(00:00:10) Good morning, and welcome to the first hour of midday, Minnesota Public Radio. I'm John Ray be in for Gary eichten. Tonight is the northern League's All-Star Game teams, like the st. Paul Saints and the Sioux Falls canaries and the Madison black wolf take a few days off and send their best players to Fargo home. The RedHawks players. Most of them who would desert their teams in an instant. If even the Minnesota Twins gave them a call which is part of the odd charm of Northern League Baseball and specifically the st. Paul Saints. If you want to see the world's best played baseball, you're better off going to the Metrodome to see whoever is playing the twins this home stand but if you want the total experience of baseball, then you head for Midway stadium in st. Paul and hope you can get into a chronically sold out Saints game. It's there you can sit outside and watch baseball and perhaps feel for a moment that you're not just a pawn of big Sports business. The Saints are about a nun giving back rubs a pig bringing the game balls to the Umpire and inflatable sumo wrestling. But according to our guests in this our midday. There's something else there Neil Karlin joins us he's Author of the new book slouching toward Fargo which Chronicles two seasons. He spent with the st. Paul Saints. Thanks for coming in. Thanks a lot for having me in and listen Catherine great. You're a hard problem, you know, like in Vaudeville, you never want to come in after the great at you know, but so and last hour when she was juggling that chainsaw. Yeah and eating an apple. That was amazing. It was you know, they say vaudeville's dead. I say Catherine land for is there any way she was great. Anyway, it was that was what you said was great. I wish I had had that for publicity materials. I also tried to make it it's not a baseball book, but it's also sort of a mid weird-ass mid at Midwest travelogue as well as an indictment of celebrity journalism because I sort of hooked up with them via Rolling Stone, which I guess we'll get to later where I was supposed to go and hatch at one of their co-owners the movie star Bill Murray. So but yeah, it started as a magazine assignment and it sort of turned into this book like thing one question. I get most from midwesterners. I'm gonna have been they've been touring the book at the Avon. It was like why would anyone care about what goes on in Sioux Falls on a Saturday night or st. Paul for that matter outside Sioux Falls or st. Paul when in fact the st. Paul Saints are the most famous minor league team in the country 60 Minutes to denied him. I've done three stories the New York Times on them and they're really a phenomenon, but they stand for something and also they've almost come to stand for st. Paul and their battle with Minneapolis Minneapolis who always look down or just ignored st. Paul. I sort of used the Minneapolis Tribune in particular Patrick Roy sees columns as the you know, symbol of Minneapolis is arrogance towards younger sister. So it was also the summer that Darryl Strawberry's their Ila borders. The first woman pitcher ever was there. I mean just things were opening up around me Jack Morris Jack Morris. And so there were real major-league stars who had millions of dollars mixed up with guys who were one twisted ankle away from working, you know selling slushies. At the local set the 7-Elevens helps a lot. / he's I don't ever get them. Now. They're selling potato cakes at the Arby's drive-thru. Yeah it is that what is the that extra thing that I was trying to put my finger on about the Saints this whole, you know convoluted psychological picture, isn't it? Yeah it more what my perfect puts on the wall at the same stadium. That fun is good. And it's fun to go to a Saints game. Yeah, that's a big part of it. That's a major part of it. A lot of the reviews have stuck. You know, that fun that that is that memo but it's funny because it's not just about everyone on this team has screwed up somewhere or they wouldn't be on this team including Mike vac. He had thrown the biggest disaster in Major League promotional SV disco demolition night, which is now used as sort of an epochal event and is a whit stillman's movie the end of the Disco era it's shown footage from that and soon the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but he that we should stop this is at a White Sox game. Mike van, right the guy Was the first president of the st. Paul Saints decided to do this promotional deal that would be very much like his father Bill Veeck. He thought and they would have disco demolition night and burn records burn disco records when we are well, I'm a writer we leave transitions out. It was 1979 and he was 25 and it was a there was a haze of marijuana smoke over the stadium and running find a riot turned out and he was shamed and kicked out of baseball. So from the top on down including me, it's a memoir. So you have to read about me which is the least interesting part. But also, it's me trying to First sort of, you know, get in good with these hard to talk to celebrities. So they'll give me the dirt so I can read Hatchet jobs on them for articles Darryl Strawberry Bill Murray, but it's also me my life falling apart like these players life and learning through this team how to how you know, the actual healing effects of this team which Mike vac always said it had and he still owns the team he's still president. He doesn't want to sell the team but Always had scar tissue is the most beautiful thing in life and it's to everyone had screwed up. That's why Darryl Strawberry always interesting his time there. It's really a drag what's just happened? And so this is why people like going to the Saints games. No, it's also the smell of grass and and and sounds like I'm sorry, but this sounds like you know 12-step land stuff as opposed to just going out and having a good you not met your higher power. Let's hug. Okay. Give me a hug. No, don't give me a hug. It's it's there's that part that was the part that interested me was like running away and joining the circus and ceasing how the circus works. But the real thing is the smell of grass in August in Minnesota is the greatest smell in the world and who is going to go in to see the crappy twins inside. Everyone is depressed