TOM CHEEK, PART DEUX.
After posting yesterday's column (I prefer that over "blog") I realized that there were many more Tom Cheek stories to tell from the "good old days" that needed to be told. Since I have unlimited space and no particular time constraints, I must tell you about the time that Tom mentioned on the air the various groups that were attending that particular game. The Kiwanis Club of Waterloo. The Talbot Park Little League Padres, the Tuesday Night Kingpins from Bowlerama, and the 40 employees from the Hooker Chemical Company in Niagara Falls New York. Early Wynn was doing the play by play, and on the next pitch he said "There's a line drive down the right field line and headed right towards those "hookers." Well, Tom just lost it. He could not stop laughing and here was Early, giggling away, trying to keep the broadcast going. The tape of the broadcast was immediately seized for entertainment purposes and replayed a few times for private audiences. Hilarious.
Then there was the time when I was hosting the pre-game show, "Baseball Today" in 1984. I had finished my little spiel and was upset that some of the tapes had screwed up (a recurring problem with me). Naturally, I was pissed at our engineer, Doug Cawker, believing it to be his fault. After I threw to commercial and turned my microphone off, I was about to say "Cawker, what the f*#k happened?" But, before I could, Tom grabbed me by the arm hard and pointed to a headset mic sitting on the desk. The mic was live. He put his finger up to his lips and squeezed my arm even tighter. Tom had a very strong grip, thank goodness. He saved me....again.
Later in 1984, I had done some work for Johnny Esaw at CTV Sports. I had never done TV before, but Johnny liked my radio work and offered me a gig hosting a segment for Wide World of Sports. It was about Motocross racing and ended up airing on a Saturday afternoon. The next day, at the ballpark, Tom sidled over to me and said "You know what, you're in the wrong business". I was shocked. I thought he liked my radio work. "You should be in Television." He had seen the segment the day before and complimented my work. I think he mentioned it to a few other people because a few days later I got a call from Ray Heard at Global, who wanted to know if I was interested in joining Jim Tatti to co-host "Sportsline". Tom never admitted to it, but I'm pretty sure he put in a good word for me with somebody high up. His approval of my work meant the world to me.
When you work with somebody as talented as Tom Cheek, you can't help but improve. I did, both as a broadcaster and as a man. Tom's work ethic, enthusiasm, attention to detail and his ability to NOT take himself too seriously made for a wonderfully genuine man. His contributions to the game of baseball in Canada cannot be overstated. His contributions to the lives of so many young people, be they up and coming broadcasters or just regular folks who met him, cannot be measured. All I know is, had Tom not been there to keep me on the straight and narrow, I likely wouldn't have turned out the way I did.
Thursday, 6 December 2012
Wednesday, 5 December 2012
THE AVUNCULAR TOM CHEEK.
Tom Cheek saved my broadcast career. Several times. He deserves to be in the Nice Guy Hall of Fame. I first met him a short time after he had been hired as the Bluejays radio voice. It was during the Blizzard of 1977. It was late January and there were 6 foot high snowdrifts covering everything when the Bluejays "Caravan" rolled through the Niagara Peninsula, featuring Tom, manager Roy Hartsfield, Bob Bailor and, I think, catcher Phil Roof. There was a little cocktail reception for the townsfolk and the media was invited to come down and interview the principles. I was working radio news at CJRN in the Falls. Good station. Rick Jeaneret, Erik Thomas and some drunken News Director whose name I can't recall. I had a Sony cassette tape recorder with an Electro-Voice microphone. I strode confidently up to this big tall fellow, taller than me. I had never met Tom Cheek before, but I had heard him doing some Expo games on radio as Dave Van Horne's back up the previous season. I was big into radio, so I tried to catch as many different broadcasts as I could. Tom had a great voice. I introduced myself, asked if I could talk to him, and proceeded to do, what I thought, was a pretty good interview, maybe 5 or 6 minutes long. Afterwards, I went over into a corner to listen to the interview. There was no interview. The mic wasn't plugged in all the way. I had nothing. I panicked. I had to bring something back to the station, but by this time, the caravan was on it's way out of the room and back to the van for the drive home. I ran out into the freezing cold, microphone firmly plugged into tape recorder, looking for Tom Cheek. "Please" I cried "We've got to do it again. The mic wasn't plugged in" And so, in the middle of a parking lot, with the snow falling and the wind blowing it into drifts, Tom Cheek saved me from myself. He stood there and patiently answered every question, just as he had minutes earlier into an empty microphone.
