- 17 hours ago
Jon Miller, longtime coworker of Mike Krukow, joins Willard and Dibs to discuss the legacy Kruk leaves after announcing his retirement today.
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00:00Mike Kruko, in Kruko fashion, he releases the statement through the Giants,
00:05and he's just like, hey, just wanted to let you all know I'm leaving after this year.
00:10Straightforward to the point, as Kruko is wont to do.
00:14And so it's been really fun.
00:16It's been fun to give him and all of them their just due,
00:20reminisce a little bit, and nobody better to talk about it
00:24than the person who joins us on the River Islands guest line right now,
00:28and that is none other than the great John Miller.
00:31Good evening, John. How are you?
00:34I was better before Mike made his announcement, but I'm still pretty good.
00:41I bet. I bet that that, I mean, can you take us through what that moment was like
00:47when you found out and sort of how you processed it?
00:52He had the kindness to call me yesterday and said that he wanted to just let me know person to
01:02person.
01:02And he did the same thing with the other broadcasters and the other people involved in the broadcast
01:10because he was very thoughtful.
01:13And so it was very sad, and it was something that we were able to talk personally
01:20and remember some stories and have some laughs.
01:24And then I tried to talk him out of it.
01:31But I also knew that this was a while coming, and while it was a shock and very sad to
01:40hear,
01:40at the same time, I think we all knew that this day was coming because it's very tragic.
01:47He's had this tragic health issue and a debilitating issue.
01:56And I told him, I said, the thing is, is that you've never been better, in my opinion,
02:02than you are right now.
02:04You're at the top of your game.
02:07And that is kind of the amazing part of it.
02:10There's no sadness at the ballpark when you're around Mike.
02:16He's the same as he's always been.
02:18He's upbeat.
02:20He's fun.
02:21He's full of energy.
02:23And he wants to talk about the game, and there's nowhere he'd rather be than at the ballpark on a
02:28game day.
02:29You know, he's not one of those guys.
02:30We always would laugh about it.
02:32There would be guys from other broadcast crews who would come into town.
02:35They'd come by the booth.
02:36And I'd say, can we get a game that moves quickly tonight?
02:41Would that be all right?
02:43And he was always the same.
02:46Like, where would you rather be?
02:49I mean, this is like, this job is an imposition for you?
02:52You know, you don't have really time for this?
02:55I mean, what is it that, I mean, because he looked at it, and I think we all looked at
03:01it as,
03:01yeah, this is the number one place we would want to be, that we're so lucky to be able to
03:06do this.
03:06And this is exactly what we wanted.
03:11And so, for me, that was kind of who he is.
03:16He loves being at the ballpark.
03:18He loved being a player.
03:19He always said, the broadcasting, that's the second best job you could have.
03:23So, the first best is to actually be a player.
03:26And he loved that, and he tried to hang on as long as he could, because he didn't want that
03:32day to end.
03:33But then he, and he did other things.
03:36He didn't go right into the broadcast booth.
03:39So, he did some other things, and then the broadcast thing came up.
03:42And I think that there's nobody better at what he does.
03:47And obviously, you know, Kruko and Kuiper as a team, that's great.
03:52But for me, Mike kind of defines the role of the, you know, years ago, he was like the color
03:59man.
04:00He was the former player.
04:01He's the expert.
04:02The analyst now is a word that gets used.
04:05Well, he not just is great at it, but he gives you, he sets you up at the beginning of
04:12a broadcast with not just the pitchers and the pitches they throw,
04:17but which hitters own them, or as he says, have owned on them.
04:22And he kind of forewarns you, like, when Madison Bumgarner was going to face the Dodgers, that it wasn't one
04:29of the big superstars.
04:30It was Kike Hernandez he was going to have to watch out for.
04:33But Kike Hernandez is the one that had ownage on Bumgarner, and it was confounding.
04:38But he would always point that out.
04:40So, don't let it creep up on you by surprise when, you know, where's Kike in the lineup?
