The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe - 112: No Ordinary Fan

Episode Date: October 2, 2018

Nothing came between Don and his boys - especially on game day.

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This is the way I heard it. Back in 1979, long before the dongs and dings and chirps and pings of a billion pagers polluted the air, back before texts and tones and vibrating phones kept us all chronically connected, an ordinary man could sit in the stands of an ordinary ballpark and watch his favorite team play without fear of electronic interruption. But Don was no ordinary fan, which is why he found himself tethered to a monster electronic leash, much bigger than any smartphone and much harder to turn off. The harassment began when Don's agent called him at home on Game Day.

Don, it's Ronnie. I just read Bobby's script. I think it's a winner. What's today, Ronnie? Tuesday? No, Ronnie. Today is Game Day. You know, I don't talk business on Game Day. 2400 miles away, Ronnie rolled his eyes. Why were the most talented clients, always the most difficult. Sorry, Don, I didn't know your boys were playing. I sent you Bobby's script yesterday. You'll get it this afternoon. Give it a look after the game, okay?

Bobby's really anxious, and so is the studio. Let's see how the boys play, said Don. If Carter and Dawson can keep it together, and Sosa can control his breaking ball, they might have a shot at the pennant. Wouldn't that be incredible? But Ronnie didn't respond. He'd already hung up.

Well, the boys won that day. 13 to 9, and when Don came home, he was too excited to read Bobby's script. He was also too excited to play the messages on his answering machine. Thus, Don didn't hear a series of increasingly urgent pleas from Ronnie, telling him to call as soon as possible. He did, however, pick up the phone the next morning when it jangled him awake on his bedside table. Morning, Don, would you think of Bobby's script? Morning, Ron.

I haven't read it. Would you think a last night's game? didn't watch it. Listen, Don, Bobby's calling me every half hour looking for feedback. Bobby wants feedback? Telling my boys have won 13 out of 14. We're on a roll, Ronnie. I get it, Don. It's game day, but this is Bobby we're talking about, all right? Can you please read the script already? But Don didn't respond. He'd already hung up. Ronnie called Bobby with an update. Well, said Bobby, has he read it? I'm sorry, said Ronnie. It's hard to get his attention on game day. The studio doesn't care about game day, Ronnie.

Mary's committed. Timmy's committed. Judd's committed. We're all waiting on Don. Maybe I should call Gene Hackman. He'd be perfect. Ronnie saw his commission, flash before his eyes. Bobby, don't do that.

I'll get you an answer today. I promise. But Bobby didn't respond. He had already hung up. Ronnie called Don again. 2400 miles away. The phone jangled on the bedside. table again. This time, Don's wife answered,

Bonjour. Francine, darling, how are you? Oh, I'm fine, Ronnie. How are you? I got problems, Francine. Is Don available? He's on his way to the ballpark. Already? The panic in Ronnie's voice was hard to mistake. Oh, you know Don, said Francine. He likes to get to the park early on game day. Francine, what about Bobby's script? Did Don take it with him? Francine laughed. No, Ronnie. The only think Don will be reading today is the scoreboard. Crap, said Ronnie. If you hear from him, please tell him to call me, okay? It's really important. But Francine didn't respond. She'd already hung up. And that's the way it was. September 12th,

1979, back before the dongs and dings and chirps and pings of a billion pagers polluted the air, before texts and tones and vibrating phones kept us all chronically connected. when an agent like Ron had no way of finding a client like Don. But of course, Ron was no ordinary agent. Later that day, with a studio executive holding on line one and Bobby holding on line two, Ron placed a call to Olympic Stadium. Minutes later, 2,400 miles from Hollywood, Don glanced up at the scoreboard

and saw a simple message in large electronic. letters scrolling across the bottom. It read, Donald, call your agent. Don was flabbergasted. Did Ronnie really think he could be summoned to a pay phone in the midst of a pennant race? But Ronnie's message was hard to ignore, especially when 30,000 fans helped deliver it. The chanting started modestly, then grew in volume. Donald, call your agent. Donald. Donald. call your agent. Then the organist got involved, and within minutes, the entire stadium was filled with Ronnie's words

as they pulsated on the scoreboard. Donald, call your agent. Donald, call your agent. Finally, Don could take it no more. He leapt from his chair, ran to the nearest pay phone, and placed a collect call. 2400 miles away, Ronnie picked up on the first ring. Don, thank God,

The studio's flipping out. Bobby's flipping out. Are you in? Of course I'm in, said Don. This is Bobby we're talking about, right? Great, said Ronnie. What about the money? I don't care about the money, said Don. Just take whatever's in the budget. We're in the bottom of the eighth up here. You got it, Don. Hey, you want to say a quick hello to Bobby? But Don didn't respond. He'd already hung up. Don's boys won that day. Six-three, but it was the pirates that would take the pennant that year, and then go on to win the World Series, something Don's team never accomplished. In fact, when the dust settled, the Montreal Expos turned out to be a rather ordinary franchise. In their 35-year history, they lost 200 more games

than they won. Then they pulled up stakes and moved to another country where they became the Washington Nationals, a devastating betrayal that broke Don's heart in a way. that too many fans understand all too well. On the other hand, thanks to a very persistent agent named Ron Meyer, Don wound up starring in a modest little film that went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, the same film that won the Oscar for a producer named Ronald Schwarie, a screenwriter named Alvin Sargent, a completely unknown actor named Timothy Hutton, and of course a first-time director named Bobby Redford.

Mary Tyler Moore was also nominated for Best Actress, along with Judd Hirsch for Best Supporting Actor. In fact, the only one not nominated for an Oscar was the baseball superfan who never missed a home game, but still managed to appear in over 170 films over the course of his 53-year career. the legendary actor who has to this day never once been nominated for a single Oscar, not even for his extraordinary performance in ordinary people.

Entertainment Weekly called it the most extraordinary snub in the history of the Academy Awards, but this extraordinary actor doesn't seem to care. However, if you ask him about the Montreal Exhaught. moving to Washington, D.C., Donald Sutherland will tell you. Some snubs are simply unforgivable. Anyway, that's the way I heard it. When you manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters. But when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more.

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