Upcoming....the "Duke"

It's been more than a week since I returned from Cooperstown for the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony and, especially, to see our friend Denny Matthews receive the Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting. It was a thrill for me to live vicariously through Denny that weekend as we worked on the daily "Denny's Diary" for Metro Sports' Web site. (You might still be able to go to http://www.kcmetrosports.com or http://www.kcondemand.com and read the three entries.) It was especially interesting to see how busy the Hall of Famers and award winners are during the weekend. I also got a kick out of hearing the excitement in Denny's voice after meeting some of the players he followed as a child such as Willie Mays, Monte Irvin and Sandy Koufax. One day, Lord willing, I'll tell you about one of my big thrills, which was sitting down with famed author and sports historian Bert Sugar.

In the meantime, the "Behind the Stats" radio show goes on. Last week, August 2, former major-league pitcher and Leawood resident Steve Renko joined us. Besides being a solid big-league pitcher, Steve also was a three-sport letterwinner at the University of Kansas. Great stories.

Speaking of great stories, this week's guest will be former Royals player, coach, manager, scout, broadcaster John "Duke" Wathan. Overall this is his 31st season with the Royals organization.

As I wrote in a "Where Have You Gone?" article for Metro Sports earlier this season, Wathan’s career with the Royals started as the club’s first-round selection in the 1971 January Free Agent Draft. Even though many felt he’d never make it to the big leagues, he played 10 seasons in the Major Leagues, 1976-85. One of his crowning moments came in August 1982, when he set the single-season record for stolen bases by a catcher against the Rangers. It’s a record that stands today and could have Wathan’s name next to it for years to come.

Besides being a solid player, Wathan is a great storyteller. The show should be a lot of fun. My co-host Dave O'Hara and I would like to invite you to join us live during the show at Chappell's Sports Museum and Restaurant (323 Armour Road in North Kansas City) from 6-7 p.m., Thursday. John Wathan is more than willing to meet with fans, sign autographs, have photos taken, and so on. If you can't stop by and meet "Duke," be sure to tune in to 1140-AM or 1160-AM.

Matt