Legendary Rockies play-by-play voice Drew Goodman joins Tom Green for a deep conversation about three decades of baseball in Colorado, the challenges of winning at altitude, and the evolution of sports broadcasting. Goodman shares stories from his early days in Aspen to his long tenure with the Rockies, reflecting on the moments, mentors, and mindsets that shaped his career. They revisit the early Rockies era with Don Baylor and Bob Gebhart, discuss how analytics can help solve the Coors Field puzzle, and explore what the franchise’s next chapter might look like. Goodman also opens up about his family’s baseball bond and what it means to see his son, Zach, follow in his footsteps behind the mic.
In this episode, Tom Green welcomes Colorado broadcasting icon Drew Goodman, the voice of the Rockies, for a wide-ranging conversation about baseball, broadcasting, and life in Colorado. The two look back on the origins of the Rockies and how early figures like Don Baylor and Bob Gebhart helped build credibility for a brand-new franchise. Goodman shares his perspective on why altitude should be an advantage, not an excuse, and what it really takes for pitchers to mentally and physically handle Coors Field. The discussion also dives into the behind-the-scenes figures who shaped Denver sports television and the early career experiences that set Goodman on his path—from his first job in Aspen to calling games for NBC and eventually becoming the voice of the Rockies. He explains why the Rockies’ new front-office direction is critical for lasting change, reflects on the joy of working alongside partners like Jenny Cavnar and the late George Frazier, and opens up about what it means to see his son Zach embark on his own broadcasting journey. Filled with humor, reflection, and storytelling, this episode captures the enduring spirit of Colorado sports and the voices who have brought those moments to life.
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:16
Tom Green
Welcome to another edition of the other Tom green Show. We're nothing if not relentless. We keep making them, whether you like them or not. To that vein, of course, if you'd like to like or subscribe, we always appreciate that. If you want to provide us a little feedback, we'd love to hear from you as well. You can just send any any comments you have to Gorilla Sportsnet.
00:00:21:16 - 00:00:37:03
Tom Green
And again, we'd love to hear from you. So the World Series has been fantastic this year. Baseball fans certainly eating it up. And if you're not a baseball fan, maybe this would make you one. It's been a great series as we tape this, as the Rockies and excuse me, the Dodgers and the Blue Jays, go at it.
00:00:37:05 - 00:01:00:03
Tom Green
The reason I mentioned the Rockies is because obviously, they've long since not been a factor in this year's baseball playoffs. But when you think of the Rockies history, it's an amazing one, because if you go back to even before there were Rockies heroes like Larry Walker or Todd Helton, the first Rockies hero as far as hitting was a young man named Will Scalp City and will scalp it.
00:01:00:03 - 00:01:20:22
Tom Green
He became famous back in 1992, and we were all there because it was the Rockies first organizational game. It was the Bend Rockies and we'll Scalp City, hit a walk off grand slam in front of, well, the Rockies brass. Everyone turned out they all went to bend, Oregon to see that very first game. Scales. Eddie the first hero.
00:01:20:28 - 00:01:43:01
Tom Green
And then you have the likes of John Burke and David need people. They picked up and drafts to get started on their way. Well, what's come of the Rockies in their 30 year history has been the World Series. A couple of playoff visits. But lately it's a story of struggle. The Rockies long history and the Rockies future is something we're going to talk about today when we're joined by one of the great sportscasters in Colorado.
00:01:43:01 - 00:01:54:08
Tom Green
Drew Goodman joins us. When we come back.
00:01:54:10 - 00:02:10:06
Tom Green
My pleasure today to be joined by a long time friend, a great voice of Rockies baseball and many other sports over the years. Drew Goodman joins us now. And Drew, you and I are both delving into this world of podcasting. Tell me what you've learned about it. Because I'm just I'm just learning.
00:02:10:08 - 00:02:33:06
Drew Goodman
What have I learned? I enjoy it, and and you can appreciate this because you had a great run with Doug Moe doing, talk radio, sports talk radio. And I enjoyed that mode when there was something sexy going on. I mean, if the Broncos just played and blew a two touchdown lead in the fourth quarter, boy Monday was great, right?
00:02:33:09 - 00:02:55:27
Drew Goodman
Or if something monumental nationally happened. But most days, let's be honest, not a lot's happening. You're regurgitating the same thoughts and you and I both like the long form interview. Yep. And podcasting allows you, if you only have 20 minutes of content or 35 minutes, or you want to do, a long form interview, it allows for that.
00:02:55:27 - 00:03:05:11
Drew Goodman
And, so I really, I really have come to, love the medium, and I really appreciate the 4 or 5 people that have, listened over the last six years.
00:03:05:13 - 00:03:24:11
Tom Green
All of them. It's nice to get to know them all personally when you. So, we're going to talk a lot about the Rockies today, but let's talk about what I alluded to in the open about the past, because it was such an exciting time. There was so many people who are interested in what the Rockies would become starting from scratch.
00:03:24:11 - 00:03:44:14
Tom Green
And I keep thinking back to two men who had so much to do with it, Bob Gebhart and Don Baylor. And I think for what the Rockies have gone through over the years with different general managers, I wonder if through the lens of history, Bob Gebhart is going to be far more appreciated than the he was at the time, and Don Baylor was a rock.
00:03:44:19 - 00:03:57:03
Tom Green
Don Baylor was was the core of everything that was the Rockies baseball team in uniform. He was, a necessity, to say the least, to make that team legitimate from from go.
00:03:57:05 - 00:04:19:07
Drew Goodman
Yeah. Tom, the minute you say Don Baylor. So many thoughts run through my mind. And obviously we all lost him way too soon. I'll give you one quick example. Jeff Houston was fortunate to play for more than 12 years in the big leagues. He played for a number of managers. And if you ask him, who his favorite manager was, he doesn't.
00:04:19:09 - 00:04:44:15
Drew Goodman
There's no pause. There's no equivocating. It's Don Baylor, anybody who was around him, as you and I were, had immense respect for, you know, a tough guy, but also a very gentle soul. And, Yes, I thought it was such an appropriate hire back in 93. And he took them very quickly to the postseason, third year in 95.
