10 Questions with ... Vinnie Richichi (New York Vinnie)

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

After realizing that I couldn't remember lines, I dropped my dreams of becoming an actor and jumped into radio starting at legendary college station KUSF in San Francisco. My first commercial job was at KKCY "The City" where I learned how to talk to people between the records from some of the best in the business. I also figured I could marry my passion for sports and radio and music and did while at CBS Rocker KRQR and Viacom's first FM Talk KDBK.

KJR in Seattle called in 1993 and I headed north to do mornings with Michael Knight and then went solo after 4 years. One Friday KJR fired me, on Saturday I was working for the Mariners Flagship station, KIRO, where I spent 9 and a half years doing sports and general talk, reporting, updates and car reviews. I also have spent time as a weekend TV sports anchor at FOX and FSN.

Now Pittsburgh and CBS calls and here I am at a spectacular startup doing Mid Days and hosting a baseball show. I also have turned my passion for cars into a weekly syndicated feature... Drivetime.

1. After so many years on Seattle radio, you're on the air in Pittsburgh now. What differences, if any, are you finding in the fan reaction in your new city as opposed to Seattle (and, while we're at it, New York and San Francisco)? Is there more intensity, or is it about the same? (Are you perceiving Pittsburgh to be a "football town" or is the local interest more varied?)

The passion for sports here is unreal. It is a part of the fabric of life for people in this part of the world. I walked into a religious articles store here and they had the crosses up on one wall and a Steelers calendar right under them! Seattle fans like sports, they go to games, they follow teams but it rarely is as passionate as it is here. Seats have been passed down from Grandfather to father to son to grandson. Grandpa is wearing an old AFC Steelers Jersey, dad has on the Bradshaw jersey, sonny is in his Neil O'Donnell and the kid has just traded in his Roethlisberger shirt for a Palomalu jersey!

There is a lot of passion for all of the sports teams in Pittsburgh. Even the Pirates. If the Mariners had 17 losing seasons in a row, nowadays, they would have to move to Portland. Here just mention the Buccos and the phones light up. It's amazing! Maybe more passionate than NY or SF!

2. Pittsburgh, like a lot of old-line sports towns, has a long and rich history with a lot of local personalities, stories, and quirks that outsiders wouldn't necessarily know. How hard is it to get up to speed with all that, or do you have to? Is it better to approach the job openly as a guy arriving from out-of-town or try to fit in like a local right off the bat?

I am what I am and that's not from Pittsburgh so I am not going to come in here and say to people I know Pittsburgh sports. I know sports and how to lead a conversation about sports topics while entertaining people. I am learning about the rich and varied sports landscape here, had a great interview with Bruno Sammartino, a local legend but I am not going to even try to sell myself as a Pittsburgher until I have some history here. I get out into the bars and streets, talk to fans, read a lot of blogs and books but I also try to keep my outsiders perspective as well. I find a lot of folks appreciate that. This is a very real, down to earth place. People are going to know if you BS them so why try?

3. You're working with a partner after being solo for a long time; what's that adjustment like? And what do you and Ron each bring to the table -- what are your roles, if any are defined, on the show?

It has been an adjustment of sorts. Luckily, I went back to do Mariners pre and post with partners last season and so it transitioned me nicely. Ron Cook is the old line newspaper columnist kind of guy who has a deep history here. He knows dates, places, games etc. like I never will. I am the new kid in school who has to be funny to be accepted. I have opinions, I am not afraid to share them and we look at things from a different side a lot but that's what makes our show great. We both like Springsteen but I am trying to get Ron to hit a Jay-Z show with me. He brings the local credibility to the show, I drive the bus, bring the new guy's perspective, some outside views, and a lot of laughs.

4. Looking back at Seattle for a second, what would you say the most memorable moment -- the highlight among highlights -- was for you on the air in that market?

There were so many it's almost hard to pick one out. Being adopted as the Mariners good luck charm in 2000 was pretty cool but the on air moment that will always stand out was the day Safeco Field finally cleared all of the hurdles and got the final approval after I had helped lead the charge to get it done. I was on remote at the site of the new ballpark and Senator Slade Gorton who helped broker the final deal came by and announced the deal on my show. Soon after a teacher and her class called the show and sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" to me as a thank you for doing what I did to help build Safeco. I was in tears.

5. One of your passions is cars; what's your favorite current model, and what car from all of automotive history would you put at the top of your list, the one you most want to drive (if you don't drive it already)?

I just put the finishing touches on my review of the 2010 Chevy Camaro SS and next year when the convertible version hits the street I'd like one. I have my two of my dream cars in my garage already, a 1962 Corvette and a 1972 El Camino. There also isn't an Audi I wouldn't mind having including the R8! The Corvette ZR-1 supercar may be the best car of all time when it comes down to value, enjoyment, speed, handling and looks. An incredible machine.

6. You're hosting a baseball show for The Fan, and you did pre- and post-game shows for the Mariners for years. Is it harder for you to talk about the local team when it's in the basement? When the outlook for the team is bleak for an extended period, is it difficult to keep talking about them or is there mileage to be gotten from being critical?

In Pittsburgh people want to talk about the Pirates good or bad. The passion is still there. It is actually easy to talk about because you can be critical of what has happened in the past, have fun with it because it is such a joke, but also show people that there may be light at the end of the tunnel for this franchise. Pittsburghers WANT to love the Pirates again. They just need a reason...something...anything!

7. You've gone to work for CBS, which appears to be taking the position that sports radio needs to be largely local, as opposed to taking one of the national networks for all or most of the day. How important do you think it is to be local -- does it depend on the market, or is talking about the local teams always going to win?

Local stations with great talent will win every time. The people at CBS in charge of putting sports stations on the air realized that early on. Walk into a bar or a diner in your city. Are folks talking about teams in another city? No. So if sports radio is an extension of those conversations then the conversation has to be about what your listener is talking about. You can use some syndication but certainly not in prime dayparts. We are live and local 24/7 and have gotten more response from people than any other launch I have been involved with. Pittsburgh identifies more with it's sports teams than maybe any other city in the USA. Can I say it one more time...live and local is the only way to win in major market sports radio.

8. Here's a Pittsburgh thing: a Primanti Bros. sandwich. (For uninitiated readers, imagine a massive pile including meat, cole slaw, tomato, fries, and even sometimes eggs, all stacked between hunks of bread) Have you had one yet, and if so, thumbs up or down?

I did a bit for a local Seattle TV station where I constructed a Primanti in my kitchen a couple of years ago...it helped get me the job I have today! I have had one since moving here, it was great and I am set now for the rest of the year!

9. What's the top thing you'd change about sports right now if you could be the King of Sports for one day?

I'd try to bring the fun, the joy back into watching sports. It used to be an escape now it stresses folks out just as much as life. I'd shut off the big screen monitors, hydro races and rock music at games and let folks talk to each other between innings while organ music played. I'd also make it illegal to publish a players salary.

10. Who's been your best interview subject? How about the worst?

Best...Lou Piniella when he was manager of the Mariners. You just never knew what he was going to say.

Worst... Randy Johnson. 20 cliches in 2 minutes. Why bother?