Podcast appearances and mentions of Billy Ball

During the 1960s and ‘70s, funk music flourished in Indianapolis. Local bands like The Highlighters, Amnesty, The Moonlighters, Billy Ball and The Upsetters, and The Presidents packed nightclubs clubs across the city, from Indiana Avenue to East 38th Street.  On March 16th, WFYI hosted a screening of the new PBS documentary WE WANT THE FUNK! at the Kan-Kan Cinema. The film explores the history of funk music, from its early jazz roots to its rise into popular culture. Before the screening, WFYI's Kyle Long moderated a panel discussion exploring the history of Indianapolis funk music. The panel featured four important pioneers of Naptown funk: Steve Weakley (Funk Incorporated), Lester Jonhson (Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign), Reggie Griffin (Manchild), and Rodney Stepp (Rapture/The Spinners). Listen to excerpts from that conversation, along with music from legendary Indianapolis funk bands.

February 20, 1980 — The Oakland Athletics sign Billy Martin to a two-year contract for $125,000 as manager. Martin, who was fired by the Yankees only four months earlier, will popularize the notion of “Billy Ball” with the A's and lead the team to a split-season crown in 1981. He will compile a 215-218 record and destroy the young arms of several would be long term starting pitchers. His style also allowed Ricky Henderson to run free on the bases and set the all-time record for stolen bases in a season.Join the Daily Rewind - Join.Classic Baseball Broadcasts - reconnect with baseball history.Billy Martin Audio VaultMentioned in this episode:Classic Baseball BroadcastsClassic Baseball Broadcasts

February 20, 1980 — The Oakland Athletics sign Billy Martin to a two-year contract for $125,000 as manager. Martin, who was fired by the Yankees only four months earlier, will popularize the notion of “Billy Ball” with the A's and lead the team to a split-season crown in 1981. He will compile a 215-218 record and destroy the young arms of several would be long term starting pitchers. His style also allowed Ricky Henderson to run free on the bases and set the all-time record for stolen bases in a season.Join the Daily Rewind - Join.Classic Baseball Broadcasts - reconnect with baseball history.Billy Martin Audio VaultMentioned in this episode:Classic Baseball BroadcastsClassic Baseball Broadcasts

We'll visit with four of our Courier Newsroom colleagues, all in swing states, to discuss the split decisions given by voters on Election Day: Billy Ball of North Carolina's Cardinal & Pine, Kyle Kaminski from Michigan's The Gander, Cam Stevenson from Arizona's Copper Courier, and Sean Kitchen from Pennsylvania's The Keystone. UpNorthNews with Pat Kreitlow airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-8 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and Instagram to keep up with Pat & the show! Guests: Kyle Kaminski, Cam Stevenson, Billy Ball, Sean Kitchen

Billy Ball, senior editor at Cardinal & Pine (Courier), talks to Edwin Eisendrath about hurricane damage in North Carolina and the ways disinformation is undermining relief and recovery efforts. "The situation is heartbreaking, and I don't think there's any other way to put it," Ball said. Catch “The Big Picture with Edwin Eisendrath” Saturdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/wcpt820).

I'm no Einstein, more Demi Moore, the unforgettable Divine, don't overcook Jake's steak, the tragedy and triumph of Theresa Saldana, Cedars-Sinai is the place to die, some cold logic from Alfred Hitchcock, a superhero on Hollywood Boulevard, more artificial unintelligence, not talking about sex, a bat boy turned rap superstar, the death of sports in the city of Oakland, a little Gertrude Stein, going to see A's games with my grandpa, the wild and entertaining Billy Ball era, the legendary Crazy George, you can't put a dollar sign on everything, being kind of a dick to a neighbor, another ridiculous commercial, and some bands that spooked me as a kid. Stuff mentioned: Kingpin (1996), Mortal Thoughts (1991), Endangered Species (1992), Choose Me (1984), Trouble in Mind (1985), Footloose (1984), Raging Bull (1980), Defiance (1980), Suspicion (1941), Salt-N-Pepa "Let's Talk About Sex" (1991), Salt-N-Pepa A Salt with a Deadly Pepa (1988), MC Hammer Feel My Power (1986), MC Hammer "Ring 'em" (1986), New Edition "Mr. Telephone Man" (1984), The First Wave Oakland Athletics vs. New York Yankees (October 15, 1981 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sqGxQoORYE), Remington Balder Boss "Shave Your Head in 90 Seconds" (2023 https://www.ispot.tv/ad/1881/remington-balder-boss-shave-your-head-in-90-seconds-three-payments-of-2499), Midnight Oil "Beds Are Burning" (1987), Yes "Owner of a Lonely Heart" (1983 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVOuYquXuuc), Yes "Heart of the Sunrise" (1971), Yes Fragile (1971), Fine Young Cannibals "She Drives Me Crazy" (1989), Fine Young Cannibals The Raw & the Cooked (1989), and "Weird Al" Yankovic "She Drives Like Crazy" (1989 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PdqNHyEyXY).

Quinn and Daniel hang out with Billy Ball, Senior Editor at Cardinal & Pine, for an engaging discussion at the crossroads of media and politics. They dive into journalism's role in the political arena, tackle the complexities of covering state and local issues, and highlight the crucial role of independent media in today's landscape. They also take a moment to discuss their favorite video games. Tune in and learn why journalism is our nation's fourth branch of government! Keep up with Billy and his team at https://cardinalpine.com/ And on Twitter @Billy_K_Ball Want bonus episodes and Holler swag? Become a Friend of the Holler at www.patreon.com/thehometownholler. As a Patreon supporter, you help us build a better North Carolina, one conversation at a time. Connect with the Holler on social media @thehometownholler or by visiting our website www.thehometownholler.com

Is Billy Ball a thing? It sure looks like it after Billy Edwards shined in the Terps' season-opening blowout over UConn. But can they keep it up this week in their Big Ten opener. Plus news in basketball recruiting, Terps safety Dante Trader takes us behind the scenes of the program's culture overhaul and Jeff recalls and embarrassing question to Lonny Baxter. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the eve of their national convention in Milwaukee, some Republicans are no longer trying to hide their extremism and their contempt for a civil society. We'll talk to our colleagues in North Carolina about a candidate for governor (and the current Lt. Governor) telling a church audience how he thinks “some folks need killing.” UpNorthNews with Pat Kreitlow airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-8 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and Instagram to keep up with Pat & the show Guests: Michael McElroy, Billy Ball

On Part 2, 1982 Brewers yield to Billy Ball, the early 80s Oakland A's, and how Rickey Henderson redefined the meaning of a hero to Adam. We raise the stakes on our trade proposals, pushing bigger ticket items into the middle. Adam and I then move to 1987, remembering Adam's exile to Barstow, California, and the oasis of being able to listen to KNBR's Hank Greenberg calling Giants games way far away at Candlestick. For the Giants, their big trade in 1987 was their acquisition of Kevin Mitchell and Dave Dravecky. Dravecky's dramatic comeback from shoulder cancer, his subsequent reinjury, and his ultimate amputation give us a lot to talk about and two amputees in one show. Finally, Adam steers us toward the King of Late Night, David Letterman. He goes with a special episode where Dave featured Harmon Killebrew and I went with one featuring Joe Niekro.

The A's started off strong in Cleveland only to get pounded in the series opener.Meanwhile, questions in the Nevada constitution has caused a new snag in the Las Vegas move.And what could have been with Billy Ball in the 1980s.Follow Sully on Twitter @sullybaseball Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! PolicygeniusCheck life insurance off your to do list in no time with Policygenius. Head to policygenius.com/lockedonmlb to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save. Monopoly GO!Get in the game and join your friends. Download MONOPOLY GO! now free on The App Store or Google Play. Yahoo FinanceFor comprehensive financial news and analysis, visit the brand behind every great investor, YahooFinance.com. PrizePicksGo to PrizePicks.com/lockedonmlb and use code lockedonmlb for a first deposit match up to $100! eBay MotorsFrom brakes to exhaust kits and beyond, eBay Motors has over 122 million parts to keep your ride-or-die alive. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it's easy to bring home that big win. Keep your ride-or-die alive at EbayMotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONMLB for $20 off your first purchase. FanDuelFanDuel, America's Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning GUARENTEED That's A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – win or lose! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…  

Billy Ball writes about North Carolina politics and culture as Senior Editor at Cardinal & Pine, a left-leaning, online newspaper.  Whether Ball is covering water quality in rural North Carolina, school funding disparities, or writing about the sounds of the cicada during summer time, his writing is steeped in authenticity.   Billy talks about growing up in eastern North Carolina, his early love of journalism, and his approach to covering complex issues in a way readers can understand and relate to.  He also talks about the tragic loss of his son earlier this year, the attacks he endured afterwards, and the challenges of the holidays.   Skye and Brian also unpack week 2 of candidate filing, a Trump endorsement, no GOP gubernatorial debates, a 2026 candidate for U.S. Senate, #TOTW, Christmas cards, and a trip to Capitol Hill.   The Do Politics Better podcast is sponsored by New Frame, the NC Travel Industry Association, the NC Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association, the NC Pork Council, and the NC Healthcare Association.   

With critical Week 4 matchups on tap, veteran college football analysts Brent Beaird and Travis Reier hit on a number of topics, including: -- Lackluster non-con stretch continues for SEC. -- Florida win over Tennessee serves as blueprint for Billy Ball in Gainesville. -- Scattered QB situation at Bama with Ole Miss set to visit. -- Ascending LSU hit by bigger-than-the-game news involving Greg Brooks. -- Georgia shows poise in rebounding from 14-3 deficit to South Carolina. Featuring: Brent Beaird, Heisman Trophy voter and First Coast News College Football Analyst and BamaOnLine/On3 network Senior Analyst Travis Reier. Bill Oakley serves as Executive Producer.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In "The Bar" we discuss Billy Napier's signature win as Gators Head FB Coach and why this team should hit the midway mark at 5-1.   We talked about the Phins, Bucs and Jags combined 5-1 start to to the season and where each goes from here.  We wrapped by looking at the Rays new stadium deal in St. Pete and what it means for the team and the rest of MLB.