00:04:44:18 - 00:05:11:26
Drew Goodman
And to your point about Bob Gephardt, I do think, as we have all learned through a period of more than 30 years, how difficult it is to win at altitude consistently, that Bob Gephardt now, you look back and say, wait a second, Bob Gephardt, especially pre humidor, did some interesting things and put together maybe the most entertaining offensive teams we've seen was naturally the Blake Street Bombers.
00:05:11:29 - 00:05:31:24
Tom Green
Before we get into all the discussion about what the Rockies future does hold, I think the altitude thing is still the most interesting question surrounding this team, and I always felt that the Rockies needed to somehow make it something that the other team had to deal with. Instead of that, they have to deal with that. You're the one who's coming into our quirky environment.
00:05:31:24 - 00:05:53:20
Tom Green
We know how to do it. You don't. Good luck. Have a nice weekend at Coors Field. And it always seems like the Rockies have shied or blamed or run from, you know, altitude. We can never overcome it. We can't figure it out. We don't know how to do it. And I think that, you know, when we when we do start looking ahead, we'll be an important sea change in the Rockies because of analytics.
00:05:53:20 - 00:05:57:01
Tom Green
Now they should be able to figure it out.
00:05:57:03 - 00:06:23:06
Drew Goodman
I think that and this has been spoken by many others, that it has to be the best home field advantage, maybe in all of sports at just baseball. And some of it begins, Tom, as you alluded to, with mindset and the mentality that it's another game and we're going to be tougher and more resilient, especially on a pitching standpoint, than the opposition, because this is our home.
00:06:23:06 - 00:06:52:05
Drew Goodman
We're used to it. And, I thought Pedro Estacio, who, you know, Jason ified what it was to pitch successfully, Coors Field, he didn't care what his era was. He didn't care that he'd given up five runs in the first five innings, as long as when he handed the baseball ultimately to the bullpen, which, you know, oftentimes especially back then, you know, the bullpen wasn't eating up 3 or 4 innings, right?
00:06:52:06 - 00:07:09:12
Drew Goodman
You would hang in there. And if they win 9 to 8, it was successful. And he didn't, you know, cry in his soup because you had a higher era. And I think that mentality has to return. And I think some of these guys have it I think Kyle Freeland has it. He's obviously, you know, done it for a while here.
00:07:09:12 - 00:07:13:07
Drew Goodman
But, to your point, I think that is very, very important.
00:07:13:09 - 00:07:31:19
Tom Green
Yeah. That's a mindset that needs to go through the, the all the pitchers though. I mean, you can't have a couple of guys who were terrified of it or, or spread that fear. Like I said, it, it has to be something where you think you have the advantage and and you communicate that, like you said, that home field advantage to the other team.
00:07:31:22 - 00:08:09:09
Drew Goodman
Yeah. And Tom, I'll I'll make an analogy. You and I are both from New York, and we have seen through periods of time there are certain players that maybe were very successful in other cities and come to New York and specifically the Yankees. Yeah. And they can't perform there. They can't deal with that, that, you know, the the rat race that is New York and, and the fact that talk radio is just singularly focused, as in our town seemingly on the Broncos, that they're going to break down the baseball game and every maneuver the manager made from the night before, some guys can't do it.
00:08:09:11 - 00:08:24:09
Drew Goodman
And it's the same thing with Coors Field. You have to be really mentally tough from a pitching standpoint to say, I have no problem. I know I may not have, you know, a pretty line, but if my team is shaking hands at the end of the night, I was successful.
00:08:24:11 - 00:08:43:01
Tom Green
So let's let's talk about New York. You and I both, both from back there a couple of years ago. Both of us ended up at Ithaca College, which I think is interesting when you think of Denver broadcasters who come out of Ithaca, Kyle Clark and Marcia Neville and Mark stout and you and me, you guys all probably stayed and finished.
00:08:43:01 - 00:08:46:14
Tom Green
I, I had to leave early. I had to turn pro, so.
00:08:46:21 - 00:08:57:25
Drew Goodman
Well, you had that option. We, you know, we did, you were drafted very high. You know, after, what was your freshman and sophomore year, which was groundbreaking, I think, at the time.
00:08:57:27 - 00:09:08:16
Tom Green
What did I do for you? I know people who went to I see well, all of us really enjoyed our time there. But what did I do for you as far as making you into a success?
00:09:08:19 - 00:09:28:25
Drew Goodman
You know, when I first went there, I put all my chips basically in playing baseball and like so many, their careers didn't turn out as one would like. But I will tell you from a television standpoint, they had such and continue to have, you know, such a great reputation and deservedly so in the communications world.
00:09:28:25 - 00:09:49:29
Drew Goodman
They had a couple of television stations and it wasn't looked upon as extra curricular to be involved in different shows, whether it be television or radio or both. It was looked upon as co-curricular, especially if you wanted to be on air or even if you wanted to be behind the scenes as a producer, director or a TD, that sort of thing.
00:09:49:29 - 00:10:11:04
Drew Goodman
And so you got hands on, work, from the time you were a freshman, I know that was one of the differences that Newhouse up the street at Syracuse. You couldn't touch the equipment until your junior year. You know, if you were very aggressive, you know, from your freshman year forward, it is because you were afforded the opportunity to be involved.
00:10:11:06 - 00:10:33:26
Drew Goodman
And, so, you know, upon graduation, I had, you know, probably a better tape. I don't know how great it was, but a better tape than than many other students, perhaps at other, schools. And, you know, then you're just trying to climb the proverbial ladder. But, yeah, I think in retrospect, looking back, you know, I think it did set up, a lot of us, very well.
00:10:33:28 - 00:10:50:10
Tom Green
So how did that how did that go? Because it's always nice. They hand you the diploma, your parents, your family, everyone's happy. And then you got to go find a job. And in our business, especially in sportscasting, I try to express this to people. Now that, you know, when I was a youngster, like preteen, I wanted to be a sportscaster.
00:10:50:10 - 00:11:09:00
Tom Green
And it was not a career that anybody would consider. At the time, there was no ESPN, there was no giant sports industry. Sports were popular, but they were a niche. So, you know, trying to become a sportscaster, you were trying to fit into a pretty small hole. What about you? How did it go when you came out of Ithaca College?
