On the (New England) Road Again

 

The bride and groom (yesterday)

The wedding was magnificent. 

Victoria looked beautiful and AJ looked great. The food was delicious. The staff was tremendous. The venue and its view of Boston were magnificent. The people were all wonderful and kind to a broadcaster from New York who went stag and knew literally three people (the bride, groom, and mother of the groom). Those three each said how much it meant to have me there but it meant just as much to me.

But that's not why we've assembled tonight. AJ (the aforementioned groom) told me he loved the post on Saturday. I've actually heard those slice-of-my life/play-by-play of the day posts tend to be some of the best things I put on the blog.

So I felt I owed it -- as a gift to AJ -- to do the same for the return trip today.

Spoiler alert: it was nowhere near as eventful on Saturday.

In truth, I woke up around 3:30 this morning. In that moment -- wide awake -- I considered beginning to drive home. It would have been pure me with mostly empty/quiet roads. Maybe I would have been able to find something to eat on the way and be back home (and, likely, in my own bed) by 8 a.m.

Somehow I went back to sleep for a bit. Still, I was up and out of the hotel by 9 a.m.

I needed breakfast and, well, it's safe to say that finding a simple egg and cheese sandwich was not an easy thing. Where you can sneeze and hit a deli around New York (and even Fairfield County) that is not quite as easy in Brockton, MA.

With breakfast in mind, I hit the road with my first goal to take a look at Campanelli Stadium, home of the Brockton Rox of the Future's League. A stadium literally next to Brockton High School, it holds 6,000 and I was able to look through the gate at the field.

Brockton High School is the home of Rocky Marciano Stadium, and a large statue of the boxer is just outside of the facility.

I pursued something to eat from there. Not looking for a long, fruitless pursuit, I began looking for a Dunkin Donuts (good grief they're everywhere) but stumbled on a Cumby (Cumberland Farms). At worst, I knew decent coffee awaited. Lo and behold they also had little pre-made breakfast sandwiches, including an egg, cheese, and chorizo wrap. 

Shockingly it not only wasn't bad but was decent. Or even good.

With that, I jumped back on MA Route 24 and considered a route. I'm never (ok, rarely) content to take the same route both to and from anywhere. Could I dip down to Fall River to drive past Battleship Cove (a place I first visited back in the late 70s and loved)? But what about Lizzie Borden? Forty whacks and all, I decided to hold off for Fall River for some other time.

Instead, having visited one baseball stadium already, I thought I'd head to McCoy Stadium, the former home of the Pawtucket Red Sox, in Rhode Island. That meant getting back on Interstate 495 and heading to its parent: I-95.

The visit to Pawtucket was almost more exciting than need be. I found the entrance to the stadium and turned in, figuring I could get out of the car and take a few pictures. Then I discovered other cars were coming into the lot and there was a line.

A line for COVID tests.

I departed. Quickly.

Still, I wasn't done with Rhody. Approaching the last exit on 95 in the state, I took a diversion down into Westerly just to look around. I didn't get out. I was afraid Taylor Swift's people might find out and eject me, so I departed without incident into Connecticut.

I did need to stretch my legs eventually so I stopped at a mostly empty outlet center and walked around. There's a larger outlet center a few exits away but nothing about it intrigued me enough to stop. Plus I could see where I-95 was beginning to act like I-95. It was, after all, a holiday (to some) so traffic returning from a three-day weekend was beginning to pick up.

That's where leaving the hotel at 3:30 in the morning would have been just fine.

The GPS in my car (I turn it on for laughs) was telling me to go all the way to White Plains before turning north. I laughed at that idea.

I left 95 in New Haven, electing again to pass on pizza and Ikea. In fact, my goal became not stopping again. I passed Yale Field and the nearby Yale Bowl and rolled through Derby on my way to connect with Interstate 84 in Newtown.

I told Sean I'd be home around 2:30 and that's pretty much what I did. Given that I didn't leave in the middle of the night, I chose to take my time driving home.

I was greeted by Sean and Rascal, and a house that I never once worried about. It was in perfect hands with Sean, who said things were very quiet all weekend.

