it's time for another pinball profile i'm your host jeff fuels you can find everything on pinballprofile.com past episodes your subscriptions and more don't forget to check us out on our facebook group we're also on twitter and instagram at pinball profile and you can email us pinball profile at gmail.com. What do Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Mike Myers, and our next guest have in common? We'll get to that later, but let's bring them on. Todd McCulloch joins us right now. Hey, Todd. Hey, Jeff. How are you doing? Thanks for having me on today. It's good to talk to you once again. By the way, I have heard you on other shows, and sometimes I hear Todd McCulloch. Sometimes I hear Todd McCullough. Which way do you prefer? I've never asked. When I was younger, I used to prefer McCullough because it was softer and smoother, and I just thought that's who I was. I thought I was Todd McCullough. And then one day I heard my father on the phone calling someone, and he said, Hello, this is Sandy McCullough calling. And then after the phone conversation ended, I said, Dad, what did you just say? He's like, What do you mean, son? I said our name. I said, Say it again. He said McCullough. And I went to my one and only brother. I said, Scott, how do you say our last name? And he said, I'm Scott McCulloch from the McCulloch clan. And my brother plays the bagpipes and got married in a kilt, so I should have known. And then I asked my mother, and my mother said, it's McCulloch. So I decided that I would go McCulloch. And at the time, I was dating my wife, and she preferred McCulloch. So she is a McCulloch, I'm a McCulloch, and I think the kids have gone her way. And I think they're McCulloch. So either way is fine. I have a friend that put McCult Bug on the wedding invitation, and people butcher it. And if it's McMalu, McCulloch, McCulloch or McCulloch is just fine either way. Well, that's good to know that. It's impossible to screw up your name. So it's McCulloch or McCulloch. I'll never make a mistake again. Okay, Ted. It's okay, Josh. I got you. Speaking of Josh, this is the third time you're on. He's getting a little antsy. He's like, hey, hey, slow down here. I'm the frequent guest here. So a little programming note, Josh will be on in the next couple of weeks. There you go, Mr. President. By the way, you mentioned your wife. Happy 20th anniversary. That just happened this month. It did. It just happened a couple days ago. So a wonderful woman, and the time has flown by, and we were together for almost seven years before that, before we tied the knot. And so we got two wonderful kids together, and we got a babysitter for them. And most things are closed around here, but we got some takeout and had a nice little dinner out on a patio and went and sat on a beach and just kind of reconnected, just the two of us. So she's amazing, and it's been a really, really great 27 years. Congratulations. That's amazing. And I know it's a lot of hard work and whatnot, but a great family in your household. And during this COVID-19, we're hearing stories of people, unfortunately, not having good times. sadly the stats of things like spousal abuse and child abuse and horrible horrible things are happening I don't mean to get too serious but I just want to point out that you are a very lucky person I feel very blessed with my Ann and my family that we are in such loving households and I wish that was the case for everyone because this is really testing everyone isn't it the COVID-19 yeah that's a really good point and I am really glad that I married such a wonderful person and that we like spending time with each other and you know doing puzzles with the kids playing board games we're taking turns watching movies so i but not you know taking turns picking so my kids are learning about when i was a kid with goonies and and uh back to the future and last starfighter and all this stuff that i loved as a kid and then um you know my wife might pick some uh some other ones and my son goes star wars and marvel so we're learning about each other's movie tastes and uh And so I think you can go one of two ways. Things can be worse or they can be better, and I think our family has grown closer during this time, and I feel very fortunate for that. That's great that you're showing the kids the old movies and, like you say, part of your childhood. But when they're watching it, I'm like, hey, Dad, that sloth in Goonies, is that? I think I could have played that role, sloth. He's a big, big man and a big heart and a big softie who likes Baby Ruth chocolate bars. So I fit that profile. So that's a great film and fun to see which movies have held up. Some of the movies that I have suggested maybe haven't held up, and other ones like Short Circuit or The Great Outdoors, I still love them. They never get old. They're remaking The Goonies, and they haven't cast Sloth yet. So give me your best impression. Hey, you guys! We might be seeing you on IMDb as actor Todd McCulloch. Ooh, this is going to be good. You know, cross your toes. cross your fingers and toes. You know, I play basketball, play a little pinball now, and maybe I've got a future in film. So we'll see how it all shakes out. So never put yourself in too small a box, I guess. Never a dull moment. And you talked about basketball. The NBA season, I didn't think it was going to happen. It is. It's kind of this playoff thing. I love that they're doing it in a bubble. I mean, if it's got to happen, I find this is maybe the safest way. And I want to talk to you about that, too, because imagine you were in this situation. Let's say it's your rookie