Today's Guests Are: Will Bunch, Seth Cotlar, Jill Wine-Banks, Billy Ball

If anyone's qualified to weigh in with authority on the current Oakland A's relocation imbroglio, it is our guest this week - long-time professional sports marketing executive and Bay Area-based industry consultant Andy Dolich ("Goodbye, Oakland: Winning, Wanderlust, and A Sports Town's Fight for Survival"). Dolich spent 15+ years in the Athletics' front office from 1980-94 during the Walter Haas era - inheriting the remnants of Charlie Finley's parsimonious ownership, helping usher in "Billy Ball", nurturing a promising farm system, and ultimately, reaping the rewards with a 1989 World Series championship over the market's "other team" - the San Francisco Giants. But before we get there, we take an important introductory detour into Dolich's other exploits, replete with notable stops of keen interest to a certain little podcast - like the NASL's Washington Diplomats, the original National Lacrosse League's Maryland Arrows, and the NBA's Vancouver Grizzlies.

In January, North Carolina journalist Billy Ball, managing editor of Cardinal and Pine, tragically and unexpectedly lost his 6-year-old son. Grieving the loss of his child was devastating enough, but it's what happened next that created a whole new level of grief. After posting his son's obituary on social media, Ball started getting hate mail and messages claiming he had killed his son by giving him a vaccine. Tim sat down with Ball to talk about his loss, dealing with online trolls, what can be done in these situations and, importantly, we wrap up with some delightful stories about his son, 6-year-old Jackson Ball.

Today's Guests Are: Jeremy Young, Jill Lawrence, Michael Tomasky, Ben Wikler, and Billy Ball

This week on Echoes of Indiana Avenue we'll feature an hour of words and music with Bobby Banner - a legendary Indianapolis vocalist, dancer, and costume designer. Bobby Banner has been performing in Naptown for over 50 years, working with the Hamilton Movement, The Bad Boys, and Billy Ball's Upsetters – a band he currently leads today.

Welcome back to Carolina Democracy! Today, we're joined by Billy Ball and Dylan Rhoney to talk about Cardinal & Pine, a North Carolina news outlet created in 2020 that believes at its core in facts first and strives to put local voices and faces at the center of their stories. Plus, updates on the 2022 elections!Check out Cardinal & Pine:Website: https://cardinalpine.comCardinal & Pine: Voting Hub"NC's Leandro Kids Have Had Time to Grow Up""We Don't Wear Different Colored Robes""14 Hiking Trails to Conquer This Fall in North Carolina"Other ways to reach Cardinal & Pine: Facebook: @CardinalAndPineFacebook Groups: Cardinal & PineTwitter: @CardinalAndPineInstagram: @cardinalandpineWays to Get Involved & Support Candidates:Mobilize: www.mobilize.usSwing Left: https://swingleft.org/The New North Carolina Project: newnorthcarolinaproject.orgThe New Rural Project: newruralproject.orgCarolina Forward: Justice SlateCarolina Forward: Legislative SlateContact Us: jd@carolinademocracy.comFollow Us:Facebook: @CarolinaDemocracyInstagram: @carolinademocracy*This episode was updated after AP News confirmed the attack on Paul Pelosi was politically motivated: "Police: Pelosi suspect wanted to break speaker's knees". A earlier version stated that the attacker's motivation was not yet confirmed.

Veteran MLB 2nd Baseman and founder of #shegone nation Jeff Frye entertains Baseball Agent & son of the legendary Yankee Skipper, Billy Martin Jr. The two talk about the nuances of being a sports agent and how Billy may have assisted Jeff into landing the 2nd Base job with the Rangers late in his career. Martin, Jr tells stories of being in the Yankee Club House as a kid and what he'd share with Ken Griffey, Jr if he got the chance. Hold on tight as we hear about his breakfasts with Ted Williams and his impromtu hitting lesson in a diner. Hear opinions on who the true HR record holder is and foreshadowing to a Hall of fame induction ceremony including the Greatest Manager of All-Time Billy Martin. Stay tuned until the end as Dave makes an appearance to get Billy to help his son Tanner with his latest home school project ... What is Billy Ball? Billy Jr takes us into the genius that was his father and his invention of Billy Ball. Take notes and appreciate the banter of two old friends and understand how loyalty drives both Jeff and Billy... filled with stories that are both refreshing and entertaining. #shegone

Kevin, Dave, Sal and Bull discuss the how Oakland spawned two "Billy Ball" aproaches and the divergent tactics embedded in each . How would Billy Martin exploit todays Billy Beane analytic driven system? Tune in to find out.

On this week's episode, we go over coaches as titans of college basketball from Coach K to the Izzone. We finish talking about conference tournaments.  In our Unanswerable Questions segment, we break down Billy Ball and Oklahoma's best team. Longtime CBS analyst Billy Packer, in his book, placed the Sooners among the top 15 college teams of all time. They pressed full court, created turnovers galore, shot quickly and played ferociously. The starting unit of Grace and Blaylock and Harvey Grant and Stacey King and Dave Sieger became so well-conditioned that by season's end Tubbs rarely had to substitute, and the assault was never ending. There is nothing like it in college basketball anymore. The days of Nolan Richardson's 40 minutes of Arkansas hell and Jerry Tarkanian's Runnin' Rebels and OU's BillyBall are over. The game is pedestrian, played not by refined stars but by young prospects headed for the NBA after a college drive-thru. That was a unique group of guys because we had speed, quicks and endurance,” Tubbs said. “And they loved to play like we wanted to play. It's hard to play like we played. That's why people don't play that way. It takes tremendous endurance.” And Josh gets a personal favorite off his chest discussing an all-time ACC performer Randolph Childress.   We finish up with And 1 Grail record you'd most like your progeny to have - Maravich scoring record, On a team that matches UCLA's win streak, On an undefeated team...And 119nine | Celebrating Hardwood History 19nine knows college basketball. Officially Licensed proud to partner with the leading universities.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

In "The Bar" we looked at what an 8 and 12 team playoff field for College Football would've looked like following Sunday's selection show.  We explained  why the larger versions just cause more problems.   We also took a deep dive inside Billy Napier's introductory press conference and why his culture of patience will test Gators fans early.  We wrapped by looking  at the hardware to be handed out to College Football Best players along with Coach of Year honors in the College and the NFL.  

EricSwahnRacing.com Podcast #61 Billy Ball @_trainwreck & @EricSwahnRacing Podcast available everywhere Video Link - https://youtu.be/ttLEIHT4lLw Visit EricSwahnRacing.com & ShopESR.com We sell thousands of items. We specialize in motorsports and racing parts. #ESR #EricSwahnRacing #Podcast #Racing #Moto #Motorsport #Motorsports #Roadracing #Road #Ride #Video #IGTV #Youtube #Anchor #Spotify #listen #Comment #follow #like #share #Michigan #Fast #superbike #braap #track #racetrack --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ericswahnracing/support

- Mountain Village swears in new Town Council - Telluride discusses current solutions for affordable housing - Billy Ball founder throws final pitch

The Bulls did something they've never done before. They paid top dollar for a well-established, highly regarded coach. With Billy Donovan about to take charge there's finally reason for hope for Bulls fans. Joe Cowley talks about Jim Boylen, Billy Donovan, possible trades & free agents (dare I say Giannis). A must listen for Bball junkies.

This episode was a split interview show, where Adam got to talk to two authors recently spotlighted in our Book Review series on RomanticAboutBaseball.com. First, Will Geoghegan, author of "Summer Baseball Nation", an exploration of the collegiate summer leagues across the country. After the break, Dale Tafoya, author of "Billy Ball", a historical book written around Billy Martin's return to his home town of Oakland to revive the A's organization in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Both books are available now, and the reviews are posted!