As I reflect, I wonder if the joy of the road trip just isn't what it used to be anymore. Consider the traffic nightmares Sean and I experienced driving to North Carolina in July as well as the headaches I had on Saturday. I still love it -- and am already longing for another adventure -- but it just feels hellacious when looking at a long string of brake lights. In fact, I feel claustrophobic in those moments.

Don't get me wrong. It's still strategic for me. It's a mind game. As soon as I see those brake lights, the wheels start turning for an alternate route. Quite often it's successful. Often, I'm going out of the way and it might take longer, but at least I'm moving. Other times, I just find more traffic headaches on the second route.

Then again, maybe these (First World) problems are a mostly Interstate 95/northeast things. That's not to say other areas don't have traffic -- quite the opposite of course (LA, San Francisco, Florida, Texas, Chicago, etc) but it often feels like I-95 is a quagmire (Giggity) from Richmond, VA to somewhere in Maine.

And I love 95 but it's a time suck.

So, yeah, maybe 3:30 was the right answer.

100 years ago

 

Major J. Andrew White

History is messy. Never have we been more clear about that than now.

So let's deal with what we think we know.

One hundred years ago today, Jack Dempsey fought Georges Carpentier at an arena that was thrown together in Jersey City, NJ. Dempsey, the legendary boxer, was cast as a bit of a villain, having been seen as a draft dodger (truth: he was classified 4-F). On the other hand, Carpentier did fight in World War I for the French Army.

The bout took place at Boyle's Thirty Acres, a wooden arena concocted by Dempsey's promoter Tex Rickard, known as the man behind the New York Rangers hockey team (Tex's Rangers).

We know that Dempsey won the fight in the fourth round and retained the Heavyweight championship. 

We also know -- and this is the big point -- that radio played a huge role in relaying the fight and helped usher in a whole new era of sports coverage.

Things get dicey after this. There were apparently other attempts to broadcast sports, with reports of a football game in 1919 and a fight on a smaller scale on KDKA in Pittsburgh earlier in 1921.

So is this really the first play-by-play? I suppose it depends and we'll truly never know.

Either way, this was different. For one thing, a temporary station -- WJY -- was established explicitly for the fight.

Still, there were hiccups. WJY needed a transmitted and those in charge of the broadcast found one built by RCA for use by the Navy. A deal was worked out with the Secretary of the Navy -- a chap named Franklin D. Roosevelt -- to have it shipped from Schenectady, NY.

But a ruse was also created.

Major J. Andrew White (a key name in early radio) was supposed to be the play-by-play announcer. And, to a degree, he was. However, AT&T wouldn't allow a telephone line to be connected to the transmitter. So, a relay system was created, in which White called the action via telephone and a high-speed telegraph operator would relay the information to J Owen Smith, who even had a bell.

Listeners wouldn't know what White's voice sounded like anyway. So White called it -- for the telegraph operator. But the audience -- some 350,000 strong (the largest at that time) -- heard Smith.

So who is the godfather of play-by-play? White, certainly, as well as Harold Arlin on KDKA and, later on, Graham McNamee and Ted Husing (who was mentored by White) and a few others.

Still, with that, whether it was the "first" or not, sports play-by-play was officially off the ground.

A month later, on Aug 5 -- the date I'm really looking forward to honoring -- Arlin went to Forbes Field and called the first baseball broadcast.

It's a shame more isn't being done to honor this momentous occasion in broadcasting history but I'm trying to do my own small part.

Incidentally, I don't have a broadcast as of now on Aug 5 (the Renegades are in Brooklyn) and I do hope to find one. If not, we'll honor the moment in another way.

You know me. I'll work it in somehow.

The favorite sports broadcasters bracket!

 

Vin Scully calls the 1965 World Series.
That's the criminally underrated Ray Scott behind Vin.
Ray was the anti-Gus Johnson

"Hello again, everybody..."

"Hello, friends..."

"And a very pleasant good evening to you wherever you may be..."

Joe Manniello, who has become the master of all things brackets in my life, has done it again.

Recently, I did brackets of greatest Best Pictures, and Billy Joel songs, and Beatles songs. But today (echoing "today" Lou Gehrig-style), he brings us perhaps the most fitting of them all...

THE FAVORITE SPORTS BROADCASTERS BRACKET!

Now, look, I didn't pick those in the bracket and neither did Joe. I'm told that four people did a draft of the 32 participants.