04:47When's he coming up?
04:47Is there going to be anybody else?
04:48So, he would set that all up, but he also would evaluate the umpires and give you a scouting report
04:56on the umpires and what their zone was like,
04:58because that's what he did as a pitcher.
05:01There was no ABS in those days.
05:03And as a pitcher, you knew your umpires.
05:06And which one would give you maybe a little bit off the outside corner?
05:10Which one would give you a little bit below the knees?
05:14Which guy had a small zone that you were going to have to really, really be sharp that day, because
05:20he just wasn't going to give you stuff.
05:22So, he knew that.
05:23And then he, as a broadcaster, right at the beginning of every broadcast, he would clue you in about the
05:28umpire.
05:29And even with the ABS system now, that's all still very relevant, because you only get a couple of those
05:35challenges, and you've got to pick your spots on those.
05:38And so, how that umpire calls those games, and the guys that are, will call pitches out of the zone
05:44of strike,
05:45where a hitter wants to challenge, versus another umpire who maybe, he's got a tight zone,
05:50and maybe the pitcher will have a, and his catcher will want to challenge.
05:57So, he gives you all that up at the beginning of the broadcast, and to clue you in.
06:01And so, to me, that's the way it should be done.
06:04And then he focuses on the game.
06:06What's happening now, and what could be happening, what they're thinking.
06:12And he does it in a fun way.
06:14The whole thing is for fun.
06:16And yet, he has, and I think their broadcast, in particular, the two of them together,
06:24they have such respect for the players, and all the hard work that they have put in to get where
06:33they are.
06:34He knows exactly how hard it is.
06:37Giants broadcaster John Miller here on Willard and Diz 95.7 The Game.
06:40I know he hasn't traveled to road games in a number of years.
06:43How remarkable is it that he's been able to be this cogent and this good, working from a booth with
06:49a team traveling far away?
06:54He is somebody who doesn't just love the game and love to be at the ballpark.
06:59But when the team's away and he's not working the games, he's at a TV set, and he's studying every
07:05game.
07:05And he wants to know, and he'll call people at the ballpark and find out, why did he do that?
07:10Did he say anything about why he made that move or why he chased that pitch or what happened to
07:15him on that play at second?
07:18He's all over that.
07:19He knows what's going on, whether he's there or not.
07:23And I think that was something that the great part of working with him and Kai, Dave, I think all
07:30of us, that is where we would want to be.
07:35That's our number one choice for where we'd want to be in a given day.
07:40That's why it was always so mind-boggling to him when you have another broadcaster come in and say,
07:46Man, for God's sake, can we get this game moving and get this game over with?
07:51It's like, wow, this must be an imposition for you, eh?
07:55But not for him.
07:57This is what he wants to do.
07:59This is where he loves to be.
08:01And he couldn't get over that.
08:04Like, we're so lucky to be able to do this and have it as our living and to do it
08:10all these years.
08:11And he never fell away from that.
08:14And I think there's always been a thought that some guys, they do it for so long.
08:18And maybe, you know, there's a sell-by date on how long certain guys should be doing this kind of
08:23a job.
08:24They just can't stay fresh much longer.
08:28But he's still fresh.
08:29And he's better now.
08:31I told him this yesterday.
08:32You're better now than you've ever been.
08:34And it's really so cool, which is why it's so shocking to actually hear you say it.
08:40Even though, you know, we already, we knew that this day was coming.
08:44But at the same time, when you're in the booth with him and you're at the ballpark with him,
08:49that's the last thing that you think of is the tragic circumstances of what's happened with his body and his
08:55legs,
08:57which is ultimately leading to this retirement, I think.
09:01Because he's so fresh and so into it every day.
09:06And as much as he might struggle in other aspects of everyday life,
09:14and Duane and I were talking about this in the car into the airport on Sunday from Petco Park,
09:20that once he's at the park, all the physical problems and all of that, that's all gone away.
