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Talk sports, pop culture and more with SI.com's Jimmy Traina.5/30/2006 03:48:00 PM Most memorable calls
So Barry Bonds hit his 715th home run on Sunday and we have no radio call of the historic blast. In case you haven't heard, when Dave Flemming, the Giants' radio play-by-play guy, started to describe the shot, his mic went dead. Chances are, though, with Barry being enemy No. 1 in the sports world (and in some cases, the whole world), the call wouldn't stick in fans' minds.
You can hear Vin Scully's voice just by looking at this photo.Richard Mackson/SI
So the question I have for you guys is, what calls do stick in your mind? What are your favorite calls of all time? Which are the calls that instantly bring you back to where you were when you watched a particular game? As a Yankees fan, I always will remember Joe Buck's call of the final out of the 1996 World Series: "And the Yankees are champions of baseball!" I also have about a million John Sterling calls that I love. But for this discussion, I'm thinking about calls that have a national appeal.
My top five are:
1) Vin Scully's call of Kirk Gibson's home run in the 1988 World Series: "High fly ball into right field, she iiiiis ... gone!!!. In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened!"
2) Scully's call of Bill Buckner's error in the 1986 World Series: "There's a little roller up along first, behind the bag! It gets through Buckner! Here comes Knight and the Mets win it!"
3) Verne Lundquist's call of Christian Laettner's buzzer-beater against Kentucky in 1992: "There's the pass to Laettner -- he puts it up -- YEEEEEESSSSS!"
4) Jack Buck's call of Ozzie Smith's walkoff home run in Game 5 of the 1985 NLCS: "Smith corks one into right! Down the line! It may go ... Go crazy, folks! Go crazy! It's a home run, and the Cardinals have won the game, 3-2, on a home run by the Wizard!"
5) This one is cheating because it's not really a call, but I have to give props to Brent Musburger for the way he used to open the old NFL Today pregame show on CBS: "You are looking live..."
Honorable mention: Boom goes the dynamite (the good stuff comes at the 2:26 mark). Those are my favorites. What are yours?Comments:
personally, being a cardinals fan, jack buck's call of smith's homer nearly brings tears to my eyes -- nearly 21 years later.
but to be honest, the next game (game 6) in los angeles, vin scully's call of jack clark's ninth inning homer that put the cards in the series was as good if not better.
as the ball sails over the left field wall, and pedro guerrero slam dunks his glove to the ground in frustration, scully says:
"the dodgers are running out of tomorrows."Al Michael and the US vs. USSR Hockey Game 1980: "Do you believe in Miracles" and then silence as you watched the US Team and Fans go wild!This post has been removed by a blog administrator.are we talking strictly radio here? because otherwise i think you missed an obvious one with Jack Buck in the 1991 World Series (perhaps the greatest series of all time?) Game 6 "And we'll see you tomorrow night!" after Puckett's walk-off HR.1993 World Series Joe Carter's home run to win the game. Tom Cheek's "Touch 'em All Joe"Jimmy - come on...how can you leave out "We will see you tomorrow night" by Jack Buck after Kirby Puckett's home run in game 6 of the 1991 world series?I forget it verbatim, but I believe it was Jack Buck whose call of Kirby Puckett's Game 6 home run ended with "and we'll see you tomorrow night."I agree with those of you who mentioned the Kirby Puckett HR. That was a great call by Buck. I knew people would mention "Do you believe in miracles" but that doesn't make my personal list because I'm not a fan of hockey or the Olympics and wasn't watching the game at the time.I think the whole TV commentary on The Play in the Stanford-Cal game deserves a vote.
I've listened to it a few times recently, and the announcer keeps his mind on what's happening on the field, not losing control until the ball is in the end zone.
Even then, he immediately regains his composure, noting there were penalty flags on the play (which turned out to be against Stanford for too many men on the field).When Brad May scored in overtime to eliminate the Bruins from Stanley Cup contention. The announcer repeatedly screams "May Day, May Day, May Day, May Day". A great call for surewhat about lenny fraterene call of rob mackowiack for the pirates when he hit the walk off grand slam on the day his son was born. "Mack Wack Tally Wack its gone, congratulations (name of son) your dad just won the game."If you expand your horizons beyond our borders, then you've got to include Bjorge Lillelien's call when Norway beat England 2-1 in a 1981 World Cup Qualifier:
"We are best in the world! We are best in the world! We have beaten England 2-1 in football! It is completely unbelievable! We have beaten England! England, birthplace of giants; Lord Nelson, Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Winston Chrchill, Sir Anthony Eden, Clement Attlee, Henry Cooper, Lady Diana. We have beaten them all, we have beaten them all! Maggie Thatcher can you hear me?!"