00:11:09:00 - 00:11:10:18
Tom Green
How did you get started?
00:11:10:21 - 00:11:33:28
Drew Goodman
Yeah, it's a great question. And, you know, I remember initially I had done a semester in in London, the previous year, and I went back and did the, Eurail passing for a couple of months and bummed around Europe, which, you know, was an awesome period. And then I came home and I started sending tapes. You know, initially, Tom, I was very ethnocentric.
00:11:33:28 - 00:12:02:18
Drew Goodman
I'm a New York guy, and, I wanted to be somewhere in the northeast. I knew I wasn't going to walk into New York, the largest market in the country, but I wanted to be somewhere, you know, in the Northeast Corridor, if you will. Well, I quickly found out when you're not getting return phone calls or anything else that I had to expand, where I was sending tapes to, and all of a sudden, I'm sending tapes to, you know, Mississippi and, you know, places I'd never dreamt I would have to.
00:12:02:18 - 00:12:25:12
Drew Goodman
And, I was very fortunate. I got a bite from a New York guy who I remain very close with, to this day, who was the news director at a small station, KSP TV in Aspen, Colorado. I've been out there skiing, and I noticed there was a TV station I dropped in the year before, and I was like, wow, they do news here.
00:12:25:15 - 00:12:39:09
Drew Goodman
And so I sent my stuff there and they. And they showed enough interest that they hired me. And I drove across the country, beginning the day after Christmas 1985 and got to, got to Aspen a few days later.
00:12:39:11 - 00:12:58:10
Tom Green
Wow. Because you think that it's 40 years back. And I always am amazed because I think some people see, a person like yourself in a successful career and, and expected to be able to, to reverse engineer it and go back and see that it all made sense. And I always noticed with my career it was incredibly lucky.
00:12:58:11 - 00:13:18:01
Tom Green
I had good fortune shine on me time and time again. Doors and windows opened at places maybe I wasn't qualified for, but somebody was willing to bet on me. Do you ever look back at your career and go, oh, that's amazing that that happened the way it did, because that also could have gone sideways, or I could have never gotten this break or that break.
00:13:18:03 - 00:13:43:00
Drew Goodman
Yeah. I mean, first of all, again, Tom, both of you, you know, both of us could speak to this, which is really unusual in a nomadic business like, television is not just sports television. You and I have been in Colorado for, you know, decades, which I. And, And. Good for us. I mean, we have been lucky in that regard.
00:13:43:02 - 00:14:12:26
Drew Goodman
So. And I was really fortunate, you know, that first job could have been in, you know, Gulfport, Mississippi or somewhere. All due respect to our friends down south. So, I do look back and I say there were things that happened that, you know, were were nice breaks, if you will. And I also, you know, you know me well, being the competitor I am, there's some things that, you know, occurred along the way that I'm like, man, I wish that didn't happen because I'd be here.
00:14:12:26 - 00:14:33:15
Drew Goodman
And and and that's not to be dismissive of what's been, you know, very enjoyable and, and and good career. And I hope to continue it for a long time, but, yeah. Yeah, I think you look back and you reflect and I think, in any business, but especially this one, because it's really it's a form of show business.
00:14:33:15 - 00:14:49:18
Drew Goodman
It's the entertainment industry. Stuff happens that doesn't necessarily make sense. And sometimes you're on the right side of things and sometimes you're not. But, you know, you have to persevere. And I think, you know, I don't want to speak for you, but both of us have been able to do that.
00:14:49:21 - 00:15:11:07
Tom Green
No, no, no, I'm happy where I am. But I also like my sportscasting. Mostly ended up behind the desk. I did get to do play by play, which I thought was the job I would have wanted forever. Was sitting in the booth at the game, call it I that's what I wanted to do. I did a little play by play and sideline stuff and like that, but you never really got nailed down to the desk.
00:15:11:07 - 00:15:25:09
Tom Green
You always to to be a sportscaster, whether it's hockey or football or basketball and certainly baseball. Now, did you ever come close to becoming a guy who was going to be doing that, the five and 10 or 6 and 11 somewhere?
00:15:25:15 - 00:15:47:15
Drew Goodman
Well, Tom, truth be told, and it was the same, obviously, for you when we were coming up, the guy that I looked at at most nights and I'm sure you did, was Marv Albert. Marv Albert had the greatest gig of anyone because Marv would do the six, run down at the garden and do a hockey game, a Ranger game, or a knick game.
00:15:47:17 - 00:15:53:23
Drew Goodman
And then he'd come back and tell you batted 1125. On the Late Show. Right?
00:15:53:23 - 00:15:56:27
Tom Green
And he was great at all of it. He was always.
00:15:56:27 - 00:16:35:15
Drew Goodman
He was the best at both any. And he, you know, he had energy for everything. And so that's what I wanted to be. And I thought kind of like your career. I thought I was going to be behind the desk. The play by play thing. I fell into and I'm and I'm thrilled that I, that I did because with all due respect to people like yourself and the great anchors and sap runs with polo, especially back in the day when you had to watch, you know, folks like yourself to find out what transpired in the game if you were unable to either be there or not.
00:16:35:15 - 00:17:02:27
Drew Goodman
Every game was televised. Right. So, the service that the sports anchor provided in major markets was enormous. And that's what I wanted to do. But then and I was doing that's what I was doing in Aspen, this tiny little town, right. This town. But then I got an opportunity to do some Colorado State football, basketball. And I'm like, now you're living it as opposed to giving, you know, 30s of highlights.
00:17:03:00 - 00:17:25:21
Drew Goodman
And here's what's transpired. And so I was yeah, again, that's we were talking about a few minutes ago about good brakes. That was that was a great break. And then ultimately, you know, got an opportunity to do the nuggets and, you know, in 93 or I think 92 or whatever not to go back on your whole career, but I, I was doing some fill and stuff SEC football.
00:17:25:21 - 00:17:46:08
Drew Goodman
Interestingly my analyst when I filled in I did a three games. My analyst was Jack Corrigan and Jack, who now everybody knows for years and years is the lead radio voice on the Rockies. Jack was a Cornell grad, so we were all this had been same town. Jack's a little older. I didn't know Jack. When he was at Cornell.
