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100 Years Ago Today

MFS62 Feb 17 2008 11:12 AM

Sportscaster Walter "Red" Barber was born. He was the radio voice of both the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Yankees. Anyone care to share their thoughts of him? I remember he had an egg timer in the radio booth, to remind him to give the score at least every three minutes. Later

G-Fafif Feb 17 2008 05:55 PM

I read the man once described an impending storm with incredible precision. The Dodgers were at Braves Field in Boston and while he was doing play-by-play, Red described how the rain was now pelting this part of town, and that part of town, now a few drops on the Charles River...until the first drizzle hit the outfield dark skies finally opened up over the ballgame. Astounding.

Frayed Knot Feb 17 2008 07:16 PM

="G-Fafif"]I read the man once described an impending storm with incredible precision. The Dodgers were at Braves Field in Boston and while he was doing play-by-play, Red described how the rain was now pelting this part of town, and that part of town, now a few drops on the Charles River...until the first drizzle hit the outfield dark skies finally opened up over the ballgame. Astounding. My father told me that story. I don't know whether he was remembering it first-hand or was just relaying it as it was told to him, but it was right along the same lines. It was one of those summer storms you could not only see coming but knew that as soon as it hit there was going to be no more baseball for a while. So after describing its progress for an inning or two he called an inning-ending ground-out to 2nd with the words; "... and there are raindrops on the bill of his cap as he throws to 1st for the out" The fielders then sprinted for the dugout as the deluge followed seconds later. Newsday's sports media writer Neil Best devotes his Sunday column to Barber: http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sunday/sports/ny-spbest175581463feb17,0,6685651.column

metirish Feb 17 2008 07:21 PM

NPR remembered with a look back , half way through Barber explains his style of calling a game and then they play his call from a DiMaggio at bat n game six of the 1947 WS. Bottom of the sixth, two men on with the Dodgers leading 8 to 5, wonderful to listen in. http://www.mefeedia.com/entry/baseball-memories-the-red-barber-centennial/6686445/ FK thanks for that Best column, he mentions the call in that NPR bit.

G-Fafif Feb 18 2008 03:19 AM

="Frayed Knot"]It was one of those summer storms you could not only see coming but knew that as soon as it hit there was going to be no more baseball for a while. So after describing its progress for an inning or two he called an inning-ending ground-out to 2nd with the words; "... and there are raindrops on the bill of his cap as he throws to 1st for the out" FK, thanks for filling in some of the details. I've been trying to track down the actual transcript where I thought I first read it, but can't find it. The bill of his cap part...still blows me away.