Let's dispense with a few things here:

- Gus Johnson didn't get drafted. No further comment.

- Red Barber and Mel Allen also didn't, which is largely indicative of a need for a historian in the group, but we shall not quarrel.

- Not a single Caray to be found. 

- No Ernie Harwell. 

- No Marty Glickman.

- I can keep going but you get my point (no Phil Rizzuto, Joe Garagiola, Bill White, or basically any Yankees voices...).

Lastly, and I can't stress this enough...

Who's playing to lose to Vin Scully in the final because you all know he's winning this.

We'll start in the "I Don't Believe What I Just Saw" region.

Vin/Doris Burke -- Sigh. I'm a big Doris fan, but this isn't fair. Vin.

Bob Costas/Mike Tirico -- An all-Syracuse matchup (read: sports broadcasting elitism in the non-Fordham/Arizona State/etc division). Like Tirico. Love Costas. Bob.

Jack Buck/Joe Buck -- We will see JACK tomorrow night! (This one is just mean)

Howard Cosell/Don Criqui -- Question: How well do you all know me? Don Criqui is an all-time great PBP voice. Cosell is an all-time great mouth who stepped on countless PBP announcers. As Don Imus called him, "The Great Don Criqui." Yes. Really.

Sweet 16:

Scully/Costas -- That's rough for the second round, Bob. You deserved better. Vin.

Jack Buck/Criqui -- Damn. Sorry, Don. Jack Buck.

Regional final:

Scully/Buck -- "I don't believe what I just saw" gets steamrolled by "In a year that has been improbable, the IMPOSSIBLE has happened." Except, it's not impossible. It's Vin. All day.

To the "Do You Believe In Miracles" region.

The team of John Madden-Pat Summerall against Leslie Visser (who wasn't a PBP voice anyway) -- Unfair. Pat and John.

Jim Nantz/Ian Eagle -- This will break over certain lines. I love Nantz. 

Curt Gowdy/Kevin Harlan -- I bet Harlan wins this one big. "The Cowboy" (Gowdy) was the voice of the big games when I was a kid. I'm taking Gowdy.

Al Michaels/Tony Romo -- Al is miraculous and one of the great PBPers of all time. He's also a Scully disciple. Al.

Sweet 16:

Madden-Summerall/Nantz -- Goodbye, friends. Pat and John.

Gowdy/Michaels -- Curt hit the back nine in the 70s. Al was on the front nine and is still swinging. Al's got a lot of great calls. Curt goes all the way back to Mel Allen in the 40s. But Al is Al.

Regional Final:

Madden-Summerall/Michaels -- two against one. Telestrator against sarcasm and gambling. Summerall did tennis and golf away from football and was an early sports reporter in New York. Al has done baseball, hockey, and basketball. It's tough. The edge -- slightly -- goes to Al Michaels.

That leaves us a Final Four matchup of Al Michaels against his idol Vin Scully and let's not kid ourselves, shall we? Vin.

The "Whoa Nellie!" region.

Doc Emrick/Charlie Jones -- An inspired call with Charlie Jones but he's no match here. He's been ladled away and shuffleboarded by Doc.

Verne Lundquist/Gary Thorne -- Great first-round matchup. I could go crazy with this one but the number of great calls in Uncle Verne's career is overwhelming. YES SIR!

Brent Musburger/Tim McCarver -- "You are looking live!" at two guys who weren't initially known for play-by-play, at least nationally. T-Mac became a World Series staple doing color, and Brent is Brent. I'll give the edge to Brent.

Keith Jackson/Bill Raftery -- Oh this is just wrong! First, I'm a play-by-play guy. But Raft is one of my favorites. But Keith IS college football (even if he called so many baseball games that sounded like he'd rather be anywhere else). Can I "send it in JEROME!?" No. I just can't. "Hello, Heisman!"

Sweet 16:

Doc/Verne -- I hate to say that you know how this one is going. Doc waffle boards Uncle Verne aside.

Brent/Keith -- I love hearing Brent tell stories but Keith is Keith.

Doc/Keith -- Remember, this is my bracket. It's not who I think will win. As I said, I always felt Keith was ambivalent at best when calling baseball (and he was on the "Bobby Murcer" game when Cosell allowed him to talk). But Doc changed how I viewed hockey and definitely how I called it. "WHAT CHAOS," indeed!