Connect with Michael and BobThe Climb on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-climb-podcast/Bob Wierema: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-wierema/Michael Moore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelpmoore/More on ConchoConcho's blog post that dives deep into the specifics of the Billy Bob's fiasco: https://www.ulterre.com/blog/lessons-from-the-honky-tonk/Connect with Concho: https://www.linkedin.com/in/concho-minick-62916910/[00:00:00] Concho: [00:00:00] You know, he found himself wanting to align with the people who wanted to develop the stock yards without any sort of historical context. Right. And that was an economic opportunity, I think, in his mind. But what I didn't know at the time is that to my other partners were offering him real incentives to align, but I learned that later and.[00:00:28] You know, there was, there was also some conflict occurred just prior with me, my stepmother and my dad, you know, through that whole process of the transition of me coming into the business and they hadn't gotten over it, you know, there were some imposter syndrome kind of things going on there. And you know, there's a whole lot to talk about.[00:00:47] They're given time that I, it really it's probably worthwhile talking about, but they couldn't let go of not being in control of Billy Bob's anymore. And I think they felt that was. My fault in some ways that I was now the president, no, I'm the president. I gotta be the precedent, but they weren't supposed to be working there.[00:01:07] And, you know, they were just about transitioned out and gone at the time we went through that whole real estate conflict. And, does that push them into a camp opposite of me? You know, I stood up in front of city council and argued for form basis and know some sort of developmental guidelines in control, but the stockyards, which would not have occurred had Philip benign, many other people not done that.[00:01:33] But I guess to get back to your question, Michael, and an answer, it is, I just can't imagine this. Anything other than just someone making their best economic. Right. And he made a bet against family at the same time [00:01:51] Michael Moore: [00:01:51] today, the climb Bob and I are joined by Concho Minnick. Hold on for a fascinating ride, deep into the world of honkytonks politics and legal maneuvers.[00:02:01] From growing up in Fort worth to attending Gale, to building Billy Bob's globally to now running a real estate firm. This episode is chocked full of life lessons. Enjoy the climb.[00:02:27] gotcha. Minute. Welcome to the client. [00:02:30] Concho: [00:02:30] Thank you. It's great to be here, [00:02:32] Michael Moore: [00:02:32] Bob and I are really excited to cohost you today. Bob always laughed at always say everything's bigger in Texas, but, nothing rings truer than Billy Bob's largest honky tonk in the world. certainly a big part of Fort worth history, big part of Texas history.[00:02:49] And under your guidance, a big part of the world's music scene. [00:02:53] Bob Wierema: [00:02:53] Now [00:02:54] Michael, hold on, hold on. I gotta interrupt because you know, from us Chicago boys, now I know what a hockey tuck is, but like let's, let's let for our other listeners, like what, what does that even mean? What is it?[00:03:07]Concho: [00:03:07] Good point. So you're the resident an error, you know, Billy Bob's is a hundred thousand square foot entertainment venue.[00:03:18] It's, you know, [00:03:20] driven really around. You know, live music is originally a barn that was built in, I think it was 1908 or so, and came to life as a music venue in 1981. And really, you know, I would say that it's more of a, kind of a Western culture entertainment complex, and this is the way we started thinking about it because we, you know, did bull riding and food and private parties.[00:03:45] And. Music festivals. And then we were starting to do music festivals around the world and the United States. And so, you know, it's really a, this big sprawling music video that whole 5,000 people. It shows every single day, just about closed one day a year, you know, with food and live bull, riding inside, believe it or not, inside of the bar.[00:04:07] And it's just, you know, it doesn't really look like a music venue. It looks like a barn that might fall in on you at any moment. You know, the ceiling's awkwardly low and in big columns in your way, depending on what kind of seat you have. But. That's Billy buzzes. It sits in the historic dish, the Fort worth historic district, which, you know, kind of sets the stage more, you know, authentic Western culture.[00:04:33] Which is kind of how, you know, Billy Bob's is that it's authentic. It's, they're presenting Western culture through music, food experience, rodeo, you know, that's, that's Billy bouts [00:04:46] Michael Moore: [00:04:46] and don't forget Willie's picnic. [00:04:48] Concho: [00:04:48] That's right. [00:04:49] Michael Moore: [00:04:49] Yeah. That was huge. He had attended a lot of [00:04:52] Concho: [00:04:52] that. I think we, I get how many Willie's picnics, Billy Bob's is hosted, but I ha I, I put on four w during my tenure there.[00:05:00] Michael Moore: [00:05:00] So before we jump into that though, because that is going to be the bulk of the conversation today, let's step back and just talk about  how you grew up things that shaped and defined you college, ultimately, president of Billy Bob's and now CEO of Christie's Altair here in Fort worth, Texas. [00:05:23] Concho: [00:05:23] How much time do I have,[00:05:27] you know, I grew up right here, Texas and, out by Eagle mountain Lake and which was just. It was the country back then, you know, it was, it was just typical suburbia in some ways, but it was just wide open living. You know, the bite, your bicycle is the most important piece of equipment. You could own country club on one end rec center and the Lake on the other end and, you know, just tons of open space.[00:05:53] And it was just. You know, it was good living out there. We were re in a, you know, my, my parents, divorced and remarried. Right. And so, you know, some of my earliest memories, I remember life briefly with my father, but, you know, once those families combined, there was six kids. So. You know, my two brother, my three, my two brothers, my sister was four and then two stepbrothers.[00:06:22] Then life really grabbed me around the head and I was like, Oh Jesus, okay. This is what it's all about. This was first grade or so when we put our families together and. We, we had moved. And I remember the story I tell a lot is, it was all happening so [00:06:40] fast. I didn't even know where I lived. Cause we, I went to Eagle mountain elementary.[00:06:43] The first day of school, I came home on the bus and I didn't know where to get off the bus. I was like, where the fuck? You know, I don't even know the name of my street. And so the bus driver drove me around the whole subdivision until I could recognize that house, which luckily I did, but, you know, I think that's, I think, growing up on the Lake almost every day, certainly influenced me.[00:07:03] I, I love the water and, I would learn to scuba dive and be on the ocean. I mean, I love, I love the mountains just as much, but I just, I really, it was some good introduction. To nature on a daily day basis being out there, you know, and I wasn't really adventurous. I went to TCU, you know, largely because it was right in my backyard and I didn't know anything about schools, you know?[00:07:25] I mean, yeah, it wasn't. Yeah. You know, I was a good, I was a wonderful student, a decent test scores, but I just went to TCU. I just didn't really know what I was getting into. And it was, I was lucky. I was lucky because it had an incredible business school, which I would find out later when I got to Yale, how good of an education I got at TCU and, met my wife at TCU and, you know, really just started establishing my professional career.[00:07:48] After that. I did have the backup a little bit though and say that, you know, part of my life experience was, you know, kind of shaping me was my mother's family is from North Dakota. And just about every summer, We would load up the suburban and drive there. And my parents might not stay there the whole time or my stepdad at least, but I would be there for at least a month.[00:08:12] And we were on the Western edge of North Dakota, a little town called Madora. which is still thriving today, but as a historic place where theater Roosevelt spent a lot of time ranching and hunting, and it's in the Badlands of North Dakota, which are just stunning. Beautiful. Right. And so it was, it was a couple of things.[00:08:32] I mean, it was just unspoiled nature and I would recommend going there to anyone that goes into theater Roosevelt national park is, is worth it. Yeah. So I got a lot of, just this feeling of the natural environment I needed to be involved, you know, and I need to, there's a, something about that experience that, that impacted me and I, you know, it just, it still does kind of show, [00:08:55] Michael Moore: [00:08:55] how far is that [00:08:56] Concho: [00:08:56] from Williston North Dakota?[00:08:58] I think it's about two hours. [00:09:01] Michael Moore: [00:09:01] Yeah. I've had a. Way too many vodka tonics that the Willis country love. If you can even call it that [00:09:08] Concho: [00:09:08] it's a wild place. [00:09:10] Michael Moore: [00:09:10] A really wild place. [00:09:11] Concho: [00:09:11] Yeah. If it weren't for oil, like they've been registered Wellston right in my mind for, you know, the first three quarters of my life.[00:09:18] But. But yeah, and you know, my grandfather who really bought all the property around the door and revitalize that whole historic town, he invented it. Bubble and another project product called snowy bleach. He had come and go gold seal. And so, you know, I got a lot of my entrepreneurial drive and vigor and excitement from him, from his journey from being just destitute young man to.[00:09:47] You know, growing that company and selling it in the eighties, there was us a lot of privilege for being there. Right, right. and I don't know that that was, you know, my favorite part of it or not, but really, I just had a button. They put [00:10:00] on me that said something, you know, and it, it was all wide open. It was like country club, any store, any restaurant trail rides.[00:10:10] Music, all this kind of, it was, I guess I was spoiled in some ways, but, [00:10:15] without knowing it, which is the difference. [00:10:18] Yeah. I didn't know it. I didn't, I knew it was a lot of fun up there and that really was every single summer of my life until, you know, I was late teens or something like that. So that's, before I skipped to.[00:10:32] College or grad school or first big jobs or any of that. I've got to mention that one. And I've been a lifelong theater Roosevelt fan since [00:10:40] Michael Moore: [00:10:40] it's good friends call him Teddy.[00:10:45]no, I mean, I think a lot of us can look back on how we were brought up and maybe we didn't know it at the time, but I mean, I think back to little dripping Springs, Texas, that you know, has produced. The guys that founded Yeti coolers, the guys that founded Diablo, paddle sports, we all grew up in the outdoors.[00:11:05] We didn't, I remember begging for an attender and playing it for like two days and like having dreams about super Mario brothers. And I was like, fuck this [00:11:16] Nintendo stuff. [00:11:17] Like I would rather be outside playing with my friends, building something, fishing, hunting. I mean, that's just, it, it, it defined us right.[00:11:26] Whether we knew it or not. [00:11:28] Concho: [00:11:28] Yeah. I haven't been able to let that one go. I didn't have it in television. Oh, did you have one of those? [00:11:34] Michael Moore: [00:11:34] No, but [00:11:35] it'll be some older than you. Right? So that was a little, maybe a few years, but yeah, but I had the same, same thing, you know, so many great opportunities to be outside where I was growing up and it's thank God.[00:11:47] You know, it doesn't happen these days that way. [00:11:49] So then you're at TC you and. Somehow a more global or at least regional bug hits you. Right. Because you do pick a graduate school, not in Texas. So make that leap for us. [00:12:08] Concho: [00:12:08] Yeah. I think it goes something like this, you know, I was a finance undergrad and just kind of.[00:12:14] Dark and around and a few different things, the equitable, and, you know, you can imagine how successful you would be selling mutual funds and insurance and life insurance and things like that. As at age 21, right. It sounds like a real promising career. And. I didn't really take finance that seriously. I was very interested in it, but I just didn't know.[00:12:34] I was just uneducated, you know, and not doing so well. And, and just trying to think about things that were really inspiring to me and that were meaningful to me. And I'd read a few books, this one biophilia hypothesis, which I want to take you down that path, but then I had this vacation and. Greece with a good buddy of mine, Matt tout.[00:12:55] And then I was, I can remember the moment pretty specifically, we were driving on a bus, go in town to town and it just hit me. I was like, I just, I I've never had that sort of definitive like aha ever in my life, but it hit me on that bus ride that I had to do something that was natural science related.[00:13:16] Right. And it just seemed like the most important thing in my [00:13:20] life, but the time I had to do so, you know, I went through this big process of, you know, being a finance undergrad and trying to get accepted to the Yale school of forestry. Right. And, the reason why I was doing that is because there's about three programs in the United States at the time that had combined degrees that had combined MBA.[00:13:43] And master's in environmental science, juries a knew if I could get into the forestry, the component at Yale, I could. Probably qualify again in the MBA school, but I had to have some science street creds. So I went through this whole process of, you know, taking chemistry classes and doing all sorts of things like getting certified.[00:14:04] I was a red cross canoe guide. I lived on this little Island and beliefs for two weeks on some of the scientific study thing and just everything it could to look like a credible, someone who actually cared about science, right. With a finance degree from TCU. Oh, I spent a, I was an intern at the biosphere for three months, right before I went to jail.[00:14:24] Okay. [00:14:27] Michael Moore: [00:14:27] Pre Pauly shore. [00:14:29] Concho: [00:14:29] Right. I think they might've, the poly shore that might've been, I might've been the target for that. I might've inspired that, but no, it's, you know, our connection to the biosphere. This are the basses from Fort worth right at, which was, that was a big. A big credibility may of getting an internship there.[00:14:46]I got accepted to all three of those graduate programs, unbelievably, and I picked Yale because it was the most, I imagined it to be the most unlike Fort worth. Right. And I didn't hate Fort worth, but it was just a, you know, I could have gone to. Wherever Duke. I forget where Duke but town that is, it doesn't matter, university of Michigan.[00:15:08] And I was like, you know, new Haven, Connecticut. It's gotta be the biggest stretch here. Right? it will be close to New York city. That's how I picked it. And, we were off to the races. W [00:15:19] Michael Moore: [00:15:19] was there anything particular in that, with that you said, you know, that forestry piece, you went into the environmental science piece.[00:15:25] Is there anything that was like particular of interest there to you that you wanted to pursue that for? Or was just pale? I want to go pursue this and then we'll figure out what the after is. [00:15:34] Concho: [00:15:34] Yeah. I just, I had to figure out what the after was. You know, I knew that I just had to inject science somehow into what I was going to do every day.