Old Farts Thread

[bustoff]

Originally Posted by Johnny Pie

Dan Kelly was the best TV play by Play man ever. Used to love The CBS game of the week. Best radio play by play men Bob Wilson and Marv Albert. They made you feel like you were watching the game. Wilson gets the edge because Marv stopped doing hockey and continued with B-Ball !!!

I tell my kids about listening to more games on the radio than seeing them on t.v. They can't believe it. Dan Kelly could paint a picture with his play-by-play. Had a host of colorful color guys. Gus Kyle was awesome. Noel Picard was the funniest.

[Johnny Pie]

Originally Posted by bustoff

I tell my kids about listening to more games on the radio than seeing them on t.v. They can't believe it. Dan Kelly could paint a picture with his play-by-play. Had a host of colorful color guys. Gus Kyle was awesome. Noel Picard was the funniest.

They don't get it. Radio broadcasts were my lifeline. I was a Orr fan living in N.Y. The only Bruin games I got to see were National TV games or vs the Rangers and starting 72-73 the Isles. I loved the Bob Wilson WBZ games. The only problem was I wasn't sure to get WBZ from N.Y., many nights the game would fade in and out but I would still listen . My parents used to think there was something wrong with me. All they could here was static and me punching the sh-t out of the radio when the station faded out. To their credit they used to get buy me a radio every Christmas. They would try to find radios that picked up stations further away. That was my main gift for years. I doubt the kids today would be that interested. But you come to realize if you listened to a game with a good announcer it was almost as good as seeing it. You had to use your imagination a little.

[bustoff]

I was into hockey so much as a kid, I would listen to the Cincinnati Stingers games fading in and out. Heard a hell of a game between them and the Indy Racers. After my Dad died, we moved to Fla. and I'd listen to Blues games on KMOX. In fact I remember listening to the Wayne Babych-Mario Marois fight while I lived in Daytona. Dan Kelly got really excited over that fight.

[fansince65]

We used to have the voice of hockey on the radio here in Canada , I can still hear him with his "HELLO CANADA AND THE PPL IN NEWFOUNDLAND THIS IS HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA" Foster Hewett here high above the ice in the gondola at MLG with the play by play of tonight's game between the Maple Leafs and whoever they where playing on that night .
When he retired his son Bill took over and never missed a beat , their was no names on the back of the jerseys way back then , they remembered every players name by the number they wore , was just amazing how they knew even the callups name that was playing their first game ..

[Broons66]

Great stories on listening to games on the radio folks. Same here,before my parents relaxed thier in bed before nine rule on school nights,id listen to the Sox,Celts and Bruins on radio in bed. Amazing what you could pick up on that AM dial. Here in New England,i could pick up games in NY,PA,and sometimes Baltimore. Definately had to suffer abit more being a sports fan back in the day. To be honest,i actually miss Johnny Most as the voice of the Celtics. A true homer if there ever was one. You'd think the Knicks or Sixers were getting away with bloody murder with the way he carried on.

[bigjack]

Bottomline is that we are all radio guys, grew up on radio, and appreciate radio. I still love the medium driving in my car or to hear certain shows whether it be music, sports, finance, or politics.
The kids today like my Nieces and Nephews look at me sideways when I mention how great that radio is and are all into television and modern gadgets. Don't get me wrong, I love TV and cable also but my love for radio never left me! I also wish that I had a VCR and cable in the 1970's to tape my favorite sports teams! It's why I love You Tube so much!
About a month to two ago I was able to watch an entire Celtics/76ers playoff game from 1967 and finally got to see Bill Russell, Sam Jones, and Bailey Howell in action as Celtics. I never saw them play and don't remember Bailey Howell as a 76er at the end of his career!
I also saw Russell's last game as a Celtic against the Lakers in 1969 where they won by 2 points and Van Breda Kolff wouldn't put Chamberlain back in! Jack Kent Cooke had the LA Forum's ceiling filled with balloons to drop for the LA Lakers first championship and it never happened as the old warrior and player coach Bill Russell won his 11th title in 13 years!
So I love radio and I also love You Tube to either see old stuff that I remember but haven't seen in years or old stuff that I read about but never saw or wasn't watching sports yet like in 1967 and 1969!