"Maggie Thatcher, I have a message to you during your election campaign: We have knocked England out of the World Cup of football! Maggie Thatcher! As they say in your language in boxing bars around Madison Square Garden: Your boys took a hell of a beating! Your boys took a hell of a beating!"Two I thought of was teh 1980 US vs. USSR ice hockey game. Do you believe in miracles bit.
That and the "Matteau, Matteau, Matteau." when the Rangers beat the Devils in game 7 OT in 1994.I have a few...
The Miracle on Ice call still gives me chills.
What about "Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!"
And since you included Musburger, everyone knows "...The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat."Any of the 1,000 times Marv Albert said "Here's Jordan...YES!! And the foul!"One other call that might be worthy for discussion was the night Cal Ripken broke Gerhig's record. The reason I think it is worthy is that Chris Berman didn't say anything when it became official and just let the scene play out as Ripken took the vistory lap. A classic case of less is more......Secretariat is blazing along! The first three-quarters of a mile in 1:09 and four fifths. Secretariat is widening now! He is moving like a TREMENDOUS machine!"DOWN GOES FRAZIER! DOWN GOES FRAZIER!"The Buckner call really loses something on the printed page. Scully's best moment was the call of Sandy Koufax's perfect game in 1965 -- he communicates the tension of the moment perfectly. You can see the transcript here: http://www.salon.com/people/feature/1999/10/12/scully_koufax/Two that quicky come to mind: the Larry Bird steal of the inbounds pass vs. the Pistons (Johnny Most, I believe).."there's a steal by Bird" and the Rangers game winner vs. the Devils in Game 7 of the 1994 Eastern Finals ("Matteau, Matteau, Matteau")Jim Lampley's call when George Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer still gives me goosebumps. "It happened! It happened!"I personally was a fan of:
"Ground ball...stabbed by Foulke...underhands to first and the Red Sox are the World Series Champions...for the first time in 86 years, can you believe it?"
--Joe Castiglione, Red Sox radio announcer.All I have to say is "The Giants win the pennant!!!, The Giants win the pennant!!!""The stretch and the 0-1 pitch on the way to Edgar Martinez--swung on and lined down the left field line for a base hit! Here comes Joy! Here is Junior to third base--they're gonna wave'm in! The throw to the plate willll beee LATE--the Mariners are going to play for the American League Championship! I don't believe it! It just continues-my oh my!"
Thank you Dave Niehaus.I think one of the best is from the 2003 ALCS. Joe Buck, McCarver, and Bret Boone are sitting there at the top of the 11th chatting, and it's clear that they've been overwhelmed by the emotions of the game; they're pretty tapped.
And then Aaron Boone comes up to bat.
Buck: "I would imagine that's the sentiment throughout, although the Red Sox and their fans through New England will tell you they were five outs away in the eighth inning leading by three *crack* as Boone hits it to deep left. That might send the Yankees to the World Series! Boone a hero in Game 7!"I will submit two calls, both from Verne Lundquist at the Masters. The first is the "yes SIR!!!" when Nicklaus made his birdie putt on #17 in 1986. The second is from 2005 when Tiger chipped in on #16: "have you ever seen anything like that in your LIFE!". Both are classics. Thanks, Verne.How about Johnny Most's call:
"havlicek stole the ball, havilicek stole the ball."Any of the classic Mike Schmidt home run calls by Harry Kalas :
High towering drive to deep left field....way back...OUTTA HERE !!
Home run Michael Jack Schmidt !!!
Timeless .TIGER WOODS 16th HOLE Masters.
Now THAT was a call....as the ball was rolling the annoucer saying "Oh my, goodness" finishing with "IN YOUR LIFE, HAVE YOU SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEndn1QAqeE&search=tiger%20woods%2016thdont forget about us up here in the great white north. The late Tom Cheeks call of Joe Carters walk-off homer in the '92 series is awesome...