Lastly we head to the "OH MY!" region.

Marv Albert/Sam Rosen -- This had to be a local pick. Marv is a New York institution that became huge nationally. YES!

Howie Rose/Mike Breen -- I was going to "Put it in the books!" but then "BANG!" Mike Breen is one of my heroes. Love Howie (really, I do) but Breen is a different level. 

Kenny Albert/Gare-Keith-Ron -- Er...what? The Mets fans will whine. Kenny will understand. GKR. 

Dick Enberg/Dan Shulman -- This is so unfair to Shulman but Dr. Enberg has been one of the voices of my life, in fact even "BV" (Before Vin). The Renaissance Man himself, Dick Enberg.

Sweet 16:

Marv/Breen -- This was a setup. A tough one. Both can claim the hand of Marty Glickman as guidance. Both worked with the irascible Imus. Both are hysterically funny. Both did local sports (Breen on WFAN and Marv on Channel 4). Breen did football at one time in addition to basketball while Marv did the NFL, Knicks, and Rangers. Plus he anchored the World Series on NBC at one time. But I've met Breen and love his style. That's literally the only edge. Breen.

G-K-R/Enberg -- Dick Enberg. Next.

Breen/Enberg -- I love you, Mike. I really do. But Dick Enberg helped me love tennis from Wimbledon. He helped me get more entrenched into the NFL with Merlin Olsen. He nudged me along with college basketball. Plus he hosted the "Sports Challenge" TV show. He goes to the Final Four with Doc Emrick, Al Michaels, and Vin Scully.

I've already moved Scully into the championship.

Now it's Doc versus Dr.

I hate that it's come to this. Each man has impacted me profoundly. I never had a chance to talk to Dr. Enberg but I did talk to Doc Emrick last year. I've made it clear how both helped guide me as a broadcaster. Dick Enberg's two edges are that he has a longer impact on me and that he did more sports, though some forget all the different things Doc Emrick called.

You know how this is going to turn out anyway, and I'd love to call a draw but I can't. Dick Enberg sashays into the final by a whisker.

I told you from the beginning who would win this all along and everyone else was fighting for second place.

Vin Scully over Dick Enberg.

Which is no crime.

Oh my!

Movie Quotes

Good talk, son.

Twitter had something called the #BestMovieLineEver trending today.

Which isn't easy, of course. Too many movies. Too many great lines.

I immediately reached for my Ferris Bueller's Day Off bag of tricks to use "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Oh yeah (chibba cha kaaaaaa).

Chris Kaelin chimed in with some goodness from The Godfather (again, highly quotable).

There were others, and I'm sure you get the idea.

Horror quotes. Literary quotes. Dramatic quotes. Humorous quotes.

In a 2005 list published by the American Film Institute, they went with "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" from Gone with the Wind at number one.

In truth, can you go wrong with any quote?

We can go for Caddyshack, Bull Durham, Major Leauge, Airplane!, Blazing Saddles, any of the Star Wars movies, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, any John Hughes movie, Pulp Fiction...well, you get the idea.

So many quotes and so much fun.

The best is when you hear the quotes and never know where they came from. Sean (he of the brand new learners permit) didn't realize how many quotes came from Caddyshack until he watched it for the first time last year.

We could just do a list of sports quotes.

"Just a bit outside."
"Dynamite drop-in, Monty. That broadcast school has really paid off."
"If you build it, he will come."
"MOONLIGHT GRAHAM."
"The rose goes in the front."
"Candlesticks make a nice wedding present."
"Lollygaggers!"
"I mean anything travels that far oughta have a damn stewardess on it."
"You Adrian!"
"WE'RE LOSIN'! They're burying us alive!" "Eddie Shore?" "Oh, piss of Eddie Shore!"
"Come on, Hobbs, knock the cover off the ball!"
"There's no crying in baseball!"
"The cathedral that is Yankee Stadium belongs to a chapel."

And, speaking of crying...
"I love Brian Piccolo. And I'd like all of you to love him, too. And so tonight, when you hit your knees, please ask God to love him."

I haven't even gotten to Rudy, Remember the Titans, Hoosiers, Miracle, and so on.