year. and you're being asked to play in the bubble. Now, I can only imagine in your rookie season or just making the show, you're like, I'll do whatever. I just want to play. That might be a different attitude than, say, a veteran who's maybe got a young family at home or maybe taking care of some older parents that might have some respiratory problems. I wonder what your thoughts are, given different situations, if you, Todd, would have played in this bubble. I think I would have. And I think it's interesting that you say that. And I think your situation could be different, whether you're a rookie. When I was a rookie, I think I had $6 in two bank accounts when I joined the NBA and was really looking forward to that first check and probably would have done anything to play. Fortunately, it wasn't in the situation that we're in now. But I just watched a documentary recently that had Jamie Foxx and these comedians were talking about what it was like to be heckled and how challenging that can be. He's like, you know, when I used to get heckled and I used to get booed, it used to really bother me earlier in my career. And now I don't care as much because I have money. And so I guess my point is, if you've played in the NBA for 12, 14 years and you have financial security for yourself and your family for the foreseeable future, you might make your decisions differently than if you're a rookie and this is your chance to make it and to help get yourself into a better financial situation, take care of your family and parents. So I think there are some pressures for people, and it's all different, and everybody is at a different stage right now. But I think the NBA has tried to do a really good job to keep everybody safe and to, you know, last I heard, I don't know if there's roughly 350 athletes there within the bubble, that I think they had zero positive tests. So I think if you look at that rate of return compared to other communities within this country, it seems like a pretty safe place to be, and it's not by accident. And I think they've done a really good job and they've taken it seriously. And I think when guys have either broken the rules, either knowingly or unknowingly, and maybe crossed the street to go get some takeout food, they get put into mandatory quarantine for another 10 or 14 days and probably get docked financially. So you have to make the rules and people have to abide by them without favorites, no matter who you are. And I think they've set an example like, guys, we are here. We need to be safe. And this is important. And this is for all of our safety. We need to keep this bubble as protected as possible. And I do think it's working, and I think they've taken the necessary precautions, and they follow the science. And I think it's going to work, and I'm pretty excited to see basketball again. And I'd like to think that I would go if I was still an active player, that they have the player's safety paramount. And I would feel confident going. I mean, I'm not in that situation because I haven't played professional basketball a long time, but I would feel good about going if I was a current player. Certainly the testing that is involved is great too, but we're going to get to pinball in a bit, but I do want to talk about this because it is a competitive nature. It's in a group setting, in this case, a bubble, but that sport in basketball, there's a lot of hands-on, there's a lot of sweat, there's a lot of in-your-face. I mean, it's tough to social distance. So that's why the testing is crucial. And also too, like you say, the policing of staying inside that bubble. If you are out, are you wearing a mask? Are you protected if you have to go out? All those types of things. I just wonder how it's going to work with something like basketball. Forget basketball. I like that they're in a bubble. It's the NFL that I'm like, there's no way that could possibly work. You're seeing it in college sports with football. Yeah, you're right. It's a different game, and NBA has always had sort of the luxury of having the least amount of players on a team. And so when it's a numbers game and distance is important and each person that's there represents a threat to spread of others, with the NBA having the lowest number of professional athletes of the four or five major professional sports in this country, I think it's a little easier to manage. And with the NFL, with the huge rosters and maybe the inability for there to be a venue somewhere in this country for them to safely quarantine and be in the bubble, They certainly have a set of challenges, and you've heard recently from some of the star players that have voiced some of those concerns, and they really want a clear plan and a chance to be safe. And the NBA has been taking this very seriously right from the beginning and looking at every possibility, and they chose what they thought was best. And so far, I think it's working. And so each game is going to have to deal with it, whether it seemed like some of the racing in cars was a natural fit to get back on the track and have the spacing of these cars. And, you know, maybe singles tennis works where you're across the net, but maybe doubles doesn't. And so each game is going to have its own unique challenges. And I think basketball and the NBA have set themselves up as well as possible to continue for the rest of the season. I think with the luxury of testing and being in a bubble and also being diligent with social distancing is important not just in sports but it really is in life too And as we relate to pinball I think this is the only way this is going to happen moving forward