A few months later, I was lucky enough to land a job at CKFH (now Sportsnet 590 The Fan) I had been a huge fan (still am) of Bob McCown's show "Talking of Sports". He was doing P.A. at Bluejays games AND hosting a phone-in show every night. I convinced him (ok begged him) to let me help him out and produce his show and screen the phone calls. He not only gave me the job, he also got me a PRESS PASS to the Bluejays games. I was now a real sports journalist, talk show producer and sat next door to Tom Cheek every single home game. In fact, we had a booth called the "Polish Press Box" (McCown's name for it) that was supposed to be an open-air booth for TV, like the radio booth. Instead, somebody put plexiglass all around it, which rendered it useless for TV. When you sat in there, you could hear every word Tom was saying on the broadcast, so it was like we were his private audience. When he was finished broadcasting the third inning, he'd turn the mic over to Early Wynn, tell the engineer (Jim Fonger or Doug Cawker) he was going out for a while, and then saunter into the Polish Press Box where McCown and I would be with any number of these gentlemen: Pat Gillick, Paul Beeston, Elliot Wahle (Asst. GM) Gord Ash (Operations) George Holm (Tickets) Peter Durso (Publicity) Bobby Prentice (Scout) Dr. Ron Taylor (Team Physician). As well, visiting broadcasters such as Phil Rizzuto, Bill White, Harry Caray, Dick Enberg, Bob Uecker and many others would stop by. Let me tell you, I learned a lot about baseball from those gentlemen.
But I learned more about broadcasting from Tom. He had a way of putting you at ease, both as a listener on radio and as a participant in a discussion. He had wide-ranging interests and was not a "stats geek" like many of today's announcers. He was interested in the human being. What type of person you were versus what kind of ballplayer you were. At the same time, he enjoyed the baseball lifestyle and worked very hard at his job. In the early years, he did EVERYTHING. Early Wynn was not a broadcaster, so Tom was responsible for everything that went to air. The pre-game show, the post-game interview, ALL the commercials (many of which were done "live"), all the "special guests" that were ferried in and out of the broadcast booth had to be interviewed, thanked for their support and ushered out without taking away from the flow of the game. Len Bramson, who hired him for the radio network, and his assistant Sue Rayson always had lots of work for Tom to do. He was, after all, the only constant the ballclub had. He was the link to the fans on radio and in person. Tom emceed every single event associated with the Jays, and was the team's unofficial historian. It's witness to history. He also had quite a temper, and let me know exactly how he felt about one particular transgression of mine. I had embarrassed him in front of other people, and he quietly took me aside and then lit into me. I was in my early 20s and he was in his mid 30s and I remember him telling me to NEVER show somebody up in front of other people. Treat them with respect. That advice saved my career.
The high point of my early broadcasting career took place in September of 1979. The Jays were a terrible team and Roy Hartsfield would not be back as manager the following year. Early Wynn was nearing the end of his career as Tom's partner. He was getting old and cranky and didn't like the travel anymore. Also, the cold weather made his arthritis flare up. He wasn't able to make it to a Wednesday afternoon game between the Jays and the equally low-brow Oakland A's. Tom suggested I fill in. I was over the moon with glee. Imagine being 23 years old, sitting next to a man you've listened to since Day One, and getting an opportunity to live your dream as a broadcaster. Who cares that Phil Huffman was pitching against Mike Norris in a meaningless game before 11 thousand fans? All I remember is sitting next to the avuncular Tom Cheek, who patted me on the shoulder just prior to opening the mic and said "Just be yourself, and you'll do great". And with that, he flipped the mic on, said his "welcome" and introduced me to the listening audience. "Take it away, Mark" he said. I did 3 innings of play by play with Tom Cheek as my colour commentator. He treated me like I was a ten year veteran. That was Tom Cheek.
Congratulations on your induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Hall deserves you as much as you deserve to be in the Hall.
