SportsBusiness Daily Exclusives: Radio Days

I grew up as a child of the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s, when listening to baseball on the radio was something magical; something that would take me to the mound in Forbes Field or to home plate in Yankee Stadium. From my bedroom in Tampa, Florida, I could hear some of the greatest broadcasters in the history of the sport; the ultimate homer Harry Caray, who as the voice of the Cardinals, made no bones about his love of the Red Birds; Phil Rizzuto of the Yankees punctuated his home run calls with a loud “Holy cow, what a blast!” and the one and only Bob Prince of the Pirates, who no matter if the Bucs won by one run or ten would close a broadcast out with his signature “We had them all the way.”

Fast forward to ‘08, where televised baseball is king. But is it possible for baby boomers like me to recapture our fervor for the game in the radio broadcasts of today? XM Satellite Radio is a subscription service that can be accessed either in your home, office or car. It requires the purchase of special radio receivers that you can buy online or at many electronic stores. Car receivers are also available as options on a number of new models. The standard monthly charge for over 200 channels of music, news, talk, sports and baseball is $12.95 per month. However, there are multi-year plans that offer subscriber savings. It should be noted that MLB offers an audio-only feature at MLB.com. Game Day Audio can be purchased for $14.95 and is available only via computer. But I prefer the variety of programming offered by XM.

Nowadays, as a subscriber to XM Satellite Radio, the exclusive satellite radio home of MLB, I can listen to any baseball game played at any hour of the day or night, with signal clarity of digital quality. So now that I have left the static of my old transistor behind, I can enjoy announcers anywhere in the country. But do they bring me a sense of nostalgia for the baseball games I listened to as a kid? Who has taken Caray’s place as the ultimate homer? Who has surpassed Rizzuto’s home run call? Is there another Prince out there who can close out a game? Armed with my XM radio, I went in search of the young stars and the current day characters of baseball broadcasting.

There are a number of fine young broadcasters on the radio; men who have the potential of becoming the voices of a new generation of baseball fans. The top of the list goes to the Giants’ Dave Flemming who at the age of 31 is the youngest broadcaster in the majors. For five years he has worked with the master Jon Miller, and Flemming has learned how to mix stats with a dash of Miller’s flair for words and pictures. Here is an example from a recent Giants-Dodgers game: “Randy Winn is about to step into the batters box hitting .292. It is a perfect night for baseball, the sun is just about to set, the bay is full of colorful boats and the Giants are taking on the Dodgers. What more could a fan ask for?” Honorable mention goes to the Rays’ Andy Freed. He is in his fourth year in the big leagues and with the Rays’ success, he is gaining quite a bit of notice. Freed has the ability to set up a situation and grasp the drama without overdoing it. Freed during a recent Rays-Royals broadcast said, “The story of this game is the pitching of Andy Sonnanstine who is going for his 10th win. The 25-year-old is showing the poise of a veteran and he is just another great surprise on this young, talented pitching staff.”

Williams Echoes Cubs' Fans Sentiment On Santo's Broadcasting Style

OK let’s look at those characters who make the game so entertaining. “Homers” are the guys who do not hide their passion for the home team. They are just as happy as the fans are when the team wins and are just as disappointed when their team loses. My choice for the best “homer” is Cubs radio color analyst and former Cubs 3B Ron Santo. His love for the Cubs is undeniable; he makes you believe he lives and dies on each Cubs game. Santo brings an infectious excitement to his descriptions of the action. Cubs play-by-play man Pat Hughes understands Santo and is the perfect partner. Here is an example from the first inning of a recent Cubs-Cards game -- Santo: “This is a big series Pat, and we need to get off to a quick start.” Hughes: “I agree Ron, the count is 2-1 on Kosuke Fukudome, a swing and a long drive….” Santo then takes over the description in mid-sentence, screaming “It is gone baby!! Gone, gone, gone!!!! Now that is the start to this series I am talking about.” And that is the kind of homer I am talking about. Honorable mention goes to the Padres’ Ted Leitner. I love his homespun, folksy dry humor. “OK Padres fans, the last week has not been our best work. We are in a slump, but I have a good feeling about this inning. We have two on and one out, and I do believe we have the D’Backs on their heels. Brian (Giles) is going to come through for us here. … Called strike three on Giles, two down. Did I say Giles was going to pull us out of this slump? I meant to say the man coming to bat now, Paul McAnulty is the guy.”

Williams Feels Uecker Has One Of Most Distinctive Home Run Calls In Baseball

One of radio baseball’s most exciting moments is the home run call. My favorite broadcaster in this category is the Brewers’ Bob Uecker. Uecker has one of the most distinctive calls in all of baseball. In a game last week against the Pirates he demonstrated his unique style. “J.J. Hardy already with two hits today. He swings; there is a drive -- go ball -- get up! Get out of here! A home run by J.J. Hardy puts the good guys up 5-1!” No matter if the ball barely gets over the fence or is a no-doubter, Uecker always gives you that “Go ball! Get up! Get out of here!” signature exclamatory call. The honorable mention in this category goes to Milo Hamilton of the Astros. Hamilton’s style pinpoints the location and trajectory of the ball so you can see it leaving the park in your mind’s eye. Last week, when the Dodgers faced the Astros, Hamilton declared, “Lance (Berkman) stands in. Here is the pitch -- the swing -- a long fly ball deep to left centerfield, up on the train tracks to the left of the video board about 460 feet away. That would have been out of any park, including Yellowstone.”

Sterling's "Yankees Win" Call Likely Most Imitated Among Baseball Fans

One of my favorite parts of the game has always been how a broadcaster puts his brand on a win. In this area, I think most radio listeners would give the top prize to the Yankees’ John Sterling. He has established a cult following with his “THEEEEEEEEEEEEE YANNNNKKEEEES WINNNNN!! THHEEEE YANNNKEEES WINN!” It is a call so well known, that every baseball fan can imitate it when their home town team beats the Yankees. But my personal favorite is Charlie Slowes, of the Nationals. His closer, “Bang, zooooom go the fireworks and let’s put another curly W in the books for the Nationals!” It’s a call that reminds me of the days when I fell asleep with my transistor to my ear, happy to know that my team had won and all was right with the world.

Baseball nostalgia evokes many personal memories. In the modern world, we often think we can’t recreate these experiences or feelings for the next generation of baseball fans. But with advances like XM radio, everyone can pick a favorite broadcaster: someone who for three hours magically transports you to the park with your glove and your bat, ready for the coach to put you in the game.

Jim Williams is a seven-time Sports Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer who lives in Baltimore. He will be reviewing sports programming occasionally for SportsBusiness Daily and SportsBusiness Journal. He can be reached at jameswilliams360@comcast.net.