[00:15:45] It's called the Yale school of forestry, but it has really everything from true forestry practice to like corporate environmental health and safety stuff to, you know, all kinds of stuff. But it's the oldest forestry program in the United States. Yale on its own is just a, it's a magical place to be. So yeah, I had to, it was a really figuring out where my career would take me as I was there, you know, kind of like a very late version of undergrad.[00:16:12] Michael Moore: [00:16:12] Right. We all bloom at different times. I just, I was asking just cause I think it's really interesting, you know, you, I feel like a lot of people Tuesday go into those and like when I did my MBA, I wasn't sure what was going to come [00:16:27] out that, [00:16:28] but like, if you're going out with them, the end goal, I just wonder if you kind of have those blinders on.[00:16:32] That's why I asked you. I know somebody, people go in with the open mind, but then people are like, I mean, I go to this, I'm going to get my finance. I'm [00:16:40] going to go back to school and I'm going to go into it. Private equity. Right. And it's such a defined path. And I think you can lose some things in that track.[00:16:48] Concho: [00:16:48] Yeah, no, I think you're right. What did I know? You know, redneck from forward Texas going to new Haven, Connecticut, it was, you know, it, it was, I wouldn't trade for anything. The breadth of people that I met, I mean, different groups of people in the forestry program. And then in the MBA school where, you know, 30% of my.[00:17:09] Class and the MBA programs from China. Right. And it was a, you know, 30% of them were wanting to go to wall street and be investment bankers, you know, or consultants. But, so I had a lot to learn it. I was, you know, what a better place to be. While I was there. I interned at S tobacco my first summer, which is headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, just little train ride, which is just a mindblower wonderful thing.[00:17:38] And then the next summer I was at a United technologies, Sikorsky helicopter, and both of these were sort of environmental. Yeah, corporate environmental type assignments, where you can imagine big companies that have this environmental health and safety kind of component to them in that part of the work.[00:17:56] You know, I decided that's a definite no, for sure. And it's one thing, you know, if my mother hadn't always been telling me Contra, it's fine to learn what you don't want to do. You know, that I would have probably been really panicky. I'm going to be in a little panicky anyway, but what fortunately, what was happening at that time was the national power business was deregulating.[00:18:24] And, there's a little company in Houston, Texas called Enron that. All my classmates wanted to get to work for sure. Right? So it's, that was the hot sector to go with. Right? If you weren't going to be an ibanker or a consultant, you wanted to go into that hour. And gosh, I would say, you know, we had 12 dual, dual degree students.[00:18:49] You know, I think half of them went into power. Wow. Four of them went to Enron, which I really, really wanted to go to work. Fran, Ron, I was so pissed off. They didn't hire me, turned out okay. [00:19:01] Michael Moore: [00:19:01] For you [00:19:02] Concho: [00:19:02] later was a big blessing. but yeah, so, you know, long story, I got a chance to interview at Southern energy in Atlanta, which was a subsidiary of Southern company, which at the time was the largest utility United States.[00:19:15] Southern energy was their unregulated subsidiary. That was just on a tear. And I got offered a job doing M and a there and, in the North America finance group, to me, it was, is a wonderful intersection of science and are already, you know, well, I guess what I've learned more about myself over time is the finance and.[00:19:39] Analytic, you know, that I still had that started TCU, I guess. And then just, it hadn't left me, you know, and plus, you know, there's some admission that, Hey, this is an easier way to make a living than being like the environmental health and safety coordinator for us tobacco. Right? Sure. But anyway, we've got an offer to, to [00:20:00] come to Atlanta and work in their M and a group, and which was.[00:20:05] Just a mind blowing career opportunity that I could talk about for a long time too. But that's where Yale led me. It did, you know, bring me, allow me to combine finance and environmental science, if you will, or science. And, this, it's a great place to be energy is, is full of brilliant competitive people, you know, from all different kind of disciplines.[00:20:30] It's a. It's a, it's a great place to be start post MBA for sure. [00:20:35] Michael Moore: [00:20:35] No, I think that's great perspective for a lot of our young listeners. You know, if you're a fear religious person, you could say that, you know, your, your path has already created for you. It's just your job and influences in your life job to keep you on that path.[00:20:51]but I think, you know, so many young people coming out of school are so worried about their career in, in, in reality, it's like, College and post-college is the time to figure out what you don't want to do. [00:21:04] Concho: [00:21:04] Yeah. You know? Yeah. That saying from my mother, it's okay to learn. What you don't want to do is a thought about that a lot in my life, you know, and it's, it's right.[00:21:15] It's, it's good to win a couple bets and make a few good decisions along the way. Yeah. Saves you time and heartache. But, no, I appreciate all the, all the I've known all the dumb little environmental science jobs I had along the way and finance. Stuff too, you know, but stayed open to it and continues to this day.[00:21:34] Michael Moore: [00:21:34] And so you, you were in Atlanta. What eventually brought you back to Texas? How long were you at Southern? For [00:21:41] Concho: [00:21:41] a, I was in Atlanta for five years, you know, as that Southern energy, which became Mirant. so we spun that company out to get public it branded his mirror and I was there. Three and a half years or something like that.[00:21:55] Like I couldn't ask for it better introduction to advance business and finance and running companies, public and private. And through that experience, you know, I stayed there all the way up until they were about to file bankruptcy after Enron filed bankruptcy and we were all big trading counterparties are, we had a foreign person trading floor in Atlanta.[00:22:16] And the whole sector was about to go down. And so I left, I was a CFO of a startup. Oh, you're fine. So before I, I just decided, Hey, I want to be back in Fort worth. You know, I had to, my kids were born in Atlanta, so I had two little boys and I was like, Hey, if I'm, if I can figure this out, how to. You know, established my career back in Fort worth.[00:22:40] And that's what I want to do, raise them around my family. And so that's, family's really what brought me back, you know, Fort worth, Texas is fine. Yeah, for sure. [00:22:52] Michael Moore: [00:22:52] So is your, is your mind and thought process was being expanded at Yale and your, your different early careers? Billy Bob's was operating 364 days a year down here.[00:23:07] So walk us through the transition that brought you back and, and then start telling us about your time [00:23:14] there, [00:23:15] Concho: [00:23:15] Billy, about didn't bring me back, right. I, I went to work for, cash America [00:23:20] and, which, which wasn't a great fit for me. You know, I ended up. Finding myself back in energy. M and a really quick after that.[00:23:28] Yeah. Right. So, I worked for a company called Optum energy, which was joint venture between PNM resources, the New Mexico power company and cascade, which was bill Gates, right. Private equity. That was a fascinating adventure too. And I love that great time. In fact, some of the people I worked with there have hired to work at Christie's right.[00:23:52] You know, I just, I had this thing going on. It was, kind of a deeper search for, for meaning and what I wanted to do in my career, you know, had, at that point, I'd done a lot of energy, M and a, and never imagined. I would be anywhere, remotely involved in Billy Ball, you know, I mean, at that point, you know, it's like, man, I, you know, I like country music, you know, and I like Stevie Ray Vaughan a little bit more.[00:24:21] Right. You know, and, you too and Pearl jam, but, it just didn't really, it took time. For me to, to get what it was and the Maura was here. You know, I started to enjoy it a little bit and through a really odd set of circumstances, I had this opportunity to go to Beijing, China, and look at ability buds deal.[00:24:46] So the, the owner's ability Bob's at the time they knew me, they thought I was reasonably smart human. I'd been around the world with energy business. So I could. You know, I had good footing to travel and, and all that sort of thing. And, we went over there to analyze a deal, to put inability Bob's in Beijing ahead of the Olympics.[00:25:06] It's 2000, 2008 was the Beijing Olympics. And so I spent two weeks in Beijing thinking about really hard. And we looked at real estate, we went to a bunch of. Ranches and country Western things. And then we went to about every bar in live music venue. We could get our hands on, would go to three or four or five and night for almost two weeks.[00:25:32] And just trying to get our heads around what this meant. And is it possible? My partner in crime was Phillip Murren on that trip, which a man that's probably worth a whole nother podcast to review that. But no, the Beijing trip will be expanded upon in the book for sure. But you know, it really struck me.[00:25:53] We did all these things from going to like symphony type things and the great hall of the people to these little bitty, nowhere bars in Beijing and what. Kind of blew my head off was, you know, you go into these little holes in Beijing and you know, you're just, you're two white guys and you kind of stand out anyway and they're like, Hey, why are you guys here?[00:26:17] You know, we would get that question. And we say, well, we're, we're here with Billy. Bob's we're thinking about. But an ability Bob's here. And every single time, nowhere, Beijing people would say Billy bombs, Billy Bob's, Texas, and things like that. And you know, it just the brand, you know, and it, it was, it was more than a bird, [00:26:40] you know, that was like, Hey, our brand is recognized around the world, but it was, it was what it meant to me.[00:26:46] The opportunity. I'll tell you the opportunity unfolded for me to take over, but for me, what it meant was a way to kind of export Fort worth to the world. You know, I love our lifestyle here. I love the culture and for the people, the entrepreneurial-ism, you know, it's a good place to be. You know, I know you, and I've talked about that.[00:27:09] We it's good stuff. So the idea of being a part of Billy Bob's and seeing what we could do with it worldwide, it felt like a, it was very possible. Like if the, if the dive bars Beijing knew about it, there was something right. And at the same time it had meaning for me, it's like, here's our, here's our hometown, it's Western culture.[00:27:31] It's all these cool things. It just seemed to intersect. And something that was meaningful to me, [00:27:37] Michael Moore: [00:27:37] you know, that's definitely a defining moment, [00:27:40] Concho: [00:27:40] I'd say so. Yeah. So yeah, that was the intro. We ended up not doing that deal, which was. Was, I think it was the right call and, you know, it was through all of that work that have developed a relationship with the owners while I was still at Optim energy, I launched, an offer to buy the whole company, Billy Bob's while I was as a side job, that offer was rejected.[00:28:05] Okay. It got hung up on real estate, which is part of the. Subsequent story, but they locked me up and said, Hey, you know, your dad's going to retire once you retire, why don't you just come run this thing? You know, that coupled with my vision of really taking the brand around the world, I was so, yeah, let's do it.[00:28:22] Michael Moore: [00:28:22] And what year was that?[00:28:24]Concho: [00:28:24] 2011. [00:28:25] Michael Moore: [00:28:25] Okay. So your family's back and Fort worth is 2011. You're running Billy Bob's. From the outsider looking in, it's like gotta be the coolest job in Fort worth to have, you know, growing up in, in Austin. Obviously I was a huge live music fan and I was always so appreciative that as Fort worth was maturing culturally in a lot of other areas, right.[00:28:52] Any night of the week, I could go see a great [00:28:55] show at Billy Bob's now has appreciated that. [00:28:59] So now you're running, you're running the ship. Things are going well, you're expanding the brand globally. And then what happens? [00:29:08] Concho: [00:29:08] Yeah, we're skipping over a lot. Yeah. But, yeah, you know, the, to give the proper sort of diagnostic for, you know, why we, this lawsuit exploded in 2017, we gotta go back just a little bit and I'll try to do this quickly to 2013, 2014, we were at the time.[00:29:31] When the owners were still sort of more together and somewhat United, I guess, negotiating with majestic Realty for a master deal in the belly of, and in the stockyards. So in Billy Bob's is included in that and all our properties are included in that. And, and I was leading that negotiation and it got high centered, it got high centered on this idea of Western heritage.[00:29:59] You [00:30:00] know, to some extent, I don't want to say historic preservation because that's sometimes puts the wrong connotation to it, you know, kind of history kind of overdone in that fashion. But, you know, stockyards is about Western culture presentation, you know, and there's a lot of authenticity to the stockyards based on the past.[00:30:19] And so these ideas came up if, you know, majestic wanted to come in and develop the stockyards and. Now develop all these businesses. So like, okay, how are we going to keep this from being Disneyland? And that's what killed the unity on the first deal with majestic? I can remember Brad Hickman standing up in that meeting and saying, it doesn't matter to me, a bulldoze, any building to make money.[00:30:46] And that was the schism that was late 2013. That started at all. They, the Hickman family went away to negotiate with majestic privately wake up in 2014. And that conflict gets in front of city hall in 2014. And there began the main, there's a lot to that story too. We could get into, but learned a lot about how city hall works.[00:31:14] Right. And I think if you take that idea forward to 2017, it's really two groups of people. You know, a group of people who sees Billy Bob's as this magical a global opportunity to provide like a, an authentic Western cultural brand, kind of an American brand for the world for country music and another group that sees Billy Bob's as just another building in the stockyard is development play that may or may not have conflicts with other.[00:31:52] Parts of that development, you know, and that's what happened. And so there's some really interesting legal money that, that are, that the defendants in this lawsuit, you know, engaged in to try to kind of endure to this day, a lot of, a lot of good learning there, but that was the source of the conflict. You know, I think I wrote about that in my second blog visit, we dropped on that topic, and it was, you know, Hey, If, if you have a big segment of your owners that have conflicts of interest, you can bet that they're going to maximize their interest.[00:32:29] Right. And that's exactly what happened. [00:32:32] Michael Moore: [00:32:32] So how, how many owners at the time were involved in the business? [00:32:37] Concho: [00:32:37] I think when our, when I got kicked out of the company, like. Physically, I literally run out of the building. that happened three times, but the first time we have 11 owners. You know, and me on the small end, I just had a couple of percentage of the government.[00:32:56] I was, you know, president and I was gaining equity interest. And then all the way up to the Hickman to the whole family together had about, I don't know, 30, 40% or something, but, and they were all sorts of different kinds of people. People who've just been in Fort worth and business. My dad was, an equity owner.