09:28He's just as great as he ever was, and for me, better than he ever was.
09:34It's almost like it's a celebration for him that he appreciates it now,
09:39even more than he had ever appreciated it.
09:43And I think he always did appreciate it, but I think he appreciates it even knowing now what he knows
09:49about life
09:51and the temporary nature of all these things,
09:54that it's almost like he turned this in a whole positive way,
10:01which is inspiring to all of us who are around him,
10:04to say, I'm going to celebrate it.
10:07I'm going to enjoy every minute of it more than I ever have.
10:11John, it's been, if my math is correct, about 30 years that specifically you two have been both a part
10:21of this broadcast team.
10:23Do you recall your first impressions when you joined the Giants in 97
10:29and how that relationship has kind of evolved through the years?
10:33Well, I remember in spring training, we were going to do a few games.
10:37He was together on the radio, and I told him that I thought that he had the talent
10:45that he should just not do the analysis on the radio, but he should do play-by-play.
10:54And I said, it'll make you more valuable, number one.
10:57And I have no question in my mind that you can do it.
11:01And so he was a little wary of it, but we went down to Tucson,
11:06and, you know, had the long drive down there.
11:08And we talked about it, and he agreed to try it.
11:11And there were a couple of things that he felt that didn't go well in description,
11:17and he was kind of upset about it.
11:22But we had that two-hour drive to go back up to Scottsdale afterward.
11:27And we analyzed the plays he was talking about, and I just gave him a couple of tips on,
11:34and I said, number one, this is the first time you ever tried it.
11:38So, you know, maybe there'll be some rough edges, but try this, try that.
11:45And so we had that two hours to talk about it.
11:49Now, the next day, he got to do it again.
11:51The next day, it was as if he'd been doing it for years.
11:54And I was really amazed by that because he's a talent.
12:00I mean, he had talent as a pitcher, and he had athletic ability,
12:03but he's a talent on the air.
12:06He's not just a former player that is trying to hang in the game
12:11with his expertise and whatnot.
12:14He's really good.
12:15And so we did maybe four games all together, and he was excellent.
12:18And now, like maybe by the third game, he's doing the play-by-play.
12:23And I'm thinking, wow, he's like channeling Vince Scully.
12:26He's got stories going.
12:28He's got what's happening in spring training, and he's weaving in between pitches,
12:33and then he's all over the play-by-play while it's happening.
12:36And I was so impressed.
12:37The problem was, now, the next time that he actually was going to work a radio game,
12:43and it was just the two of us, was in July.
12:47I don't know where we were, in New York, maybe?
12:50It had been four months had gone by since he'd done a game.
12:53And there was a play that he thought he had botched a little bit,
12:58and he was embarrassed by it.
13:00So then he didn't really ever want to do it again.
13:03And I don't think maybe really he ever did do it again.
13:05But I tell the story because, for me, those few days where he did it day after day
13:14proved in my mind, without a doubt, that he'd be great at that,
13:18and he'd be great at it now if he decided he wanted to do it.
13:23Which is to say, he's so talented.
13:27And I think that that is, he's not just talented from a standpoint of being well-spoken
13:35and being able to tell you the stuff that he's seeing in a cogent fashion,
13:41but to teach you the game.
13:43But he's entertaining.
13:45He's an entertainer.
13:46He's got showbiz instincts.
13:48He's a musician, you know.
13:49He does this stuff, and he's got a sense of rhythm about it.
13:53And he's got sort of a little jazz beat going on while he's doing the game.
13:58And that's just why he's so good and what totally, for me,
14:03sets him apart from anybody else out there.
14:07John Miller here on 95.7 The Game.
14:09Is Mike Kruko's retirement kind of signaling the end of an era in that you and Dwayne
14:14and Mike, you've worked together for more than three decades all together.
14:18Are we in an era now where the longevity that you guys have shared is not really as possible anymore?