00:17:46:08 - 00:18:09:07
Drew Goodman
He played football there. So he was an analyst, for Jefferson Pilot Sports. And I was the play by play guy. And as I said, he was the analyst. We did a few games. My agent sends, a tape that in that offseason to NBC, and they hire me as the as the like the seventh team doing the NFL.
00:18:09:07 - 00:18:35:28
Drew Goodman
So I went from doing, you know, North Carolina and NC State and Virginia due to a few fill in games. And the next year, opening weekend, I was in Indianapolis doing the Colts and Dan Marino and the Dolphins. So, you know, they're you look at, you know, kind of a wild string of events. So I was thrilled just a few years in to doing play by play to, you know to have those those kind of opportunities.
00:18:36:00 - 00:18:51:04
Tom Green
I have a quick story, because I want to talk a little bit about maybe jobs you didn't get or didn't take that also pay off. So, as you know, I did the game show for a couple of years for ESPN called Sports on Tap. And the people who actually made the game show are game show making people.
00:18:51:10 - 00:19:03:21
Tom Green
They're not ESPN people. And they wanted me to do another one. They wanted me to to they were going to bring back the match game and they said, oh, you'd be great at this. You're sarcastic, you're funny, you're quick, you do this stuff. And I'm like.
00:19:03:24 - 00:19:04:16
Drew Goodman
Burned to.
00:19:04:17 - 00:19:25:03
Tom Green
Death. I was thinking I'd get the tall microphone and everything and, right before we went to do it, we were going to shoot the, pilot. They said, we're going to switch you, we have two game shows we're doing side by side. We're going to package them and we're going to of you do Card Sharks, which I thought was a dopey show.
00:19:25:03 - 00:19:46:01
Tom Green
Like, I didn't even know the rules of the game show, so wasn't all that interested. But they said, come on out, we'll shoot Card Sharks and we'll send it off and see. So I was on the verge of becoming a game show host, but when I went out to shoot Card Sharks, everyone was down. They knew this whole thing was dead in the water because when they pulled me off match game, they'd replaced me with the young actress.
00:19:46:04 - 00:20:06:24
Tom Green
Charlene Tilton from Dallas. And apparently she was not so good at it. So, whatever we did with Card Sharks, short of Schindler's List, it was not going to fly. And, I always think of it, I'm glad. Like, I didn't want necessarily want to be a game show host. And I was wondering, because you're you were with NBC.
00:20:06:24 - 00:20:17:21
Tom Green
The opportunity there seemed to be like, one of growth, but, you would have lost all of this career in Colorado had you been absorbed by. And I fell NBC in New York.
00:20:17:24 - 00:20:44:20
Drew Goodman
Yeah. Well, first of all, I want to say this and I've said this to you before, many, many years ago, and I say it's not to embarrass you, but you know, with your wit and your sarcasm and it's a quick wit. You were so perfect. I loved that that show where you behind the bar, the Chinese thing. I don't know why somebody hasn't come back and resurrected it.
00:20:44:20 - 00:21:00:09
Drew Goodman
You could do it better than anyone. Still, to this day, it was a great concept. And yeah, it's funny how careers go, but I thought that would have been awesome and you would have been able to do it, whether it be Snatch Game or whatever it didn't have to just be the sports genre.
00:21:00:11 - 00:21:17:28
Tom Green
We were ahead of our time because right after we, ESPN canceled Who Wants to Be a millionaire suddenly took off and game shows were back. Had we been maybe another year down the road, we might have stuck around. But again, like, I always look back and, you know, it's that old, you know, it's a wonderful life.
00:21:17:28 - 00:21:31:14
Tom Green
Don't change history. Too much changes. So I'm happy where I am. But did you have one, a decision involving what seemed like a good job that either didn't happen or that you passed on that that you look back and go. That that worked out pretty well.
00:21:31:14 - 00:21:57:02
Drew Goodman
Yeah. Well, listen, I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment. We've been in a, you know, really brutal industry, and my middle son is embarking on this business. I think he's, you know, he's just finished his second year in Double-A with the Diamondbacks and Amarillo broadcasting minor league baseball. He made his debut filling in, for Jack actually on on the radio side with the Rockies this past year.
00:21:57:02 - 00:22:16:15
Drew Goodman
And I, I tell him, listen, it can be, you know, a wonderful business. It can be, so rewarding, but but it's tough. And to, you know, specifically answer your question, you know, so I'm 30, I was the youngest guy at the network. And I think here I go. I'm going to have this, you know, long and hopefully distinguished career.
00:22:16:15 - 00:22:35:26
Drew Goodman
And the next years when Fox started up. And so now I felt like I was in this great place where maybe even I had a little leverage. I'd just done, you know, a number of games for NBC. And, NBC had to use some O and O guys owned and operated stations kind of the back end. And so I kind of lost out there.
00:22:35:26 - 00:22:55:28
Drew Goodman
And then Fox hired a lot of and a lot of talented guys, but a lot of sons of. Right. That's when you know, Joe Buck and and good friend of mine, Chip Terry, was hired and Tommy Brenneman was hired. And you know what? Deservedly so. Marv Albert. Kenny. Albert. And, so it just didn't it didn't work out.
00:22:55:28 - 00:23:26:05
Drew Goodman
And fortunately for me, I was had the opportunity then to start doing the, the nuggets when al Albert had stepped away. And, and that led ultimately to doing, you know, both teams for a little bit and then then on to the Rocky. So it it's funny how careers work out and I would be lying to you if I didn't say I was disappointed that that things you know, I had other cups of coffee at the networks, but that, you know, I didn't have a longer run, if you will.
00:23:26:05 - 00:23:42:20
Drew Goodman
But again, Tom, not to be long winded, you know, this, that sometimes if you can, quote unquote, become entrenched locally or regionally, that gives you more, you know, long term stability, then the volatility of being at the network.
00:23:42:22 - 00:24:02:12
Tom Green
I had a friend of mine who was working when they started to do the European football. The NFL was going to start European football and he was able to shove me to the front of the line to do play by play overseas, because we'd been friends and work together for a while. And then he called me up one day and said, you're out.
