Remembering an Orioles broadcast legend

An anniversary passed without too much notice on Friday, but it certainly should be noted. It was 10 years ago that day - March 6, 2005 - that legendary Orioles and Baltimore Colts broadcaster Chuck Thompson died at age 83.

Thompson was a Hall of Fame broadcaster and for many of us, the voice of sports in Baltimore in our youth. He received the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 1993.

While he worked with a few broadcast partners over the years, many O's fans will remember his long run in the booth with Bill O'Donnell, another top-notch announcer.

We also fondly remember his many games on television where he shared the booth with Brooks Robinson. I also very much enjoyed his days working the Colts games on radio with Vince Bagli.

Maybe it's a stretch here and maybe not, but when I think of the all-time great Orioles it is hard for me not to include Thompson even though he didn't play. But he broadcast for some of the greatest teams in O's history, at a time when the radio announcer was king and many fewer games where on television.

That amazing voice was soothing and comforting and meant it was time for an O's or Colts game. His vivid descriptions and ability to convey a lot in a short burst, and doing so without seemingly ever stumbling, was impressive. He was beyond smooth. He was also beyond prepared as Bagli himself has told me many times.

Thompson had a few lines that became very popular like "Ain't the beer cold" and "Go to war, Miss Agnes." But it was his day-to-day excellence and that remarkable voice that set him apart. He loved what he did and that came through on the radio big time. We could not have had a better man to describe the play-by-play for some great Orioles teams.

After years of doing some part-time fill-in work on O's broadcasts after his retirement from full-time duty, failing eyesight caused by macular degeneration forced him to retire for good in 2000.

I did an interview with Thompson - I think it was around 2003 or 2004 - and we discussed the fact that failing eyesight had driven him from the booth, probably for good.

I am paraphrasing, but I remember him saying something like this, "Don't feel bad for me, I've had a great career. But it would be wonderful if there could be miracle that would give me back my eyesight. Then I'd call one more inning and walk away."

Thompson was Baltimore. During his Hall of Fame speech, he said of his getting the Frick award and O's fans, "You wanted it for me and I wanted it for you."

We sure did. I was lucky to get to meet him and talk to him a few times when I returned to work in Baltimore in the late 1990s. He was every bit the gentleman everyone said. And that voice. In person, it was something awesome to hear.

Here is a link to Chuck's Hall of Fame speech, one of the best I think we've ever seen in Cooperstown. If you don't have time to watch it all, forward to the last minute or two when he thanks Orioles fans for their support. Pretty special.

For most of Thompson's tenure in Baltimore, the Orioles were among the best teams in all of baseball. They were great in the booth, too.