[00:33:13]the Moran family is multi-generational Fort worth, the Donnie Nelson and the general manager of the Mavericks who I brought into the [00:33:20] company. And then another family called the juries from this part of the world. So it's quite a diverse grid. [00:33:27] Bob Wierema: [00:33:27] Yeah. I just think about that. Like you said, with all those different sets of folks involved, I mean, you've got a lot of different people being pulled and I'm sure a lot of political back and forth and positioning it's, it's interesting when you get that many kind of call it cooks in the kitchen, right?[00:33:44] Concho: [00:33:44] Yeah, I'd say so. I thought I had structured around it in a decent way, you know, coming into it with a. What I thought was a decent company agreement, you know, and delegations of authority and all the things that you would expect in that kind of situation. But it just, it just didn't work out that way. You know, greed and conflict kind of dominated the day and a certain faction decided, Hey, we can, you know, create this legal conflict and.[00:34:15] We'll see who wins. And one of my big learnings from that is, you know, the influence of, of money in court. Right. And what I mean by that. And I think a lot of people know this. I, I, I sort of take this, you know, Hey, I'm such an idiot posture. And when I write about this and talk about this, because I really feel like I was, you know, I didn't realize the.[00:34:42] The battle of scale and attrition that you could set up in court through money. Right? And, you know, there's no, they didn't teach you that at Yale, like, you know how to budget for legal success, class one Oh one or something like that, that, you know, and it's not, it's not that I gotta be careful. I mean, it's, I would never accuse any judge or anything like for taking money.[00:35:09] That's not the thing. It's just, you know, you could be completely wrong, set up a legal argument framework and start deposing people. Creating motions and just create this battle of scale and endurance that if you can't counter it financially, you're going to lose. And that it's that simple. And you know, it's, it's one of those things where, Oh, wait, I've got tons of attorney, friends.[00:35:40] I respect the profession. My brother was a judge. He's still an attorney. completely. I just had this. Yeah, it was at the time I was I'm 40 something. Right. And I should know better, but that's a big learning that I've passed on to my kids. And hopefully I can share that with other people who weren't thinking that way, but good friend of mine would say the court's not a place for the common man.[00:36:02] And he told me that a bunch of times during the lawsuit. You [00:36:06] Michael Moore: [00:36:06] get the, yeah, I mean, I, I I've heard that, you know, saying before he say people will tie you up in court until you got nothing left. I mean, that's a real thing that happens and it's unfortunate. [00:36:18] Concho: [00:36:18] Yeah. Yeah. And we're still in court. We've been in Supreme court and back and still there.[00:36:23] So we're fighters, but, going away just a lot of learning along the way about how all of that works. Yeah. You know, and, you know, even depositions, I had a good friend of mine say, you know, you haven't really grown up in the business still. You've been deposed. And I agree [00:36:40] with that. I agree with that until you've been through that experience and get to post for six hours for two days.[00:36:46] I mean, that'll make you grow up quick. [00:36:50] Michael Moore: [00:36:50] It is not fun. unfortunately I've done [00:36:52] that before, [00:36:53] too. And you're right. I mean, it, Yeah, certainly a few more hair sprouted on the chest by the next day. I mean, it's a, it is a punch in the face and you can prepare all you want, but until you've done it it's yeah.[00:37:08] Concho: [00:37:08] I can remember having an attorney, hand me a document and get really mad that I'm reading it. For starters. I, do you want me to read what you're handing? Right. You know, and it's all about setting up this game where they can pop a clip back up on TV in court, where they catch you off guard, and one question and ruin your credibility.[00:37:25] Right? I mean, that's the whole game. [00:37:27] Michael Moore: [00:37:27] So, so for the back to being removed from the premise three different times, like for our listeners that maybe didn't grow up in Fort worth, didn't don't know the whole history of Billy Bob's like. Just the perspective, like, what does that feel like when you've got family involved, you've got multigenerational families involved, you've got iconic names and in Fort worth involved and you show up trying to do your job and there's literally a lock on the door.[00:37:56] Like, what does that feel like? [00:37:58] Concho: [00:37:58] It's it was, it was stunning, you know, to say the least. And it was, It's scarring. And I still think I'm affected by it in some ways. I mean, I've learned a lot about myself since, but you know, the, we were, we had great success, you know, we were essentially doubled the profitability of the company.[00:38:20] You know, we were, had just done a music festival in Italy. we're preparing to do one in Huntington beach. Did all kinds of, I mean, we were. On a tear. Right. And essentially, you know, had people walk into my office one day and say, you're no longer president. I said, how does that work? You know, and I'll say be sort of the legal maneuver they pulled, but just to get, stay in the zone of what you're trying to talk about there, it was, it was as much of a surprise as you could imagine, you know, there'd been some conflict with these people along the way, but just to say, you know, Hey, your employment contract doesn't matter.[00:39:00] The LLC agreement doesn't matter, none of this matters except for your really bad guy contract, get out, you know, and this was, you know, my dad in the room, you know, a few of them where we would just call the bad guys and I'm just walked out of the building and we had a, we had a great team, you know, and it's, it's stunning for all of them as it is me.[00:39:23] Right. I mean, we had a team that was killing themselves and doing really, really well and pushing the envelope and high performers. Right. And it's just a stunning for the employees too, based on the culture that we had. [00:39:37] Michael Moore: [00:39:37] So when you think about the family dynamic of it, and you've got this divisive line and one set on this side and one set on the other and you're sitting opposite from your dad.[00:39:51] And maybe this hadn't come out yet. Maybe you've got to give it more thought, maybe it's time, but like, why is he on that side? And you're on this side,[00:39:59]Concho: [00:39:59] I think it really [00:40:00] comes down to greed. You know, it maybe to some extent, ego, I mean, I think if you asked him that question of why he's hanging out with the, you know, the people that are developing the stockyards, it goes back to what I mentioned in 2014, you know, there was a few things that happened around then, you know, he found himself.[00:40:20] Wanting to align with the people who, and to develop the stockyards without any sort of historical context. Right. Right. And that was an economic opportunity, I think, in his mind. Well, what I didn't know at the time is that to my other partners were offering him. Real life incentives to align. But I learned that later and, you know, there was, there was also some conflict that occurred just prior with me, my stepmother and my dad, you know, through that whole process of the transition of me coming into the business and they hadn't gotten over it.[00:40:58] You know, there's some imposter syndrome kind of things going on there. And you know, there's a whole lot to talk about. They're given time that I really it's probably worthwhile talking about, but they couldn't let go of not being in control of Billy Bob's anymore. And I think they felt that was my fault in some ways that I was now the president, you know, I'm the president, I gotta be the president, but they weren't supposed to be working there.[00:41:24] And, you know, they were. Just about transitioned out and gone at the time we went through that whole real estate conflict and, that pushed them into a camp opposite of me. You know, I stood up in front of city council and argued for form based code and, you know, some sort of developmental guidelines and control for the stockyards, which.[00:41:46] Would not have occurred, had Phillip and I, and many other people not done that. But I guess to get back to your question, Michael, and an answer, it is, I just can't imagine this, anything other than just someone making their best economic bet. Right. And he made a bet against family at the same time. [00:42:07] Michael Moore: [00:42:07] Yeah.[00:42:08] That's a tough pill to swallow. [00:42:11] Concho: [00:42:11] Yeah. You know, I had it, it was, but I, you know, at that point I already had a few years of that schism, you know, through the real estate conflict. So when I wasn't altogether surprised for an abstinence, a lawsuit, you know, but have him. continue to, you know, work against me for years and years of the lawsuit and what I would, you know, there's all, all sorts of things that I think weren't necessarily on the up and up through that situation.[00:42:39] I don't think the truth was always told on the witness stand and, to saw a really terrible, extraordinary circumstance. It, it was tough, but you know, the, the loss of. It wasn't like the lawsuit ended my relationship with him. It was already kind of ending already. That's an unfortunate aspect of that, you know, to me, it was just so stunning to be on a tear and we were having such a great time and so much economic success.[00:43:08] And, you know, just have that, have that ended was, was I guess, more stunning to me. [00:43:16] Michael Moore: [00:43:16] Yeah, no, I mean, I, every time I went over there to. [00:43:20] To work with you on the insurance and the risk management side. I mean, it was just, you could feel the momentum. I mean, I remember one day I walked in, in your office and you have these virtual three D goggles on, and we're thinking about the concerts virtually it did, it had this amazing amount of momentum.[00:43:38] And then all of a sudden I'm reading this, the paper and I'm calling you. And you're like, there's literally a lock on my door. [00:43:47] Concho: [00:43:47] Yeah. I mean, like the dynamics around, you know, getting kicked out, getting a temporary restraining order, coming back in to kick all those guys out, you know, trying to conduct business while.[00:44:04] You know, the river was literally, I would call it sort of competitive terrorism going on. You know, it was, they were cabling, parking, lots closed, you know, and claiming ownership of them. They, there was a building next door. We did all these events and they tried to claim, we would violate our lease and we needed to get out of that.[00:44:24] They were, sending ex-employees and, and try to spy on what we're doing and, and all these kinds of things. We had $2 million transferred out of our bank account by one of the owners into another bank, which we still have not gotten back. There's every single thing you could imagine, including surveillance me in my home was happening to get us to relent.[00:44:47] Disengaged and just let that happen. Right. But we put up about, and it just, it went round and round. We would get kicked out, we'd get a TRO come back. the judge would make some dumb ruling and the other guys think they were in charge and they would bust in, in the middle of the night and you'd wake up and all the doors,[00:45:10] it seemed kind of childish on some level, you know, it's like wild West bullshit. [00:45:15] Michael Moore: [00:45:15] At what point were you like, I guess maybe more of the question is like, why did you keep fighting it? Right. Instead of just saying, I'm done with this, you know, what made you have that to say, I'm going to continue pushing that.[00:45:29] Concho: [00:45:29] You know, I, I think we, you know, the plaintiffs in the case. Yeah. We felt like we were right. We were right. We were very successful and we felt like we were due or, you know, we were do some justice. I felt like no way, no way are we going to lay down, to this group of people it's so wrong on so many levels.[00:45:50] And that doesn't mean we haven't tried to economically settle. Right? multiple times, have we been on the threshold of saddle again and if failed, but you know, it goes back to what kind of partners you have. And you know, when it's a lot of things are. You know, injected with conflict and, and create, and a lot of emotion, then it's just really hard to get people to settle.[00:46:17] Right. Because, you know, that goes into the dynamic of who's in that group who the partnership group is. But yeah, we, we felt like it was worth fighting for, you know, and it, and at the end of the day, it's more than just Billy Bob and Fort worth. You know, we were scaling to build Billy balls around the world.[00:46:34] And it's that kind of thought process that we were engaging in. We had drawings for a Billy Bob's in [00:46:40] Houston. We just, well, I'd already mentioned Italy, which was just a mind blowing experience to run a 26,000 person festival. And nowhere, Italy, there was more really at stake than just this little 5,000 person venue in the stockyards.[00:46:57] And so that's why we fought so hard. [00:47:00] Bob Wierema: [00:47:00] He brought up a great point earlier about, you know, not learning, in, in grad school, like how to fund a lawsuit. And I mean, we're a capitalistic society, like money runs things, but, and we could do a whole nother podcast on this. I mean, whether it's the legal system and these, you know, Bob and I see him every day, these nuclear verdicts that come down.[00:47:24] Plaintiff attorneys being funded by private equity firms now to participate in the, and the awards, you know, and then politics, right? I mean, just running a race to try to build a platform to do what you think is right. [00:47:39] Michael Moore: [00:47:39] Cost money. And so it's like, there's a tipping point where money has to be a vein of the operation.[00:47:47] Well, why does it have to influence the outcome and how do we, you know, if you're solely looking for justice and what's right, like how do you, how do we fix that? [00:47:59] Concho: [00:47:59] I wish I knew. Yeah. You know, my blog three is, is on this topic and I hope I get to release it soon, but it's, I'm not really staring at a solution in that.[00:48:11] That piece of work. It's really more of saying, Hey, here's, here's the problem that I, I was too dumb to really know in advance. And, and I hate to be that guy that says, Hey, here's the problem. I don't have a solution. You know, this is not how I work in business, but I think this one's important enough to put out there.[00:48:29] I can think of a few things that might help us, you know, break the chain a little bit, but gosh, it's such, it's the system is designed that way. I just didn't realize it when you have elected judges and, you know, you can get into the elect, diverse, appointed judges debate, and you know, how expensive it costs, you know, it is to hire attorneys and get the right kind of representation.[00:48:52] There's all sorts of things you can sort of imagine, but it's, it's such a big structural bear. I just, you know, At this point, it's just something that you have to take in, as you got to account for that in your business, you know, and it starts back with what kind of partners you have and that'll eliminate some of it, but it won't eliminate you getting sued from the outside or, you know, doing something like that.[00:49:18] And you'll be arrived back on court. [00:49:19] Michael Moore: [00:49:19] Right. I just had a, a futuristic blast of like it's Concho, Minnick. A junk professor at Yale teaching the class that you never got to learn. [00:49:33] Concho: [00:49:33] I mean, it's just, it's such an amazing experience, you know, and, and at the end of the day, that's what our life is made up of, his experiences and, and you know, that's why we're doing this podcast to share those, [00:49:46]Michael Moore: [00:49:46] on a lighter note.