'touch 'em all joe, you'll never hit a bigger home run in your life' sends goose bumps down my spine every time I hear itMaybe I'm dating myself, but you've got to love Phil Rizzuto calling Roger Maris' 61st HR, complete with the classic "Holy Cow!"Jordan's buzzer beater over Ehlo in the 89 playoffs. Wasn't so much as a call by Johnny Kerr as it was screaming.You got the Kirk Gibson call right - Vin Scully talked about the action on the field. The overrated and overused clip by Jack Buck talks about himself more than the hit.man utd winning the european cup in 1999
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQMClJzY8co
just the prognostication of the commentator 3 times he says what could happen 3 times he's right...I'm totally with you on the Brent Musberger thing. I still get chills remembering his opening salvo every week on NFL Today. Excellent choice!"And the pitch for Gibson coming here from Eckersley. Gibson -- swings, and a fly ball to deep right field -- THIS IS GONNA BE A HOME RUN! UNBELIEVABLE! A home run for Gibson, and the Dodgers have won the game, 5-4, I don't believe what I just saw! I don't BELIEVE what I just saw!"
You got Scully's call, but Jack Buck's is even betterAs a Canadian baseball fan nothing tops the call made by the recently deceased Tom Cheeks of Joe Carter's game/world series winning home run. "Touch em all Joe. You'll never hit a bigger one!" will live in my memory forever.I know it's only sort of sports related, but Al Michaels in San Francisco during the eathquake. "I don't know if anyone can hear".In Canada, the most memorable call is Foster Hewitt's call of the winning goal of the Canada-Russia hockey series: "He shoots, he scores! Henderson!!"You still hear replays all the time. Ron Santo's comment when Brant Brown drops the fly ball with 2 outs in the 9th in 1998 with the Cubs in the wild-card hunt.
"OH NOOOO!"NC State radio announcer Wally Ausley's call of Lorenzo Charles dunk in the 1983 NCAA championship... "The Cinderella team has done it! The glass slipper fits! The Wolfpack has won the national championship!!!!"I agree with the earlier posting: Howard Cosell at the Joe Frazier/Ken Norton fight, with "Down goes Frazier!". Pure astonishment and excitement rolled into one.Being a Montreal Expos fan, got to love Dave Van Horne's call when Dennis Martínez pitched his perfect game.... El Presidente El PerfectoJoe Buck on Leyritz's Game 4 tying blast...
Back, at the track, at the wall... we are tied!!how about andres cantor's call of "GGGGGGGOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLL"Lampley's call of Buster Douglas over Tyson in Japan: "Mike Tyson...has been...knocked out (silence- perfect pause)". Knowing you're not the story- priceless.Not a golf fan but this call was perfect -- Verne Lundquist on Tiger's shot at the Masters -- Oh Wow! Have you ever seen anythng like that in your life?Ken Coleman, 1967: "Yastrzemski going hard, way back, way back . . . and he dives AND MAKES A TREMENDOUS CATCH!" Yaz, his back to home plate, running full speed, dove headlong to catch Elston Howard's fly ball to preserve a no-hitter by rookie Billy Rohr (which was eventually broken up in the ninth inning) at Yankee Stadium. BTW, Coleman almost never raised his voice.I agree with the two Vin Scully calls and even though I was on the wrong end of the Jack Buck call on Kirby's 1991 game 6 call, I agree with that one also.
My two favorites all time are...
Milo Hamilton's call of Aaron passing the Babe.
"He's sitting on 714... There's a drive to left-center field! That ball is gonna be...... Outta here! It's gone! It's 715! There's a new home run champion of all time! And it's Henry Aaron!"
#2 is Skip Carey's call of Francisco Cabrera's base hit that ended the 1992 NLCS.
"Line drive left field. One run is in... Here comes Bream, Bonds throw to the plate is...... Safe! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win!"
Any time I hear either, it never fails for me to feel chills up and down my neck and back and I get misty-eyed.Merrill Reese, WIP radio Fall 1978 Eagles at Giants. something like: "pisarcik hands the ball off to Csonka, no its a fumble. Hermann Edwards has it, he's gonna score, 15, 10, 5 touchdown. I do not believe it. The Eagles win. I DO NOT BELIEVE IT, THE EAGLES ARE GOING TO WIN THIS BALL GAME. I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT BELIEVE IT."I concur with the Kirby Puckett walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series. But what about Russ Hodges' call of Bobby Thompson's home run in 1951 that won the pennant for the Giants in the play-off game against the Dodgers. Most of us didn't hear it live, but all have seen and heard it "The Giants win the pennant!! The Giants win the pennant!!.... One for the agesConcur with the Kirby Puckett walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series. But what about Russ Hodges' call of Bobby Thompson's home run in 1951 that won the pennant for the Giants in the play-off game against the Dodgers? Most of us didn't hear it live, but all have seen and heard it "The Giants win the pennant!! The Giants win the pennant!!.... One for the agesTom Cheek (RIP)- "Touch 'em all Joe, you'll never hit a biggerone in your life" 1993 World Series"It's over, they're gone. They're all gone."