We seen the IFPA suspend competitive pinball as far as the whopper points are concerned And there are still pinball events going on, and they're being very responsible with masks. I just did a stream with Jim and Dina Lindsay on JDL Pinball. They were doing this pinball competition in Switzerland, and it was limited people, games extremely spread out. And they just thought, okay, we're used to pinball and playing in a competition where if it's a two-player game, you go first, Todd, then I go back and forth. And I thought, eh, just play your whole game and then wipe it down, let the next person come up. The back and forth might need to not happen for a while. And I know I'm going to talk to Josh about that in a few weeks. But your thoughts on how we can get back to pinball during these COVID-19 times. I liked your idea. I haven't been competing at pinball. I've just been playing at home, and since I don't really run tournaments, I haven't really had to think of how to get it back. I've kind of just been waiting for some of my local places to open up so we can do these things, but I haven't really thought about the logistics. But I think your point of maybe playing your full game and recording the score and then wiping the machine down thoroughly and having someone else play is a very good suggestion, and keeping your distance from that person and allowing somebody to walk completely away from the machine before you step up, almost like treating the game like somebody may have tilted and just giving it that second and, you know, wiping down the lockdown bar, wiping down the buttons, always wearing a mask. I do think that there will be a way to do that safely as we're learning more about the transmission of it. And, you know, maybe there's an ability to have some open air stuff. I mean, we saw a little bit of publicity here recently where there was a gentleman, I think it was maybe Tokens Arcade or Barcade, somewhere in the East Coast. And he wanted to stop by and say hi to his local pinball bar establishment, but didn't want to risk going into the facility because of some complications. And the owners were nice enough to put that game outside, maybe under an awning. And so I know these things are a pain to move, but it seems like maybe there's some places that can move them out to the patio, at least for a day tournament on a day where the Carl Weathers isn't too inclement. That's the tough part, too, because a lot of the places that we play are tight quarters and really tough to have that kind of spacing. I just saw a little side tournament. I don't know who put it on, and I would give credit if I knew who it was. I'm sorry I don't, but I saw people like Chuck Webster and some other people in the New Robert Englunds area were playing this tournament. It was outside. Every single person was wearing a mask, and it was a fun time. You could see that everyone was taking precautions. I love seeing things like that. So just like that tournament that I did some commentary on in Switzerland, it wasn't for points. It was for prizes. It was for pride. It was really just a chance to see your friends that we probably haven't seen in months. And in some cases, there might be some cash prizes or playfields, little things like that. That's probably the first step towards getting back, seeing that we can be responsible. I know you're a big fan and I know you were looking forward to things like Pinberg. It was the right decision to cancel that with that venue, with the amount of people that are in there. It just couldn't be done from a safety standpoint. We'll get there. I just think we need to take slow steps. Yeah, you know, I think the future is everything I see in terms of the vaccines and all the different approaches that they're taking. At least from what I'm reading and seeing, there's a lot of positive things coming out of those developments and stages. And I think that's really encouraging that at some point, either towards the end of this year or into early into next year, there'll be the first options for people to start to get some vaccinations. And I think as those start to get out there, get produced, become available to people, and maybe combined with some other ones that have maybe attacking the virus in a different way, try and get some sort of total immunity. And then I think you can start to have those events again if the majority of people are protected. But until then, the right thing to do is to cancel all those events. So having a whole bunch of people, hundreds, thousands of people in a convention center with a bunch of games that everybody is handling is just not safe at this time. But I think we're learning a lot about it and about the transmission and ways to combat it. And it does appear that there's some hope on the horizon that this is not going to be forever. I bring it back to sports because, again, it's gatherings of competitive nature. And we talked about the NBA being in a bubble. Major League Baseball started their 60-game schedule. The NHL is about to hit their little playoff run of 24 teams, and those are in two cities in Toronto and Edmonton. Again, bubble-like atmosphere, which I like. One thing that I've noticed during this lack of competition, and I'm excited to see with these sports I just mentioned, is as a guy who used to play, certainly not on the level you did, but just enjoyed sports, just like I enjoy competitive pinball, I miss the people, and that's one big thing that might be lost in these major league sports, is that kind of bonding, whether it's going out to dinner afterwards, hanging out, playing video games in the hotel or whatever. I