in there. You need Prozac to being you know, that should be pumping that through the vents and it costs a hundred bucks to get in there. You can go out and have a beer and it's just it's baseball the remove the way you sort of romanticize it when you were the first You into a game with your dad when you're 6 or 7 and it all comes back even though these are not the greatest players in the land. They're trying they're not guys with 15 million dollar contracts who liked who if they Twisted an ankle that's five grand five million. Oh, these are guys who make making $1,200 a month. His girlfriends are working at the man theater ripping tickets who if they twist their ankle. It's over there Drew they and that's much more dramatic and interesting. There's been a lot of interest. I mean, I got out east in Bill Murray that gosh took my off and my it's a different at every stage. Sometimes they put your you know, you can have to disinfect afterwards it, you know, the whole idea that to be a movie star he has to find a place in the middle of nowhere which they consider st. Paul to be to be happy. Let me toss out the phone numbers listeners can get involved in our conversation about the st. Paul Saints. They're supposed healing power will be talking with Neil Carlson. One author of slouching toward Fargo for the next 45 minutes or so and I'm not a 12-stepper. Okay, although now, I'm gonna get hate mail stepper. Maybe I'm gonna get a I'm gonna get I'm gonna get mail. You know it may or the phone numbers 6512276 thousand in the Twin Cities 6512276 thousand or 1-800 to four to Twenty Eight. Twenty eight one eight hundred two four to Twenty Eight Twenty Eight. So there's a bunch of people listening who have never gone to a Saints game. Give us an idea of what yeah, I mean to me a lot of the least entries interesting aspects. I'm in the book was what was going on in the field, but it's just they have fireworks after most games and it's just the smell of the grass. It looks like a baseball game and there's nuttiness everywhere. You can get your hair cut for five dollars in a actual Benedictine nun will give you a massage and it's all They're stick everywhere. I mean one radio station broadcasts from a tree house located in the Outfield this key. Yeah, it's not it's not even the game. He's broadcasting. It's just his show and he's in a treehouse. Oh, there's nothing in this always going in and it's that to mask the the sometimes bad playing on the field. Now will Mike vac who for the price for my book wants to contact the ghost of Jack Kerouac. I don't know if that'll actually which he said it's his 30th anniversary of his death and some reviews. They can you know, the parts of me finding Buddy Holly's were his plane crash and stuff like that that ought Jack Kerouac so he I hope I get to do that if there's nothing is going on it's there and now it's funny the twins are copying them now, but it's in a very corporate way. They're like, let's have fun, you know, it's like choreograph fun. It don't work that way and it also doesn't cost that much and there's a Miss. There's an idea that you can't get in there. I mean, I'm not you know, I don't work for them. I'm not showing for them. But if you go to the ballpark you can get in. And it's just it doesn't cost a lot of money the grass smells real the players are hitting curveballs their errors and hit, you know, I mean, it feels like a girls in their summer dresses and you know, Irwin shots happy and how much of this is because and the Saints have been consistently selling out. They've been doing really well from year one and you can't ignore the fact that Mike Becca's and and its Partners have been making some money on this isn't making a lot of money. Yeah, but how much of this is due do you think much of the success is due to the fact that the twin started falling apart right about the time that the that the Saints started up again back in 1993. So you've got the you've got the twins not doing very well. You've got the whole fight over the stadium happening. You've got the major league baseball strike with the Saints be anything. Now if those things hadn't happened those things all helped. I mean, I don't know if you remember but when the team first they started selling out right away, they've got like the national record for most consecutive sellouts, but it was the Take it in town and like Minneapolis. St. Paul's very what is the hip ticket in town? So they rode that for a couple years and then these other developments have kept it sort of a hot ticket for years past the normal cycle. So the fact that you can go and have fun outside definitely helps and I think it's especially now that st. Paul may get the ballpark. It's really it really meant a lot it showed st. Paul was behind it 17 minutes past eleven o'clock. It's midday and Minnesota Public Radio John Ray be sitting in for Gary eichten and Neil Carlin is our guest. He's written a book about the Saints called slouching toward Fargo. Our phone numbers are 6 512276 thousand in the Twin Cities or 1-800 to for to 2828 call up with your question about the Saints here comment about what makes them work, or why you would never go to a Saints game if we paid you 6512276 thousand or 1-800 to for to 2828 Bruce welcome to the show. Thanks for calling up. (00:11:11) Thank you. I'm calling from my car, but I'm from Fargo where we have. The RedHawks that have been wildly successful and my luck in the last two weeks. I had a chance on one Sunday to see the Orioles at Camden Yards and the following Sunday the Cubs at Wrigley Field and I just called to say that I think the Saints and the Red Hawks are closer to the experience you get at those big city ballparks and the twins are in the Metrodome by far and I concur with the statement on the smell of the grass a hot dog to taste great fun atmosphere good baseball wind going through the air as you're sitting. It was just a thrill. (00:11:56) Yeah, Bruce. Thanks for calling up to sharing win. But Bob Dylan should buy the twins wouldn't it be great, you know, he's kind of like that backlog is worth tens of millions. Anyway, I'll get her and okay, so Mike Vick. Yes, he still owns the team. Yeah, the owner the first president the one who said do this, let's make this insane. Yeah, what's