[fansince65]

They dont televised London Knights games that are played against teams that are based in the US , I listen to those games on the radio , they have a guy by the name of Mike Stubs that is called the voice of the Knights , he is one of the best in junior hockey , he makes you feel like you are in the arena watching the game he is that good .
The Radio is still used in my house ..

[Flyer_Frank]

Radio??? I'm old enough that I actually read newspapers so I could see the previous night's box scores and could see who had how many goals and who fought who! If you were a really dedicated fan, you subscribed to the Hockey News and really knew what was going on in the league . . . a week ago.

[bigjack]

Originally Posted by Flyer_Frank

Radio??? I'm old enough that I actually read newspapers so I could see the previous night's box scores and could see who had how many goals and who fought who! If you were a really dedicated fan, you subscribed to the Hockey News and really knew what was going on in the league . . . a week ago.

I still get THN, in fact yesterday I got the top 50 players and the organizations top 10 prospects(future watch) but I miss the old THN and think today's product is terrible compared with the newspaper type from years ago!

[Maggie3and Me]

When I first started listening to hockey games, my father had to tap into the telegraph lines and run a line into the house. Then I would set there with headphones on and listen to the dots and dashes. Thank God for commercials and breaks in the action, as it gave me a chance to convert the dots and dashes to letters. Then I would put them together to form the words of the play by play telegraph key person.

Just kidding.

We moved back to Chicago on my 14th birthday, back to the good ol “Sout Side”, in the old back of the yards area. One of my uncle’s, who was also my Godfather, had a special present for me.

I got a Philco Transistor Radio. It was about 4” wide and 6” long and 2” thick. It came with a round wire stand, which you promptly took off. At the time my thoughts were of listening to baseball and football games on it. Little did I know it would be my window to this great game of hockey

For the next few years, it would transform the long cold winter nights, when the temperature was below zero, with out the wind chill, making the weather outside colder than a gold miners ass in the Klondike. Snow would be on the ground butt deep to a tall midget, however, I didn’t care.

I would have that old Philco radio with me and I would listen to the one of the true voices of hockey, Lloyd Pettit. My world would be transformed into the sounds of the game and his description would paint pictures in my mind of the action he was broadcasting.

One of his signature phrases, "There's a shot... AND A GOAL!!!" , became so popular, they even worked into the teams theme song, “Here Come The Hawks”, which is still played before every game.

Thank you, Unlce Ed, and thank you, Mr. Pettit. You both help convert those long winters into my personal wonderland.

[bigjack]

Originally Posted by bustoff

I was into hockey so much as a kid, I would listen to the Cincinnati Stingers games fading in and out. Heard a hell of a game between them and the Indy Racers. After my Dad died, we moved to Fla. and I'd listen to Blues games on KMOX. In fact I remember listening to the Wayne Babych-Mario Marois fight while I lived in Daytona. Dan Kelly got really excited over that fight.

In NJ, at night, I used to be able to pick up KMOX with Kelly and Kyle and also the Cleveland station with that guy Pete Franklin. Was it WWWE?
Franklin always played toilet sounds and ripped owner Ted Stepien of the Cavaliers!

[Flyer_Frank]

Originally Posted by bigjack

In NJ, at night, I used to be able to pick up KMOX with Kelly and Kyle and also the Cleveland station with that guy Pete Franklin. Was it WWWE?
Franklin always played toilet sounds and ripped owner Ted Stepien of the Cavaliers!

WWWE, that was the home of the Crusaders. Pete Franklin was probably the biggest name in in Cleveland radio in the 70s, he had a pretty good act. I heard him when he moved to WFAN in NYC late in his career and he had lost his edge. The Crusaders had Steve Albert, Marv's brother, calling their games and he was great. He was solo too, didn't have a color guy like Marv had Messina. When the Barons came along they had a much lower power station and had a guy named Larry Hirsch doing their games with Harry Howell doing color until he became GM their 2nd and last season.

I can remember Dan Kelly doing CBS TV games, then Tim Ryan and Ted Lindsay when the games switched to NBC. Very few Barons or Crusaders games were on TV and I think Joe Tait, who did Indians and Cavs games mostly, did the TV work. In NYC, I remember Gordon and Chadwick, of course. The Isles had Tim Ryan on tube but can't remember who did color as Ed Westfall was still playing then. We could pick up HNIC out of London and remember Meeker, Hewitt, McFarlane being Leafs guys and Gallivan, Irvin and Hodge were Habs guys as I recall.

