Plenty of reaction to my post from earlier today recalling Harry Caray on the 15th anniversary of his death. So I decided to post more clips of Caray doing what he did best.
Singing the 7th inning stretch while with the White Sox.
Caray describing Stan Musial’s game. Note who sets up the piece. None other than ol’ Diz.
On the call during the pivotal 7th inning of the 7th game of the 1968 World Series.
Caray talking to Bob Costas.
Has it really been this long? On Feb. 18, 1998, Harry Caray died in Palm Springs.
That means more than 15 years have gone by since Caray called his last game for the Cubs’ season finale in 1997. It dawned on me that a new generation of fans have arrived to the scene without ever hearing Harry.
It doesn’t seem possible, considering he was the voice of so many generations during a 53-year career with the Cardinals, A’s, White Sox, and Cubs. Fifteen years since his death? Really, it seems like only yesterday that I held my transistor radio to my ear to hear him belt out his signature call of a Dick Allen homer in 1972.
I know there are people who worship at the living shrine of Vin Scully, regarding him as baseball’s Babe Ruth of play-by-play men. Scully’s brilliance, and now remarkable endurance, is the stuff of legend.
However, in my mind, Harry Caray was the best there ever was in terms of bringing fun and excitement to a baseball game.
Unfortunately, many fans only remember him for his later years with the Cubs, when a stroke and age robbed him of his sharpness. He still was entertaining as a unique character, but his best years were behind him.
During his prime, nobody was better. His descriptions were vivid, and he always was brutally frank, earning the admiration of fans and rancor of players and managers. Here’s a link of Caray’s best calls with the White Sox during in the 1970s compiled by Mark Liptak of WhiteSoxInteractive.com.
Myron Cope had this description of Caray from a 1968 article in Sports Illustrated:
No sir, Caray is having none of that drawing-room dignity affected by the boys with pear-shaped tones. Nor, as he settles into his Busch Stadium chair for a series with the Giants, is he having any of that kid-glove technique the ballplayers love so well.
“Here’s Ty Cline, who’s modeled a few uniforms,” Caray announces in the first inning. “His name reminds you of Ty Cobb.” Then the withering appendage: “And he’s batting .185.” From the enemy Caray soon turns to the home team. “Here’s slumping Orlando Cepeda, with two strikes on him and two runners waiting to be driven in. Struck him out, on a bad ball!” Back to the Giants. At bat is Willie Mays, of whom broadcasters speak encomiums. Steve Carlton fires. “Hooo! What a cut he took!” Carlton fires again. “Hooo! What a cut! Man, I’ve never seen Mays take a more vicious cut in his life. Looked like he left both his feet!” Carlton fires a third time, and Mays lands among the mortals. “Struck him out—on a bad fastball over his head!”
When Caray died, I was assigned to write the front-page obit for the Chicago Tribune. I tried to capture the essence of the man in the booth:
Harry Caray was fun. It was that simple.
Fun was the theme of one of his trademark lines. On a hot, summer afternoon, with the game either languishing or careening toward its finish _ it didn’t matter _ Caray would chortle, “Ah, you can’t beat fun at the old ballpark.”
Caray made baseball’s most exciting moments more fun. He made baseball’s mundane moments fun.
He had fun with names, those he intentionally pronounced backward, and those he unintentionally mangled or misprounced (even Cubs great Ryne Sandberg was called Ryne Sanderson at times, or merely “Ryne-berg,” and he gave up trying on Ken Caminiti). During his days with the White Sox, he made foul balls fun, hanging a net out of his broadcast perch. Caught a few, too.
He wasn’t just a man of the fans. On occasion he sat with them, calling games from the bleachers. He knew where to have the most fun. Only Harry Caray could take a tired old custom like the seventh-inning stretch and transform it into a memorable, magical, albeit off-key, Chicago ritual.
For 162 days and nights during the season, the man with the gravel voice, glasses made from window panes and trademark “Holy cow!” was a once-in-a-lifetime life of the party. The party never will be the same.
Sure enough, the party hasn’t been the same.
Here’s to you, Harry. Now and forever.
For starters, happy big 5-0 to Charles Barkley. As in basketball, you’re getting overshadowed by Michael Jordan again.