14:26Well, I mean, the business is changing.
14:30I think that the way it's always been is changing.
14:35Major League Baseball is changing the whole idea of how they're going to be,
14:42you know, because cable has fallen off.
14:45How people, what do they call that, they're not unplugging, they're unplugging?
14:48Cutting the cord, John.
14:49Cutting the cord.
14:50Yep.
14:50Cord cutting, yeah, there we go.
14:52Oh, yeah.
14:53You know, I saw that when my son, and now he's designing lunar landers for Jeff Bezos at Blue Origin.
15:07But when he went to college, I offered to pay for cable for he and his roommates at the apartment
15:14they were living in
15:15so that he could watch the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.
15:17And he says, oh, well, that's really nice of you, Dad, but we don't have a TV.
15:24You don't have a TV?
15:25He said, no, we watch TV, but we watch it on the computer.
15:29I said, you can watch TV on the computer?
15:32He said, yeah, I watch the shows I want to watch on the computer.
15:36And I didn't understand how he was doing it, but that's the first kind of cord-cutting experience that I
15:44was directly involved in.
15:46And I guess I should have seen that that's the future.
15:48But because of that, you know, there have been a lot of these regional TV networks that have gone bankrupt
15:56or are having serious money problems.
15:59MLB has stepped in with it.
16:01The commissioner's got a plan, and now some teams actually have their regional sports network operated by Major League Baseball.
16:09And so, you know, they're coming up with new models for this.
16:14The whole radio business is changing.
16:17And maybe you heard, but the, but I, so who knows how all that's going to play out as time
16:27goes on.
16:27But, you know, what I grew up with was hearing the Giants games on the radio and being in the
16:34car and hearing a game on the radio.
16:37And at nighttime, I could get the Dodger game from L.A.
16:42Because there was the atmospheric skip on AM radio.
16:47I always remembered, I drove up to Eugene, Oregon to see my grandmother when I was just starting college.
16:55And then I spent a couple of days.
16:57And now I'm driving back at nighttime.
17:00And I pick up the Dodger game.
17:02They were on a very powerful station at the tank.
17:05K-F-I, Los Angeles, Earl C. Anthony Incorporated.
17:10And, you know, and then Vinny, tune to the Harvey Keen.
17:16And, you know, and, you know, so Farmer John and whatever.
17:19So it was the first time I ever listened to Vinny do a whole game from start to finish.
17:24They were playing the Cubs.
17:25And he told stories.
17:27And he told stories about, you know, why Don Kessinger became a switch hitter.
17:32And I was like, wow, I never heard any stories about anybody on the Cubs except for Ernie Banks or
17:39Billy Williams.
17:40And even then, the stories are always the same.
17:43But that was, and I came away with an appreciation for who Vin Scully was.
17:49And that was, when I lived back east, I was doing the Boston Red Sox games.
17:54And I would drive home from Fenway Park.
17:56And I'd hear Ernie Harwell from Detroit and Jack Buck from saying, look, you can hear all these games in
18:02your car radio driving back.
18:05And it was just so cool.
18:07And I remember learning a lot from listening.
18:10And sometimes hearing stuff and saying, oh, I've got to remember, I've got to give a good description when that
18:16happens and not leave that part out like that guy did.
18:18Because I'm in the dark now is what actually happened in that place.
18:23So, you know, that's all changed now.
18:27And we should have seen it coming.
18:29FM was the wave of the future.
18:31And it's a better sound than the AM.
18:34But there's no atmospheric skip on FM.
18:36But then there's streaming and there's, you know, all that satellite radio.
18:43So, who knows?
18:44It boggles my mind to figure about how it's all going to shake down in the future.
18:49But, you know, for me, baseball and the radio is how I grew up.
18:55And the Giants only used to have them in 25, 30 games a year on TV in the 60s.
19:00And for a while, in the early 60s, it was just the games in L.A.
19:04Those were the only TV games you got.