Jim McKay ABC Olympic announcer, 1972 Munich Olympics after Arab terrorists murdered the Israeli Olympic team.As a Georgia resident, two come to mind:
Larry Munson's call of the Buck Belue-Lindsay Scott touchdown in the 1980 Georgia-Florida game. The entire call is classic, but my favorite is: "26-21, DAWGS ON TOP! We were gone, we were out of it and gone I gave up, you did to. Miracle!"
And who can forget Skip Carey's call of game 7 of the 1992 NLCS: "Swung, line drive left field! One run is in! Here comes Bream! Here's the throw to the plate! He is ... safe! Braves win! Braves win! Braves win!"
Hearing that makes me tear up, hearing Jack Buck's "We'll see you tomorrow night" makes me tear up for a different reason.Russ Hodges "The Giants win the Pennant!" (which was recorded by a Dodgers fan - sweet irony) has to be #1.
Joe Buck, Leyritz HR Game 6 96 Series at Atlanta - "Back...To the Track... To the wall ... Gone! And we are tied."How about Larry Munson's call of the 1980 Georgia Florida game?
"RUN LINDSEY!! LINDSEY SCOTT!! LINDSEY SCOTT!!LINDSEY SCOTT!!
You know this game has always been called the World's Greatest Caocktail Party. Do you know what is going to happen here tonight? Man, is there gonna be some property destroyed tonight!!"It goes back to the 1960s, but as a kid I remember one of the most famous calls of all times "Havlicek stole the ball...Havlicek stole the ball" from the gravel voice of Celtics' announcer Johnny Most, who did the Boston games for about 30 years until passing away recently. I got a chance to meet Most later, and was so impressed with his passion for the NBA, basketball in general, and his Celtics. He was a "homer" but his calls during the infancy of the NBA brought the game alive for millions throughout New England."Florida in a stand-up five, they may or may not blitz. Belue ... third down on the eight. In trouble, he got a block behind him. Going to throw on the run. Complete on the 25. To the 30, Lindsay Scott 35, 40, Lindsay Scott 45, 50, 45, 40. …. Run Lindsay, 25, 20, 15, 10, Lindsay Scott! Lindsay Scott! Lindsay Scott.""Joe Wylie in to kick, Wylie stands at his own 24, waits for the snap,
Rodgers deep for Nebraska. Here's Wylie's kick, it's high, it holds
up there, Rodgers takes the ball at the 30, he's hit and got away,
back up field to the 35, to the 40, he's to the 45, he's to the 50 to
the 45, to the 40, to the 35, to the 20, to the 10, he's all the way
home........crowd cheering.......HOLY MOLY, MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD DID
THAT PUT 'EM IN THE AISLES.....JOHNNY THE JET RODGERS JUST TORE 'EM
LOOSE FROM THEIR SHOES!!!"
Lyell Bremser, Game of the Century, 1971It has to be the 1971 "Game of the Century" between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Oklahoma Sooners. Johnny Rodgers fields a punt at the Nebraska 28 yard line where he was met by several Sooners. He breaks free and tears off downfield. Nebraska radio play-by-play man Lyell Bremser had the call for the ages, "Holy moly. Man, woman and child did that put 'em in the aisles."1972 NFL Playoffs, Steelers vs. Raiders. Jack Fleming.
"Bradshaw back and looking again, Bradshaw running out of the pocket, looking for somebody to throw to. He fires it downfield, and there's a collision! And it's caught out of the air! The ball is pulled in by Franco Harris! Harris is going for a touchdown for Pittsburgh!
