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Bill Cunningham doesn't know why he and Joe Nuxhall started their public verbal jabs with each other, but the 700 WLW talk show host wouldn't want to be anywhere else tonight than at the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce's tribute to the Ol' Left-hander.

"I don't do a lot of emceeing ..., but I could not see not helping out Joe on his first major event in Butler County after his death," Cunningham said.

The Hamilton chamber was the first to honor Nuxhall, who died Nov. 15, 2007, giving him posthumously a lifetime achievement award in January. Tonight's tribute also is a fundraiser for the Joe Nuxhall Hope Project.

Kim Nuxhall said Cunningham was a good friend of his dad's, and they had an "interesting" relationship.

"How do I describe their relationship?" asked Nuxhall, executive director of the Joe Nuxhall Character Education Fund. "I don't know how long they knew each other. They had that little public thing going, but fundamentally they like each other."

Willie, as he is often called on his afternoon radio show, said he and the former broadcaster and Reds Hall of Fame pitcher had very public verbal tit-for-tat exchanges.

"We had this thing where we would insult each other constantly," Cunningham said. "When I would go to the Reds radio booth, he would greet me in somewhat of an aggressive, offensive manor and I would respond in an aggressive, offensive manor. I was banned from the booth for one or two years."

Cunningham then banned Nuxhall from his show, although he said Nuxhall said, "I wouldn't be on your talk show."

Cunningham recalled that at Reds Baseball Heaven several years ago, Nuxhall was his team's manager. The talk show host said he was pitching a 1-0, no-hit bid and when the last batter of the game came up, Nuxie walked out to the mound to pull him. After an argument between the two Cincinnati icons, Cunningham threw the ball down, hitting one of Nuxhall's feet. Nuxhall then chased him off the field, through the locker room, and out of the stadium — ending the Ol' Left-hander's pursuit at a nearby McDonald's.

But the acts, barbs and angry exchanges were just a show, Cunningham said.

"If we had nobody to perform in front of, man on man, it was very warm and friendly," Cunningham said. "We only did it when there were people around to watch, people thought we had this big argument and we didn't like each other, which wasn't true."

Why or how the disdained acts started, Cunningham said, "I have no idea."

"It just started when he started insulting me and I started ins,ulting him, and both of us can insult people pretty good," he said.