Bill Veeck’s Saloon

Sample interviews and monologues shot for "Bill Veeck's Saloon," a TV pilot for an opinion show starring baseball legend Bill Veeck.

00:14Copy video clip URL Title Card: “Bill Veeck’s Saloon”

00:30Copy video clip URL Introduction. Bill Veeck gives a brief autobiography and then describes the purpose of his show: “I am going to try to recreate the fun and pleasure I’ve had in more than five decades in the larceny of athletics and playing games and enjoying every second of it…”

2:12Copy video clip URL Zoom into Veeck at bar.

2:23Copy video clip URL Veeck introducing Nick Kladis at his Saloon. Veeck: “Don’t you find it different, athletes today?” Kladis: “They’re no fun! You get the feeling they think they’re doing the fans a favor.” They discuss Mark McGuire as a good example of a product of this mentality.

4:03Copy video clip URL Waldo is present at the bar, too, and they discuss Reggie Jackson.

5:07Copy video clip URL They discuss Pete Rose, but Veeck maintains that Rose is not a “swashbuckler” in the same way Ruth was or in comparison to Reggie Jackson.

6:02Copy video clip URL Veeck at a different bar discussing how people buy-up ball clubs and that it seems that every team now is for sale. “Maybe something’s wrong. It isn’t any longer a seller’s market.” He gives an anecdote about buying the Cleveland Indians–three people were standing in line to pick up the team. “People buy ballclubs for a variety of reasons, as an ego trip, they want to become known…”

8:03Copy video clip URL Cut to interior of Bill Veeck’s Saloon with Bill Brashler. They discuss renegotiation of contracts and owners in general. Veeck: “Johnny Bench is blackmailing the Cincinnati ball club!” He goes on to describe how players are using an inadequate contract the reason for their poor performance.

10:40Copy video clip URL Veeck’s outro of the segment: “There’s no reason to think that players will perform better than their mentors.” He uses Lou Saban as an example of a contract jumper.

12:26Copy video clip URL Zoom out of Veeck finishing a beer at a bar.

12:40Copy video clip URL Noticeably inebriated, Veeck gives his outro for the show.

13:03Copy video clip URL Veeck’s signature. Credits. Black.

13:48Copy video clip URL End of tape.