mean, whatever athletes do out on the road, and those are the things I can mention, that's going to be lost, unfortunately, and I don't know what kind of effects that's going to have as far as team bonding, because I've heard a lot of athletes say, you know, that's the one thing we're going to miss the most is those opportunities to bond. And I would agree with that. I think that's the thing that I miss the most about being on a team is it's not necessarily the practices or the physicality. Obviously, the games are a lot of fun and winning is fun, but it was the times on the plane, the times hanging out with the guys, being on the bus and doing trick shots in practice and just the locker room and being a part of the team in maybe less informal, less stressful situations. and that's what I really miss is that camaraderie and I think players that are playing now, I think they're going to miss out on some of the great things that it was to be a professional athlete in this country to make a great salary doing something that you love, doing something that you did for nothing when you were a child and then somehow you get to keep playing this game and make a very good salary and also get to have a lot of fun doing it, especially if you were in a winning organization. That just made everything better And fortunately, in my short career, I was lucky to be part of two wonderful organizations that did more winning than losing. And that just made it that much more fun. So I do feel badly for some of the guys coming up now. They're still going to be playing at the highest level. They're still going to have great competition. But whether they're missing fans in the stands or whether they're not having the same kind of bonding with their teammates, whether it's going out to a nice steak dinner after a game or hanging out or going to the movies and just doing a lot of the things that everyday people do. I mean, I remember when I first joined the NBA, Bruce Bowen went on to be a wonderful NBA player, and he was just trying to get back into the NBA at that time. And I think it was our first road trip, and I'm a rookie, and I love the movies. And Bruce and I decided, you know, what are we going to do on the road? Let's go to a movie. So we go to a movie. Who's the sucker who had to sit behind you? I hope you're in the back row. Fortunately, it was like a Tuesday afternoon, and the movie theater was completely empty, and it was just like the two of us. There was plenty of room, but I'm coming out of college where I'm hanging out with my – my teammates were my friends. They were my roommates, and we were together at practice. We were together eating. We had classes together, and those were my brothers. And so I guess we would go to the movie theaters, and we'd sit right next to each other, and we'd share popcorn. So I asked Bruce, I was like, so you want to share a popcorn? No buffer seat? Yeah, and he goes – I was like, you want to share a popcorn? He's like, no, no, you're in the NBA now, Todd. You can afford your own popcorn. buy your own and do not sit next to me. All right. We are NBA players. We have long legs. We need at least like three seats. So don't even try and sit next to me. So he was into social distancing even, even back then. And he wanted his own popcorn. And so I learned a lesson that NBA players don't sit right next to each other in theater. Our legs are too long. Oh, you know what you reminded me of is I make popcorn almost every single night. We've got one of those movie theater popcorn machines. It's great. We've got an old air popper. Whenever I go to Chicago, Garrett's popcorn is like the first place I go to right after I go to Giordano's pizza. So good. Exactly, right? So good, but so bad. So good. Garrett's way better than Nuts on Clark, I have to point out. Yeah, every time in the airport I see Nuts on Clark, I take a picture and I send it to my friend Chris Clark, and I go, Nuts on Clark. He's like, it wasn't funny last year, it's not funny this year, but I'm going to do it again next year. Anytime I see Nuts on Clark, that's what I think of. Exactly. So my wife and I, we make popcorn, and I'll be like, do I? And I should just make it because a lot of times she'll say, no, I'm good. But what that really means is I'll just have yours, which I have no problem giving you another one. But my wife, she'll put her hand in the popcorn bowl like it's a glove. And I'm waiting to get in there. I'm like, can you take your hand out? She's the slowest popcorn picker-upper. I'm like a shovel. I'm like the claw in Toy Story, just grabbing it. That's me shoveling it in. Anyway, yeah, popcorn, you've got to have your own. I'll reach my hand in there and I have giant hands and I'll just grab a huge amount of popcorn and just shove it in my mouth and do it again. So, yeah, I'm not very good at sharing popcorn. I need my own because my hand's all over that thing. We were talking about tournaments and how we get back to that. I know in the Northwest there, there was a big one that unfortunately, like many, couldn't happen. But I got to say, the last time I saw you was on this Zoom call. And I want you to give the background. It was a Zoom trivia contest in light of the tournament. I thought it was fantastic. it was it was very cool i wasn't quite sure what the format would be they just asked me you know that day to be a guest and i've been a guest on their podcast before and i uh and i love those guys and i always have fun uh when i'm around them and so i accepted and uh and i didn't realize they had some fun games planned even though i did horribly in the in the trivia uh it was fun to