his what's his personal? I we've said it's personal philosophy is you know partly fun is good. But really you're able to spend a couple of years with them. Yeah, what moves him it's interesting because I was the first time I met him. I wrote a small piece who was called - oberer and the New York Times magazine sort of not poking fun. But pointing out that this was recovery land and I pointed out the Saints has sort of a recovery team though. It isn't at all and isn't officially that and that was time. She can I thought it was the biggest puff piece wet kiss ever and he went nuts ballistic like yelling like I've never heard before. Here's a guy who at 25 had a dream job because of his father. He's in charge of marketing for the Chicago White Sox in the major leagues. He blows it with the biggest disaster. I mean, it's worse than being Frank Sinatra jr. Right riots are bad and right cause one day it was like they were 12 forfeits in the history of major Lee and he and it's shamed his father. So he you know, the one mark on his career was blamed on his father. So he drifted for 12 years and you know, drank his way to Florida where he's hanging sheet. Well, no one would hire him. He was blackballed and finally Bill Murray and some other investors gave him this job running a minor league club and it's it's what made him and then when he got the Saints he didn't have money. They gave him his share out of Sweat Equity. He would be there every day and he ran it and for that he got 25% which is, you know, Common and restaurants or whatever and it took it, you know, and but he was at the bottom which is why it's funny the way the guy called from Fargo at one thing I got a lot was are you making fun of Fargo with the title slouching? Fargo and part of it was because my Eastern editor and actually all my Easter Eggers or what all they think of the Midwest is Fargo and Fargo and Fargo Minnesota, that's all and but also it comes from the play. I mean the poem by Yeats where he's talking about slouching to Fargo to be reborn which is everybody in the team falling apart including me ending up in Fargo where the Saints win the championship just one year. I follow them for a couple years. So it's about Fargo is the place of redemption and it's all you know, and how every city has its own thing. They love Elvis impersonators in Sioux Falls. I mean, they're not they just love Elvis impersonators. Whereas in Sioux City, they're more into you know, a pickup truck with two big speakers and woman singing Shania Twain songs. It's interesting. Yeah, it's before I mean we can save a few trees here Yeats wrote about slouching towards Bethlehem Denis. Oh transition problem again right slant right, but it's also a play on all of them. You know, it's this is where you get Read you can yeah. Okay. This is why I'm not in radio. But also the Joan Didion thing and slouching towards Bethlehem where she said the one thing to remember is writers are always out to sell you out and it was me learning in the book. Don't do it this time. Let's let's talk about that. Let's take this call First Michael from Osceola. Thanks for calling (00:15:15) up high. Yeah. I just had a chance to really look through your book and it looked very interesting. I had a question about Bill Murray. It kind of sounds like he not very pleasant person to be around but I really liked his work kind of person was he (00:15:36) like he was actually a great person which was the assignment I had was to go he had the reputation as being a jerk in real life and my assignment was to go nail him. He was almost impossible to find he never given interviews. He doesn't have a publicist and it was to hang out with the Saints and nail him but it turned out he was a He great guy and it was just Hollywood personality journalism. Yeah, who assigned you to nail? It was rolling stone ride been on staff or five years in New York and also my for a couple years in Minneapolis, and I've been doing work for them to so how they put a young inventor what called you up that the publisher and said nail Bill Murray. Yeah. Well when I pitched it to them because I pitch stories, you know, two different magazines and they wanted like Bill Murray because he was famous for being a jerk and one of the reasons he's famous for being a jerk is that he made so much money and Ghostbusters that he has so much money that he can say those words. You can say two bosses so you you know translated as no. Yes, and so he does to Studio Executives or someone in being rude to him in the parking lot of the Saints game and they would leak it. You know, these Executives were used to having people just kissing their behinds all day. I couldn't believe it would call their friends in the gossip columns. Arms, but he was actually a great guy gave me 20 hours of interviews. And so if you read the whole book, you actually find me sort of struggling. I had enough stuff. I try to show how using the same actions you can either make a hatchet job or a puff piece the same quote and I just showed it with Bill Murray how I could have still nailed them, even though I did find them in to be a nice guy, but my orders were to get him people want to read bad news. They don't want to read you know, or at least Rolling Stone thinks people want to read the bad news about Bill Maher or do they really had to the the publisher there who luckily is the most despised editorial person in New York? So, you know, I made a poll of people should I go after this guy? Am I, you know blowing up The Bridge on the River Kwai, which is not a bad thing. Sometimes they all said, yes, by the way, they love watching other kamikazes go down. He had a personal grudge against Bill Murray that he'd been harboring for 20 years. That was well known when I was working at Rolling Stone, so, There was history and which made it all the more heinous and I don't make myself the Magnificent innocent in all this. I mean, I went out, you know, he ordered me in 94 to be the get the first interview with Courtney Love after Kurt Cobain blew his head off and I did it. I mean, that's evil that is Day of the Locust Ville, but you know, I wanted that check and so what are you doing in a case like that or a pair of better parallel? Maybe your Hatchet piece on Steve how the