Going, Going…GONE!

Going, Going…GONE!

Mel Allen, Voice of the Yankees!

Watching the Yankees the other night, one of the announcers said something mildly stupid.  It went right over my head as baseball announcers say stupid stuff all the time.  The game is, after all, three plus hours of occasional activity.  There is a lot of fill time for an announcer and they are bound to say something stupid from time to time.

Mrs. C noticed the comment right away,

“Well that was stupid, of course when the home team makes the last out in a game, they also lost the game.  Who is that idiot?”

First of all, kudos to Mrs. C for knowing sports, but the announcer was Ken Singleton, a baseball great of some years ago, and one of my favorite announcers.   He has a calm style and demeanor, a good sense of humor and terrific knowledge of the game.  Plus, he played under manager Earle Weaver for several years so he has a never-ending supply of baseball stories.

This is Ken’s last year of announcing, he retires after the season.  I’m going to miss him.  Baseball fans do get attached to their teams’ announcers.

The Yankee radio announcer, John Sterling, is a real corker.  King of the dumb comment always followed by his sarcastic follow up “OBVIOUSLY.”  I disliked Sterling for years, now I can’t wait for his home run call.  “It is high, it is far, it is GONE!”  Followed up by a specific call for each batter.  “Home run, Didi Gregorious, leaves Yankee fan’s euphorius!”  When Gleybor Torres hits a home run, it is “Gleybor Day!”

You get the idea, he is a piece of work who grows on you.

I loved Phil Rizzuto.  He was like the Grandfather everyone wants.  All his announcer partners always made fun of him for his “home team favoritism,” and his exuberance.   It was not a Yankee game without a few calls of “Holy Cow!” and a few people called a “Huckleberry.” Phil just oozed niceness.

My favorite Yankee announcer of all was Mel Allen.  He had the perfect baseball announcer pace and voice, enough timber and excitement to keep you awake, but not so much as to seem forced.  He advertised “Ice cold Ballantine Ale” but always called it Ballantime with an ‘M’.  He had the classic home run call,

“That ball is going, going GONE!”

 If it was radio you were on the edge of your seat as some times it would be

“That ball is going going…going to be CAUGHT!”

As great as Mel Allen was, I most remember his last year of announcing.  I’m not sure, and as a youngster, it did not occur to me, but looking back I’m pretty sure Mel had more than a few Ballantimes during games.

Of all the great Mel Allen stories and home run calls, all the baseball history that he relayed to his listeners, the call I most remember was a game against the Detroit Tigers.

Don Mossi, a great pitcher for Detroit was on the mound and in the sixth inning Mel made this call,

“Mossi on the mound, he is in the windup and... Mossi tossi!?...     … Don’t know why I said that folks, it just came to me; Mossi tossi!  Anyway it was  ball three.”

I’m pretty sure Mel retired soon after.

One of the great announcers in baseball history and I remember “Mossi tossi.” 

I still miss you Mel along with Phil and soon to retire Ken Singleton…Thanks guys!

That’s it, not sure how I even got into this post.

Bloggy Woggy!