do you know a fantasy draft of games and just be part of that pinball community because we can't really be together physically. So it was really fun to be together, you know, in the, in that virtual space. This is the skill shot pin cast down out of the Northwest and the trivia contest. And we've done a few, we did them on final round pinball podcast on the pinball network with my buddy, Marty Robbins. But this one I had never seen before. And, you know, I thought I knew a little bit about trivia No no no no In the Northwest here how you do pinball trivia You give the name of something and you have to determine whether it a game a strain or both And I never partaken in that so that going to be my excuse for why I did so poorly is I'm just not familiar with those strain names. And the both part is the part that got me. I would know they were pinball machines, and I just assumed that maybe they were strain, and I'd say both, and I was always wrong, and you were busting my chops, rightfully so, that I think I took last in that event. Oh, yeah. You really did not represent the Canadians very well. I was not impressed, Todd. Come on. I am sorry. I will do better next time, but it was a lot of fun. I think Hannah Hatch won that, and she's a great pinball player and apparently knows her strengths. So congratulations, Hannah, on that. So we're not seeing the tournaments, but the big void right now, and I know you and I are both feeling for these individuals. You yourself are an operator, but it's one thing to be an operator. It's another thing to actually have the physical building to be paying the rent, paying the employees, paying the upkeep, and being an arcade or barcade owner. And boy, some of our friends are taking a real hit right now. Yeah, it's a terrible, terrible time. And so I'm just a hobby operator. And so I am not in the same category as my friends that this is their bread and butter. This is their profession. This is how they pay the bills. And so I feel horribly at just the circumstances that we find ourselves in, and in this country and around the world that have, you know, forced the closure of places where they can't earn a living. And it's very scary and alarming, and the future is unknown. And I was just with a friend today, and, you know, his career and livelihood is very much affected by, you know, what's going on here, and I feel horribly. And so I know I've got a friend, John Ehrlich, in New York City, and his bar, Jack Bar, is certainly facing some challenging times. And so I think he or a friend set up a GoFundMe campaign under Shoot Again Jack Bar to try and raise funds to try and keep the doors open as they've been forced to close at different times and really limit the sales of beverages and the ability to have the games on. And so if anybody wants to head over to GoFundMe and look up Shoot Again Jack Bar and make a contribution, that would be greatly appreciated to help them out. And they're not the only ones around the country that are really, really struggling. So if you like your neighborhood pinball bar, find a way to help them out through these difficult times. And it's going to be rough, and hopefully a lot of these places will be able to find a way to stay open with the help of the community. Yeah, those are good points, too. So you can check that out for Jack Bar, and I know they've had auctions in the past too. But like you say, it's happening all over the country. A good friend of mine, Bruce Nightingale, has got that beautiful Silver Ball Saloon, and I know they were closed for quite some time, open now. But what can you do? I can't even cross the border to go there if I wanted to go there. And I know places like that have said, if you want to buy gift certificates, and I think that's a great idea. I know myself and many others have done that. This is how to help. Kickback Cafe in Pittsburgh. I mean, that's a place I haven't been to yet, but I definitely have that circled. I want to go there. So I was in Nashville last summer and I didn't get to go to this place, but I really wanted to check out No Quarter. And it's one thing to have COVID. That poor place got hit by a tornado, too. So, I mean, they've been closed, obviously, because of that. Think of whoever is in your neighborhood, whether it's Abari in North Carolina, all those great places you've got there in the Northwest, anywhere, if you can go to their website, find out what they're looking for, and it might be something like a gift certificate. Find out if they're open. Any little bit is certainly going to help because we're in this right now, but it's not going to be forever. So the whole goal of this is just ride the storm, wear the mask, get through this, and we'll come back and hopefully be stronger than ever. Yeah, this is the time to do it, and it does seem like a bleak future, but there is going to be some sunlight at the end of all this. And I hope that all of these pinball places that, you know, there's just these owners are so passionate about pinball, and they're so passionate about people, and it's devastating for them to be in the situation where they just put so much into this, their money, their hard work, and it's not just punching the clock. They're not just sitting in a cubicle. And so I really hope that with the help of the community that all these places can survive when people can open up again and that these places can be around for a long time to come. I started a thread quite some time ago. It's on tiltforums.com, but you can find out a list of like several of these arcades that are looking for help and their links there. So that's a good one-stop place to