[00:49:48] Cause I really wanted to ask this question. I remember in one of our tours when you were taking me around and you know, you are looking at this a hundred thousand square foot building that does have this feeling of maybe [00:50:00] falling in on you. And I'm trying to figure out, like, how am I going to explain to underwriters that this is a really good risk that they need to underwrite at a fair price.[00:50:08]but we went to that, that backroom where. All of the artists gathered to get ready to come up on stage. And obviously as president, you got to be back there a lot, like give us a couple of highlights of some of the artists, some of the stories, some of the things that you saw back there as [00:50:24] they [00:50:24] were getting ready.[00:50:27] Concho: [00:50:27] This is where you might need to edit. Gosh, that's, I'd have to say, think about, I've had plenty of great music experiences, on, yeah. You know, Ryan being him is probably the pinnacle of that while we were there, we can talk about that. But in terms of backstage, you know, I never approached it from being in off for some reason, because I'd been around it a lot in my life.[00:50:51] And so I never really, I just. Treat is part of the, you know, the business and really providing hospitality. To artists and gosh, it's hard to, hard to pin it down. We would just back there with little bitty bands, just trying to, with their first ever performance on the main stage, the ability vibes, like guys like Mike and the moon pies.[00:51:13] Right. Who I love and, you know, and it's just. creating friendships with them and encouraging them and, you know, seeing how they're living their life to, Willie Nelson, you know, which is, even when, when you're running the honky tonk, they don't let you close to Willie Nelson. Right? He is. But, who I've I have met and I have talked to, but, in are really Revere.[00:51:39] It's really hard to say a defining moment. I think that when, when you're back there, you know, all the artists are signing the wall, painting their logo and things like that. And so, you know, we're staring at, you know, the Waylon Jennings signature on the wall, right. And then under its shooter, his son, and we just started adding to it.[00:51:59] You know, we're adding Lee, Bryce and rival sons and. You know, Florida, Georgia line. And I certainly had some really incredible, like invited back to the artist's bus experiences. You know, [00:52:17] that's what I'm talking [00:52:18] about. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I mean, I, I did see the, the glowing red eyes, skull bong on, you know, on certain artist's bus, but the I've seen it all in through that context, but, I guess it was an overall impact of just adding to those layers back there.[00:52:38] We were opening up the walls and drawing more and, and having artists sign. And then we reconfigured the room and we felt like we were a part of, of some big momentum that had started decades before us, that we were carrying on and we thought it was important. You know what we were doing. I'd like to think of.[00:53:02] I think there's probably a reason I can't really remember. Yeah. Fair enough.[00:53:10] I met a lot of great guys from, you know, Dwight Yoakum who get hit a lot of times gets a bad rap for being, not such a pleasant human, to Lee. So I really love, [00:53:20] you know, Kevin Fowler. I could go on and on. You know, I don't know. I guess there, there was no real big defining moment where I saw someone pass out and fall on the ground.[00:53:31] Cause I certainly saw that. Right. You know, and all sorts of things that shouldn't be backstage there backstage you see there. And you know, I think it's just the, what I enjoyed about is just the collective. just being a part of helping these guys do what they're doing. You know, I like hospitality.[00:53:51] I figured that out about myself over the years, maybe we like making them feel good about being there and you see how these guys live. It's, you know, some are a really great professionals, you know, and some of them are just making it from party to party. Right. You know, and you, you see all of that. Sure.[00:54:09] See the guys who won't touch a single drop of alcohol until they're backstage after the show. And then you see guys who stumble in to, you know, at three o'clock and their shows at 10 o'clock and you're like, Holy shit, they're going to make it on stage. [00:54:27] Michael Moore: [00:54:27] Right. [00:54:29] Concho: [00:54:29] And so I don't know, it was such a big kaleidoscope of things that happened back there.[00:54:35] Yeah, I've had a few artists asked me to sign my name, you know, next to theirs when, Oh, when we signed the wall. And, and that was great for me to be a part of it. And, you know, we recorded a few albums of Billy Bob's albums were there, and I think that's sort of a dying art form there, but, I don't know if that's real viable business model or long-term anymore, but that was certainly fun.[00:54:59] We recorded Billy Joe shaver. I believe I was when I was there. It's a good one. And you know, then the festivals, right. We, I did for Willie's pig next while I was there. And those are each collections of 20 plus pans, you know, and that kind of cadence to gear up for that, put that on for a day. And interact with all of them in that way and live physically, I could live that experience, right.[00:55:28] It's a lot of fun, you know, and it told us we could do it. And that's what gave us the confidence that our team could do it in other countries and other cities and things like that. [00:55:38] Bob Wierema: [00:55:38] I was going to ask you, as you kind of look back on some of your experiences there and even through what you went through.[00:55:44] Is there anything that if you look back, I know hindsight's always 20, 20, but you'd say, man, I really wish I would've done this differently. Or I did play my cards kind of the way I would play them. If I look back today, [00:55:58] Concho: [00:55:58] gosh, it's hard to say, you know, There was the business had been around for 30 years when I showed up.[00:56:06] And you would think that there would be all sorts of systems in place and, you know, it would be more advanced and I probably should have done my due diligence more. I talked about that a lot, you know, and when we came in, I started doing really innovative things like. Adding some HR, you know, budgeting, right?[00:56:26] Yeah. Who would have thought cleaning up the GL and you know, it was such a Malay of coming from nowhere to something you could really get your hands around on a monthly basis [00:56:40] that. You know, all those business decisions after business decisions, after personnel decisions, you know, there were so many of them that we had to get through so fast.[00:56:49] I couldn't point you to one, you know, that I wish I would have done that differently. I think that, you know, the, the biggest obstacle coming in, which I didn't realize was, was going to be my family. I thought there was just more. Yeah, there certainly love and understanding and relationships there, but that's not what it takes in business, you know, and I didn't realize the extent, Bob of how much my dad and stepmother bill about was a part of their identity, you know, and I probably could have seen more of that in advance and prepared some kind of plan around that, you know, I thought I treated them respectfully when, when Pam decided to retire massive events and parties and things like that.[00:57:41] But it was, I didn't anticipate that it was, they would have such a hard time letting go and it wasn't like I was pushing them out the door, but they knew they had to go. It was time for the new degenerations, but all the owners were asking for right. But it still came back to me. It was, it was, I was the catalyst for it and I don't think they ever really got over.[00:58:05] I don't know what the Brian antidote to that would have been.[00:58:09]Bob Wierema: [00:58:09] Yeah, no, it's, it's interesting because as we've had these conversations here with other, folks in business, you know, the family aspect comes into the conversation and, you know, you get both sides of it. It worked out really well. And then.[00:58:22] You get the side, we're a desert knit. [00:58:24] It's I mean, it's hard. It just puts a [00:58:27] totally different dynamic into a partnership. Cause your point when money and greed and ego gets involved with it and it's family, it's tough. [00:58:36] Concho: [00:58:36] Yeah. And I think that. You know, the whole imposter syndrome thing, like the probability that happened when it's a family situation is I think amplified because parents always have this, some amount of separation between who they are, their, their work life and how their kids perceive them.[00:58:56] And when I got to Billy Bob's, I mean, you just, this whole chapter opens up of well, Damn, I didn't, I didn't know that about you guys. And, you know, I think, you know, I was the smart Yale MBA, right. That was your, you know, fixing everything. And I'm sure I made some mistakes in there with what we did. The results were happening though.[00:59:21] And, you know, I think it bothered, I think my success bothered them in some ways and they felt like they might've been the, you know, the, the generation that. Then maybe they weren't there with the technologies and, and all the things that we were doing. And, I think it bothered them. They, I think they described some of that to me, unfortunately.[00:59:41] And, yeah, there's probably some lessons in there how to handle that better. I felt like I was going slow, but Mayo wasn't going slow enough. [00:59:51] Michael Moore: [00:59:51] Well, yeah. I mean, speed in business is defined by the individual. Right. [00:59:56] So, [00:59:56] I mean, it. Well, it seems slow to you and your sort of [01:00:00] worldly knowledge you were bringing back to sleepy old Fort worth.[01:00:05] Although I would say we're, we're very much in a Renaissance phase now again, I mean, it's, it's, that's interesting perspective, you know, one thing that, I mean, I guess the, for me, like the good in all this, right? Cause we've talked about the legal system we've talked about. Money. We've talked about money, influencing the legal system.[01:00:25] Like I go back to that room though. And it's like, that's where business and art and careers, like all just met. And for that moment before they went on stage and they're inscribing their name on the wall, it was like, all that was just perfect. So, you know, I don't know how this is all going to turn out.[01:00:47] Maybe you can give us a little. Light into the future of what you think, but you certainly created a really special place. And we thank you for that. [01:00:59] Concho: [01:00:59] You know, I, wasn't part of it for, you know, a lot growing up. cause my dad was involved for years and years and you know, I got the opportunity to be president for seven years and then plus, or minus a year of being thrown in and out of the building.[01:01:13] I'm not sure what I created, but I feel great about. Pushing forward. Something that felt really authentic, you know, and when we created the vocabulary of our culture, when I was there, authentic was our first word and I still like that. And that's still one of my favorite sort of cultural words. It felt good to be a part of it.[01:01:39] You know, I don't know how it's going to turn out. I don't know. Obviously what the live music world is going to look like has changed a little bit over the past few months. [01:01:49] Michael Moore: [01:01:49] Yeah. [01:01:50] Concho: [01:01:50] I still love live music, you know, we've, we didn't touch on my bands when I was growing up. We can do that later, but, I love it.[01:01:59] I love hospitality, you know, festivals. I don't know what's going to happen at Villa. Doug's a, hopefully it endures, it will be 40 years old next year. And. You know, I think there's still a lot of good things going for it, you know? And it's, there's still a lot of the original owners hanging on is hopefully we have some permanent shifts here where it can, you know, grab a hold of the new that instill, intersect that with the old, you know, and it can, it can happen.[01:02:30] I'd like to see it happen on a global scale. That's where the real. That's why I took the job. That's, what's exciting about it to me, you know? it's not being managed that way now. There's no global vision there now. And hopefully that gets reignited somehow, you know, cause it really is a nice representation of Fort worth for Texas or in some ways America.[01:02:53] Michael Moore: [01:02:53] Right. You know, do you have any thought on what live music does look like? You know, post figuring out COVID-19 [01:03:06] Concho: [01:03:06] got it. You know, I've really been, just been drug into that in a very detailed way in the past few weeks. because we're the ability that is reopening. Right. And so I've been asked to, to weigh [01:03:20] in.[01:03:20] And talking a lot of my friends at AEG and live nation and things like that. And it's, I really don't know. I mean, I've got to think that the outdoor festival has an advantage, you know, for some right. And maybe that's self-serving because that's what I really love. Sure. You know, I think that's practical for this fall.[01:03:43] Maybe. maybe a little bit later, although most of them are getting canceled. I think you can. I see some real premium, live music entertainment experiences where you can have a lot of space. If I build my own venue, you know, if I get in the music business again, that's probably what I'll do a smaller super-premium is a venue.[01:04:01] I think there's, there's plenty of room to do, you know, 500 or a thousand person shows like that. And that'll be easier too. If people have this ongoing, you know, contagion mindset, you know, whether it's COVID 1920, 21, whatever it is, then they're going to think about that. And. I think it ultimately break down into different, you know, demographics that feel like they're okay to go be shoulder to shoulder with somebody and other people who, who don't, or just don't want to, you know, we're hearing that all the 20 somethings right now, or have the COVID cases are spiking big time.[01:04:41] Right. Because they don't, they're not doing to counter it. Right. I don't even think my 19 year old washes his hands, but. yeah, so I, I really, I wish I had more structural thought than that, but, you know, it's, you know, people are just, you know, my friends in the live music business are really more into like the near term of saving their company.[01:05:08] There's I thought for a long time, there's a, there's a big virtual. There's some opportunities to do, first reality type experiences with music. I still think there's a lot of frontiers there that have not been tapped ticketed events sitting virtually in a seat at a YouTube concert or whatever it is, you know, but, so maybe that accelerates a little bit.[01:05:33] Bob Wierema: [01:05:33] It's interesting. I just today, so, Michael knows Mumbai. My fiancé's a professional ballerina and the Joffrey ballet here in Chicago. And she got the note today. That they're canceling season for the year. [01:05:48] And so for, [01:05:49] you know, for an artist and somebody that's her career and that's her passion and what you grew up doing, you know, she's really struggling with like, what's, what's next?[01:05:59] Like, what do I do? I just kind of got this ripped away from me a little bit. How do I, how do I think about how I can do this? And then I'm thinking about the fans that go in the people and just all that community. That's just struggling right now around. We're not having, you know, to your point. I can't go to an outdoor concert.[01:06:16] I can't do these things that I love. They're a part of my life where my social circle, you know, it's, it's, it's tough right now. [01:06:23] Concho: [01:06:23] Was it her season? Just canceled? Going forward into 2021. [01:06:28]Bob Wierema: [01:0