drug ridden ballplayer? Yes, which I had done in Rolling Stone 10 years ago when I was funny because I was then a political reporter at Newsweek just straight, you know, you know hair out I office going and then I became the Rolling Stone reporter was because that piece where I followed a similar minor league team made up of guys kicked out of the majors for drug offenses and being head cases etcetera, and I'd really burned a guy. I really burned everybody on the team. I mean got their confidence and then burned them and It turned out they were in the northern League when I was there. So I had to face them again and was interesting to face who you write about because a lot of reporters don't and it should but what are you doing? Okay, I mean somebody signs you to do a hatchet job. What do you do you you you know, you go to the team and you do what specifically on you get this it's rare. It's I think it's kind of like the mafia where it's not often said but it's understood. You know, they take out a contract hit. My first cover story for Rolling Stone was in 1984 for this terrible movie called perfect. It was out for about two seconds with John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis and and Ian winner and I was assigned to do a story, you know, the cover story on Jamie Lee Curtis and I knew the movie was terrible everyone knows terrible and I knew I had to write a total puff piece that would you know, this was Ian was in the movie so it'll be rare where they will say go right people but a lot of times will we get make it tougher make it tougher make it tougher and you and I both know how editorial with So they always AJ leaving at the Great Line about freedom of the press is restricted to those who own one and it's funny when you go after journalists, I only went after to and the whole book they have the they don't have a thin skin. They have no skin. The the exact people who will go after people year after year after year. You'll flip them and they freak out. It's 27 minutes past eleven o'clock. You're listening to midday on Minnesota Public Radio will pick up on this and just a bit. Let's go to Allen on the line for Minneapolis. Hi, Alan. (00:20:26) Hello. Hi neolution. Hi Alan kind of Mike either comment about what I like about the Saints and that's all of a sudden you're in an environment where you feel intimate with the players where you're sensing this competitiveness that I don't sense when I go to the Metrodome where it's all about money thinking about this players, you know, is he worth 4 million dollars or or You know what how much curl pull that is making off me right now. I don't get that sense when I go go watch the Saints and it's certainly a refreshing feeling. So to be able to do that. (00:21:11) So you don't mind that the what may be the overall level of play is a little bit lower. You're sensing the guys want to play more. (00:21:20) I'm sensing that they want to play more and I'm I'm not noticing that the at the level of play is any (00:21:26) less. Yeah, they're not semi pro players. There are guys who have just been cut so it's their dream has just been shattered their real baseball players, right? But they're not at the level of the New York Yankees some of them were the year before or were at AAA the year before if you haven't made it by the time you're 25, I didn't mean to cut you off balance or go back I guess but it's it's like being a rock star at 40 you better have made it by then. And so there'd be guys who had been cut who are doing well, but we're caught because they were 25. It was too late. Okay. Well, I stand corrected. I've seen a few games that so how often do you go to Saints games or wherever you can pick up a minor league game Alan (00:22:09) I go probably five six times a season not not that much but I don't go to the twins at all anymore. (00:22:18) And you do any the alcohol. The cheesy things to get the back rubber the haircut or if you ever wrestled in the suit. Yes, (00:22:24) which one which one I prefer the massage. Okay, and you know, the back rub is great. Just (00:22:34) she's a 73 year old nan. No remind people. Yeah. (00:22:37) And and did you ever play in a sumo wrestling one of those inflatable Sumo suits? No, I haven't. Okay. All right. Well, thanks for calling up Alan. Thank you. (00:22:47) 29 minutes past eleven o'clock. It's midday and Minnesota Public Radio John Ray be here with Neil Carlin and the news is coming up. I'm Lorna Benson on Mondays all things considered a small Lutheran Church in Northwest Minnesota tries to salvage it Cemetery, which is washing away due to two years of wet conditions and flooding. We've lost I suppose 15 to 20 feet of real estate (00:23:09) right over there in that northwest corner just dropped off. It's pretty sheer Cliff (00:23:13) that story on Mondays All Things Considered weekdays at 3:00 on Minnesota Public Radio KN o WF M 91 (00:23:20) one in the Twin (00:23:21) Cities and time for us now to check in with Greta Cunningham for a look at the news Greta. Thanks John. Good morning. President Clinton. Spokesman says the president is denying. He was physically abused as a child in an interview for talk Magazine first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton asserted that one of the reason for the president's infidelity is that he was scarred by abuse as a child in the article. Mrs. Clinton says the president was scarred by a feud between his mother and grandmother when he was four years old the argument centered on who would care for Clinton spokesman. Joe Lockhart says Clinton is comfortable with the views. His wife expressed. President Clinton has announced aid for drought-stricken Farms the president told reporters today that all of West Virginia and a number of counties in neighboring states have been declared disaster areas that makes Farmers eligible for low-interest loans. In addition Clinton says Washington is working with state and local officials to get water and hey to Farms were livestock May soon die the drought comes with Farm prices already at or near record lows Clinton says he's committed to working with Congress on fixing Farm policy. Clinton maintains flaws in the 1996 freedom to Farm Act are making Farm problems. Worse. A New York poll is showing Democrat Bill