I mean, I'm just giving you a small sample.

So, anyway, how could we possibly come up with one single quote and call it the best ever?

Besides, many quotes get bungled anyway (Ilsa doesn't say "Play it again, Sam" in Casablanca. She says, "Play it, Sam.").

So to close, I say, "Good talk, son" (which is from National Lampoon's Vacation) and is often misquoted as "Good talk, Russ."

Incidentally, Vacation is by far the best of the National Lampoon movies, but that's a debate for another time.

The Only Thing We Have to Fear

created by AJ Szymanowski

Much like agonizing over starting this blog almost 13 years ago, I agonized over a new project.

A podcast.

Well, I published the first episode a few minutes ago.

It's been rolling in my brain for a few months. I love sports. I love sports play-by-play. I'm a historian (an historian? Grammar experts seem to debate that one) when it comes to a lot of this stuff.

Or just a savant. Or an idiot.

Anyway, I got the idea to pick out play-by-play calls from throughout history and break it all down.

My intention is to play the clip (or clips) and place it in its proper time, discussing the top hits (music and movies) of the day, culture, the broadcasters themselves, and whatever else pops into my mind.

I'll also veer away from sports for other moments in time.

To be clear, this is NOT a part of #Project365 (and John Nash, stop being stubborn. It's still #Project365. Missing a day just means post something else. Double up. Or do like I did and create a couple of backup posts).

With the incoming storm (many schools have already canceled classes tonight), I took the weekend to really put the podcasting process into high gear.

In truth, I had been thinking about it for some time. First came the concept, and I think that's still a work in progress. It will evolve for sure.

Next came the theme music. Again, it's a work in progress. I keep hearing jazz on the podcasts that I listen to and felt that highlighting historical audio leaned into the wheelhouse of Duke Ellington and Count Basie and Benny Goodman.

Of course, The Duke, The Count, and Benny would no doubt like a fee for the use of their songs. So I scoured the interwebs for royalty-free music until I stumbled on Swing Has Swung, by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com.

Catchy tune, for sure. I'm still not sure if it's what I want, and that's one of the many things that I'm open to discussing.

When you have a sound in your head (or a concept), it's hard to get around it.

Next came the title. I really didn't tell anyone about the concept until recently. Then I brainstormed with a few people.

I liked the idea of working in the booth/microphone/headset idea, but booth can also apply to a "radio booth" at a station, and broadcast booth/press box. Tales From The Crypt came to my mind -- a nod to my favorite horror writer  (buy her books here) -- and thus a title was finally born.

Tales From The Booth.

Then I had to submit that to a podcast host. Whooshkaa won because, well, they're free. They're also pretty easy. That matters. Thanks to Rachel Corbett for the suggestion (she doesn't know me, but that's OK. I still give props).

Now it was time to write the script. I sat down with my trusty (not really) MacBook and began writing. Three pages later, I had the foundation of what I wanted to say.

Robcasting Radio, created by AJ Szymanowski

In the middle of writing a script, I realized that I needed a logo. I had my Robcasting Radio/Media logo that AJ Szymanowski created for me back in 2017, but he, of course, came roaring back with what you'll see for the actual show. The Robcasting logo can stay on my profile page.

I needed to pull together that audio that I wanted, so I worked my way through what I had and what I needed to record.

Finally, it was time for me to put the vocal track down. After a few false starts (the outtakes have been deleted), I had a vocal that was ready for editing.

So began the placing of the historical audio and the nitpicking. There was something I left out, so I had to do a little more recording, as well as the recording of other audio (I'm giving nothing away so you have to listen).

With the edits finished, I texted a friend and messaged another. My main point was fear.

"It's too short. It's not that interesting." And so on.

"Nonsense," essentially, was the response.

I thought I'd send them the audio, and let them hear it for themselves, but the Whooshkaa upload process was simple. So was applying to iTunes and Spotify and TuneIn.

Now it's on Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn.

What had I done?

All of a sudden, I was officially a podcaster. It was live.

I felt naked.

This is about right.

I did a list of "thank yous" at the end, and, full disclosure, I forgot some names. Damn. I wanted to thank Susan, Shawn, AJ, and others who have encouraged me. I should have mentioned Mick (who is a fervent blog reader and one of my closest friends. He's constantly making sure that I'm OK, and I owe him a huge apology for not mentioning him. John Nash also, but he's in this whole "Project364" thing, so I'm less forgiving).