  Baseball legend Billy Martin built a reputation of resurrecting losing clubs throughout his career. In Dale Tafoya's new book, "Billy Ball", he details the three seasons when Martin returned to his hometown of Oakland and led the Athletics and their fans on a magical ride. On this episode of the Silvi Knows podcast, Tafoya describes the lengths A's owner Charlie Finley would go to save money (2:00) and covers the heated rivalry between the A's and Angels, which was fueled by a fiery Martin (10:20). Other topics include the time Martin destroyed his office on a day the A's set an all time attendance mark (19:30).   Martin had unique ways of motivating his players, either by angering them or threatening to send them to Seattle (17:00). He also had a way of angering opponents, like calling a successful triple steal against the Tigers that sent a few of their players into a rage in the dugout (15:30). Martin even had a few of his own players beat him up in the shower (22:00). It's all on this week's Silvi Knows podcast.

The author of Billy Ball, Dale Tafoya, discusses his book on the 1980-82 Oakland A's with Jacob Kornhauser.

The author of Billy Ball, Dale Tafoya, Zooms down with former Oakland A's president Roy Eisenhardt in this exclusive bonus episode.

  Cardinal & Pine managing editor Billy Ball (formerly a writer for The Sanford Herald), talks to The Rant about starting a news site from scratch, the state of journalism today and how his site has covered COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter protests in North Carolina. Hosted by Gordon Anderson, Billy Liggett and Jonathan Owens.

