ST. LOUIS (KMOX) -- It started as the "Twitter Happy Hour," a way to interact with followers in March when the coronavirus pandemic shut down most of the country. At 5:00, I'd have a drink on my back patio and visit with people, talk sports, take their mind off things.
Soon, we were doing the same thing on Facebook Live, from my garage, and it was renamed the "Garage Happy Hour" for that reason.
Then... the guests arrived. And the show took off on the @KMOXSports Facebook and Twitter pages, using Facebook Live and Periscope as the streaming platforms.
I can't thank them enough for saying yes to me, over and over... and to our viewers for coming back, week after week at 5:30 PM CT on Thursday.
In chronological order, here they are:
Kenny Wallace, former NASCAR driver and analyst (April 23, 2020):
Kurt Hunzeker, former president of the XFL's St. Louis BattleHawks (April 30, 2020):
Chris Pronger, Hockey Hall of Famer, Hart Trophy, Norris Trophy, Stanley Cup champion (May 7, 2020):
Ozzie Smith, Baseball Hall of Famer, 13-time Gold Glover, World Series champion: (May 14, 2020):
Sterling K. Brown, Emmy Award and Golden Globe award-winning actor (May 21, 2020):
Mike Shildt, St. Louis Cardinals manager (May 28, 2020):
Jackie Joyner-Kersee, six-time Olympic medalist (June 4, 2020):
Cuonzo Martin, Missouri basketball coach... with surprise guest, Mizzou football coach Eli Drinkwitz (June 11, 2020):
Bob Costas, Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster, Emmy Award winning sportscaster, 11-time Olympics host (June 18, 2020):
Tony La Russa, Baseball Hall of Fame manager, three-time World Series champion (June 25, 2020):
Mike Shannon, John Rooney, Ricky Horton, Mike Claiborne, Cardinals radio broadcasters (July 2, 2020):
David Freese, 2011 World Series MVP (July 9, 2020):
Kurt Warner, Pro Football Hall of Famer, two-time NFL MVP, NFL Network, Westwood One (July 16, 2020):
Carolyn Kindle Betz, CEO, MLS4TheLou (July 23, 2020):
John Kelly and Darren Pang, St. Louis Blues TV broadcasters on Fox Sports Midwest (July 30, 2020):
Joe Buck, FOX Sports broadcaster, Super Bowl, World Series, multiple Emmy Award winner (August 6, 2020):
Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels, 2-time World Champion with the Cardinals, 3-time NL MVP (August 13, 2020):
Travis Ford, Head Coach, Saint Louis University Men's Basketball, Final Four participant at Kentucky (August 20, 2020):
Curtis Francois, Graham Rahal, John Bommarito, Chris Blair, Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at WWT Raceway (August 27, 2020):
Dan Dierdorf, Pro Football Hall of Famer, ABC's Monday Night Football, NFL on CBS, University of Michigan radio analyst (September 3, 2020):