Making my entry in BBD's "Greatest WS" thread spurred this thought.
I grew up in Boston, but we were never blessed with a truly great play-by-play guy there.
Spent many years in the midwest, and of course, if you bet games in the pre-satellite TV days, you knew all the 50,000-watt stations and could work the radio dial for a low-tech version of MLB TV.
Many people know him only from television, and from his later years when he had lost a step, but for my money Jack Buck was the greatest radio play-by-play guy I ever heard. He grew on me summer after summer during the 80s.
I was in graduate school with a bunch of poets, and I used to tell them to listen to something like his call of a Coleman or McGee triple. He's only use about 30 words to describe it, but each word was perfect, and not one was wasted, and every bit of pause and inflection built toward a perfect description.
In late 1982, something like:
Willie McGee . . . .
1 for 2 tonight. A third-inning single, then picked off first by Dravecky . . . .
As the manager says, "he's as green as the grass" . . . .
First pitch to him . . . . .
Swing and a gap shot to left center!!! . . .
This is going to skitter to the wall!. . . . and here goes Willie, folks!!!
Blasting toward second and looking for more . . .
Wiggins plays it well, good relay throw . . .
Williediggingforthirdandheis . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
SAFE!
SAFE!
A leadoff TRIPLE, for Williemcgee!!!
[CROWD NOISE]
[CROWD NOISE]
He runs the bases like he's on a ten speed bike!
Caveat: I have never lived where I could hear Vin Scully -- my loss, no doubt.
I grew up in Boston, but we were never blessed with a truly great play-by-play guy there.
Spent many years in the midwest, and of course, if you bet games in the pre-satellite TV days, you knew all the 50,000-watt stations and could work the radio dial for a low-tech version of MLB TV.
Many people know him only from television, and from his later years when he had lost a step, but for my money Jack Buck was the greatest radio play-by-play guy I ever heard. He grew on me summer after summer during the 80s.
I was in graduate school with a bunch of poets, and I used to tell them to listen to something like his call of a Coleman or McGee triple. He's only use about 30 words to describe it, but each word was perfect, and not one was wasted, and every bit of pause and inflection built toward a perfect description.
In late 1982, something like:
Willie McGee . . . .
1 for 2 tonight. A third-inning single, then picked off first by Dravecky . . . .
As the manager says, "he's as green as the grass" . . . .
First pitch to him . . . . .
Swing and a gap shot to left center!!! . . .
This is going to skitter to the wall!. . . . and here goes Willie, folks!!!
Blasting toward second and looking for more . . .
Wiggins plays it well, good relay throw . . .
Williediggingforthirdandheis . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
SAFE!
SAFE!
A leadoff TRIPLE, for Williemcgee!!!
[CROWD NOISE]
[CROWD NOISE]
He runs the bases like he's on a ten speed bike!
Caveat: I have never lived where I could hear Vin Scully -- my loss, no doubt.
