How Hard Is It To Throw a Tennis Ball Over a Six Story Building? Harder Then You Think

Ever look at a building and think, "I could toss a ball all the way to the top?" Some of you have.

That some include Casey Boy from The Preston & Steve Show. After working at the same building in Bala Cynwyd for 18 years, he was convinced that he could throw a tennis ball onto the roof.

We're not sure is this idea has been festering for a while or if it's a new thought. But on Monday morning he blurted it out, then immediately went on a scavenger hunt around the halls of the radio station looking for a tennis ball. Alas, there was no ball to be found. Tuesday morning, he showed up with a bag full, ready to go.

Before the sun was fully up, Casey Boy was out on the side of the building, ready to toss. Unfortunately, it was not as easy as he expected. "When I first made the claim that I could throw a tennis ball onto the roof of our building, I was confident…because I didn’t really know how high 6 stories really was."

Like a message in a bottle, The Preston & Steve Show Executive Producer signed his name on the ball for the person who might find it days, weeks, or decades later. But that move may have been a little presumptuous. "Upon walking outside and glancing up, I realized that I had underestimated the height I was attempting to reach."

Casey's goal was set the World Record for Throwing a Tennis Ball on to the Roof of 93.3 WMMR, and he committed to giving his all.  "Even though I knew that my goal was, most likely, unattainable, I attempted to give it my all. After my first attempt, I still thought I might be able to make it."

Attempt number one was promising. The ball tapped the building mid-way up the he sixth floor.  He only needed another 5 or so feet to accomplish this fete.

But the tosses from there kept landing slightly lower and lower. "After a few tries from different angles, I was 100% certain that I would not be able to accomplish my dream," Casey admitted.  "Well, not with a tennis ball, at least."

That's it. It was the density of the ball. And maybe the weather. And the angle. All of these factors are in play.

And he's still not giving up. "Stay tuned for a part 2, when I attempt to reach the roof with a heavier ball!"

As we bid farewell to 2023, it's time for our annual countdown of the music YOU wanted to hear the most these past 12 months. Who doesn't love a good Best of 2023 list?

It was a great year in rock music: some of the world's greatest rock and metal bands are still holding court with new albums, MMRBQ alumni kicked ass on the stage and on our airwaves, up-and-coming musicians from across the world made waves here in the States, and we even got material from deep in the vaults of some of our favorite artists.

The Top 25 is not only a reflection of what you heard on your radio this year, but of the events where we got to hang with you, the MMR family. Most of the songs below are ones we heard live in concert, too (Shinedown, Greta Van Fleet, and Ghost, to name a few). One did an incredible MMaRchive session in our new performance studio (The Revivalists). A few of these artists took the time to catch up with the DJs, and you can watch and listen to all those interviews here on our site (Metallica, Billy Idol, Jelly Roll, Ozzy Osbourne, The Struts and more...)

Blake Dannen unveiled the list on New Year's Eve, and Radio Sara presented an encore at 3pm on New Year's Day. We are grateful to you, Philly, for being here all year round. We can't wait to show you what we've got in store for 2024. Happy New Year!

Philadelphia hometown heroes The Hooters released a new album called Rocking & Swing. It's got this song, "Why Won't You Call Me Back," and notably, a special bonus track: "Man In The Street" recorded at the Keswick Theater, Glenside, PA, 11/05/2022.

Green Day's new song "The American Dream Is Killing Me" will be on the new album Saviors which is due out this month. Maybe we'll hear it live when they come to Citizens Bank Park in August!

U2's ode to the city of Las Vegas is "Atomic City," and the video has plenty of stunning footage of the new Sphere there, which the band opened with a critically acclaimed residency.

Reunited and it feels so good! Mark, Tom and Travis are back together. "One More Time" is from the album of the same name.

Shinedown's live rendition of "A Symptom of Being Human" was a highlight for many when they performed at MMRBQ 2023.

Greta Van Fleet released their third studio album Starcatcher over the summer. They showcased their new material live when they played the Wells Fargo Center this past year, including this song, "Meeting the Master."

Metallica had a huge year between their new album 72 Seasons, the M72 World Tour, and sending their music into space. The title track of the LP hears the veteran band in fine form.

We were stoked to welcome Dirty Honey back to the MMRBQ stage in 2023. "Won't Take Me Alive" is from their new album Can't Find The Brakes.

The Revivalists helped MMR christen the brand new performance studio this past summer with a fantastic MMaRchive Session. They played this song, "Kid," in front of an in-studio audience of our loyal listeners.

Billy Idol blew us all away with his performance at MMRBQ 2023. He was cooler than cool! He also sat down with Pierre Robert backstage for a great conversation, which you can watch here.

It was a big comeback year for the Foo Fighters. They welcomed drummer Josh Freese into the fold, who is up to the task of filling the shoes of the late Taylor Hawkins. They also released the album But Here We Are, containing the track "Under You."

Godsmack have declared that their latest album Lighting Up The Sky will be there last. "Surrender" is track #3 of their final LP.

In a classic Nickelback move, the band delivered a raucous party anthem that was one of our favorite songs to blast this past summer. It's from the album Get Rollin'.

The Foos make their second appearance on our Top 25 list with another song off of But Here We Are, called "Rescued".

Mammoth WVH rounded out 2023 with a late fall show at the Keswick Theater, and shortly after announced that we'll see them again soon in Wilmington, DE. This song is from their sophomore effort Mammoth II, which was met with great reviews when Wolfgang & co. unleashed it this past summer.

When the Rolling Stones premiered this song in the middle of MMR's Back To School A to Z, we actually halted the alphabetical list so we could play it, out of order! Talk about a left turn. "Angry" is from the Stones' new album Hackney Diamonds. 

Ghost are big Def Leppard fans. Def Leppard are big Ghost fans. Cue the dream collab: the Nameless Ghouls and Joe Elliott singing together on "Spillways."

Another track from Godsmack's eighth and final album is "Soul On Fire."

This song is from the vaults of Linkin Park, who reissued Meteora in honor of its 20th anniversary last year. "Lost" is a previously unheard track from those recording sessions circa 2002-2003.

The Struts come to the Fillmore this past summer, and they know how to party. Just ask Pierre Robert... 

Jelly Roll not only appears on our Top 25 list to ring in the New Year; he also performed live on New Years Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, doing a live medley of his biggest hits.

Shinedown appear twice on our 2023 list. "Dead Don't Die" is another track from the Planet Zero album.

The Prince of Darkness had a rough year. His health has been up and down, causing the cancellation of his anticipated appearance at the Power Trip festival in California. He ended 2023 on a high note, though, celebrating a milestone: his 75th birthday. Sharooooon!

Smashing Pumpkins will be at Citizens Bank Park this August with Green Day, and hopefully they'll play this track off of their recent triple album Atum. "Beguiled" lands at #2 on our list of the Top 25.

"Lux Aeterna" translates to "eternal light," and Metallica burned as bright as ever in 2023. A top-selling world tour and their new album, 72 Seasons, made for a great year for one of rock's most enduring bands.