check out some of these venues across North America. And I wouldn't be surprised if there are some there in Europe or other places too, because COVID-19 really doesn't know any boundaries. It's happening all over. And again, we'll get through this. I just think of the people before us, You know, somebody once said, and it's probably been repeated several times, we're being asked to wear a mask. We're being asked to sit at home and watch Netflix. And we've got our computers and our Internet. And I'm talking to you miles and miles away. We are still connected in a way. It's not like we've been thrown in the draft or anything like that. No, that's true. I think it is important to look at it through that perspective that, you know, be home if you can be and take care of your families and that this isn't forever. And if we can sort of buckle down and stick to the plan and get the numbers down, the quicker we can get back to a sense of normally. But it's easier said than done for a lot of people, and a lot of people are hurting. And so do what you can for the good of everybody. Hear, hear. Many of our listeners here on Pinball Profile are fortunate enough to have a game or two. You might have a game or two, and I know you've got some new ones there, Elvira House of Horrors, which talk about fantastic code. but what's Lyman doing on all these special games? Batman 66, Elvira, come on. I want Lyman on a pro game once in a while. I mean, I don't want to have to pay these boutique prices for great Lyman code, but my God, that's a good code. Yeah, he's incredible, and I've got a lot of Lyman games in my basement, and that's not really a coincidence. I think when I see his name attached to it, it just tells me that the game is going to be fantastic, and I think he's somebody that doesn't like to necessarily repeat himself or just do the same thing. So he's always coming up with new ways to have interesting mini-wizard modes and just the choreography of the sounds, and now with the ability to have an HD screen to show all sorts of clips, whether it's Batman or these movies and a lot of House of Horrors. He's a magician when it comes to that stuff. And then just every time a new code update comes, to be able to put that in your game, it's like having a new game, and it just gets so fleshed out. And he's such an incredible person and player and worker. But I think he really understands that not everybody is at the level of his skill level. So while there is stuff in there for someone at a world championship level like he's at, which is something that I aspire to and I want to have games that are that deep because I do play them every day, but he also understands that there's going to be casual people walking into a pinball bar or a family that has the game in the basement, and there needs to be fun for them too. And he really gets that big picture of understanding all the different people that could be standing behind the machine wanting to play it, and he really gets it. And when people come over, often it's games that Lyman has had a hand in. When I poll people, they love Medieval Madness or Attack from Mars or Batman 66, all those games, there's a common thread there. and he's done amazing work on Elvira. And it just, you know, it shoots great, which is a testament to Dennis Nordman. It looks great. Great art by Greg Freris. And then to team up with a guy like Lyman makes it a winner. And it just, every code update just gets better and better. And so much fun to play. That's good to hear because I've only had really one time playing and it was at Chicago Expo when it was first introduced, bare bones code. But my first impressions were, okay, this shoots very, very well. Maybe to some point too easy, but you know, that's, listen, It's because I'm a great player. Todd, we know that. I don't want to talk about that, all right? I'm just going to be modest for a second. Yeah, no, I mean, it's just the way it is. You're great, and everybody knows it, and you keep telling people that. I have to. I have to because no one else will say it for me. So, no, the point is I looked at it, and I'm like, okay, that ramp to me was not an easy ramp to hit, but there's a lot of ramps that are difficult. That one wouldn't be in that category. I'm saying this as a compliment because it's exactly what you said. That game, and it's not like there were a lot made, but that game really is a perfect game for a novice because of the easier shots, because of the open play field, but yet deep enough for the most competitive player because of the Lyman code. Everybody I know that has that game is thoroughly enjoying it. And my first impression was like, okay, it was like this with Guardians when that first came out, a great John Borg game. I was like, okay, I really like the shots. Code wasn't there yet at the time, and at the time with Elvira, it wasn't there. But I had faith. You know, if you've got good shots and the code gets there, it turns into a great game, and that looks like what we've got with Elvira. That's kind of where we're at, and there's just a really cool sort of a mini wizard mode, Gabba Angry, and you lock a ball, and then it comes back out, and then you've got to lock two balls, and then you've got to put three away, and the more levels and stages you can get to, You're building up your multiball, and then you see in the house all the different windows that represent the different movies. He puts something in there. When you get through half of the house or four of the windows, you make me want to shout. I'm singing along with it, and I feel like I'm dancing. Pinball, in general, just hits you on