like maybe, you know, you're thinking, man, it'd be cool to do a Super Bowl one day. Everyone in the world asks you. Your friends ask you. People ask you all the time. But I truthfully, I could tell you this. I never truly went home and thought about like, when's Joe Buck going to leave cycle? I mean, like not one time. I was completely content and happy doing what I'm doing. You know what I mean? So I never thought about it because where does that get you? Like, if you obsess over that? Like, what good is that to you? Like, I was, I was good and happy doing what I'm doing. Fortunate, like, feeling where I was feeling done, the number two crew and calling playoff games every other year. So it really wasn't until he actually left that I was like,

holy shit, maybe, maybe I get a chance at this, right? I mean, I knew it at least be in the mix and be in consideration. Yeah, I just don't think you could, I don't think you could sit there and do that to yourself every day and worry about that stuff. You can't control it. So what was your reaction when you found out he was leaving for your SPN? I was stunned. I mean, you know, Joe Buck was Fox, right, for a long, long time. And, you know, we're friends and I respect the hell out of them. He's been ultra supportive from the day I got here.

So he told me, like, he reached out and told me, and I was like, what? Are you kidding? And he was great. He's like, hey, man, I hope you get, I hope you do the football for me. That would be, you know, you deserve it. And I was like, wow, thanks. Like, it didn't really sink in. Like, when he told me, I was like, I just couldn't believe it.

I guess I just never thought, I never thought of Fox without Joe. So when that all happened, it started to sink in. And then just, yeah, like the chips started to fall. And, you know, luckily, here I am, kind of nuts. And he's telling you this before he has told the world this, that he's leaving the network? This kind of happened when the story broke. Yeah, I mean, like, you know, so I know, I didn't put it this way. When there were rumors out there, I wasn't calling him or text them.

Hey, man, you leaving? Like, that would be ridiculous, right? I just, I just sat back. When the news came out is when we talked. Yeah, that seems like a rough mood. But hey, hey, you leaving, Joe? I would just want to check in. I would never, right.

I would never do that to him. And like, I, and I respect him too much. And I, you know, like, I could get it. Even when the rumors were out, I still didn't really believe it. So, yeah, I just sat back and let it all happen. When he leaves, do you go to management and saying, I want this job? No. I mean, of course.

Does someone do that on your behalf? Well, I mean, that's why I pay my agent, right? I mean, like, I'm assuming he did it. At least I hope he did it. But no, listen, I have a great relationship with everybody here. I would like to think that they knew that. I didn't feel the need that I had to, you know, spend time and call my bosses and beg for the job. If they're going to give it to me, great.

If not, okay. So, yeah, no, I just sat back and watched it all unfold. You did a preseason game the other night. Cardinals Ravens. Is there a difference mechanically in terms of who's in the booth doing the A game

versus doing the B game? Well, for the difference for us, we're working with a completely different crew. So yeah, that's definitely different. I mean,

we're working with an unbelievable crew and we worked with an unbelievable crew, but it's just different. So the reason why this weekend, you know,

the preseason game against the Cardinals was so good is because it allowed Greg and I just to get, you know, we're meeting

all these new people. So everyone we had known, everyone I had known for the last nine years is now different. And just styles, stylistically, there's differences, right? Like you're talking to someone different. They're talking to you. They're finding out what you like. I'm finding out what they like. So that is a big deal.

So it was great just to kind of get in and do that preseason game and start to get that process down and get comfortable with your new crew. But the cool thing is it felt normal. It didn't feel odd. It didn't feel like, you know, it didn't feel like, oh, man, we got all this to work out. I mean, like, you know, of course it's going to take a little bit of time to really get humming. But it felt great. Like, it felt like we've been with them for a long time, which I think is all you could possibly ask for for one game.

The producer, Richie Zions wrote a column for Fox Sports.com and he said you guys are going to have to work on your in-game shorthand. So what's in-game shorthand between broadcaster in the truck? Yeah, right. Yeah, I saw that Richie's, Richie's penning the column, which is pretty cool. Yeah, it's, you know, all the stuff that it's just the chatter. in game, right? And the biggest thing is, like, what does Greg want to do? And how do we communicate that with the truck and the truck talking to Greg? And then, you know, it's all like, it's a constant. You'd be maybe, maybe you wouldn't be, but I think most people would be amazed at how much talk

there is during a game, right? Like how much they're talking to me, how much I'm talking to them, on stuff, what's coming next? What do we want to do? Do we want to do this? I don't like that. Here's what we're going to do. And it's all happening like this. There's no edit button, right? So it's like, you know, the armchair quarterback's, I can't believe they did this. Well, we had a split second to decide it and we made the call, right? So you have to earn the trust. I have to earn Richie's trust who's done six Super Bowls. And he has to earn my trust that hopefully, even though I haven't done the A game, that I hopefully I know what I'm doing that I can handle it. So I think we're off to a great start. Like it's been awesome so far. And I just can't wait to,