Barkley, though, has become one of America’s most lovable characters thanks to his antics on TNT. Tonight he will be part of the network’s coverage of the NBA All-Star game.
Recently, Barkley pronounced the basketball’s version to be sports’ best All-Star game.
“This All-Star Game is always fun because out of all the all-star games in sports, the baseball game is not that much fun, the Pro Bowl is not that much fun — you can’t play football for fake — but we do a great job of celebrating the NBA history,” Barkley said. “You walk around and you see the great Bill Russell and you’ll see Moses (Malone), you’ll see Doc (Julius Erving), you’ll see Oscar (Robertson), you see Jerry West. It is a really cool weekend.”
Barkley is right about the NBA rolling out its old stars. And it does seem like a great party if you are there.
But the game itself? No.
The closest All-Star game that resembles an actual game is in baseball. Regardless of how long the starters play, the pitchers still throw hard, setting up the confrontations with the batters, which are the core of the game. It’s still interesting to see Verlander vs. Posey, Halladay vs. Cabrera, etc..
In the basketball version, the defense is so non-existent, it’s as if the offensive players are facing batting practice pitching. There’s nothing exciting about watching BP for 2 1/2 hours.
Just once, it would be great to see an All-Star game where there was a prize that forced the players to go hard. Given the money those guys make, you’re probably talking about a pool of $100 million just to get them interested.
But if the players went all out, East vs. West, that would be a game worth watching.
Stephen A. was there when Dwight Howard lost his virginity.
Mike Piazza doesn’t admit to taking steroids in his new book, Long Shot. No real surprise there, I suppose.
However, Piazza does take a swing at Vin Scully. Big surprise.
I mean that’s like going after the Tooth Fairy.
From Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times:
Piazza blames Scully for stirring the fans’ ire in a 1998 interview in which the legendary announcer challenges the slugger for giving the Dodgers an ultimatum on stalled contract talks. Piazza had criticized the Dodgers in an opening-day story in The Times, even implying that the contract impasse would affect his play. He is now accusing Scully of turning his words against him.
“The way the whole contract drama looked to them — many of whom were taking their view from Scully — was that, by setting a deadline and insisting on so much money, I was demonstrating a conspicuous lack of loyalty to the ballclub,” Piazza wrote of the fans, later adding, “Vin Scully was crushing me.”
When contacted by The Times’ Bill Shaikin about the charges, Scully was clearly wounded, saying, “I have no idea where he is coming from. I really have no idea. I can’t imagine saying something about a player and his contract. I just don’t do that.”
Piazza already had a credibility problem before going after Scully. Now it’s completely gone.
Really, is anyone going to believe Piazza over Vin Scully?
Even Piazza’s biggest supporter was dismayed. Writes Plaschke:
Fifteen years later, Piazza has misguidedly polluted it again. In an attempt to sell a book that he surely hopes will edge him closer to the Hall of Fame — he fell short this winter in his first year of eligibility amid rumors of steroid use — he has pushed himself further from his Dodgers home.
“I’m very disappointed in that, I’m sorry he would even do that,” Lasorda said Thursday. ”I don’t know what he was thinking.”
NBC and the NHL will do its annual “Hockey Day in America” presentation Sunday, beginning at noon ET. It will feature three games on NBC and NBC Sports Network. The network then will will weave in features that document the game around the U.S.
Not a bad bit of marketing to show hockey’s growth, impact and relevance. Here are a preview of the features.
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Ice Hockey in Harlem
Ice Hockey in Harlem is a non-profit organization for youth that uses the sport of hockey to promote academic achievement, teamwork and character. Their motto is “Education is the Goal” and the organization has served the community for 25 years. The program is only open to those living north of 110th Street in Manhattan and there is a waiting list to enroll each fall. At the core of this non-profit organization are lessons that stick with the kids for life. Themes such as family, commitment, dedication and giving back are passed on to these local area children, which will help in creating a better future, leaders and role models.
