Play x Play with Bob rathbun
We had the opportunity to get to know the man behind the microphone - Bob Rathbun. You hear him talk about the Hawks all the time - now listen to him talk about himself! There was not a dull moment during this interview. We'll share the greatness with you in 4 parts so be sure to check back often for the latest. Listen to the interview right above and/or read the transcript below!
MW - Did you ever play sports growing up?
Bob - I absolutely did. My claim to fame athletically was I was the all star first baseman 12 year old - Rowan County Little League. First base.
MW - Isn’t that the age that you started broadcasting also?
Bob - Yes, I retired an all-star. That was it. At age 12, I was in the twilight of a mediocre career but was smart enough to realize it.
MW – What’s the last good movie you saw?
Bob - “The Sound of Music. No I’m just kidding. *sings* It’s been a while. I don’t go to flicks too often. Marybeth and the kids go all the time. I’m trying to think of the last good one I saw. I’ll have to get back to you on that one because I don’t consider watching Phoenix and San Antonio on tape this morning going to the movies.
MW - Who would you want to play you in a movie?
Bob - I can’t say. I don’t know. Who would be good? There’s not ever going to be a movie made so I never really gave it a lot of thought.
MW - What is the craziest thing that’s happened to you during your career?
Bob - One of the things that I remember the most – it never really happened to me but it was the fear of it happening while I was on the air. When I was doing college football for ESPN we did a game in Colorado and their mascot is Ralphie the Buffalo as you know. Ralphie comes out of a pen at Folsom Field, runs on and the team comes in behind him. You’re already laughing. Well we had to do the open with our backs to the field. Okay so the cameras are here and the lights are here and so we’re talking and the field is behind us. Well we have this elaborate open lasted a minute and a half and Lee Corso was my partner. As the open is going, everything’s scripted and timed out. When we’re done that was supposed to be the time that Ralphie goes out on the field. “And here come the Colorado Buffaloes!” *imitates band* Well I can’t see anything behind me – all I can see is the monitor and the camera. I hear this voice – you know we have those IFBs where they talk to us. “Keep talking.” Okay…”Well, Lee you know if Colorado wins today they’ve got a great chance at a bowl game and blah blah blah” and Lee keeps talking. Ralphie is not ready to come out of his pen. So we keep BSing our way through this – waiting for this behemoth animal to come out onto the field. On the cameras, the handheld cameras that you see on the baseline and all that, they all have microphones on them. That’s how we get the noise from the court and all that stuff. Well I can hear this in my ear that they’ve got the mic open on the handheld that they’re gonna use to shoot Ralphie in the pen. While Corso’s talking I hear “Well he ain’t coming out.” Somebody says “I’ll get him out” and the next thing I hear is a starter’s pistol. Well now you have this enraged buffalo coming charging out. “Let’s go down to the field!” We turn around and now I can see the field. Ralphie’s down here at one end, the Colorado band is at the other. *imitates band* This thing is moving pretty good and it weights 3000 lbs or whatever it is. He’s got tether lines on him and ropes and real live cowboys to hold him down but the tuba player is here and Ralphie’s here and Ralphie is kind of closing the gap. This guy has got his back turned, can’t see. This is what goes through your mind while you’re on the air: “How am I going to describe death on national television” because this is going to be on the CBS Evening News in about mmmm 45 minutes as this buffalo, this enraged buffalo, tramples members of the Colorado band. The guys can’t slow him down and they start pulling him, tugging him. This one guy takes the rope – I mean it’s like gigantic rope – and he takes that rope and he wraps it around his arm and he wraps it around his arm. What is this man doing? It’s Astroturf so they’re trying to dig in and they can’t get a grip. How is this going to play out here and more importantly what am I going to say? “Oh my, he’s been trampled.” So I’ve got to figure something pretty fast. Well he gives a jerk on that rope and his neck just kind of goes down like this. He never really fell over but he just kind of staggered a little bit. That knocked him off his balance and then he just kind of rights himself and he trots off and nothing happened. I’m in a cold sweat. We go to the commercial. “We’ll be back for the kickoff right after this.” As soon as we did – they could tell, I was like…They said “It happens every week.” “It happens every week and you didn’t tell me?!” So, that was one that I’ll never forget.
Stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon!
Listen to Bob at work on SportSouth regularly and follow him on twitter @BobRathbunTV.
MW - Did you ever play sports growing up?
Bob - I absolutely did. My claim to fame athletically was I was the all star first baseman 12 year old - Rowan County Little League. First base.
MW - Isn’t that the age that you started broadcasting also?
Bob - Yes, I retired an all-star. That was it. At age 12, I was in the twilight of a mediocre career but was smart enough to realize it.
MW – What’s the last good movie you saw?
Bob - “The Sound of Music. No I’m just kidding. *sings* It’s been a while. I don’t go to flicks too often. Marybeth and the kids go all the time. I’m trying to think of the last good one I saw. I’ll have to get back to you on that one because I don’t consider watching Phoenix and San Antonio on tape this morning going to the movies.
MW - Who would you want to play you in a movie?
Bob - I can’t say. I don’t know. Who would be good? There’s not ever going to be a movie made so I never really gave it a lot of thought.
MW - What is the craziest thing that’s happened to you during your career?
Bob - One of the things that I remember the most – it never really happened to me but it was the fear of it happening while I was on the air. When I was doing college football for ESPN we did a game in Colorado and their mascot is Ralphie the Buffalo as you know. Ralphie comes out of a pen at Folsom Field, runs on and the team comes in behind him. You’re already laughing. Well we had to do the open with our backs to the field. Okay so the cameras are here and the lights are here and so we’re talking and the field is behind us. Well we have this elaborate open lasted a minute and a half and Lee Corso was my partner. As the open is going, everything’s scripted and timed out. When we’re done that was supposed to be the time that Ralphie goes out on the field. “And here come the Colorado Buffaloes!” *imitates band* Well I can’t see anything behind me – all I can see is the monitor and the camera. I hear this voice – you know we have those IFBs where they talk to us. “Keep talking.” Okay…”Well, Lee you know if Colorado wins today they’ve got a great chance at a bowl game and blah blah blah” and Lee keeps talking. Ralphie is not ready to come out of his pen. So we keep BSing our way through this – waiting for this behemoth animal to come out onto the field. On the cameras, the handheld cameras that you see on the baseline and all that, they all have microphones on them. That’s how we get the noise from the court and all that stuff. Well I can hear this in my ear that they’ve got the mic open on the handheld that they’re gonna use to shoot Ralphie in the pen. While Corso’s talking I hear “Well he ain’t coming out.” Somebody says “I’ll get him out” and the next thing I hear is a starter’s pistol. Well now you have this enraged buffalo coming charging out. “Let’s go down to the field!” We turn around and now I can see the field. Ralphie’s down here at one end, the Colorado band is at the other. *imitates band* This thing is moving pretty good and it weights 3000 lbs or whatever it is. He’s got tether lines on him and ropes and real live cowboys to hold him down but the tuba player is here and Ralphie’s here and Ralphie is kind of closing the gap. This guy has got his back turned, can’t see. This is what goes through your mind while you’re on the air: “How am I going to describe death on national television” because this is going to be on the CBS Evening News in about mmmm 45 minutes as this buffalo, this enraged buffalo, tramples members of the Colorado band. The guys can’t slow him down and they start pulling him, tugging him. This one guy takes the rope – I mean it’s like gigantic rope – and he takes that rope and he wraps it around his arm and he wraps it around his arm. What is this man doing? It’s Astroturf so they’re trying to dig in and they can’t get a grip. How is this going to play out here and more importantly what am I going to say? “Oh my, he’s been trampled.” So I’ve got to figure something pretty fast. Well he gives a jerk on that rope and his neck just kind of goes down like this. He never really fell over but he just kind of staggered a little bit. That knocked him off his balance and then he just kind of rights himself and he trots off and nothing happened. I’m in a cold sweat. We go to the commercial. “We’ll be back for the kickoff right after this.” As soon as we did – they could tell, I was like…They said “It happens every week.” “It happens every week and you didn’t tell me?!” So, that was one that I’ll never forget.
Stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon!
Listen to Bob at work on SportSouth regularly and follow him on twitter @BobRathbunTV.