you know, keep learning from them and kind of build that trust. It's fun. So speaking of armchair quarterbacks, you're going to get a lot more scrutiny in this job than you did in the last job. what have you thought about that that's fine yeah you know i i you're right there's no doubt there's going to be more eyeballs there's going to be more scrutiny but like whatever i there's there's certain scrutiny that i care more about and that is the that comes from the people who employ me and like my family and friends do i care about what uh you know those armchair quarterbacks say again we go back to everyone wants to be liked everyone wants to be likable so i hope more people between the not, but I can't control it, and I can promise you I'm not going to lose any sleep.

I mean, we grew up, you know, I told you earlier in the pot. I grew up with a bunch of friends all we did was bust each other's chops. So like, I could take a jab, you know, don't be, don't be vicious, don't be, you know, because I got no time for that. So I'm, I'm not losing sleep over it, man. I could care less what somebody on Twitter says that I suck. Good for you. You read Twitter after a game? No way. Not interesting. I'll read Twitter like not my mentions, because I know what the mentions say, half of them, Cardinals Ravens, half of them, oh, you suck, you're rooting for the Ravens, you are terrible, stop rooting for the Cardinals.

I was like, wow, it's amazing. I'm rooted for two teams at the same time. They say that during a preseason game. Those guys come out during preseason football. It's the same stuff. And by the way, you get a lot of really cool stuff. Like, that's the thing. Like, I've had a lot of great stuff and back and force on Twitter.

So it's like it kind of, it stinks when, like, you get the vicious stuff because there's a lot of fun. I've even had people that I've, I've done it less and less because I just get tired of like the, I don't need the negativity. But I've had a lot of great back and force on Twitter and, like, people who really are awesome. And even people that have, like, criticized me. And I'm like, hey, man, apologies, but like, you know, you're right. I messed it up or whatever.

And then there's like a good back and forth. You know what I mean? So, like, it's all good. Everyone's not going to love my style. I love me. That's okay. As long as my boss does, I'm fine. Fox announced that Tom Brady is going to join the booth when and I guess if he stops playing football.

have you talked to Tom Brady since that announcement? Texted with him. Yeah. And said what? That's for us. Yeah, I mean, look, it's pretty wild, right? When that whole thing went down, it's kind of crazy. But yeah, so we communicated, and it was really nice, and he had some great things to say.

But listen, I got so much in front of me right now, Brian. I got a year ahead on the A crew with a partner who I love and Greg. and we got to call a Super Bowl. So no disrespect to Tom. I'm going to see them and talk to him in production meetings. I just, so that's why it was cool that we, you know, we texted and we had our thing. And it was kind of like, all right, man, see you during the year. Because I just, there's nothing else I can do with that right now, you know?

Yeah, you didn't hit him up and say, I got a great idea for our two shot week one, 2026. No, I definitely did not do that. That's exactly right. Kevin Burkhart, thanks for coming on the press box. It's great to be on. Thanks for making the time. I appreciate it, Brian. It's now time for the second weekly edition of David Shoemaker guest is the strained pun headline.

Yeah. Tuesday's headline about the boring Game of Thrones spinoff was more like House of Drag On. Today's headline, David, comes from astute listener Tim Glass. It's from D Magazine in Dallas. D was reviewing a new Mexican restaurant, Dallas. concept that is very interesting to you and I. Turns out the restaurant is very flashy, seems very cool,

but the food pretty unimaginative. Culinary innovations at the Mexican D notes include guacamole, casso, tortilla soup, etc., etc., there are no moleys, no no polis, et cetera, et cetera. So we have an unimaginative Mexican restaurant.

And I will just remind you that there is a Mexican dough called Masa, Masa, used to make tamales. What was D-Magazines's strain pun headline? Masa, um, God, this is got to be so obvious and I'm not, I cannot think of it. Masa, um, Masa. Mm-hmm. No imagination.

Do, I know. I looked at the menu and I did not see a single innovative or imaginative dish. Mossa. I have no idea. I mean nothing. I mean zero dishes. Masa mate. Nada.

None. I have no idea. Masa. Masa of. The answer is Masa of none. Oh. Yeah, I could not figure out what Masa was supposed to be. That's a huge whiff.

Very clever, but very hard to guess. Yeah, that's tough. In your defense, he is David Shoemaker. I'm Brian Curtis. Production magic by Erica Servantes. David and I are back Monday with more lukewarm takes about the media. See you then, David. See you later, Ryan.