Thank you, Marty, er, I mean Joe.
From the time I was eleven years old until I was about seventeen I listened to approx. 100 Cincinnati Reds games a year. During that time the two announcers that WLW 700AM used on the Reds Radio Network were Marty Brennaman and Joe Nuxhall.
Their voices and their calling of games are firmly imprinted in my psyche and that of any longtime Reds fan. Maybe it's because inevitably Reds fans would drift off to sleep listening to games beamed in from the West Coast.
Marty was and still is great but there was something special about Nuxhall. Maybe because he reminds me of my Grandpa Sullivan. He would try to be impartial for about 3 pitches then he would be a die hard Reds fan for the rest of the game. He'd occasionally say something wholly ridiculous, catch himself and joke about it the rest of the game.
And Joe Nuxhall would pause. A lot. Sometimes for a long time. Remember I'm talking about radio which is NOT a visual medium. Here's a recreation of Nuxhall calling a couple of pitches.
JOE
"And Browning sets, the pitch...called strike to the outside."
STADIUM VENDOR on the Far Side of the Stadium (this dude was loud)
"Cooooooooold beer, here"
ANOTHER STADIUM VENDOR just under the Radio Booth (this dude was not as loud)
"Frooozen Malts! Get your frozen malts."
JOE (off microphone to Marty)
"Tom's got good stuff tonight."
STADIUM VENDOR on the Far Side of the Stadium
"Cooooooooold-"
JOE
"Browning sets, and the pitch...a swing and a miss from Uribe."
It was always easy to crack a joke about Joe's inebriation level because of them but those pauses are hugely significant to me. As a kid with an overactive imagination the pauses and the accompanying "Game Noise" helped put me at the stadium. By the time I had been to my first game I had a pretty good idea what to expect aurally from a game.
I've written all of this because I read earlier this morning that Joe Nuxhall passed away last night. I wanted to write something that would include something other than his signature sign-off. Though every time this morning I've reflected back and "heard" him say his big line I've gotten a little misty.
So being a southpaw I'll appropriate his catchphrase and finish this post.
"This is the Ol' Lefthander, rounding third and heading for home."
Their voices and their calling of games are firmly imprinted in my psyche and that of any longtime Reds fan. Maybe it's because inevitably Reds fans would drift off to sleep listening to games beamed in from the West Coast.
Marty was and still is great but there was something special about Nuxhall. Maybe because he reminds me of my Grandpa Sullivan. He would try to be impartial for about 3 pitches then he would be a die hard Reds fan for the rest of the game. He'd occasionally say something wholly ridiculous, catch himself and joke about it the rest of the game.
And Joe Nuxhall would pause. A lot. Sometimes for a long time. Remember I'm talking about radio which is NOT a visual medium. Here's a recreation of Nuxhall calling a couple of pitches.
JOE
"And Browning sets, the pitch...called strike to the outside."
STADIUM VENDOR on the Far Side of the Stadium (this dude was loud)
"Cooooooooold beer, here"
ANOTHER STADIUM VENDOR just under the Radio Booth (this dude was not as loud)
"Frooozen Malts! Get your frozen malts."
JOE (off microphone to Marty)
"Tom's got good stuff tonight."
STADIUM VENDOR on the Far Side of the Stadium
"Cooooooooold-"
JOE
"Browning sets, and the pitch...a swing and a miss from Uribe."
It was always easy to crack a joke about Joe's inebriation level because of them but those pauses are hugely significant to me. As a kid with an overactive imagination the pauses and the accompanying "Game Noise" helped put me at the stadium. By the time I had been to my first game I had a pretty good idea what to expect aurally from a game.
I've written all of this because I read earlier this morning that Joe Nuxhall passed away last night. I wanted to write something that would include something other than his signature sign-off. Though every time this morning I've reflected back and "heard" him say his big line I've gotten a little misty.
So being a southpaw I'll appropriate his catchphrase and finish this post.
"This is the Ol' Lefthander, rounding third and heading for home."