Out of nowhere came Franco Harris, riding a white stallion down the field, heading up Franco’s Italian Army, charging under the football, and galloping off into the sunset."1976 Game 6 Stanley Cup Finals Phila Flyers v.s. Boston Bruins...1st time an expansion team wins the Stanley Cup...Gene Hart.."The Flyers win the Stanley Cup!..the Flyers win the Stanley CUp..the Flyers win the Stanley Cup!"A few years ago, Packers are spanking the Broncos, but Vikings have edge to win division and go to playoffs, I watching the packers game, but have radio of vikings and cards game... and the TD and the vikings announcers... NO NO NO!! that was great.I'm not trying to sound biased, but I think Jack Buck made a pretty nice radio call with that famous Kirk Gibson homerun. We in St. Louis hear that all the time and I think Buck's call equals Scully's call of that famous play.It's too long to write out but clearly the best call of all time comes from Paradise By The Dashboard Light by Meatloaf. A single stretched into a double, a stolen base, a suicide squeeze. It had it all.Ok, here we go.
We got a real pressure cooker going here,
two down, nobody on,
no score, bottom of the ninth...
There's the windup, and there it is,
a line shot up the middle, look at him go.
This boy can really fly!
He's rounding first and really turning it on now,
he's not letting up at all, he's gonna try for second;
the ball is bobbled out in center,
and here comes the throw, and what a throw!
He's gonna slide in head first,
here he comes, he's out!
No, wait, safe, safe at second base.
This kid really makes things happen out there.
Batter steps up to the plate here's the pitch,
he's going, and what a jump he's got,
he's trying for third, here's the throw,
its in the dirt, safe at third!
Holy cow, stolen base!
He's taking a pretty big lead out there,
almost daring him to try and pick him off.
The pitcher glances over, winds up, and it bunted,
bunted down the third base line,
the suicide squeeze is on!
Here he comes, squeeze play,
it's gonna be close, here's the throw,
here's the play at the plate,
Holy cow, I think he's gonna make it!How about Sam Rosen's call as time runs out in Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup finals?
"The New York Rangers have won the Stanley Cup...and this one will last a lifetime!!"My favorite- N.Y. Mets announcer Ralph Kiner, on Father's Day one year, wishing all of the fathers out there a Happy Birthday.Al Mcguire's 'Holy Mackeral's on an NCAA tournament buzzer beater at the end of the game. (can't remember the teams or anything)
Plus Howard Cosells call of the many knockdowns during the great George Foreman - Ron Lyle fightJim Lampley's call of the first 1999 Lewis-Holyfield bout, immediately after the judges' scorecards were announced, was just golden:
(after a couple seconds of silence while the crowd booed)
"......That's a travesty. That is, ladies and gentlemen, a travesty. An outrage, a highway robbery, Lennox Lewis has just been robbed of the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. He won it, and he didn't get it."The best is The Play. It's no contest. Watch it here:
http://hkn.eecs.berkeley.edu/%7Ecje/
"OH THE BAND IS ON THE FIELD! He's gonna go into the endzone! He got into the endzone! Will it count? The Bears have scored but the bands are out on the field.
There were flags all over the place. Wait and see what happens; we don't know who won the game. There are flags on the field. We have to see whether or not the flags are against Stanford or Cal. The Bears may have made some illegal laterals. It could be that it won't count. The Bears, believe it or not, took it all the way into the endzone. If the penalty is against Stanford, California would win the game. If it is not, the game is over and Stanford has won. We've heard no decision yet.
Everybody is milling around on the... FIELD! AND THE BEARS! THE BEARS HAVE WON! THE BEARS HAVE WON! Oh my God, the most amazing, sensational, traumatic, heart rending... exciting thrilling finish in the history of college football!"Being a lifelong fan of Mike Schmidt's. Harry Kalas' call of his 500th career homerun:
"The 3-0 pitch, swing and a long run, there is it, number 500, the career 500th homerun for Michael Jack Schmidt and the Phillies have regained the lead in Pittsburgh 8-6 and the Phillies dugout come swarming out to home plate."
I have it on DVD and I play it at least once a month. Still get chill bumps.I second Shane N.'s entry, so here it is for you that missed it above.
"The stretch and the 0-1 pitch on the way to Edgar Martinez--swung on and lined down the left field line for a base hit! Here comes Joey! Here is Junior to third base--they're gonna wave'm in! The throw to the plate willll beee LATE--the Mariners are going to play for the American League Championship! I don't believe it! It just continues-my oh my!"
Thank you Dave Niehaus."
Being at this game was incredible. Being able to replay the call afterwards is just as exciting.
1995 ALDS, Game 5, Mariners vs. Yankees. Search for it online...you can find it.1950's: Rosie Rosewell Announcer for the Pirates {WKDA Radio} calling a Ralph Kiner Homer..."There's a long drive...open the window Aunt Minnie...here it comes...!!!"