00:24:02:16 - 00:24:17:11
Tom Green
And I said, oh, well, you know, I wasn't sure it was going to happen anyway. He goes, yeah, but it's screwy why you didn't get it. And I go, what? What? You know, he goes, well, they'd already chose they just chose the color guy. And because of the color guy, you can't be the play by play guy. And I'm going, who was it?
00:24:17:11 - 00:24:19:29
Tom Green
He goes, well, they chose Tim Green.
00:24:20:02 - 00:24:24:13
Drew Goodman
So are you serious? That was Tim and Tom. Tom and Tim.
00:24:24:16 - 00:24:36:06
Tom Green
Green and Tom green doing the same broadcast. So I was out because of my name. I probably would have changed my name and this helmet over slack is going to be your play by play announcer. So, hey.
00:24:36:06 - 00:24:59:14
Drew Goodman
Tom, I have to tell you, you know, we can all look back on on different. Well, you know, stories that you covered, games that you covered, whatever it may be. And you say, wow, that was special. So with Fox in the early part of this century, I, back to back years would go over for a couple of weeks and do NFL Europe.
00:24:59:16 - 00:25:25:05
Drew Goodman
And I was in Barcelona, I was in Frankfurt. It was, I was in Amsterdam, again, it was NFL Europe. What an amazing gig. I'm sorry it didn't work out because Tim Green. Yeah, was doing the games, but, you know, I don't know how many people I ended up seeing all those games, but it was it was a blast.
00:25:25:07 - 00:25:38:11
Drew Goodman
I'll. I will share this quick story with you. Barcelona, where they train. They their team hotel was in a town just outside of Barcelona, on the Mediterranean called cities.
00:25:38:18 - 00:25:40:06
Tom Green
Cities? Yes. Beautiful.
00:25:40:11 - 00:26:11:26
Drew Goodman
Yeah. So you've been there? It's beautiful. It's gorgeous. And, Tom, they would come back from practice, and these players would lumber across the very narrow street. And then there was the beach. And we all know, you know, European beaches are, you know, literally. Yes, less less clothing than American beaches. And they would just sit in the water and kind of, you know, soothe their, their aching muscles with all sorts of, you know, pretty sights around them.
00:26:11:26 - 00:26:18:22
Drew Goodman
And then they would, you know, that was their that was how they, they lived for whatever the length of the season was. So pretty good gig.
00:26:18:25 - 00:26:46:27
Tom Green
Bruce Connell, the son of Scotty Connell, produced so many, so many events over the years. And I'd worked with him at ESPN and, Bruce, sadly passed away far too young. But Bruce called me at one point with another European opportunity. Says, Tommy, I want you to come and do color on the running of the Bulls and I'm like, Bruce, I'm not going to do color on running the bulls, because it sounds like the only thing you ever talk about were like, goring wounds, but so so you.
00:26:46:28 - 00:26:58:02
Drew Goodman
But, Tom, I never knew that story. You'd have been frigging perfect on that. You kidding me? Oh, I mean, that just aligns with your humor. Are you kidding me?
00:26:58:04 - 00:27:02:00
Tom Green
Yeah. I don't know how funny it can be when a guy has a femoral gore, you know, it's.
00:27:02:01 - 00:27:14:07
Drew Goodman
Yeah, but you can make light of it and make it less gory. You missed your calling. I can't believe that I it's just another. You would have been a Spanish institution or.
00:27:14:10 - 00:27:36:10
Tom Green
Or in the Spanish Inquisition. Yeah. But anyway, so let's talk about, about your baseball club. First in, with the World Series going on right now, this World Series, you talk about how you market a product. Well, the games are marketing themselves. We're sitting here after game five, you and I, as we record this, and the Blue Jays just took the series lead.
00:27:36:12 - 00:27:49:04
Tom Green
Series. We've been unbelievable. The stars have been unbelievable. The other guys have been unbelievable. The pitching has been so good. It's it's really been baseball at its best. True.
00:27:49:06 - 00:27:57:08
Drew Goodman
It's been great. And so I'll ask you, up front. Did you hang in? I know you love baseball. Did you hang in for all 18?
00:27:57:10 - 00:28:13:22
Tom Green
No, but a lot of people did. The numbers that showed that people stayed with it. And, you know, I'm sure they have a heavy West Coast tilt and that those people that didn't quite get to midnight. But that 18 inning game, it reminded, I think, everyone of a Stanley Cup game that goes into overtime and now you're stuck.
00:28:13:22 - 00:28:19:04
Tom Green
I can't turn it off because it's I got to see how it ends. And then after a while you're going, oh my God, is it going to end?
00:28:19:11 - 00:28:41:06
Drew Goodman
Yeah. You know, I heard a guy you and I both know a little bit, on Stephen Smith's first take, in the next morning because I, I did hang in there, you know, for 18 and, you know, Michelle and I, she watched every. And it was kind of crazy. But anyhow, Mad Dog, Christopher Russo.
00:28:41:07 - 00:29:06:20
Drew Goodman
Yeah. Was on and he came on a day early, if you will, from his normal spot with Stephen a and he said, and we know that he loves baseball. He loves, loves baseball. But you and I love baseball and and they the way he expressed it, I thought was he's not normally looked upon as eloquent, but, he did it.
00:29:06:20 - 00:29:29:24
Drew Goodman
He he did express it, I thought in an eloquent fashion. It's why baseball can be the very best of all four major sports when you have the fact that there is no clock and you're just waiting, who's going to have the big hit? Is it going to be a home or is it going to be a miscue? And it does kind of put you on the edge of your seat where you don't want to miss out.
00:29:29:27 - 00:29:50:15
Drew Goodman
And even for the folks back east in, it's closing in on, you know, two in the morning or beyond, you just don't want to, you know, shut it down and miss out. And it can be so captivating. And, and I think it, it may not be for everyone, but this series and that game in particular was riveting.
00:29:50:17 - 00:30:12:22
Tom Green
So let's talk about, the local baseball team, the Rockies, gone through a third straight 100 loss season, a season of struggle from the get go. And I know you deal with exasperated Rockies fans or angry Rockies fans all the time, and they tune in and they watch you do the games or, you know, they want to want they they want to watch a good team.
