Tuesday, February 15, 2011

KUIPER 101



Every season I feel I've uttered the phrase more than once that "we" (as in the Giants team and fans) have the best broadcasters in the business. Of course Jon Miller is a shoe-in, I mean, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame in 2010 so that lends a lot of street cred. to my bragging rights. But beyond Miller and the newer edition of Dave Flemming, we've had the privilege of listening to and watching a pair characters named Kruk and Kuip for the past 20 years..

Why are they better than most? Hands down it has to do with their chemistry. Like in any successful relationship you either have it or you don't, and these two are like chocolate and peanut butter, apple pie and vanilla ice cream, Cable Cars and San Francisco. I am disappointed when their feng shui is interrupted by Fox Sports announcers or if one or the other is taking a game off because they are as much a part of the San Francisco Giants team as any of the guys in the dugout or on the field.

So, what does Urban Baseball Chick do in the off season when she's missing her Giants and her favorite announcers, she interviews one half of the dynamic duo of Kruk & Kuip......DUANE KUIPER!

If you're reading this and don't know who Duane Kuiper is, I'll give you the skinny. Duane Kuiper is a former MLB second baseman who played around the league with ball clubs such as the Cleavland Indians in the late '70's and then with the San Francisco Giants in the early 80's. Kuiper holds the major league record for most career at-bats with exactly one home run and on July 27, 1978, Kuiper hit two bases-loaded triples against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. He is one of only three Major League players to accomplish this feat. During his tenure as a radio and television announcer, Kuiper is a seven-time Emmy Award winner and called Barry Bonds 715th home run that surpassed Babe Ruth's record and was also the voice behind the final call of the World Series game in which the Giant's won.

Driving home from work, I psyche myself up to do the interview. This guy is the real deal, and although we've worked together in the past and have re-connected through friends in the last year, now I'm interviewing him for my blog. Different situation folks. So, for some well timed inspiration, Queen's "We Are The Champions" blasts through my car radio speakers and gets me pumped for my one-on-one with Kuip.


Here we go, phone ready, computer ready, I'm ready to roll:


UBC: What's the most memorable meal you've ever had on the road?

DK: "A couple of years ago....the Oceanaire (in San Diego), there were only four of us. Krukow, myself, (Jon) Miller, and (Dave) Flemming. Jon picked up the tab. Jon started us off with a taste of oysters from around the world, there were 75- 100 of them, then we went to caviar, then came the wine list. We all were laughing really hard throughout the dinner - which lasted three hours. A "three hour tour," like Gilligans Island. By the end of the night, we had no idea what we were laughing at."


UBC: Who are your top 3 Giants players as a broadcaster and why?


DK: "Hmmmm......ok, my top three. Robby Thompson., Robb Nen and Barry Bonds. This is not in any particular order though. Robby Thompson was a good guy and he played second base, the same position I played and I thought he played it the way it was supposed to be played."

"Nen was a great closer and a great, great guy. On KNBR we used to do a pre-game interview with the players and back then we would pay the guys $100 bucks for the interview. We were down in San Diego and I had my son Cole with me. Cole was 9 at the time. We did the interview with Nen and I gave him the $100 bucks and he turned around and gave it to Cole to keep. Fast forward to the next season and the same scenario with my son with me. We were on our way to the stadium and I asked him who I should pick to do the pre-game interview and Cole said Robb Nen and Cole got another $100 bucks."

(On Barry) "I felt special announcing him. It was an honor to announce every time Barry Bonds was up, he made me look good." 


UBC: What was your #1 World Series moment during the WS and during the WS Parade?


DK: "My number 1 World Series moment, not post-season? Ok, well, game 4, watching Bumgarner, a 21-year old kid, fabulous. That was a key game in the WS because the outcome was a 3 -1 lead in the series when it could have been 2 -2. Renteria could also be the best moment. You open up my iPad and I've got that homerun on. I've watched it 160 times."

"The parade was special in 100,000 different ways. Kruk and I had the first car in the parade and we were letting everyone know that we were number one. Three quarters of the way into the parade the car broke down. We were trash-talking everyone, bragging about being car number one and then we end up being car number 50. When the car died, we found our families on a  bus and hopped on. We watched our kids looking at this crowd. It was the most incredible, loud scene."


UBC: What's your favorite Giant's catch phrase?


DK: Giants Baseball......TORTURE.*


UBC: Where is your favorite place to decompress in the off season?


DK: "For many years, we went to Honolulu. Met my wife there, where we got married. As the kids got older and couldn't miss school, we would take an annual trip to St. Croix to play in a benefit golf tournament that raised money for orphans. They would fly in retired and/or current players. For a quickie. (Clears throat...) Excuse me, let me re-phrase, for a quickie trip, we love the Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay. When you're there, you could be in Ireland or anywhere."

UBC: We all have work husbands and work wives at our 9-5's, so is Krukow the wife or husband in this relationship?


DK: " I'm the play-by-play guy, so he's the wife. Not a nagging wife. Very supportive. He likes to make plans and sometimes, being the husband, I have to come in and say no and make the decisions. But, we spoon so it's great."


During our post interview chat Kuiper and I talked Spring Training and that another season of torture was right around the corner. He also wanted me to encourage my readers to sign up to follow my blog, otherwise, it could get ugly folks and he'll be sharing his spooning time between you and Krukow.

Until next time......Go Giants!






* Editors Note- Giants Baseball......TORTURE was a catch phrase that Kuip actually started. If UBC  did a little more homework, I wouldn't have felt like a total d.b. asking that question. Oh well, you live and you learn.*