It's a classic call.I think I messed up, so I will try this again, Chris Bermans call of Ripken's record breaking night, both the silence and when he spoke were as memorable as anything I have heard in sports broadcasting.
His call of the home run Ripken hit, "oh my goodness, he's done it again!" and the emotion as well as class that kept him from speaking for the some half hour of time that elapsed in the ovation, and his poignant words at the end, "a moment that will live on for 2131 days, we will never see anything like this again, we have seen it all....", it was drenched in emotion and hit the mark of the night that brought baseball back from death, i will never forget itThe recently passed away Tom Cheek of Blue Jays radio (over 4000+ straight games) calling Joe Carter's 'walk off' home run is definitely a top 5 of all time.
"Touch 'em all Joe ... you'll never hit a bigger home run in your life!"Packers vs. Vikings on Monday Night Football in 2000 - Antonio Freeman - while lying on the ground in the rain at Lambeau Field - catches a Brett Favre pass that was bobbled by Cris Dishman - and runs into the end zone for the winning touchdown in OT.
Al Michaels:
"HE DID WHAT?!?"Remember that "Do you believe in miracles" was not live. That game was taped delayed. Many of us that were/are hard core hockey fans knew the US had won. It was still a great call.
BTW at 63 years old "The Giants win the pennant, The Giants win the pennant" is one of the first great sports memories I have listening to that game with my little buddies with a teacher who had a radio and let us stay after school with him to hear the end of the game.Matteau! Matteau! Stephan Matteau! The New York Rangers are headed to the Stanley Cup finals where they have one more hill to climb baby........and that's Mount Vancouver!Harry Doyle (Bob Uecker) in Major League...
"The post-game show is being brought to you by... Ah, I can't find it. The hell with it!"I'm a boy of maybe 13 or 14 (circa 1964)...at Dodger Stadium with friends on a warm summer's eve...Dodgers vs. Giants...McCovey at the plate...he tattoos a Drysdale fastball that you could hang a week's worth of laundry on...out of the park in, like, 2 seconds, riccochets off of a right field pavillion seat and out of the park under the awning...it was a "screamin' mimi"...So we turn on the 6 transistor radio to get Vinny's comments (Vin Scully, of course)...he says, "McCovey just hit his 36th of the year and if the seats hadn't have been in the way, the ball would be in the Mexican Bay"...no one called 'em like Scully...if you can, read his induction speech into the HOF as the Ford Frick winner...it's all you need to know about greatness!...TV Call, Chick Hearn the storied voice of the Los Angeles Lakers on play-by-play...no one could get it out like Chick...circa 1978ish...Lakers vs. Atlanta Hawks in Atlanta...Chick's comments all game are about how sad it is that their arena in Atlanta is so empty...anyway, about the third quarter his color guy (can't remember if it was Keith Erickson or Lynn Shackleford at the time) says, "Hey Chick, they just announced that the attendance is 11,535..." Chick says, without missing a beat from the play by play..."Ball into Chamberlain, back out to West, over to Goodrich...11,535? If that's the case, 7,500 are dressed like seats"...I fell off the couch in laughter...I recall the late, great Chick Hearn's recitation of the Lakers winning the NBA finals during the Shaq-Kobe era: “The game's in the Refrigerator...the door's closed, the light's out, the eggs are cooling, the butter's getting hard, the jello's jiggling, and the champagne is on ice!”Has to be the call of the Oakland Raiders' radio announcer when Stabler fumbled the ball forward and the Radiers fell on in the end zone to win the game at the gun. I don't remember his name, but the call of "Madden can't believe it. He wonders if it's real. The officials say, Yes, get your big butt out of here." has to be one of the funniest spontaneous lines ever.Fourth and who cares, ball on there own 36. Kordell Stewart retreats, fires and Kieth Jackson says...
"He's got three people down there...CAUGHT...INCREDIBLE!"
Kordell kneels amd kisses the ground in the end zone and 103,000 Wolverine faithful sit in stunned silence.I agree with the Brent Musburger quote, "you are looking live..." great way to start a sunday.verne on 16 and the chip in was just amazing, becuase it also added to tiger's lore that he can do anything at anytime.
and also that MNF call, as i like everyone else saw it was headed to the ground, thought it was incomplete and turn around and see freeman went in untouched and al proclaiming "He Did What!" was great.