19:07And it was the same in L.A., just the games in San Francisco.
19:11So all that's changed and how it's going to materialize in the future, what form it's going to take, I
19:17don't know.
19:18But I'm old, so who knows how much longer I'll be doing it either.
19:24But, you know, people keep saying, well, we always thought that Mike and Dwayne, all you guys had said that
19:33you just wanted to one day just collapse in the booth and that would be it.
19:39And that would be the way to go.
19:40And the way Harry Callis went.
19:43And I don't know that that is the way we want to go.
19:48We would like to keep doing this kind of job because it's a pretty sweet gig forever.
19:54And who knows if we will or not.
19:56But I know one thing is for sure, his legacy from Mike Kruko is very secure and one of a
20:04kind.
20:05And one of the stories that I always think of, and I wasn't there, but he and his family and
20:12I don't know how many of the kids, they were in a restaurant, a great San Francisco restaurant.
20:17And when they got up to leave, the people in the restaurant all started shouting his name.
20:22And then he stopped and acknowledged everybody.
20:26And then he led them in singing, take me out to the ballgame.
20:33Who could do that?
20:35It's Mike Kruko.
20:37And they all sang.
20:38And he, because he's inspiring and he makes you excited to be a Giants fan and to live in this
20:47city.
20:48So he's a great ambassador, not just for the game and the team, but the city and this area.
20:54So anyway, so that's the, well, that's a part of the legend of Kruko.
21:03John, we could listen to these stories absolutely all day, especially coming from you.
21:10In that answer, we also got something.
21:13I don't know if you know this.
21:14We always hope for this whenever we get to talk to you.
21:17And that is you doing the Vin Scully impersonation because it is so elite.
21:22But I don't know if you know this, whenever impersonations come up around here, we have a member on our
21:28team who does what we think is absolutely one of the best Bay Area sports broadcasting impersonations possible.
21:37So we wanted to let him ask you a question today as well.
21:42So this is not Dave Fleming, but it might as well be with the next question for you here on
21:49this interview.
21:50How are you doing, John?
21:52Dave Fleming from San Francisco at the quarter of third and keg from the Hawaiian Airlines broadcast booth.
21:58And I'm not here to tell you that Ruben Rivera is second base, but I am here to ask you
22:03a question about the rest of the season for the 2026 Giants.
22:09And I want to know, what do you think is the outlook after the trade deadline, John?
22:19Oh, God, it's good, isn't it?
22:26It's good!
22:30Oh, gosh.
22:32Oh, yeah, so.
22:33I mean, you don't have to answer it, but just basket it, I guess, John?
22:41I always remember when Dave was just, he had just started with us, and there was a, the Mets were
22:49in town, and it was, and I can't remember, it might have been a young Matt Cain pitched a great
22:54game.
22:55And they were all saying, wow, the great thing is, is that, you know, Matt, Matt Cain now, they're going
23:01to, that'll be the lead in the New York papers tomorrow.
23:05Matt Cain, and they'll all find out about him in the big city and who Matt Cain is.
23:09And so, then we kind of shook our heads and said, no, I think in the New York papers tomorrow,
23:15it's still going to be a bunch of paragraphs about Barry Bonds and steroids and this and that.
23:21And then Matt Cain will be buried way down there.
23:25And Matt Cain, another Mets game where they couldn't hit against some rookie, you know.
23:28And so, and then the next day, a letter to the editor to the New York Times sports section said
23:34that much.
23:35And they said, they told this story, and they gave us all praise.
23:39They said, you know, Dwayne Kuyper, Mike Kruko, and John Miller, et al.
23:44They didn't mention Dave's name.
23:47They just said, et al.
23:48Et al.
23:49He got it at al.
23:52And they basically were taking the times to task.
23:55Because you did exactly what they said you'd do, and you didn't, all you talked about was steroids and nothing
24:02about Matt Cain.
24:03I expected more from the times.