00:30:12:25 - 00:30:32:06
Tom Green
But it's been hard. And I know you've always dealt with them. I thought very well, both in your broadcast, but also the ones you deal with personally. But how best do you find to not necessarily encourage, but to talk with Rockies fans fairly and honestly about where the team is and where it's headed?
00:30:32:08 - 00:31:02:10
Drew Goodman
Well, I don't think you can get around the fact that they are in the worst place that they've ever been. And you, you lost 119 games due to there's no kind of way to equivocate. The fact that that was historically one of the worst teams in the history of the sport, and it's not it didn't come out in, you know, left field, proverbial left field, as you articulated.
00:31:02:10 - 00:31:27:13
Drew Goodman
They had lost, you know, 101, the prior year and 103 or whatever. It was three straight hundred loss seasons in the in the four prior season, for all you know, I think 90 plus lost seasons. What I look upon and we'll be hearing this news, I think, in the next several days or maybe a week at most, that there's a new direction in terms of the head of baseball operations.
00:31:27:16 - 00:31:51:29
Drew Goodman
And that doesn't mean it's a magic elixir. But I think that the organization finally, said we have to look outside of our walls. We have to truly look at what we've been doing and realize that it has not been successful. And, you know, to their credit, and I know some people say, well, you know, to their credit, my goodness, it's taken forever for them to arrive at this.
00:31:52:01 - 00:32:17:00
Drew Goodman
But they have and and so let's see what this next chapter brings. And again, it's not the, you know, you know, immediately turn a team that lost 119 games into a team that wins 95 next year. But I think it was the necessary step, the right step and one to look beyond their walls to try to score, you know, to try to figure out what we were talking about earlier.
00:32:17:00 - 00:32:32:23
Drew Goodman
Tom, it's a Rubik's cube in baseball. It is the toughest job in baseball. And I say that not because I work down there. It truly is, and it's because of the altitude. But you can't use it as an excuse. It's a reality. But now let's figure out a way we can be successful.
00:32:32:25 - 00:33:00:12
Tom Green
So you look at whoever, ultimately does take this job, and they've got to create a sea change. And a lot of that will come in the invisible parts of baseball. I mean, you're not going to see the change in the analytics department. You're not going to see the change in how many people are staffed or what they're going about doing, or how you plan to build up your A, your Double-A, your Triple-A teams, and try to create a flow towards the major leagues.
00:33:00:14 - 00:33:14:04
Tom Green
Whoever takes that job needs a promise, needs an authentic promise that they will be allowed to do it and then it, and then you're still betting on them getting it done. But but that that's something that has to come from even above the person they do hire.
00:33:14:06 - 00:33:37:25
Drew Goodman
Yeah. And I think that in its simplest way of expressing it, I suppose, is that if you've been doing the same thing without success and continue to do that, well, we all know what that is, right? So now they've taken a step back, you know, Walker Monfort, who I have great respect for. You know, he's a bright guy.
00:33:37:25 - 00:34:06:16
Drew Goodman
He's a hard working guy. And I think that he's looking at it, with a new lens, and he's spearheading this. What's going to be a new operation? And you're absolutely right. There's going to be, you know, people hired that you never really read about that are in the analytics department or player development, but it's the beginning of a change to look at how they've been doing business from, you know, who they're signing in Latin America.
00:34:06:18 - 00:34:29:24
Drew Goodman
You know, who they're drafting in the, in the North American draft and saying, okay, we've been short on talent. And make no mistake about it, you talk about managers and coaches and other sports. The bottom line in sports is you have to have players. I mean, we've seen Bill Belichick, who's generally regarded as maybe the greatest NFL coach of all time.
00:34:29:26 - 00:34:54:20
Drew Goodman
You know, when he hasn't had talent they haven't won. And you can go sport by sport. So the Rockies have to look back at what they've done in kind of moving forward. So they may be the kind of player who drafting has not been ideal. And real quick, you look at this World Series, you began this kind of segment talking about how captivating it is.
00:34:54:22 - 00:35:19:18
Drew Goodman
Look at Toronto. They put the ball in play and had the lowest chase rate in all of baseball. And it's showing up in this series. Their ability to get it in play not always, you know, a blast over the wall, but it's helped them at this juncture as we take take a 3 to 2 lead, there's a lot to be learned from how they've gone about their business, how Milwaukee, a small market team has gone about their business.
00:35:19:20 - 00:35:23:19
Drew Goodman
And, so again, there's a lot to, to take in.
00:35:23:20 - 00:35:49:25
Tom Green
Yeah, a lot of that's the flow of players from down below, though. We've seen it with the Dodgers, we've seen it with the Brewers, we've seen it with the Jays. You know that that flow. You have players coming up. And that does two things for you obviously that that you know gives you major league players. It also gives you assets to make deals or to or to you know, always have somebody knocking on the door at your Triple-A team who's ready to go.
00:35:49:27 - 00:36:14:03
Drew Goodman
That, you know, depth is of enormous importance. And I'm a big one. You know, I think some people who may not, you know, understand the game as well, say, well, you know, just get better hitting coaches, you know, when you get to the big leagues, you've done a lot of things swinging the bat that has allowed you to rise to the biggest, you know, the best league in in the world.
00:36:14:05 - 00:36:39:03
Drew Goodman
So I think it's a DNA thing. If you want to have the ball put in play, more and less strikeout, you have to draft in sign players who that is kind of part of their makeup. And it's not to say that, you know, the big powerful guy can't be successful and that you can't, you know, mitigate, swing and miss to a certain degree and strike out to a certain degree.
00:36:39:09 - 00:37:00:24
Drew Goodman
But you're not going to take a guy that strikes out 35% of the time and all of a sudden, you know, make him a, you know, a 15% strikeout guy. So some of that is in player acquisition and then player development as opposed to, you know, just take this piece of clay and say, well, we're going to mold this and this guy is going to become, you know, Tony Gwynn.
00:37:00:27 - 00:37:23:24
Tom Green
I want to bounce some names off here from, both behind the camera and people you've worked with on air and just kind of get a little feedback because, you and I have known the behind the scenes people who often don't get any credit, who helped make Denver sports television what it is. And I think of the people like a Lou person at Mike diamond, Kenny Miller, I mean, those guys, you know, they always seem to make it work.
