Oller's Second Thoughts: Tom Hamilton and other baseball radio voices bring calm to storms
Tom Hamilton, radio voice of the Cleveland Guardians, has restored my faith in humanity.
OK, that may be stretching things, but Hamilton’s call of last week’s brawl between Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez and Tim Anderson of the Chicago White Sox reminded me that not everything in sports is going to H-E-double hockey sticks.
Rock N Blasted pic.twitter.com/mEVhUoDJ5D
— Gabriella Kreuz (@thesportsGab) August 6, 2023
As everything else seems to be changing, some things for the better – college athlete empowerment – some for the worse – college athlete entitlement – at least one thing stays the same. The baseball radio announcer.
Amid the sports chaos happening around us, the men and women in front of the microphones are a calming balm that comforts the anxious soul. Not that MLB games can’t get chaotic – Hammy’s “Down goes Anderson, Down goes Anderson” call during the Cleveland-Chicago brouhaha was the airwaves version of bumper cars – but the familiarity of those soothing voices can drown out the day’s anxieties.
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Folks who grew up with Sinatra and Styx know what I’m talking about. Younger fans, not so much. For many of them, baseball is too slow and in need of some serious “Marvel movieing” to make it more exciting.
But baseball radio voices, when given a fair chance, appeal to all ages and demographics. Members of the Greatest Generation, especially widows and widowers, welcome these broadcasters into their homes and apartments like old friends who can be counted on to keep them company. Boomers and older Gen Xers know the security blanket of driving alone at night with a Hamilton – or in past years Marty and Joe, Ernie Harwell, Vin Scully and Jack Buck – riding shotgun along the way. Those voices felt as necessary to safe travel as the car headlights.
It should be noted that the beloved radio voice is not specific to baseball. Dave Lapham is the Cincinnati Bengals. Jim Donovan is more of a Cleveland Brown than the owner. And don’t forget Paul Keels and Jim Lachey on Ohio State football and Ron Stokes on OSU men’s basketball.
Listening to all these voices feels like relaxing in your favorite chair. No worries. No distractions. All is right with the world. At least for nine innings.
College fans want more Big Ten teams
A recent Twitter/X poll turned up interesting responses, especially if you happen to believe fans are fed up with Big Ten expansion. The poll asked, “You’re the Big Ten. You should … a) sit tight, 18 teams is enough; b) add two or more teams; c) go hard after Notre Dame (again).
The results? Nearly half (45%) voted to add two or more teams, with some readers writing in “Stanford and Cal.” The next highest tally (35%) was for the Big Ten to pursue adding Notre Dame, which would be huge yet also unlikely. The Fighting Irish continue to contend they are happy remaining independent, at least as long as they see a clear path to making the 12-team playoff.
Only 20% want the Big Ten to stay at 18 teams, either tired of continued realignment or content with having added Oregon and Washington to the West Coast mix of UCLA and Southern California.
Listening in
“Why aren’t we all independent in football? Take the 64 teams in Power Five and make that one division. Take the 64 teams in Group of Five, make that another division. We play for a championship. They play for a championship. And no one else gets affected. Our sport is different than anybody else – we only play once a week. Travel’s not a big deal for football, but it is a big deal for other sports.” – UCLA coach Chip Kelly.
Off-topic
Does anyone else create TV comedy bits in their head? One I came up with, which has a Seinfeldian feel to it: A tired guy is scared to sleep on the plane because he worries he will begin snoring, but can’t help himself and dozes off. At landing, no passengers give him dirty looks, making him think he escaped embarrassment. But just as he’s exiting the plane a flight attendant chides him – in a thick New Yorker accent – “Fix your snoring problem.” The look on the guy’s face … priceless.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Cleveland Guardians baseball voice Tom Hamilton is loud and loveable