Bradley is gaining ground over vice president. Al Gore's lead for a presidential bid the poll shows Bradley now leads Republican FrontRunner George w-- Bush in the state while Gore and Bush are in a dead heat in Regional news officials from the Minnesota Twins in the city of st. Paul are reportedly discussing whether the public should profit from a future sale of the twins st. Paul Pioneer Press says negotiators. Hope to determine today how they will proceed. If City residents agree in a November referendum to raise local taxes for a new stadium. The main issue of the talks is how much the twins would ante up for a stadium Coleman has suggested st. Paul could pay a third of an estimated 300 to 350 million dollar Stadium the forecast for Minnesota today calls for partly cloudy skies Statewide. There's also a chance of showers in Northern and Central Minnesota high temperatures today mostly in the 70s checking current conditions around the region. Report sunshine and 68. It's sunny and Saint Cloud and 71 mostly sunny in Duluth and 68 partly sunny in Fargo and 68 and in the Twin Cities Sunshine a temperature of 73 degrees John. That's a look at the latest news. Thank you, Minnesota public radio's Greta Cunningham. Here are the phone numbers we're talking about the Saints. We'd like you to get involved six five. One two, two seven six thousand or 1-800 to for to 2828 6512276 thousand in the Twin Cities or 1-800 to for to 2828 Neil Carlson has just written a book called slouching toward Fargo. We found the Saints for a couple seasons in the has written a book about it. We're talking about it. We'd like you to get involved in the conversation Bill Murray one of the co-owners. Why did a movie star who could do anything get involved in the northern League team and it's interesting because he could literally owned a major league team and he has enough money. It's mostly he made a very good deal on Ghostbusters. Are you got a little piece of every you know, the marshmallow guy who got sold to get a piece of that. So he likes these kind of mud teams. A lot of his movies are kind of like that stripes or Caddyshack where he identifies with either the mutts are the really sleazy guys like the ones he used to plan Saturday Night Live and he got involved with minor league teams during Senate live when they did films that they brought back in the fall what they all did on their summer vacation and John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd started the Blues Brothers and Bill Murray had bought into this team in Washington and he found out he loved it. He could be there and not be Bill Murray movie star which it happened and it always sort of wanted to be a ballplayer. He loves hanging out with ball players and it's funny every single ball player be they in the majors or the lowest miners their favorite movie is Caddyshack, which isn't even about baseball, but has Bill Murray in that doing? I go, you know and bulb every saint is dying for Bill Murray to do that, which he does. He'll break into it but a description ad-libbed about the life and steep all of that. So we always he's a good guy story but it's like another case where the media is completely gotten the story wrong. I mean, it's well, what does he do on the team he shows up about it depends on the year some years. He's been here 10 or 11 times when he's he'll sell beer. So programs be on the radio coach third-base for an inning go out to the parking lot and eat hot dogs with the fans and he'll be very it's very strange when you're actually with a movie star. I mean, I was trailing him like a locust and he's walking out into the Saints parking lot and suddenly hear this low drone and then about 50 yards later took mmmm, and it's the movie start out your with a movie star and this is what he hears all the time. It was hundreds of people screaming his name running towards him. It was very scary to me and to him With just used to it. So these kind of places give him more respite although in st. Paul. It's harder and harder. He just bought the Sioux Falls team. Maybe he'll be able to get more peace there, but he does like to interact with the fans. He's selling beer and hanging out and talking with everybody and he brings his kids here, but I don't see I don't get it. I mean it why can he he sounds like from what you're saying? He still is but there are no rules in this league. It's not part of organized baseball to so he can make up not they can make up his own rules. No, he is a movie star. He definitely has the same getting away from it. I mean the writers ignore that he's a movie star. Yeah. They do really? Yeah and everyone with the Saints and most of the fans know to just be cool around bill, you know, not like who because it's just the quickest way to get him mad is to it's funny because it's just one of those things some Stars they have to be and I only know this not because I know stars but just from you know, the way you you interview celebrities and you know, For 30 minutes or something and a lot of them they need to be acknowledged as stars. But he still does live in Star time where he's not he doesn't run by the same clock as the rest of us. He remember he was playing catch warming up. He was going to throw out the first ball of a Saints game and they had a helicopter that was hovering overhead with a guy who's going to parachute with a baseball to give to him and then he was going to throw out the first pitch which he always does by throwing over the backstop at the Press interesting enough and I was interviewing him and it was you're never sure when you can get him and when you can't so I wasn't about to stop even though the game was this supposed to start so meantime, there's six thousand three and twenty nine fans against the RedHawks cheering bill bill bill bill. There's a helicopter going around the game is supposed to start and he was totally unaware of it. He wasn't being a jerk. He was just completely unaware that the world was waiting for him and like someone had to come over and say could you put your microphone away. He has we Yeah, the one thing that didn't ring true though was near the end of the book where Bill Murray wants to stay at this one game. And so they arranged to hold his plane didn't ring true. This is a