Interview With Tom Tolbert

Sunday night I walked two doors down to interview former NBA player turned 12-year Bay Area sports radio host Tom Tolbert not just about football, but sports and athletes in general.   And although my kids have often mistaken Tom for me when they see him outside with his knit cap pulled low, only one of us has been nominated for an Emmy. 

With so many losses by the 49ers and Raiders, how do you come up with things to talk about on your show?

TT:  When they’re losing, it’s easy.  People love to complain on the radio.  When you’re a winning team, there’s just not much to say.  But when a team is losing, everyone’s a GM, everyone has an answer.

You played for Lute Olson at the University of Arizona.  Was he the best coach you ever played for?

TT:  It’s a tie between Lute and Don Nelson.  Their preparation was always really good.   I never felt unprepared going into a game.  In Nelly’s case specifically he was always one step ahead and he was just an out-of-box type of thinker.  

Whatever the sport, what makes an athlete want to play well for his coach?

TT:  If the coach has the player’s best interest at heart.  If a player feels the coach is looking out for him.  Also, if the coach will take bullets for him meaning he’ll take the criticism leveled at the player instead of hanging him out to dry. 

This past week on your show former 49er Brent Jones mentioned he, along with Steve Young, had made Al Davis an offer to buy the Raiders.  Were you surprised to hear this?

TT:  Yeah, I knew they were interested in the 49ers but I didn’t know they were also interested in the Raiders.  But let’s be honest.  Al Davis will die when Castro dies which will be in about 50 years.  Then he’ll leave the team to his son.  And if I owned a team, I’d probably leave it to my son, too.

Do you agree with Jones’ assertion since the offer was made the value of the Raiders has decreased?

TT:  You know, I don’t know the exact timeline of the offer.  But the team’s not doing well and the stadium stinks.  Same with the 49ers; you have bad teams with bad stadiums so of the course the value of the franchise goes down.

Speaking of the 49ers, should Mike Singletary be the HC next year?

TT:  Boy, you know, I really think we’ll have to watch the rest of the games this year before a decision is made.  I thought they were playing hard under Nolan.  We’ll just have to wait until the end of the year to see.

Talking to some of the Bay Area sportswriters, we were commenting on how the smallest of plays executed correctly suddenly feel like Super Bowl wins.  Do you agree? 

TT:  Oh, no doubt, the bar is so low.  I’ll hear “but JT O’Sullivan completed a 20 yard pass” and I’ll think, yeah stuff like that happens all the time, it’s not an anomaly, everyone else does it.

Obviously for your job you have to watch a lot of sports.  Who is your favorite NFL team and player to watch?

TT:  Oh man, favorite team?  I don’t have a favorite team.  But I do love watching Marion Barber.  He runs so hard, he’s so physical and he doesn’t give up and it usually takes more than one guy to pull him down.  Peyton Manning is fun to watch.  LaDanian Tomlinson is fun to watch.  And Kurt Warner, who by all accounts everyone says is the nicest guy.  Just his story from bagging groceries to league MVP to Super Bowls.  A lot of people had written him off recently thinking his time in the league was over or at best, as a backup and he gets a chance to take over.  So to rise back up again, I think, it’s really phenomenal.

What do you think of the high NFL contracts given to unproven rookies?

TT:  I think it’s awful, I really do.  Listen, I’m all for a player going out and getting what he wants but guys who’ve proven themselves and who’ve played 5, 6, 7 years getting cut because these unproven rookies are soaking up the salary cap?  That’s just wrong.  The NFL should do it like the NBA.  Everyone is slotted.  So if for example, you are the 4^th overall draft pick you’re going to make whatever last year’s 4^th overall draft picked made plus a little more.  It’s a total package deal with no wiggle room.  All they have to do is look at the numbers from the year before.  It is just absurd rookies are getting that kind of money without ever having proven themselves on the field. 

So having played for 7 years in the NBA for teams like the Clippers and the Warriors, you’ve had to suffer through losing seasons.  Why do some athletes check out and others continue to play hard?

TT:  Pride.  My philosophy, even though we were not going to the playoffs, was that I loved to play.  When I played I wanted to win.  Every time.  So if you have personal pride, you go out wanting to win.  And athletes may find this hard to believe but people actually pay money to watch you play. 

I’ve played with and against some amazing athletes.  Who was the best athlete you played against?

TT:  Jordan.  Hands down. 

How about with?

TT:  Shaq his rookie year in Orlando.  It was also my only year in Orlando and back then he was 305 instead of 350.  So imagine a 7’1”, 305-pound guy who was also quick and agile. 

Out of all the stadiums I played in, the toughest places to play were the loudest places.  Is this true for basketball, too?

TT:  Sure.  The first couple of years for me it was Charlotte.  At the time they weren’t a great team but it was a new franchise with these crazy fans and this giant helium hornet that would fly around the arena and buzz.  Chicago was also really loud but that’s because they were also really good.

Since retiring, I’ve got a few aches and pains.  What hurts on you?

TT:  Nothing.  I’m a basketball player, not a football player (laughs).  I don’t need heat to get out of bed.  I’m pretty fortunate as far as that is concerned.

So why is it better to be a professional basketball player than football player?

TT:  Because I don’t need heat to get out of bed (laughs).  Actually, first of all the guaranteed contracts.  Secondly, football players have 8+ hour days.  When you play basketball, you’re done in about 1-½ hours.  You have practice, which is a scrimmage and the running of plays and maybe some individual work, and then you’re out of there.  Some days, if I’d want to, I’d play a little one on one with guys like Chris Mullin or Mitch Richmond and then lift a little and maybe some Stairmaster.  So at the most, 3-hour days.  Basketball players are at the movies as football players are watching film.

So I’m going to throw out some words for you to do a little free association, ready?

TT:  Bring it on.

Tom Cable

TT: puppet

John York

TT:  apathetic

Roughing the passer

TT:  money

Raider Fans

TT:  Halloween

Candlestick Park

TT:  dump

Throwback jerseys

TT:  not for me

Phil Savage’s email

TT:  f*@& you

DeAngelo Hall

TT:  Jesse James—he robbed the Raiders

Brett Favre

TT:  John Madden

Benching the QB @ halftime

TT:  season’s over

Mike Singletary

TT: eyes

Detroit Lions

TT: pathetic

Peyton Manning’s commercials

TT:  too many

Plaid Suits

TT:  do you want one or 2?

American League Designated Hitter TT:  like the DH

Celebrating tackles on 8-yard gains:

TT:  morons

Well, I think that about covers it.  Thanks, Tom, I’ll see you around

TT:  No problem, thanks, have a good night.

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