An unexpected caller created confusion and intrigue Thursday morning on KNBR, when a man claiming to be former San Francisco Giants pitcher Mike LaCoss joined the station’s Murph & Markus morning show. Hosts Brian Murphy and Markus Boucher initially questioned whether the caller was legitimate.
The six-minute exchange featured the guest identifying himself only as “Mike in San Francisco” before revealing his full name on air. Murphy then pressed the caller to verify his identity. He asked about details from LaCoss’ playing days, including a nickname from his time in the majors. The responses appeared to satisfy enough curiosity for the hosts to continue the conversation.
Still, uncertainty lingered throughout the segment. At one point, when asked about his current residence, the caller offered a bizarre response. “I’ve been dead for 10 years but I got resurrected, so here I am,” he said on air.
The moment added to the confusion surrounding the interview. However, shortly after the segment aired, LaCoss confirmed in a phone call with SFGATE that he was, in fact, the person behind the call.
“Who the hell would call and try to imitate me?” LaCoss said. “I mean, a fake Barry Bonds or a fake Bruce Bochy, sure. But not me.”
The content of the phone call surrounded the Giants’ hiring of former Tennessee manager Tony Vitello as the new manager of the franchise. A hire than LaCoss says he was not in favor of the hire.
“Don’t you think that’s kind of a slap in the face to all of the minor league managers in professional baseball,” questioned LaCoss. “They just bypassed all those guys and threw this college guy in there… When you saw the look on his face in his first real press conference, you saw a totally different look on this guy’s face. Like he just saw his dog got run over in the driveway.”
In speaking with SFGATE, LaCoss said his appearance came together by chance. He said he was watching videos on YouTube when autoplay led him to a livestream of the KNBR morning show. That prompted him to call the station and join the conversation.
LaCoss played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball, including six years with the Giants from 1986 to 1991. He contributed to the club’s 1989 National League championship team and worked in both starting and relief roles during his tenure.
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