nonfiction. That's at the airport and radio is Lord of the worlds. I'm just saying as Bill Murray nice guy. I mean, it makes a plane wait at the at the are now he takes the perks. Yeah, and and they do a police car escort down to the airport. But he lived the illusion was at his planner was no but it was also full of other people waiting and they had to wait for Bill Murray. If it was, you know, he made the decision he had to do which ways to fly off a set to get to that game, you know, making another set. So it's he lives he's a star there's no question but on the star jerk ohmmeter he is, you know way, you know at 12. Whereas I've met a lot of 99s Dale's on the line from Minneapolis. Hi Dale. (00:31:17) Hello. This is Dale presume. Skia the drummer out at the show the Arnie took was so In the band that plays in the magic has anemia outside and he Dale boy. What a great time. You know, when I was coming to the game here the other night, I wasn't sure whether or not it was going to happen, you know, whether it was going to go down. You know, the last time we played out there. It was a nice sunny sunny day and everybody had a good time. So as I'm traveling out there I'm going well. I better call the band better call up our knee and ask him if we're gonna be playing in boy. I'll tell you I just kept on that and I need for going in the st. Paul and got there and it was just let up raining just a little bit. So we're still open. We set up the set up the equipment and I was just awestruck that all the fans in everything come through the pouring rain and they stood out there and they listen to our band play for about 15-20 minutes and went back out to their car and deal gave it a while and came back into the game and it started raining and downpour and so I'm going well, we're going to stop and then I Look at Hernandez is no we're not stopping. We're going to keep playing all the fans that come so that's my own put that I just had a great time. I have are having a great time out there and I'm just really surprised at the support that the team's getting out there and (00:32:40) well, can you put your finger on why everybody will show up in the rain why the you know why the band will keep on playing why why all this happens at a Saints game? (00:32:50) I think it's the the people wanting to get together and just show their support that they can be supportive of a team. That isn't all about the monitor isn't all about the new stadium or isn't all about, you know, we're leaving town, you know, when professional team presents that type of a proposal to his what's support of the fans. I think a lot of people are Disenchanted by the fact of wanting to even participate in activities like that. Whereas the Saints game the people can just come and have a good time and there's no big pressures put on about all players this or anything. Other than that, I mean we're playing things on a ground level, you know, and that's I think is the most important thing because people can come and participate at a ground level as well. Do you understand (00:33:48) me? Yeah, and there is that. Hope aspect who because again, it isn't the weekend softball player 16 guys from the northern League have made it back to the majors or like Ray Ordonez of the Mets started with st. Paul. Dan Peltier was getting $1,000 for the Saints and then a year later was getting one point six six million a month with the Giants it does happen enough. So that dream can go on. But again, it's so funny because people wonder what is it about the Saints and people wonder that in the midwest. It's so funny out east. Where know And cares about the baseball or the northern lake which is all they care about is Ian winter in the media wears out west they want to know about Bill Murray and what scripts he's except. It's just very funny how different here where we actually see the team is the only place where the magic of this team is people even try to Define like you have which is very difficult to pin down. It's hard to describe what what it is and it's changed for me now that the book is come out and I'm now a civilian going there and they're realizing. Oh that's why you were taping everything. We never really thought you were writing a book and it happened the last time I wrote a book to it's that sort of so that's what you thought of me. So it's been a strange but it's fun. You have to pay attention did Bill Murray ever know that you were doing a hatchet job on him? He figured it out and the middle of the book which I actually make the prologue of the book. It's me sort of deciding. Can I do this? I've gotten Darryl Strawberry who's got this huge. Tension of New York Press following around to see if he'll start freebasing in Thunder Bay Ontario and Bill Murray was like, I'm not cooperating. I'm not cooperating. I don't do any he doesn't do any press even have a publicist and I kept talking him and talking and I showed how you work someone down and I was there every day and he said this story better be about Mike vac. This better not be about me. The only reason I'm going to do the stories because I Mike deserve some publicity. It's his good friend and I was like, yeah, this is about Mike, you know with my fingers crossed behind my back and thus the first so I don't make myself again the Magnificent innocent in this the first chapters me deciding I can't do this even if it means I have to you know, get a legitimate job and he said actually Bill Murray said you can hose me if you want. Yeah, don't hos microphone, right he knew right away and when I told him what was going on, it was yeah, he got it right away. But until the book came out and I could describe exactly what it went on. It was it was It was an interesting situation, but he knew right away because he's been hose before. Yeah, I'm I'm fascinated in this maybe this is too much of a sidebar here. But, you know being a journalist working in a newsroom. I can State on the record that we don't go out to hos people. Yeah, you know if it happens that somebody gets portrayed in a bad light we had MPR think that's because the you know, that's the actual fact that that somebody did this thing and when we show it in prove it rather than going out with the intent of hosing somebody yeah first and foremost how so for