Plus jack buck's call of kirby puckett was great.
while were on gibby how about the call that jack buck "Fly ball deep right field, this is going to be a home run. Unbeliveable, I don't believe what i just saw, i don't believe what i just saw" Also i think what adds to the gibby hr, is the la mentality arrive late leave early, and u have people with there taillights hitting there breaks and probably cursing either scully or buck, or both, because they left the gameThe beauty of Vin Scully's call of Kirk Gibson's home run was the minute plus of nothing as he let the pandemonium resonating through Chavez Ravine tell the story before he interjected his unfailing poignancy, "in a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened". Here is the greatest announcer of all time calling the greatest moment of the only franchise he's ever worked for, and he knew when less would be more. Pure Vin."Boston fans have longed to hear it, the Boston Red Sox are World Champions."The Sid Bream slide has got to be up there:
Noted baseball announcer Sean McDonough uttered arguably the most famous call of his career while he was relaying what came to be known as "The Slide" to North American television viewers on CBS:
"Line drive and a base hit. Justice will score the tying run. Bream to the plate...and he is safe, safe at the plate! The Braves go to the World Series!"How about Al Michaels call of Dave Henderson's HR in Game 5 of the '86 ALCS? "To left field, and DEEP, AND DOWNING GOES BACK, IT'S GONE! UNBELIEVEABLE! YOU'RE LOOKING AT ONE FOR THE AGES HERE!" Just picturing Hendu doing a leap up the first base line and the Angels being one strike away is amazing. Funny how Al's know for football, but some of his best calls are not football related!Where is Steeler Nation? What about Jack Fleming's call of the "Immaculate Reception"
"Hold onto your hats, here come the Steelers out of the huddle. It's down to one play, fourth down and 10 yards to go. . .Bradshaw at the controls…Twenty-two seconds remaining - and Bradshaw is back and looking again - Bradshaw running out of the pocket - looking for somebody to throw to - fires it downfield - and there's a collision - and it's caught out of the air - the ball is pulled in by Franco Harris… Harris is going. . . . Five seconds left on the clock. Franco Harris pulled in the football. I don't even know where it came from. Fuqua was in a collision. There are people in the end zone. Where did it come from?"1971 Game of the Century between Oklahoma and Nebraska. Jonny Roger's electrifying punt return for a touchdown - Lyle Bremser's call: "Man, Woman and Child did that put 'em in the aisles!!!"The 1975 World Series:
"It's a long fly ball to left, if it stays fair.......HOMERUN!"
Dick Stockton
And thus ended the most dramatic game in world series history to that point in time. Carlton Fisk's blast sent the WS to game seven which despite being a great game in and of itself, was anti-climatic to Game 6.
Next time you watch the video, watch George Foster. He catches the ball off the foul pole and until three years ago no one knew where the ball went. Foster auctioned it. He had it the whole time!Biased here because I'm a Yankee fan, and I grew up a Yankees fan when the only thing worth cheering for was Don Mattingly, but Joe Buck's homerun call of Jim Leyritz's homerun to tie game 4 of the 1996 World Series will always stick in my head.
"Back, at the track, at the WALL, WE ARE TIED!"Two favorites:
The late great Al McGuire, calling the Syracuse / Georgia NCAA sweet sixteen game in the 1996 tournament. Down three points, Syracuse's John Wallace inbounds the ball with :02 to play to a 'Cuse sharpshooter named Jason Cipolla.
McGuire: "Cover the shooter! They left him open! Cover the shooter!" Cipolla catches, fires from the corner, ties the game with no time on the clock. "See! I told you they should have covered the shooter!" 'Cuse goes on to win in OT, goes to the Final Four. Classic.
The second:
The 1986 Masters. Jack Nicklaus marches to an amazing win on the back nine. The crowd is going nuts. Everyone knows Verne Lundquist's call on 16, but I like the one made on 18 when the Golden Bear walks off the course after his improbable round, his arm draped around his son, who caddied for him. I think it was Ben Wright who said: "Good stuff! Oh My, what a scene. What a day. What a player."the call for bonds' #715 should have been " he really creamed it, it went clear out of here."5/19/74: "Orr shoots it down the ice. Parent makes the save. The Flyers are going to win the Stanley Cup! THE FLYERS WIN THE STANLEY CUP! THE FLYERS WIN THE STANLEY CUP!"
--Gene HartGot something to say?
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