Your Dark Companion Podcast

Two voices every DFW sports fan knows drop into the Lounge—broadcaster Dave Raymond, the man behind the Texas Rangers’ mic, and former pitcher turned talk radio lightning rod Mike Bacsik. In this episode, Mike Rhyner and Grubes go deep into baseball storytelling, broadcasting highs and lows, and the weird paths that lead from the mound to the booth. They swap tales of iconic calls, clubhouse chaos, and how humor and humanity keep the mic alive long after the game’s over.
It’s insider baseball at its best: the quirks, the grind, and the joy of talking sports for a living—Dark Companion style.
Chapters
00:00:00 – Cold Open: Baseball, Banter, and a Familiar Voice00:01:05 – Welcome to Your Dark Companion00:02:10 – Meet the Guests: Mike Bacsik & Dave Raymond00:04:25 – From the Mound to the Mic: Bacsik’s Second Life in Media00:07:15 – Dave Raymond on Finding His Voice in the Booth00:11:08 – Behind the Broadcast: Preparation, Pressure, and Personality00:15:40 – Rhyner on the Lost Art of Sports Talk00:18:22 – The Rangers Era: From 2010 to the Championship Run00:23:05 – Bacsik’s Most Infamous Moment (and Why He Owns It)00:28:44 – The Broadcast Brotherhood: Life Off Air00:33:12 – When Humor Meets Heartbreak in Sports00:37:59 – Ad Read Break: CBD House of Healing00:40:20 – Back in the Booth: The Call That Still Gives Chills00:44:08 – Fans, Fame, and Feedback Loops00:47:53 – Darker Days: When the Mic Gets Heavy00:51:19 – The Future of Broadcasting in a Podcast World00:56:00 – Signing Off: Why Baseball Will Always Be Home

Show Notes

Two voices every DFW sports fan knows drop into the Lounge—broadcaster Dave Raymond, the man behind the Texas Rangers’ mic, and former pitcher turned talk radio lightning rod Mike Bacsik. In this episode, Mike Rhyner and Grubes go deep into baseball storytelling, broadcasting highs and lows, and the weird paths that lead from the mound to the booth. They swap tales of iconic calls, clubhouse chaos, and how humor and humanity keep the mic alive long after the game’s over.

It’s insider baseball at its best: the quirks, the grind, and the joy of talking sports for a living—Dark Companion style.

Chapters

00:00:00 – Cold Open: Baseball, Banter, and a Familiar Voice
00:01:05 – Welcome to Your Dark Companion
00:02:10 – Meet the Guests: Mike Bacsik & Dave Raymond
00:04:25 – From the Mound to the Mic: Bacsik’s Second Life in Media
00:07:15 – Dave Raymond on Finding His Voice in the Booth
00:11:08 – Behind the Broadcast: Preparation, Pressure, and Personality
00:15:40 – Rhyner on the Lost Art of Sports Talk
00:18:22 – The Rangers Era: From 2010 to the Championship Run
00:23:05 – Bacsik’s Most Infamous Moment (and Why He Owns It)
00:28:44 – The Broadcast Brotherhood: Life Off Air
00:33:12 – When Humor Meets Heartbreak in Sports
00:37:59 – Ad Read Break: CBD House of Healing
00:40:20 – Back in the Booth: The Call That Still Gives Chills
00:44:08 – Fans, Fame, and Feedback Loops
00:47:53 – Darker Days: When the Mic Gets Heavy
00:51:19 – The Future of Broadcasting in a Podcast World
00:56:00 – Signing Off: Why Baseball Will Always Be Home

Thanks to our monthly supporters
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Creators and Guests

Host
Mike Rhyner
Mike Rhyner… "a little on the bumpy side, but rather likable"…so stated famously by a grade school teacher in Oak Cliff, where Mike grew up. A complicated guy, yet a guy who can do long division and remember call strike three to A Rod. Probably best left unattended. Don't expect assistance from him if a medical situation arises.

What is Your Dark Companion Podcast?

"Whatever I want it to be about on a given day; is what it is." Your Dark Companion couples your familiar friends from radio, Mike and Grubes! Mike brings his classic interviews that draw you in, and Grubes—The Devil—drops…well the drops, and throws the occasional grenade. Mike likes to draw on his fascinating acquaintances and friends allowing them to tell their stories as you've never heard them. But he also goes outside his network, sharing Grubes' network, and often outside of both, to bring you those they don't know, but believe have a story that will make you laugh, make you think, think differently, or just entertain you…"that's what we are trying to do here."