the tactile, the lights. You can see it. You can hear it. And I'd argue that you can taste victory and you can smell the fear in your opponent. So I feel like pinball hits you on all five senses and then that sixth sense of just a sense of satisfaction of just having fun. So pinball is a unique device to be able to stir up so many emotions in one little box in your basement. I know you got Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on order a game I yet to play because of COVID but another game I haven played you actually have And my God do I love that play field I love the uniqueness of Rick and Morty I do too. I've been really enjoying the game. It's totally unique, and just loving my Total Nuclear Annihilation and loving what Spooky has done from the beginning, it was a no-brainer for me that I was going to get on the list and get one of those games. And I knew Scott does such a great job with layout and lights and music. And I know Bowen. I know how good he is with the rules as a player. And I know how good of a coder Eric Preak is. And I know how much fun the show is. And so that seemed like a no-brainer to me. And I was lucky to sort of get one early and play it and enjoy it. And then I have a friend who's a little bit further down the line. And as soon as I got it, I wanted to invite him over so he could play it. and he played one game, one ball, and said, I'm so glad that I'm getting this. And he was feeling very good about his purchase. And then I just did a new code update recently, and the game just gets better with new scenes, new episodes, new dimensions, new light shows, and, you know, the call-outs. And, you know, usually I could be amused with pinball. I could smile. It could be, you know, something funny that maybe I've heard, and I think it's funny. But rarely do I sort of bust out laughing out loud. You see people text LOL, and I just wonder, are they actually laughing, or are they just writing that? But I think it was a mystery award, and in Morty's voice, he's like, yeah, the only mystery, Rick, is how you get through a day without being an a-hole. You know what I mean? And I was like, I was not expecting that, and that totally fits with the characters, and it's just a new way to express a mystery award in pinball, and I just think there's more of that stuff to come, and it's a blast to play. People love it. The custom call-outs, it's fantastic, too. so some other news happening in your neck of the woods uh watch out there's a monster coming and it's the kraken the new nhl team in seattle has been announced and the reason i bring that up is okay you got an nhl team there seattle has had that before they did didn't they i can't remember the name but they have a long you know a history of of early nhl and i think maybe maybe won a stanley cup you know back in the day so there is a rich history of hockey here if you go back uh generations. And so this city is excited and ready. And in Philadelphia, there used to be a joke that, you know, how many Flyers fans are there in Philadelphia? And somebody said there's 20,000 of them and they go to every game and they fill up the place. And there was a great energy. Of course, there's more Flyers fans than that. But I think Seattle is really good. They fell in love with the Sounders, the MLS here and our championship level team. And we saw how a team like Las Vegas can make it to the Stanley Cup in their first year. With the expansion draft, teams are able to protect not as many players, so a team can actually get pretty good off the expansion draft right away. So there's a lot of hope that Seattle will come out guns blazing and be able to be competitive, and I expect to see a good rivalry with the Canucks up in Vancouver. And the hockey live, as you know, is an incredible game, and I think Seattle's going to fall in love with NHL again. Well, you have to be excited because if the Kraken's there and they're upgrading the arena, that has to mean that whether it's the Supersonics or some other NBA team, maybe relocating or expansion, NBA can't be far behind. I sure hope so. I mean, I feel a little bit disconnected with the NBA, just not having a franchise here in the city. And I don't have very many friends that are still playing, but I still know people in the NBA. and when there was a team here, it was sure nice to go out to dinner with those people or have that face-to-face interaction. That's obviously a challenge right now with COVID, but I feel like some of those relationships and friendships haven't grown in the past number of years with there not being an NBA team here and all my NBA family just doesn't come to town. So I would love to somehow be involved with that franchise if they can get one here. And the city has proven for a long time that they can support an NBA team, that they can provide a champion. It's a big media market here in terms of TV and a growing market in terms of businesses. So there really is some future success here getting the NBA back in town. I'm not sure when it's going to happen, but when it happens, the team is going to be something special. Well, we'll see. And the Kraken certainly is opening that door. And speaking of monsters and things that might be evil, word has it that you might have appeared in a little film. Do you want to explain what this movie Isolation is all about? Yeah, sure. I can't say too much right now, but I can tell you that I've got a friend here on Vambridge Island named Bobby Rowe, who's a director. He's a filmmaker, and a couple of his movies are The Houses That October Built and The Houses That October Built 2, kind of in that It's a horror thriller