Anyway, apologies if I forgot you. I'm quite nervous about it all.

So it's out there for the world to listen to. It's only 16 minutes, and maybe I'll do more. Maybe less. Maybe I'll never do it again. I really don't know.

But I tried.

FDR was right. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

Which will likely also be featured on a future episode of Tales From The Booth.

Without any further ado, here's episode one.

Ali: The Self-Appointed Greatest

Before he was Ali, Cassius Clay met four British lads in Miami in 1964.

I wasn't going to write about Muhammad Ali. I just wasn't. Like Prince, I was just going to let it go.

You know Prince died, right? Not Elvis or John Lennon or McCartney or Dylan, but Prince. Huh. OK.

Anyway, that's my point, even if you liked the person who has passed (I had some regard for some of Prince's music, and liked Ali), you're a horrible person (and likely accused of being a racist) if you dare to show any warts. At least according to comedian and "radio personality" Jim Norton.

If Ali wasn't one of your heroes, you're probably an asshole. Forever grateful to have met him.#RIPMuhammadAli pic.twitter.com/jKjgPXqDIw

— Jim Norton (@JimNorton) June 4, 2016

Well thanks there, pal.

Then I read the most brilliant obituary in the Wall Street Journal by author Jonathan Eig. FULL DISCLOSURE! Jonathan has been on Nutmeg Sports with me and is a Facebook friend whom I've interacted with. We haven't had tea at the The Plaza. I've never met the man in person.

That being said, this obituary is so amazingly outstanding that it must be shared.

It allows us - the reader - to not simply think Ali was "The Greatest" but that he was mortal. Flawed.

So many people have taken to social media today to laud the great Ali, and deservedly so. Ali was a tremendous boxer, but I hasten to say he was the greatest ever. Sugar Ray Robinson and Joe Louis immediately spring to my mind. My dad, who enjoyed boxing (one of the last things I ever remember watching with him was a Mike Tyson fight) said he felt Rocky Marciano was the best.

I'm not saying Ali wasn't the greatest. I'm not saying he was either. I'd probably take Sugar Ray Robinson, but boxing is not my area of expertise.

Ali was The Greatest (see what I did there?). Why? Because he told you so. He was a brilliant marketing showman. He defined it. He was crazy quotable. The interwebs are littered with his quotes today. Heck, even baseball's poet laureate announced the news.

Vin Scully on 'The Greatest of All Time', Muhammad Ali.https://t.co/A8eH3SEM47

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 4, 2016

Oh but back to the work of Mr. Eig. You see, I was born around the time of Ali's conscientiously objecting to going into the Armed Services. I lived in a house with a father who wanted to serve his country in Korea and couldn't due to his debilitating arthritis. So we had the two-headed monster of recognizing Ali's brilliance as a boxer, but also the very-common feeling of him dumping on the country.

Amazing how time, the great equalizer, can soothe that. If any quote stunned me in Jonathan's obit, it was this one:

In a career full of seemingly magical feats, Ali’s greatest trick may have been his transformation—from one the nation’s most reviled characters to one of its most beloved. 

Bingo.

Read on and discover how Ali was critical of Dr. King. Can you imagine?

But Ali was the most gifted of people, in that he worked magic to make Americans of the 70s and 80s begin to forget his objecting and embrace him as a boxer, humanitarian, and personality. He was a nearly one-man PR crew, although he had plenty of people by his side (and no small assist handed in by a certain Mr. Howard Cosell, speaking of sports).

Indeed, with the exception of Michael Jordan, he's the most famous face in the history of Sports Illustrated. It's without question that he's one of the most famous people in the world.

Who was better to light the cauldron at the Olympics in Atlanta in '96?

But he was also very real. That attention he craved through his bombast carried into a personal life of failed marriages and myriad affairs.

That's why I love this obituary so much. It allows us to see Ali for all that he was. Civil Rights activist? Yes. Conscientious objector? You bet. Great boxer? Oh my yeah. Funny man? Hahaha, of course.