our listeners. How many stories in a magazine like Rolling Stone? Can you count on to be factual other magazines other, you know? Well, they're all factual a fact Checker those magazines are fact-checked Whenever two new think they're all fact checked and it's the tone of the article all the facts can be there a little obscure fact check but not big picture, right? Exactly. So it's this is the writers take on that person now almost every article Is a gushy article in all these magazines people reads like Rolling Stone reads, like because press agents now have the ability to control the writer the photographs. So they all sort of sound the same. You'll see a lot less hard-hitting stories and people are like, oh you were so brave to take on Ian when our people will not take on one of the least investigated. People are media Barons Rupert Murdoch Ted Turner Ian when Ur, it's like the Henry Luce syndrome and I would call up people like Jessica Tyrone these New York editors Dana O'Neal and I'd say am I committing career suicide by going after Ian winter and it turned out every editor writer who's dealt with him was like you are about to be the biggest hero ever and it was I hadn't everyone he'd ever done something terrible to was suddenly like ha you've been the Kamikaze plane, but I always already I've been working for seven years for other people anyway, so it was not as I was not as Avis some people thought I was you know, how to make Slurpee although I did the thing at I went after the Tribune for 330 pages and I mean I friends there so I'm not going to disrespect them at all, but they didn't quite get the point that I was using their treatment at the Saints as a metaphor for many apples treatment to the st. Paul. So I got the worst review in the country here, but I like it. It's hilarious. It's I attack them so touche let's go to Linda and st. Paul. Hi Linda. (00:38:46) Hi. I have two great stories to tell about the st. Paul Saints my husband and son went there earlier this summer and my husband forgot to turn his lights off and one of the general manager or one of the higher-ups came out. There was no one else in the parking lot. It was deserted. It was dark and off. I went to leave the parking lot came back when he saw them and jump their car and that made st. Paul Saints fans out of my husband and son forever and then a few weeks ago. They went to another game and my son and husband waited outside and several of the guys signed a ball from Fun and that one my son only had a pencil and one of the players asked to borrow another child's pain so he could sign my son's well actually in ballpoint pen. So they go all the time. They just went to the doubleheader Saturday night and they love (00:39:34) it take your daughters to see with Madison and see Ila borders. She became this huge child thing in Duluth and in St. Paul when she played yeah girls (00:39:46) were okay with (00:39:46) the ponytail. Yes. Do you guys go to twins games? (00:39:52) I know we don't know we don't have no interests. This is this is definitely where our heart lies Linda. Thanks for calling up. You're welcome. (00:40:02) Mike Vick should run the Twins and when they talk about st. Paul, you know Norm Coleman talking about we need new ownership, you know, Mike vet could run the team and not by they'll I mean that would be interesting to see what he had. He worked for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays this year, but if they could work out a plan where he would do the kind of promotion That could bring people in to the stadium and get enough people. It hasn't been broached before he tried to buy the Twins and he was laughed off by by polad because Clark Griffith was involved. Well, is it is it economically feasible? I mean we're talking about a the Saints are a much smaller economic outfit than even the twins at their pared-down state, right? Yes. I think it I mean I would I go to zero twins games right now and if they had an open air stadium that was nice and on the river, I would go to 22 wins games a year and eat out 22 more time. You know, I mean all add up all those dollars pay 20 times parking pay, you know Hubert Humphrey whose name is going to come down when that building comes down if it comes down to be replaced by some corporate, you know, the 3M building or something hockey arena or whatever it is. He's the one who said without these teams. We are just a cold Omaha and I'm not one of those Civic boosters like we need these teams. It's just what a drag I want to be able to take. Son to a Twins game outside, you know, I don't have a son but I'm you know someday maybe get wine. So could they still play lousy baseball the twins? I think so Mike vectoring the promotion's I would go to lousy baseball games. If the grass was mode that way they moment ballparks and peanuts taste the way and you know, hot dogs actually do taste different in ballparks than that. You take the exact same hot dog outside the ballpark at it, you know, take one's old factory thing. Yeah, it's true. I don't know what it is. I think one person told me that it was because they're cooked re-cooked in the hot dog juice at the Ballpark. I think it's psychological. Hmm But I'm still on the on the on the financial question darn those financial question, but I think this is fairly important. I mean because of polad or somebody. Were he to take our phone call might say yeah, that's fine for a small team. They can make money by doing goofy promotions and they can and they and they can fill the stadium a 5,000 seat stadium with this kind of promotion, but we can't do that in the giant metronome which holds but vac has so many access to Millions. Of dollars between a very wealthy cousin of his and Bill Murray. He has access to Major League money. So it's not like he's going he let me try these goofy things that worked down at the grade school. You know, I mean, it's it he's got the dough behind him and the onus of that original black ball call pole ads. He's he's from the old school and he bought this team. He thought he's gonna be a Civic hero he stepped and now he people he doesn't want to his lasting Legacy to be, you know, people despising him. So he's he is not going to move this team unless we force him to (00:42:54) Harvey from