Cardinal & Pine managing editor Billy Ball (formerly a writer for The Sanford Herald), talks to The Rant about starting a news site from scratch, the state of journalism today and how his site has covered COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter protests in North Carolina. Hosted by Gordon Anderson, Billy Liggett and Jonathan Owens.

The author of Billy Ball, Dale Tafoya, speaks with former catcher Mike Heath about his relationship with Billy Martin and time in the major leagues.

Marty talks to author DaleTafoya about his latest book -- Billy Ball: Billy Martin and the Resurrection of the Oakland A's

Marty talks to author DaleTafoya about his latest book -- Billy Ball: Billy Martin and the Resurrection of the Oakland A's

Author's week begins with Dale Tafoya, a lifelong Oakland Athletics fan who just released his second book on his hometown team, "Billy Ball: Billy Martin and the Resurrection of the Oakland A's." In the early 1980s, the Oakland A’s went from on their way to Denver, to remaining in Oakland and becoming the toast of baseball, and then crashing back down to mediocrity. In the middle of it all was flamboyant manager Billy Martin, who brought, as the commercials famously told us, "a different brand of baseball." Tafoya's detailed research reveals how close the A's came to leaving for Denver, why they stayed in Oakland, how many times Martin was almost the A's manager before starting in 1980, and how Billy Ball put the A's on the covers of the biggest magazines.   

Former A's owner Wally Haas talks with Susan Slusser about his family's tenure with Oakland from the days of Billy Ball, A World Series title and an unprecedented work stoppage that has parallels to today. Plus, who was his favorite player? | A’s Plus Newsletter: sfchronicle.com/asnewsletter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 376 of Hittin' Season, the HS Book Club is back with a couple great interviews. First, we talk to Keith Law about his new book, "Inside Game: Bad Calls, Strange Moves, and What Baseball Behavior Teaches Us About Ourselves," a fascinating look into the psychology of decision-making that manifests itself in life and baseball. Then we chat with Dale Tafoya about his book, "Billy Ball: Billy Martin and the Resurrection of the Oakland A's," a terrific book that looks back at the A's of the late '70s and how manager Billy Martin returned to the Bay Area and turned them into winners overnight with sheer brilliance (and the help of Rickey Henderson!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1980, baseball's most controversial and colorful manager took over the lowly Oakland A's. The result was a tumultuous three-season reign that may well have saved baseball in Oakland. Author Dale Tafoya joins us to discuss the era of Billy Martin, Rickey Henderson and Charlie Finely. 

The door of opportunity to be saved is slowly closing. Make your way to the ark of safety while you can.

If styles make fights, then Norm Stewart and “Billy Ball” proved the cliche true. It's all here: Fast breakin', high scorin'. And long 2s? You bet! Plus, it's another high point for the Doug Smith and Anthony Peeler era and a reminder of how good Nathan Buntin was. Please join Blake Stark and me on another Flashback down Mizzou Memory Lane. The watch-along video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43EjHbLnESc Subscribe, rate, and review! And tell a friend, why don't ya? Follow the show everywhere @ForOldMissouri ForOldMissouri.com YouTube.com/ForOldMissouri Follow Blake on Twitter: @TLBStark Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Kyle Long talks with Indianapolis funk legend Reggie Griffin about his journey from playing sax with Billy Ball and The Upsetters as a teenager, to forming Manchild with Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds in the '70s, to his work producing iconic hip-hop beats for Sugar Hill Records in the 1980s.

This week, Kyle Long talks with Indianapolis funk legend Reggie Griffin about his journey from playing sax with Billy Ball and The Upsetters as a teenager, to forming Manchild with Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds in the '70s, to his work producing iconic hip-hop beats for Sugar Hill Records in the 1980s.

This week, Kyle Long talks with Indianapolis funk legend Reggie Griffin about his journey from playing sax with Billy Ball and The Upsetters as a teenager, to forming Manchild with Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds in the '70s, to his work producing iconic hip-hop beats for Sugar Hill Records in the 1980s.

This week we talked with 84 Lumber’s VP of National Sales, Billy Ball, on what’s changed in the construction supply business over his 30 years in the industry and why it’s destined for growth.

On this week's episode of the WUNCPolitics Podcast, Billy Ball, of NC Policy Watch, and Elena Schneider, of Politico, join WUNC Capitol Bureau Chief Jeff Tiberii to discuss the latest political news.

Andy Dolich's career has spanned over 40 years, with just about every type of sport imaginable. Dolich recalls his early days with the Philadelphia 76ers, Maryland Arrows, Washington Capitals and Washington Diplomats. But Dolich's 15-year stint with the Oakland Athletics helped set him apart, revitalizing the Bay Area Major League Baseball team that only 326 season tickets, increasing it to over 16,000. Dolich refined the Athletics into "Billy Ball" with a marketing campaign that is credited with rebranding the entire ball club into the image of then-manager Billy Martin. Dolich shares his insight into the growth of sports marketing, especially gaining shared knowledge through peer-to-peer industry conferences, as well as his short-time at the Golden State Warriors. Dolich talks about how the relocation plans of the Vancouver-to-Memphis Grizzlies came about, as well as his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers. Twitter: @Koufish

Bill Chuck of Billy-Ball.com joins us to give his opinions on the two New York Teams. Arod is approaching some of the games all time greats on the home run list. Wayne McDonnell explains why we should or shouldn’t care about Arod’s pursuit of Barry Bond…we mean Hank Aaron’s record! Jay and Hawk will also touch upon everything fantasy baseball including who to “Pitch or Ditch” and prospects soon to be in the show. Jay is a Yankees Fan, Hawk is a Mets Fan, and neither can hit a curveball!

• Calypso King And The Soul Investigators "Investigator's Groove" • Ravi Harris & The Prophets "Hot Pants Road" • Kool & The Gang "Jungle Boogie" • Funkadelic "Sexy Ways" • Billy Ball & the Upsetter "Tighten Up Tighter (Feat. Roosevelt Matthews)" • Isaac Hayes "Never Can Say Goodbye" • Nina Simone "Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter" • Village Crusaders "Akiwawa" • Rufus Thomas "Do the Funky Chicken"