[bigjack]

Originally Posted by Flyer_Frank

WWWE, that was the home of the Crusaders. Pete Franklin was probably the biggest name in in Cleveland radio in the 70s, he had a pretty good act. I heard him when he moved to WFAN in NYC late in his career and he had lost his edge. The Crusaders had Steve Albert, Marv's brother, calling their games and he was great. He was solo too, didn't have a color guy like Marv had Messina. When the Barons came along they had a much lower power station and had a guy named Larry Hirsch doing their games with Harry Howell doing color until he became GM their 2nd and last season.

I can remember Dan Kelly doing CBS TV games, then Tim Ryan and Ted Lindsay when the games switched to NBC. Very few Barons or Crusaders games were on TV and I think Joe Tait, who did Indians and Cavs games mostly, did the TV work. In NYC, I remember Gordon and Chadwick, of course. The Isles had Tim Ryan on tube but can't remember who did color as Ed Westfall was still playing then. We could pick up HNIC out of London and remember Meeker, Hewitt, McFarlane being Leafs guys and Gallivan, Irvin and Hodge were Habs guys as I recall.

Larry Hirsch was the original Devils announcer in 1982 with Fred Fog Shero. I was at a buddy's house one time to listen to the Rangers/Devils game on the radio and in between periods they had a fan call in show. My buddy called and was the first caller and was a smart ass and asked Larry Hirsch if the Fog was pounding a cold one as they sat there answering the callers questions? They sort of cut his question short and Hirsch made some joke and moved on.
I thought my buddy was gonna ask a serious question and of course he went the smart ass route! I think the Devils were on WMCA then.
Regarding Pete Franklin, yes he moved to NY in 1987 to start on the afternoon drive on WFAN. He had a heart attack soon after and also his act didn't catch on in NY and he was eventually replaced by Mike and the Mad Dog who lasted around 19 years before the Dog moved to Sirius radio!
Joe Tait came here for maybe 2 years and did the Nets and then went back to Cleveland.
Steve Albert sucked! He replaced Lindsey Nelson in 1979 with the Mets and lasted 3 seasons and was replaced by another stiff Lorn Brown! He could never shutup and let the game breathe and Ralph Kiner one time was on with Art Rust Jr and said Lorn Brown was a big pain in the ass!
Brown was replaced thank god by Tim McCarver and went back to I think Chicago!
Tim Ryan was excellent and eventually did NBC with Ted Lindsay and Brian MacFarlane?
Great memories and amazing how Cleveland and NY had so many guys! Don Imus also!

[Mike Kole]

Originally Posted by bigjack

In NJ, at night, I used to be able to pick up KMOX with Kelly and Kyle and also the Cleveland station with that guy Pete Franklin. Was it WWWE?
Franklin always played toilet sounds and ripped owner Ted Stepien of the Cavaliers!

Yep, Pete Franklin! I grew up in Cleveland and being a kid, I didn't believe the station's brag of "38 states and half of Canada!" but it was true, being one of the few big 50,000-watters. Franklin was great, and he was right to rip Stepien. He didn't just reserve the toilet flush for Stepien. Callers he didn't like got that when he hung up them, too.

One of the callers Franklin did tolerate is still on there. The station is WTAM now, and "Mr. Know It All" Mike Trivisonno has been on afternoon drive for, gotta be 20 years now. A friend of mine, the late Rick Gilmour, replaced Morton Downey Jr on the station. Tribe games aired between Triv & Gilly.

Cleveland had amazing radio, and some remnants of it is still there.

[Mike Kole]

Originally Posted by bigjack

Joe Tait came here for maybe 2 years and did the Nets and then went back to Cleveland.

Great memories and amazing how Cleveland and NY had so many guys! Don Imus also!

I didn't realize Tait was doing Nets games. I remember he was fired for so openly giving the business to Stepien. Can you imagine Jack Edwards giving the business to the Bruins on broadcasts? Bwaaahahahaha! Yeah, apples and oranges comparing the Stepien era Cavs and the defending Cup champ Bruins, but even if the Bruins traded places with the Isles, I can't imagine Edwards or most of today's broadcasters taking their teams to task on air.