genre, and he was tasked with being one of the directors in this movie that was filmed entirely during quarantine. And so it was kind of a secretive project, and you kind of had to use the people that were around you and whatever cameras and equipment you had. And they were tasked with coming up with something with kind of limited resources. And apparently, judging by the article I read, that the producer was extremely impressed with what these people came up with. And he needed a villain. So I stepped up. And so I tried to be a good guy in life. But I got to be a – Oh, I thought this was a biography. Yeah. Yeah, it's that too. So we'll see how it turns out. So I'm pretty excited about my debut here playing a villain. and there'll be more information to come about where it'll be involved or where it'll be able to be viewed, and I'll be sure to share that with you and your guests because I can't wait to see it, and it should be in that genre. And I have some friends who maybe, you know, thriller, horror might not be their favorite one. They're like, I don't like watching those, but I'll watch this one. I'll do it for you. You know, whether they're hiding behind their popcorn or looking through their fingers, people have said, you know what? If you're in it, they'll check it out. So I'm excited to get a big screen debut on a small screen. Well, half an hour ago, I just heard your sloth screen test, and you nailed that. So I imagine this isolation movie is going to be spectacular. Well, I think it's really cool. I think people are really curious about it. You know, a movie that was filmed secretly in quarantine with some veteran filmmakers. And so I think there's a lot of people excited to check it out. and I'm going to be first in line to buy my ticket and watch it and see how big I look on screen, on the big screen. Just buy your own popcorn, will you? I will. I can do that. Now that I'm a big movie star, I think I can probably buy my own popcorn and maybe get some extra butter and see how it goes. All right, one last thing because, again, we haven't talked in a while, and it's not the big screen, although you can check out that Isolation, good article on Entertainment Weekly, and I'll put the link up because it's fascinating. I'm looking forward, but not the big screen, the small screen. We haven't talked about, you know, here in your NBA career, you did something not many people can say. They went to the NBA finals, not once, but twice with two different teams. A lot of players, as you know, never get that chance once, no matter how long they play on the small screen. The one good thing we've had in COVID-19 was the release of The Last Dance, which I have seen in its entirety twice. I'm sure I will watch it a third time. What did you think of it? I loved it. I've seen it twice or three times, and it did come along at a time where there wasn't a lot of great stuff on TV. And not only was it nice to get something new, but no matter when it came out, it was going to be fantastic. And I grew up watching the Chicago Bulls and watching them win championships. And like most of the world, Michael Jordan was my favorite player. And I thought it was incredible. Even later in my career, I got to be a part of an NBA team. I got to go to the finals and I got to be in those locker rooms and sort of see behind the scenes. But I still didn't know what it was like to be on the Chicago Bulls with Scottie Pippen, with Michael Jordan, Bill Winnington and all these, you know, great, great players. And just to be along for that ride and to have that kind of access. And it was just like a like a time capsule to have happened so long ago, but still be really fresh in my mind as being super important in sports. and really that team helped put the NBA on the map around the world and really helped to grow the game. And usually with somebody like Jordan, who seemed to be pretty private in the media, to really just get a sense of who he was behind the scenes. And next thing you know, I'm in the NBA, and I really felt like I had just missed my opportunity to play against Michael Jordan with him retiring just a season or two before I entered. And in my third year with the Nets, he became a wizard, and I had a chance to play against him. It was one of my favorite games I've ever played. It was a preseason game. It meant nothing in terms of the records, but it meant everything to me that I, you know, in some ways, just on the court playing against my hero. And it was a game that I'll never forget. And it was a very, very special moment. He was just a class act. And later that season, he dropped 45 on us to just show just how great he still was. And I was really glad that I had a chance to play against him for a season or two. It was years after he retired a second time, coming back with Washington, certainly a veteran in the league, an older player, and he still got MVP votes that year. That's how great he was. So, yeah, it was something to see. Well, I'm looking forward to seeing you on isolation and hopefully at a pinball event soon. It's always good to talk to you, Todd. All right. Well, thank you for the time, Jeff. It is good to connect, and I look forward to seeing you at some pinball event. And if you make it here to the Northwest, come on over and let's play some pinball. that will happen for sure alright buddy thanks very much and we'll talk to you soon alright thanks Jeff this has been your pinball profile you can find everything on pinballprofile.com check us out on our Facebook group we're also on Twitter and Instagram at pinballprofile email us pinballprofile at gmail.com I'm Jeff Teolas Bye.