24:05And so, so we read that on the air, and then we were all kind of giving Dave some grief
24:10over it, et al.
24:11And, you know, Kite says, well, maybe that should be your new nickname, Phlegm, et al.
24:16And so, and then we paused for a moment and looked at Dave, and I said, Dave, by the way,
24:22et al, what is that?
24:24And Dave said, oh, that's from the Latin et alia, meaning and others.
24:30And we all kind of looked at each other, and we're like, oh, well, we're making jokes about you, but
24:38you're obviously way superior to any of us.
24:41And a little overqualified, but this line of words.
24:44Oh, my gosh.
24:45The only classics major, probably he and Ben Scully had that kind of stuff, that classical education in common.
24:53But, and that's why, to me, Dave, and again, who knows the shape that this whole business is going to
24:59take in the years to come.
25:02But for me, Dave's going to end up being the best there ever was.
25:05Because he is such a treasure, and I know that I feel the same way with Mike and Dwayne, that
25:14we're proud that he came up with us.
25:19As if he's a part of our family, and to see what he's capable of and how good he is
25:25at it, and how good he is at all these other sports.
25:27So that is why, you know, this broadcast crew, right, you know, we're all really high on each other, but
25:37also very proud to all be in the same crew with each other.
25:42And the fact that the Giants have us all work the radio broadcast together when the team's in the postseason
25:48is, because that doesn't happen.
25:52We may be the only town where that happens.
25:54And the whole idea was, no, it elevates these games, makes them seem like much bigger, and as big as
26:03they actually are.
26:04So I think we've been very fortunate to work in this town, where the people in charge feel that these
26:15broadcasts are important.
26:16And I know we all feel the same about that.
26:21So anyway, I'm very sad about it, and at the same time, I'm very, it kind of brings up the
26:30notion of how proud I am to be a part of it.
26:35And the crew is, in spite of it all, going out on top.
26:41He's better than he's ever been, and he's going out at the top of his game.
26:45And very few in this kind of a business, whether in the booth or on the field, have the chance
26:52to do it that way.
26:54John, I think the best compliment we can give, and that answer you just gave, kind of sums it all
27:00up, which is we kind of look at the four of you as one entity.
27:05It's one thing, and with Kruk moving on, obviously there'll be a piece of that that we don't get back.
27:14But all four of you deserve just all the love and all the credit, and you're all representative of one
27:21another.
27:22And so thank you.
27:23Thank you for being a part of this today.
27:25And we're going to spend the next two months just soaking up every minute that we've got left watching and
27:32listening to all of you guys.
27:34Great idea.
27:36And I appreciate you giving me a chance to talk about it.
27:41And I always will remember, and this happens probably in every broadcast every day, it's just that most of those
27:49broadcasts, I'm in one booth with Dave and Kruk and Kuyper in another booth, and none of us hear each
27:57other most of the time.
27:58But when Connor Gillespie hit a three-run homer against Uri's Familiar in the wild-card game in New York,
28:08remember this game?
28:09Oh, yeah.
28:09Oh, yeah.
28:11And those were the only runs of the game.
28:13I think the Giants won three-nothing.
28:14Bum Garner was another one of those incredible postseason masterpieces.
28:20But the home runs the eighth inning, and people start leaving.
28:25And when that inning's over, it seemed like half the stadium stood up and started to leave.
28:30So I described that on the radio, and Kruk said, it's like somebody just came out and made an announcement
28:38that there's free pizza out in the parking lot.
28:44That's a perfect picture.
28:46That's exactly what it was like.
28:48It was exactly what it was like.
28:49And I think that the cool thing is, I'll never forget that, because I just had a sort of a
28:54belly laugh over it.
28:56But the, and I think there's a moment like that every day, because he's such a talent.
29:03John, you're the best.
29:05That was just so fun to talk all of that out with you.
29:08Thank you for coming on.
29:11Thanks for having me.
29:12All the best.
29:13Thanks, John.
29:13John Miller.
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