Some do better than others battling the tyranny of the clock. The unequaled Vin Scully, who was 88 when he retired in 2016 after 67 years of broadcasting Dodgers games, still has marvelous word retention and phrase retrieval.
Still, when I spoke with him last fall, before his 91st birthday in November, I asked him whether he could still broadcast games today. He responded humbly and unflinchingly “Oh, no!”
The master explained that if an anecdote struck his stream of consciousness during a broadcast, he likely wouldn’t remember every last detail. As such, Scully said, he couldn’t share stories instantly the way he once did. A proud but modest man, Scully still doesn’t grope for the perfect word in daily conversation.
While Scully paced himself late in his career by increasingly cutting back on road games, Al McCoy, 85, still zestfully calls all Phoenix Suns games on radio. I myself called Miami Heat games for six seasons when in my early 40s. I can assure you that an NBA schedule is sufficiently grueling to enervate a man 40 years younger than McCoy. For most Americans, age and mental sharpness are inexorably intertwined. Others, like Scully and McCoy, are blessed.
The midnight charters and truncated sleep can turn a season into one long blur and one unending crucible. Moreover, the team whose games McCoy calls, the Phoenix Suns, have one of the worst records in the league. Losing grows old.
Many of the road arenas aren’t very accommodating either. NBA radio announcers are generally relegated to the nosebleeds, where Ted Williams-like vision is required to see the game. At one road location, the Suns’ radio crew, which includes 6-foot-10 Tim Kempton, has to shoehorn onto a backless bench and lean forward to see the floor. Back breaking and hazards of the trade, I suppose!
Yet McCoy loves what he does and still connects the dots of a fast-moving basketball game impeccably. He’s thankful for having Kempton at his side, particularly in another building where getting to the radio position means elbowing through a maze of fans and navigating a catwalk-like obstacle course.
When I spoke with McCoy, he told me that it’s all about “rest, preparation and concentration.” He is still sharp; and he’s a beloved institution in the Valley of the Sun where he’s in his 47th season announcing Suns games.
McCoy isn’t the only octogenarian. The Yankees’ John Sterling turns 81 this July and has no intentions of retiring. The Brewers’ Bob Uecker turned 85 on Jan. 26 but rarely does road games.
I’ve kept unofficial records. There are some 100 sports announcers who are 70 or older (full list forthcoming at sportsbroadcastjournal.com).
There’s another marvel of sorts on the network side: Hubie Brown. A Hall of Fame NBA coach, Brown recently signed a two-year extension to continue his color commentary on ESPN Radio and TV. Hubie turned 85 last September. Like McCoy, Hubie is still as sharp as a tack. Analysts, though, are counter-punchers; their responses are instinctive and not always instantly time sensitive. Play-by-play voices lead the charge. If they’re behind calling a play or they misidentify players, social media lights up, especially on national broadcasts.
*Based on blend: degree of difficulty, volume of work, smoothness and age within category Note: Marty Brennaman will retire after the 2019 Reds season and Lawler after the 2018-19 Clippers season.getty images (13); ESPN images; nbc sports
Often, when network play-by-play voices reach their mid to late 70s, their assignments are reduced, they’re retired by their employers or they retire on their own. CBS’s Verne Lundquist, NBC’s Tom Hammond and ESPN’s Mike Patrick are examples. ESPN’s Dick Vitale, 79, and Fox’s Dick Stockton, 76, are not quite as visible as they once were.
The New York Post reported in December that Marv Albert’s lead NBA role for Turner will likely end after this season. Marv, 77, still has great flair, enthusiasm and presides with his impeccable self-designed rhythm that’s been his hallmark for more than a half century. But his voice has acted up and thinned.
Why do some stay in their jobs well into what’s generally considered retirement age? A few make tons of money, others enjoy being around sports and there are those so identified by their work that they can’t give it up.
To keep things less complicated, older announcers might economize their language on-air or in the case of Brent Musburger in his later years on ESPN, he referenced players by only their last names to cut down on potential mistakes. Brent has reinvented himself. He creatively set up VSiN and serves as the voice of the gambling channel. And for a man who turns 80 in May, he also undertook radio play-by-play for the Oakland Raiders.
Al Michaels has no plans to hang up his microphone. Michaels, who does only the NFL, smartly paces himself. He is in good health, is still very current and has the great respect of the industry. At 74, he could potentially be the first lead network play-by-player to work into his 80s. I’m sure a decision will be made after NBC’s next Super Bowl in 2021, which Michaels is likely to announce.
As for McCoy, he’s as identified with Phoenix as a 100-degree day in July. He says history is on his side. His dad lived to 98 and his mom to 95.
David J. Halberstam publishes SportsBroadcastJournal.com. He can be contacted at halby@halbygroup.com.
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