00:37:23:24 - 00:37:32:16
Tom Green
And, I don't think Denver sports fans ever got to know them, which was fine with them. But you and I always appreciated, people like that who make broadcast great.
00:37:32:19 - 00:38:02:27
Drew Goodman
Well, first of all, Lou personnel, who, you know, we lost several years ago. Lou, you know, was the first, you know, I was young man doing doing the nuggets, and he was, you know, producer, director, executive producer, wore a lot of hats down there, with the nuggets. And he had a great personality. He get your ear in the middle of the game and and one of his favorite things, because one of his favorite movies was Pulp Fiction.
00:38:03:00 - 00:38:27:14
Drew Goodman
And, he would he would repeat lines that Travolta or Samuel Jackson or whoever said in my ear while I'm trying to call a game, he was a character. But, you know, he meant a lot to my career. Mike Diamond, you know, was great as an executive producer, ultimately went to the Midwest and was a general manager, and they they were all creative.
00:38:27:14 - 00:38:49:13
Drew Goodman
And Kenny Miller is, you know, is one of my best friends. And Kenny, I think, he's, you know, the, guy who was tremendous director. He was a great camera person prior to that. But maybe his greatest attribute in this crazy business of ours was an eye for talent. He's now an executive at Amazon. Yeah.
00:38:49:15 - 00:39:10:26
Drew Goodman
And, as you know, but going back to people to to folks who people around here who were listening and watching this podcast will know he hired a lot of reso. He hired Charissa Thompson, he hired these real national entities. I mean, Chris did a lot is done fabulously well. He hired Joel Klatt.
00:39:10:28 - 00:39:11:05
Tom Green
Yeah.
00:39:11:06 - 00:39:29:09
Drew Goodman
It's like something in Joel Joel's killed that is we know you know for Fox. There are so many people that he hired that it wasn't like, oh, this is a rising star. Like, nobody knew who these folks were. And, you know, they they've gone on to to great things.
00:39:29:09 - 00:39:32:23
Tom Green
So draft and develop. That's what we call it.
00:39:32:25 - 00:39:36:09
Drew Goodman
And he's been really good at draft to develop.
00:39:36:11 - 00:39:53:20
Tom Green
Some of the people you work with on Rocky's broadcasts, we had Jenny on the show a while back. And then I think of Spielberg's and never knowing where he's coming from, of course, Jeff Hughes and the late George Frazier. Yeah. Had a lot of, a lot of great people you worked with. Taylor McGregor was with you guys for a while.
00:39:53:20 - 00:39:54:03
Tom Green
She's.
00:39:54:03 - 00:39:57:20
Drew Goodman
She's another one I left out. Taylor Taylor's killing it.
00:39:57:22 - 00:39:58:26
Tom Green
Yes.
00:39:58:28 - 00:40:00:11
Drew Goodman
Taylor's killing it.
00:40:00:13 - 00:40:06:19
Tom Green
We're trying to, trying to get up enough money in the budget to be able to afford to have her on the podcast. Yeah. You know.
00:40:06:21 - 00:40:12:11
Drew Goodman
I'll talk to her. I'll be, I'll be her defacto agent on that one. All right? And I just want to.
00:40:12:13 - 00:40:32:03
Tom Green
You know, I've talked about this with other people about, in our business, about how much partnership means to you. And, it can be everything because there are days that work doesn't feel great, but I remember the two years on the radio I did with Doug Moe. I never felt bad going into that room for four hours because it was Doug.
00:40:32:03 - 00:40:46:02
Tom Green
And, you know, I've had many other great partners on air, from Kim Christiansen and Natalie Tisdale in the news desk to the the sports guys that I worked with. But you know, those people who who you've worked with, you've had a you've had a great run.
00:40:46:05 - 00:41:09:21
Drew Goodman
I've been really fortunate. And periodically I get the question that you just posed and especially this year, Tom, because again, the Rockies lost 119 games. Yeah. How are you guys doing it? I mean, even some of my brethren in the business, man, you're hanging in there almost as if, you know, there was a tragedy. And I say, absolutely.
00:41:09:21 - 00:41:30:21
Drew Goodman
I mean, I'm I still and I'm not saying this to be gratuitous at all, that the fact that I get to, you know, come into people's living rooms on a nightly basis, I don't take that for granted. It's still a great, great gig. Yes. We want them to win a heck of a lot more. It makes it more fun.
00:41:30:21 - 00:42:09:16
Drew Goodman
All of the things that that come with winning. But number one, I'm working with people I really like. And the old line, Tom, about, and you know this from being in the news business forever that, you know, your television family spend more time with them than your, you know, than your real family. It's almost a literal thing, in in what we do and in the case of, you know, Billy and Hughie, Corey Sullivan, you know, in the past, Jenny Kavner, Kelsey Wingard, people, you know, you may know, but folks Doan, our producer and, you know, Allison ville and.
00:42:09:18 - 00:42:33:00
Drew Goodman
Yep. Yeah, wonderful, wonderful close friends. Nick howling son of the late Mike Kelly, who was a great producer in town and in Saint Louis. So, yeah, and I don't I, I'm glad we're taking time to talk about those folks because it, you know, you're going out and having a drink with them after you're having meals with them and to truly like those people.
00:42:33:00 - 00:42:38:20
Drew Goodman
And it's not always the case. You know that, Tom. Tom, it's a case that always it's hugely important.
00:42:38:22 - 00:42:55:24
Tom Green
So, I want to ask you one last question, about Zach, because you alluded to him doing some broadcasting. I came out, he was playing in a state playoff game. I was able to shoot some pictures of Zach when he was playing for Arapahoe, and, terrific young ballplayer. I got to hear him do the game. It was so nice to hear him.
00:42:55:24 - 00:43:19:24
Tom Green
And you may or may not hear the thread of of Drew Goodman through Zach Goodman and the styles he's learned or the things that maybe he's passed on. But, I know you feel good about all your kids, but Zach being in the business has to feel like like a funny sense of of, I don't know, pride. Like you'd feel if, you know, if if just your kid doing anything but doing what you do.