Flawed? Without question. The truth is, despite the politically-correct bluster of today, we are a nation who likes our heroes slightly flawed. Save for a Lou Gehrig (please read Eig's brilliant biography of him, Luckiest Man), we can generally find some warts in everyone (and Gehrig was habitually cheap, by the way).

Mickey Mantle once told Billy Crystal to be truthful when it came to portraying his story. Mickey told us all he was no role model. The end of his life, when he told us that, were his finest hours.

So rest in peace, champ. Thanks for the many moments of making a young boy laugh, but also for teaching me hard lessons about heroes at an early age.

Domestic Violence and Total Asshattery

Rachel Nichols

Michelle Beadle

I've posted a new "From the Press Box" over at HAN Radio. Domestic violence isn't something I mess around about.

Trying to take the eye off the issue by playing a shell game - LOOK, it's THEIR fault - isn't something I'm going to abide by.

I can't defend it. I can't support it. I won't have it.

Climbing off my soap box now, I'll direct your attention here.

The Links Turn Into 32 “Great” Play-by-Play Calls

This started as a new edition of “Linky Dinks.”  Instead, it turned into taking two links from Joe Posnanski and heading off on a rant!  So the links will hit in two parts now (it’s like MUST-SEE BLOGGING on NBC!).

1) On Vin Scully.  Wow.

2) On the 32 greatest sports calls ever (sorry, Joe.  You’re delusional on this one.).

Now how do I let that one go?  I can’t…he puts Gus Johnson on the list.  Why, God?  Why?  Why do you frat boys like people like GuJo?  Joe writes, “It is, I would say, almost impossible not to love Gus Johnson.”  WHAT?  DEAR GOD, JOE!

Breathe, Rob, breathe…

Let’s just break the list down, mmmmK?  (The list is in Joe’s words)

32. Verne Lundquist on the Christian Laettner shot that beat Kentucky in the 1992 Regional Final, ending one of the best games in college basketball history

I love Verne Lundquist.  OK, this is fine.

31. Gus Johnson on Gonzaga

This means ripping my broadcasting brethren.  I’ve already vented too much on not liking GuJo’s style.  I’m sure I’d love to grab a beer with him.

30. Chris Cuthbert and Harry Neale on Tie Domi’s sucker-punch knockout of Ulf Samuelsson

Paging Harold.  Or Sean Kilkelly.  Not sure this would ever hit my top 32, as I want too many other hockey calls (all featuring either Doc Emrick or Dan Kelly).  Oh, not a knock on either Cuthbert or Neale – both really good hockey voices.

29. Bill White on the Bucky Dent homer

I don’t know.  I love Bill White.  I’m not sure this is any better than Frank Messer (on Yankees radio), Ned Martin and Hawk Harrelson (I think, on Red Sox radio), or Keih Jackson (on ABC TV).  I have them all.

28. Mike Keith on the Music City Miracle

Sure, whatever.  Is this any better than Jack Fleming calling the Immaculate Reception?  No.

27. Jack Buck on the Kirby Puckett home run that forced Game 7 in the 1991 World Series

Can’t do it much better in this spot, but Joe offends me when he ranks this next one higher…

26. Joe Buck on David Ortiz’s homer in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS (an homage to his father)

Um…Joe better than Jack?  JACK BUCK?  I don’t think so!

25. Jon Miller on Ruben Rivera’s classic base-running error

To Joe’s credit, he didn’t just pick any old automatic highlights.  He did his homework.  Jon Miller gets forgotten for his brilliance as a radio voice because we’re so bogged down with his work (stuck with Joe Morgan) on Sunday nights.  Still he’s the latter-day Scully.

24. Verne Lundquist on Jackie Smith’s drop in the end zone

Love Verne.  Love this moment (sorry, Cowboys fans…mwahahahaha).  It wouldn’t be on my list though.

23. Tom Cheek on Joe Carter’s game-winning World Series homer in 1993

This is a good one.

22. Marv Albert on Michael Jordan’s brilliant move against the Lakers in the 1991 NBA Finals

Hard to argue here.

21. Jack Buck on Ozzie Smith’s home run to beat the Dodgers in Game 5 of the 1985 NLCS

No argument.

20. Milo Hamilton on No. 715

*sigh*  Has anyone ever heard Scully’s call of the same moment?  Has anyone ever read this blog before?