Jack Jablonski’s Road To Recovery
Jack Jablonski was a promising ice hockey player for Benilde-St. Margaret’s high school in suburban Minneapolis. On December 30, 2011, a check from behind during a JV game left him paralyzed from the chest down. That same day, Jablonski’s boyhood idol, Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson had surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left knee. Jablonski and Peterson both faced grueling rehabilitation programs and seemingly insurmountable odds. Then something curious happened and they met during the summer. Jablonski naturally was inspired by Peterson and all the hard work he’d done to get back to the Vikings’ training camp. What’s surprising is that Peterson was deeply inspired by Jablonski as well and used him as motivation during his comeback, which resulted in one of the greatest years ever by a running back. Jablonski has also exceeded expectations, regaining some movement that his doctors never expected.
Hockey Hair
Skaters streaking down the ice with long, flowing hair trailing behind them has been a common sight at hockey games for decades. Unlike playoff beards, which are widely believed to have been popularized by Islanders teams of the early 1980s, the exact origins of hockey hair have never been adequately explained. Michelle Beadle and Jeremy Roenick will dive back into NHL history and explore the long legacy of Hockey Hair.
A Little Boys Winter Classic
During the NHL lockout this past December, eight-year old Christopher John thought of holding his own Winter Classic. Working with his parents and his teammates on the North Jersey Avalanche, John turned his dream in to a reality. The Avalanche took on the Long Island Royals at Central Park’s Lasker Rink on December 23rd. Along the way, John’s idea for a game took on greater meaning and served as a fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Sandy. New York Rangers LW Carl Hagelin and D Ryan McDonagh heard about the game and showed up at 8 a.m. to cheer the kids on. To date, the campaign has generated $25,000 for Hurricane Sandy relief.
12:30 p.m. ET, Pittsburgh vs. Buffalo
Play by Play: Gord Miller
Inside the Glass: Joe Micheletti
3:30 p.m. ET, Los Angeles vs. Chicago
Play by Play: Mike Emrick
Color: Eddie Olczyk
Inside the Glass: Pierre McGuire
6 p.m. ET, Washington vs. NY Rangers (NBC Sports Net)
Play by Play: Dave Strader
Inside the Glass: Brian Engblom
Fascinating behind-the-scenes stuff with Wright Thompson on his terrific story of Michael Jordan at 50.
Two new profiles do a terrific job of documenting the funny and not-so-funny side of David Feherty.
In a cover story for Golf World, Franz Lidz has this nugget about Feherty and 60 Minutes:
So broad is his appeal that CBS even asked him to audition as Andy Rooney’s replacement on “60 Minutes.” The fact that Feherty didn’t make the cut may have had less to do with his Q score, a celebrity popularity rating system, than his mordant choice of material. In one bit he offered three situations in which it’s permissible to laugh at a funeral: “One was that you didn’t like the deceased,” he recalls. “Two, if the pallbearers drop the casket.” He can’t remember the third.
Insights from Bob Knight, who wanted to do Feherty’s TV show.
Knight agrees. “David puts you at ease,” he said after their summit. “He’s not mean-spirited, and he won’t throw you under the bus. I’ve never spent a more enjoyable time being grilled on camera, and remember: Nobody has ever accused me of being real kind.” Knight had asked to be on “Feherty” after watching an episode in which the host shot questions at pro basketball great Bill Russell. (“So, Bill, you were left-handed and black? I mean those are two serious disadvantages on a golf course.”) Knight had laughed so hard that he wanted to be part of the fun. And he was: At the end of the powwow, Feherty gave Knight tips on his golf swing, and Knight coached Feherty on the art of tossing a folding chair.
Unfortunately, there’s his daily drug regimen that allow him to get through life:
The vial Feherty keeps in his pants pocket harbors his daily regimen of anti-depressants (Cymbalta), anti-psychotics (Abilify, Klonopin), stimulants (Adderall, Vyvanse), mood stabilizers (Lamictal), cholesterol (Lipitor) and blood pressure meds (Avalide), and sleep aids (Ambien). “I don’t like sleeping pills,” he allows. “I don’t like sleeping, period.” His credo: You sleep for a long time when you’re dead. “I’m hopelessly in the present, I don’t live one day at a time. I live 20 minutes at a time. I have no f—— clue what I’m doing tomorrow.” Asked in what era he would have liked to play golf, Feherty says the 1980s and ’90s. He quickly adds: “But I’d like to remember them this time.”