00:43:19:26 - 00:43:21:21
Tom Green
That had to feel great.
00:43:21:23 - 00:43:45:18
Drew Goodman
Yeah, I think number one. And again, Tom, you know me well, I, I, I guess we're all washed up, you know, former athletes at some level. And the fact that they all play baseball and all in all, we're, you know, fortunate to play pretty well, in two of my three boys ended up playing in college. You know, that that's a common thread for us.
00:43:45:18 - 00:44:08:14
Drew Goodman
In fact, Tom, I'll share with you were, taken. You know, Jacob, my oldest is, He's getting his. He's he's getting his MBA at Columbia. So he's in Manhattan, and we're we're going in, in three weeks to Manhattan and and on the long itinerary that I wrote for the boys and said, make sure you bring your gloves because we've had catches all over the globe.
00:44:08:14 - 00:44:32:23
Drew Goodman
Wherever there's a spot of grass, we, you know, played catch or took BP as they were growing up. And and that's continued as they're they're now adults. Right. And so the bond to baseball but specific to Zach taking on being a broadcaster. Yeah of course it does it it means a lot and and it's special. And I'm glad he's passionate about it.
00:44:32:25 - 00:45:00:18
Drew Goodman
You know, bias aside, I think he's good. And, so, yeah, that's that's really neat. And the fact that, you know, very quickly he was able to, on his own, get it, get a gig and, you know, in minor league baseball and I, I like to say this, I had nothing to do with him making his debut this year on on the Rockies side on the radio side, you know, that was all him and and, you know, Dave Tepper, who's the program director there.
00:45:00:21 - 00:45:11:20
Drew Goodman
Heard him and liked him, so. Yeah. Yeah. Very, very prideful of of all my boys. But, you know, certainly with Zach, trying to embark on what you and I do, that's, you know, it's neat.
00:45:11:22 - 00:45:16:24
Tom Green
I know you're busy, so I'm going to let you go because I know there's a home improvement project going on, and.
00:45:16:26 - 00:45:24:12
Drew Goodman
You know, you feel like I can hear you so much that.
00:45:24:15 - 00:45:32:14
Drew Goodman
My my pug. All 21 pounds of them open the door to my office, and all I'm hearing is drilling, and I apologize.
00:45:32:16 - 00:45:38:11
Tom Green
No, I know you normally like to be hands on, and I've kept you away from being there to help with the project, because that's. That's you.
00:45:38:17 - 00:45:53:13
Drew Goodman
That is Bob Vila. Yeah. Bob Vila. Bob Vila isn't even like a distant cousin. Tom. Bob Vila, in I are from different planets.
00:45:53:15 - 00:46:12:24
Tom Green
You gave the wrong end of the drill. So let me, I'm going to wrap it up by saying this is Colorado goes into its 150th year. Next year, Drew Goodman has been named Colorado Sportscaster of the year 110 of those years. So congratulations on that. That's an amazing run.
00:46:12:27 - 00:46:44:25
Drew Goodman
You're you're very kind. You know what? I'm going to get? Oh, man, I doubt we're we're both very fortunate to have just had, you know, nice long careers. You are still doing things, which is awesome. You you stepped away from some channel nine. You could go on forever. You know, you'll be dead. Star Dallas record, if that's what, if that's what, you wanted to do, Jim would welcome you back with open arms.
00:46:44:25 - 00:47:05:15
Drew Goodman
Right. So I, you know, I have mad respect for you and, and and the longevity that you and I both have been able to have. And, you know, you asked me a question a few moments ago about the people I work with and even through, you know, really tough season and tough several seasons. I love, love, love it.
00:47:05:17 - 00:47:23:23
Drew Goodman
And knock on wood, they'll keep me around for a long time because, I think for many people, retirement is not the greatest thing. Especially if you love what you do. I'll share this real quick time. I used to get this question periodically when when people would ask about, hey, you know, how well do you know Vin Scully?
00:47:23:23 - 00:47:39:25
Drew Goodman
And it's one of the great joys of my life. You in my office, I have a couple pictures that he was kind enough to sign. And they said, you know what? Why? Why does he keep going? You know, he's in his mid to late 80s, you know, when he finally shut it down and I said, well, what do you want to do in retirement?
00:47:39:25 - 00:48:07:10
Drew Goodman
And everybody says, you know, and one of two things you have to enjoy. I said, well, he loves the art of broadcasting. He loves the game of baseball. He specifically loves the Dodgers. He's doing each night what we all aspire to do in retirement. And I, feel that same way. And so, yeah, I mean, I struggle to find stuff to do sometimes in the off season.
00:48:07:10 - 00:48:11:14
Drew Goodman
And that's why I, you know, I'm hoping to do another podcast with Tom green in a couple of weeks.
00:48:11:16 - 00:48:13:22
Tom Green
Well, and your home improvement projects here in.
00:48:13:22 - 00:48:15:18
Drew Goodman
My hometown,
00:48:15:20 - 00:48:31:12
Tom Green
Drew, it's been great being your friend for a long time. Love your work. And I appreciate you taking time to share some stories, with our our our listener. There might be listeners who know it could be plural, but, you never know. It's like my thanks are. Thanks, as always, drew.
00:48:31:15 - 00:48:39:14
Drew Goodman
You bet I appreciate it. Any time. And, you know, you're going to have to reciprocate here on my little, endeavor here in the next, several.
00:48:39:17 - 00:48:41:13
Tom Green
I'd love to do it. Thanks, pal.
00:48:41:15 - 00:48:45:14
Drew Goodman
Thanks, buddy.
00:48:45:17 - 00:49:02:24
Tom Green
Always great to visit with Drew Goodman, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. He's been a friend for a long time and certainly love his work. And sometimes here in those behind the scenes stories, just add a little light in to getting to know the people that you devote time to listening and watching through all those years.
00:49:02:27 - 00:49:16:13
Tom Green
We're going to do the long and the short of it, or from the short to the long of it. Next week, Scott Hastings is going to join us right here on the other Tom green show. If you have any ideas that you want to send to us, you can reach me here at Gorilla Sports Dot net.
00:49:16:13 - 00:49:37:01
Tom Green
We hope to see you back here again next week.