Heading to the Big Apple
I'll be boarding a train later this morning for New York City and my first road trip with MASN. And as always, it'll be nice to avoid the airports.
Not that New York-Penn Station is a relaxing environment. Monday morning will be insane. If you haven't experienced it, envision the running of the bulls in Pamplona, except with rude people who are in a hurry to catch their train. I've been gored once or twice.
Manhattan is a great place to visit - especially with a day game on Saturday and a night game on Sunday - but I couldn't live there.
I can sure blog there, however. Just watch me.
Yankee Stadium holds a lot of memories for me since I first began working the Orioles' beat during the 1996 playoffs. Just not as many as the ones Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Wolff will be carrying with him this weekend.
Wolff, 87, has worked for Madison Square Garden for 54 years, and for News 12 in Long Island, where he's sports director and anchor, for 22. He called the 1958 championship game between the Colts and Giants, as well as Don Larson's perfect game in the 1956 World Series. His voice also guided the home run ball from Mickey Mantle that almost left the stadium.
"I'm sad about leaving the old Yankee Stadium because there's a great deal of nostalgia for me," Wolff said during our phone conversation yesterday morning. "I look up and remember what took place there, and people keep using my calls as part of their highlights from the past. From this point on, I'll go to the new stadium, but I can't say 'this happened' or 'that happened.' I became a part of the old Yankee Stadium."
Wolff is the second broadcaster to be inducted into the baseball and basketball Hall of Fame. He holds the distinction of being the first broadcaster to handle the play-by-play duties for the championships in all four professional major sports. And he's especially proud of his call on Alan Ameche's touchdown in overtime in The Greatest Game Ever Played.
"To tell you the truth, I didn't give much thought to the game - what might happen, the buildup - but I'm sort of an emotional-type announcer and I prefer, if something big is happening, that I don't have prearranged lines in my head," he said. "I want everything to come out spontaneously, so I gave very little thought to what may or may not happen. I just let it come out.
"When I heard the playback of the record, I'm very glad how I called it. I said, 'The Colts are the world champions. Ameche scores.' And I said to myself afterward, 'I got it right.' I gave the headline first and then I gave the score. I got it without thinking about it. That's just the way it came out."
Wolff was Washington D.C.'s first television sportscaster and the Senators' first play-by-play announcer in 1946, and he's thrilled that baseball is back in the nation's capital.
"I wish I was a little more a part of it than I am, being here in New York," he said. "It's been a long time since I was there in the beginning. Memories fade and everything else, the new generation comes along, they have their own people and players. But I was a vivid part of that. Washington was like the springboard to everything I did. That's where I got my chance. I'm indebted to Washington. My three children were born there."
I think he's got me beat in the memory department.
Roch; That was a great post. Thank you.
I hate the Yankees with the best of them, but it will be cool to be able to watch the festivities as they close down old Yankee Stadium. So much history. Enjoy being there in person, Roch!
Oh, and could you pass along a suggestion to your webmasters as MASNSports.com? It would be great to be able to "subscribe" an email address to your blog so we can get email versions of your posts as you post them.
Roch,
See ya in NYC! Taking the family up for our first and only visit to the House That Ruth Built. Looking forward to soaking in the history...
Hi Roch -- You'll have a great time. NYC is such a fun place. Don't particularly like the Yankees. It was always fun to board the train going up to the Bronx with all the fans and enduring their stares and comments. "Hey look, it's Ooooooo-rioles fans!" I told that guy, "Look, we're just trying to get back to .500, so lay off!" He shut up.
Two best Yankee Stadium memories: watching the Astros beat the Yankees in a no-hitter a few years ago -- that was sweet! And hanging out the stairwell window over the Orioles bullpen talking to Sidney Ponson -- so funny! My husband was totally embarrassed, but amused! Oh yes, and I was waving my Orioles "finger" too!
A labrum tear and a cyst for Bedard? Does he know he’s not still with the O’s? I wish Bedard a quick recovery and it’s sad to see any pitcher go through devastating injury. Consider that a year ago, he was emerging as one of the best pitchers in the AL (though he was injured at this time last year), and now a labrum tear could derail his career (which is why at this point, Patton and Albers are big question marks heading into next season). On the other side of that, the trade the O’s made with Seattle looks better all the time. Now, if we could just get our pitchers to stay healthy.
Since the Yankees are out of the playoffs this season (ha ha, I suppose it wasn’t Torre’s fault--he's headed for the playoffs), seeing the closing of Yankee Stadium might be somewhat palatable. I’m speculating here, but I’m sure we’ll hear some dreck from someone in the national media about how we’re all Yankees’ fans, and how we’re getting robbed of not seeing another postseason in Yankee Stadium in its closing year. Just think how insufferable the postseason would be if the Yankees had made it in. Personally, I’m looking forward to catching a series (on tv) in Tropicana Field. I can’t believe I’m saying that.
When we were kids, there was a sportscaster in DC named Warner Wolff. Any relation?