Bobby Murcer, 1946-2008

Bobby Murcer passed away earlier today. I never saw him play, as I was only two years old when he retired, and I certainly never met him, so I'll leave the task of paying tribute to him as a player and as a person to those who did. Instead, I'm going to spend a few moments talking about Bobby Murcer as I knew him; an announcer.

My first memories of Murcer are of the guy who would occasionally talk about the game I was watching while Phil Rizzuto was talking about something else entirely, and who would then be left alone when Rizzuto would suddenly head home before the game was over. As entertaining as Rizzuto was, I can't imagine it was an easy job for Murcer to be the straight man, but he did it well.

It was after Rizzuto retired, I think, that Murcer really came into his own as a broadcaster. There are plenty of ex-players out there who bring experise and love for the game to the broadcast booth, but there aren't many who were as likable as Murcer. His midwestern drawl and genial manner made him a great storyteller; the perfect company for a summer afternoon. He worked well with whoever was in the booth with him, no mean feat when you consider the revolving cast of thousands that make up the YES Network's announcing teams, but he was especially good when paired with Ken Singleton. Too often, the sportscaster's version of humor involves a barrage of self-aggrandizing catchphrases, but the team of Murcer and Singleton were genuinely funny, and were one of the few that actually made me laugh.

When measured against the accomplishments that his family, friends and colleagues can attest to it's a small thing, but I truly enjoyed Murcer as an announcer, and I'll miss him.

The Holiest of Cows

A 12-0 beating probably wasn't the tribute the Yankees wanted to give to Phil Rizzuto the player but it ended up giving YES a chance to give a surprisingly appropriate one to Phil Rizzuto the broadcaster.

I'm a child of the 80s, so what I remember of Phil Rizzuto broadcasts often involved the Yankees getting beaten. Much like Scooter, as the game got more and more lopsided, Michael Kay and Ken Singleton talked less and less about it. Instead they simply reminisced about Rizzuto, and it sort of became a strange sort of baseball wake. Even more impressive, at least in terms of today's media, YES filled the commercial break in the middle of the first with a montage of Rizzuto's highlights as a player. A pretty nice goodbye for a man who had been part of the Yankees for over 50 years.

Anyway, I'll get back to my normal baseball talk for tomorrow, but tonight I'll just encourage you to go over here to read some stories about Scooter and share your own. I especially like the one at the bottom from the Red Sox fan.