19. Vin Scully on Bill Buckner

Nothing for me to add, except respect for the late Bob Murphy, who called it for the Mets radio on WFAN with Gary Thorne.

18. Dan Hicks on Jason Lezak’s comeback to keep Michael Phelps’ dream of eight gold medals alive at the 2008 Olympics

OK.  Sure.  Whatever.

17. Scully on Sandy Koufax’s perfect game

This IS number one – with a bullet.  That is it.  Game over.  Drive home safely.  It is the standard by which I tell ALL broadcasters to listen to.

16. Howie Rose on Stephane Matteau‘s overtime goal to beat New Jersey in the Eastern Conference finals in 1994

This is up there on my list of great hockey calls, no doubt about it.

15. Kenneth Wolstenholme on 1966 World Cup

14. Anonymous someone yelling over Bud Palmer during the 10,000 at 1964 Olympics

(See my response to #18).

13. Bob Costas on Michael Jordan’s shot against Utah

Not sure I’d pick this over Marv at #22 but it’s Joe’s list.

12 (tie) Johnny Most on the two most famous steals in Celtics history (John Havlicek or Dennis Johnson)

Again, it’s Joe’s list.  I’ll always take “Havlicek stole the ball” first.

11. Bill King on the Holy Roller

Not a favorite call of mine, but I agree with Joe on my favorite part: “Madden is on the field. He wants to know if it’s real. They said yes, get your big butt out of here. He does!”

10 (tie) Three of college football’s great calls

10A) Larry Munson on Lindsey Scott’s catch against Florida

10B) Lyell Bremser on Johnny Rodgers’ punt return in the Game of the Century

10C) Dan Davis on Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary against Miami

I can take these or leave these.  They wouldn’t be at number 10 for me, but as Joe mentions, he’s not sure if it’s the moment or the call.  I look at these things purely for the call, personally.

9. Vin Scully on The Catch

This…over KOUFAX?  I love this call – the way he lets it happen but still…

8. Verne Lundquist on Tiger Woods’ remarkable chip on No. 16 at Augusta

Joe’s got a bit of a thing for Verne.  I don’t blame him but still!

7. Victor Hugo Morales on the greatest goal of all time, Diego Maradona’s second goal against England in the 1986 World Cup

6. Chic Anderson on Secretariat at the Belmont

The sixth best call ever?  Over anything from Clem McCarthy and the earlier voices of horse racing?  REALLY?

5 (tie) Jack Buck on Kirk Gibson’s 1988 World Series home run

5 (tie). Vin Scully on Kirk Gibson’s 1988 World Series home run

Joe went the right route here.  They’re both great.  I’ll take Vin over Jack, but how can one ever complain about either?

4. Joe Starkey on The Play

Probably College Football’s greatest call.  Wouldn’t be in my top 5, but to each their own.

3. Howard Cosell on George Foreman’s knockdown of Joe Frazier

You probably know the words: “Down goes Frazier!”  *sigh*

2. Russ Hodges on the Giants winning the pennant

Never been a fan.  Not when I first heard it.  Not now.  I get it for what it is.

And you probably know it, and you probably know I wouldn’t rank it this high but it deserves to sit among the best calls ever…

1. Al Michaels on the Miracle on Ice

By the way, Al’s “Impossible Dream” when the US won gold was pretty terrific also.

OK, so who is missing?  How would you rank them?  I'll start with the Lewis/Schmelling bout at Yankee Stadium...Red Barber in the 1947 World Series...Phil Rizzuto on Roger Maris (10/1/61)...Dan Kelly on Bobby Orr...and I'm just warming up!

My “kindler, gentler” side is keeping me from opining further, and keeping the vitriol stored away.  Stuff to deal with at another time, I suppose.

Yet, in total, while I love Joe’s writing, I think he’s just purely nuts here!

OK, Now This is Just Getting Ridiculous!

The list grows.

Alexis Arguello
If you have a clue about boxing (of which I have a slight one) then you know the name. A top fighter during his day.

According to his Wikipedia page:

The world-wide three times champion of boxing and mayor of Managua, Alexis Argüello, died around 1:45 AM local time on July 1st after he shot himself through the heart according to a report from Channel 8, National Television.