John Garrity wrote about Feherty for Sports Illustrated:
But you can’t separate Feherty’s antics from his anxieties. He noticed a few years ago that he was starting to forget things. “And not where my car keys were,” he said at lunch. “I was starting to forget words. At a speaking engagement for the Navy I had to ask the audience to help me. ‘What do you call that thing that goes across the land that has water in it?’ And people would shout, ‘A tanker!’ No, that’s not it. Somebody shouts something else. ‘A stream!’ “No! I meant a river.”
He smacked his forehead with the heel of his right hand. “I’ve had my head run over a couple of times, taken a few falls, been knocked senseless.”
So yeah, Feherty has reason to worry about the possibility that he’s losing his ability to express or comprehend speech, a condition known as aphasia. At 54, he already depends on his wife of 17 years to manage his affairs and make sure he doesn’t get on a plane to Fargo when he’s supposed to speak in Seattle. “I rely on Anita beyond anything you can imagine,” he’d said in the restaurant, staring wistfully at the attractive brunette by his side. “I don’t know where we bank. I don’t know how much I get paid. I couldn’t tell you my net worth.”
It got so bad last summer that he asked Anita to make an appointment for him to get an MRI brain scan.
“My problem,” he starts to say–but he’s interrupted by the elevator doors opening. He steps out and looks right and left before joining a parade of guests headed for the casino floor. His eyes search for a sign pointing to the Skyview Suites Tower.
“Remind me again,” Feherty says to a reporter. “What is this for?”
Just read Wright Thompson’s terrific piece at ESPN Outside the Lines on Michael Jordan turning 50. It covers all the angles of the ultra-competitive Jordan waging a frustrating battle with age. More than worth your time.
However, what struck me about the story is all the access Thompson had with Jordan. He spent hours with him. I can’t remember the last time Jordan opened himself up like that.
Then it dawned on me. Did Jordan do this as another form of payback to Sports Illustrated? In Phil Taylor’s cover story, he writes:
We will have to wonder about that without, as usual, much help from him. Jordan declined a request for an interview from SI, as he has ever since his baseball hiatus.
Jordan never forgave SI for a 1994 cover mocking his attempt to play baseball. Apparently, he is going to carry the grudge to his grave.
So Jordan snubs SI and basically opens the door for ESPN’s Thompson. Coincidence? More Payback?
Nobody would put it past Jordan.
Somebody is going to have to pay for the billions that regional sports networks are shelling out for rights fees to franchises. And that somebody will be you.
Yet another example.
From Multichannel News:
DirecTV will expand its regional sports network surcharge in the spring to include existing customers chairman and CEO Mike White told analysts Thursday.
DirecTV began implementing a $3 monthly surcharge in August for regional sports networks in markets that had multiple RSNs, but only to new customers. That surcharge, mainly in markets like New York and Los Angeles, will expand to existing customers in those areas in the spring, White told analysts on a conference call to discuss fourth quarter results.
Other distributors have followed DirecTV’s lead with the RSN charge – Verizon’s FiOS TV began implementing a $2.42 monthly charge for RSNs in California, Texas and Florida in February, with plans to expand to its remaining sates in March. In Maryland and Virginia, the surcharge will take effect in April.
Analysts have expected other distributors to follow suit to help offset the high costs of RSNs, but so far no cable operators have taken the bait.
White has been a vocal opponent of rising programming costs, and on the conference call, said the surcharge doesn’t come close to covering its RSN costs.
“I think it’s a judgment you have to make based on responsible churn,” White said. “We’ve made choices not to carry certain sports unless we can carry them ala carte.”
Maury Brown, writing at Bizofbaseball.com, believes consumers have reason to be concerned.
Deals will continue to be brokered as media rights deals expire, but the battle to get them on the major carriers, or getting the massive deals that have been recently inked, will continue to be an issue.
Of course, none of this is good for fans. While the financial flexibility is something every sports fan loves to see their favorite club have, if it means a large spike in their cable or satellite TV bill, it comes with a price. The pin is positioned near the bubble. When will it make contact is the question.