My moment of fame: an hour on KMKR, 99.9 FM

 From the desk of Dan Price

When I heard the question: Is this on?

The lead-in was the last three words moments before Dave Margolis and Phil Gordon, two hilarious Tucson comedians, began their Wednesday show on KFMR Radio 99.9 FM.

I was a guest on the one-hour show late last night. Actually, it was only nine o'clock when the discussion got underway. But for this old-timer, at the age of 78, it was way past my bedtime.

Bottom line: I woke up quickly when I heard 'Is this on?' followed by a little tune from Margolis where he mentioned crickets in the building, among other things, and suddenly those words again: 'Is this on?'

I listened as Phil introduced me as the guest on the show. The two comedians made me feel comfortable in my new surroundings inside the small studio at the Xerocraft Marketspace in downtown Tucson. I took a deep breath, and I was on! 

In the next forty-five minutes, I presented my life in capsule form, muttering quickly through eight decades of my life. Suddenly, the trio left that discussion behind and turned to a similar subject for all of us: baseball.

As it turns out, Margolis and Gordon saw action with my beloved 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers. Gordon played four years with the TOTS, and Margolis played in just seven games. Both players left the ball club with their share of injuries and went on to become the Wednesday "voices" on KFMR.

The two comedians "stay" with the TOTS was everything they wanted and more.

Quickly, Gordon and Margolis recalled their special moments with the amateur baseball organization that has been around since 1968 and is currently in the process of completing its 55th season.

As the clock ticked toward the end of the hour, there was time to mention the TOTS manager, Mike Dawson, and his "playing days'  at his high school, Tucson Santa Rita, in the mid-1970s.

There was time to mention two of our TOTS' hall-of-famers who we recently lost -- 98-year-old Floyd Lance, who passed away in November, and Brad Tolson, 93, who passed away in May of this year.

We also discussed our favorite major leaguers, the famous MLB ballparks around the country, the books I authored over the years, my long-running blog, Bookemdanosports, and my life as a young man growing up in Tucson.

Suddenly, it was over. My moment of fame was gone in the blink of an eye.

I enjoyed my moment in time sitting alongside two of my favorite Tucson comedians.

This was no joke, though. It really happened, along with those crickets and the beautiful sounds of the trains as they rolled east and west along the railroad track on a beautiful night in downtown Tucson.

Thanks, guys! I enjoyed it.

Photo: the author of this piece, who enjoyed his special moment in time last night on the radio with two great guys, both Tucson treasures: Dave Margolis and Phil Gordon.