Blaine. Thanks for calling up. Hi. I'm a I'm a I'm a st. Paul Saints fan. Hi Harvey when I heard that Mike was going to be in town with the baseball team seven years ago. I went and found out where the office was and before anything was listed. I went and signed up for season tickets and have been so ever (00:43:11) since well since 1993 (00:43:13) then yeah, but one of the things that one of the six that one of the reasons the Saints our success is something That I think people kind of forget and that was the PA announcer for the first two years Al freshman. He was great. He was great. He turned the Saints into a place where you danced in the aisles. You stood up the old folks like me. I'm 71. We stood up and did the YMCA and we did all of that kind of crazy stuff and they did all kinds of stuff and elf trackman really got the idea of having fun going and and it's in it's been ever (00:43:47) since Harvey. Can I ask you some questions? Sure. So are you going to the games because it's about Redemption somehow like like Neil Carlson has been talking about a little bit. No are you going because you hate Minneapolis and I don't go cuz cuz everytime I'm not that much of a loser Albert (00:44:04) we go to the games because it's fun and it's fun to watch these kids play their heart and soul out because you know, this is the last chance and they know that they have to do the best they can and sometimes the best isn't very good. But the best they can they have to do it on every play. Are they able to be cut tomorrow? And and so but but but you see these kids work on their heart out. It's kind of like pretty sophisticated High School baseball, you know that one of the other things that happened last night or the night before last we had some people sitting next to us. And this was her first game time to the Saints and she said, you know, one of the things that's fun here is just watching the people and you get to watch the people because there's people all around you and they're not isolated like you are at this at the twins, you're right there with them and you're with all the people in there fun to watch and fun to be with the guy next to me for a couple of years was a university professor. And another guy is a is a president of a company, you know, we have all kinds of cats and we don't have any snob boxes. No snob (00:45:08) boxes. What about now? St. Paul women? What about that? Big hair? Come on, let's the what? I'm just I'm not making fun. Now every type of person goes there. I agree with you Harvey and it's it makes it part of the fun. Harvey thank you very much for your call. It's about eight minutes before noon. You're listening to midday on Minnesota Public Radio. John Ray be here with Neil Carlin. Just I take a bath when I disagree with you because you know when I said, I don't go there for Redemption, you know, like what kind of jerk goes to a ballpark for Redemption. What can I zhurko's anywhere for Redemption but his own conscience and heart but when you think of the motto fun is good, I go there for fun and fun. I found brought Redemption. It's slouched me to Fargo. Hmm. Let's take another call Lowell from Rochester. Just a couple minutes left. Low. Go ahead. (00:45:53) Yeah, I would like to mention first of all, I really appreciate the conversation because you guys aren't networking about issues. You're talking about baseball. However, I kind of wonder what mr. Collins choice of the turtle slouching toward (00:46:15) Fargo. Do you mean like it was an insult to Fargo or it didn't make sense? You see they were (00:46:21) going actual line in the poem is what rough Beast its hour come round at last slouches its way toward Bethlehem to be born. So that all that poem was not only about the second coming of Christ was also about The Rebirth of the Beast I'd like your comment on that but (00:46:42) why is it hold on just a second both you why would it be wrong to use this in the in the title? (00:46:47) I don't know if it's wrong or not. I just like to I'd like an (00:46:50) explanation. Okay? Okay. It was it had nothing to do first of all whatsoever with Christ. I this is a completely irreligious not irreligious. It was it had nothing to do with that passage and I never read it that way but the part he mentioned that low mentioned is exactly the point of the book. I was reborn you go. You know In this passage you were a rough Beast. I was a rough Beast. I was I was a mess which I described I make myself the biggest jump of the book. So it's like well, I'm sitting here on Mount Sinai, you know, darning everyone knows I'm not swearing I make myself the biggest jump of all but it's it was about being reborn exactly what the poem said one minute left. Can the Saints Kitt if veck sells out if he's no longer involved with the team. Yes, totally Bill Fanning's great and Mike Webster just great shape on the PA and with that castaing I just talked to him last week. He's he likes it. He's not going anywhere, right but it can sustain if in fact he does. Yeah, no bill. He's the troops are it's there, you know, so it's which is great. It's not going to like suddenly disappear and it's written this curve for quite some time. Usually things don't get hip for very long in the Twin Cities. We like that next hot thing, you know the twins it's funny because six years ago, remember people 3 million people when riots, you know would go through and now it's like you can't pay people to go see the twin. So they've had a very good run and it looks like it's going to keep going on. Thank you very much for coming in. Hey John, thanks for having me Neil Carlin author of slouching toward Fargo a new book about the st. Paul Saints. Thanks to all our callers to in this hour of midday. Chinese leaders were shocked in April when 10,000 members of a spiritual group materialized in Beijing to Stage a silent protest. The sect known as falun gong has now been banned and Chinese authorities have begun a Crackdown of its followers and called (00:48:45) for the arrest of its (00:48:46) leader who is based in the US. I'm Melinda pankova will examine the falun gong on the next Talk of the Nation from NPR news doc of the nation 1 2 3 weekday afternoons on Minnesota Public Radio. Now it's time for our daily feature writers Almanac with Garrison.