Tom Cheek saved my broadcast career. Several times. He deserves to be in the Nice Guy Hall of Fame. I first met him a short time after he had been hired as the Bluejays radio voice. It was during the Blizzard of 1977. It was late January and there were 6 foot high snowdrifts covering everything when the Bluejays "Caravan" rolled through the Niagara Peninsula, featuring Tom, manager Roy Hartsfield, Bob Bailor and, I think, catcher Phil Roof. There was a little cocktail reception for the townsfolk and the media was invited to come down and interview the principles. I was working radio news at CJRN in the Falls. Good station. Rick Jeaneret, Erik Thomas and some drunken News Director whose name I can't recall. I had a Sony cassette tape recorder with an Electro-Voice microphone. I strode confidently up to this big tall fellow, taller than me. I had never met Tom Cheek before, but I had heard him doing some Expo games on radio as Dave Van Horne's back up the previous season. I was big into radio, so I tried to catch as many different broadcasts as I could. Tom had a great voice. I introduced myself, asked if I could talk to him, and proceeded to do, what I thought, was a pretty good interview, maybe 5 or 6 minutes long. Afterwards, I went over into a corner to listen to the interview. There was no interview. The mic wasn't plugged in all the way. I had nothing. I panicked. I had to bring something back to the station, but by this time, the caravan was on it's way out of the room and back to the van for the drive home. I ran out into the freezing cold, microphone firmly plugged into tape recorder, looking for Tom Cheek. "Please" I cried "We've got to do it again. The mic wasn't plugged in" And so, in the middle of a parking lot, with the snow falling and the wind blowing it into drifts, Tom Cheek saved me from myself. He stood there and patiently answered every question, just as he had minutes earlier into an empty microphone.
A few months later, I was lucky enough to land a job at CKFH (now Sportsnet 590 The Fan) I had been a huge fan (still am) of Bob McCown's show "Talking of Sports". He was doing P.A. at Bluejays games AND hosting a phone-in show every night. I convinced him (ok begged him) to let me help him out and produce his show and screen the phone calls. He not only gave me the job, he also got me a PRESS PASS to the Bluejays games. I was now a real sports journalist, talk show producer and sat next door to Tom Cheek every single home game. In fact, we had a booth called the "Polish Press Box" (McCown's name for it) that was supposed to be an open-air booth for TV, like the radio booth. Instead, somebody put plexiglass all around it, which rendered it useless for TV. When you sat in there, you could hear every word Tom was saying on the broadcast, so it was like we were his private audience. When he was finished broadcasting the third inning, he'd turn the mic over to Early Wynn, tell the engineer (Jim Fonger or Doug Cawker) he was going out for a while, and then saunter into the Polish Press Box where McCown and I would be with any number of these gentlemen: Pat Gillick, Paul Beeston, Elliot Wahle (Asst. GM) Gord Ash (Operations) George Holm (Tickets) Peter Durso (Publicity) Bobby Prentice (Scout) Dr. Ron Taylor (Team Physician). As well, visiting broadcasters such as Phil Rizzuto, Bill White, Harry Caray, Dick Enberg, Bob Uecker and many others would stop by. Let me tell you, I learned a lot about baseball from those gentlemen.
But I learned more about broadcasting from Tom. He had a way of putting you at ease, both as a listener on radio and as a participant in a discussion. He had wide-ranging interests and was not a "stats geek" like many of today's announcers. He was interested in the human being. What type of person you were versus what kind of ballplayer you were. At the same time, he enjoyed the baseball lifestyle and worked very hard at his job. In the early years, he did EVERYTHING. Early Wynn was not a broadcaster, so Tom was responsible for everything that went to air. The pre-game show, the post-game interview, ALL the commercials (many of which were done "live"), all the "special guests" that were ferried in and out of the broadcast booth had to be interviewed, thanked for their support and ushered out without taking away from the flow of the game. Len Bramson, who hired him for the radio network, and his assistant Sue Rayson always had lots of work for Tom to do. He was, after all, the only constant the ballclub had. He was the link to the fans on radio and in person. Tom emceed every single event associated with the Jays, and was the team's unofficial historian. It's witness to history. He also had quite a temper, and let me know exactly how he felt about one particular transgression of mine. I had embarrassed him in front of other people, and he quietly took me aside and then lit into me. I was in my early 20s and he was in his mid 30s and I remember him telling me to NEVER show somebody up in front of other people. Treat them with respect. That advice saved my career.
The high point of my early broadcasting career took place in September of 1979. The Jays were a terrible team and Roy Hartsfield would not be back as manager the following year. Early Wynn was nearing the end of his career as Tom's partner. He was getting old and cranky and didn't like the travel anymore. Also, the cold weather made his arthritis flare up. He wasn't able to make it to a Wednesday afternoon game between the Jays and the equally low-brow Oakland A's. Tom suggested I fill in. I was over the moon with glee. Imagine being 23 years old, sitting next to a man you've listened to since Day One, and getting an opportunity to live your dream as a broadcaster. Who cares that Phil Huffman was pitching against Mike Norris in a meaningless game before 11 thousand fans? All I remember is sitting next to the avuncular Tom Cheek, who patted me on the shoulder just prior to opening the mic and said "Just be yourself, and you'll do great". And with that, he flipped the mic on, said his "welcome" and introduced me to the listening audience. "Take it away, Mark" he said. I did 3 innings of play by play with Tom Cheek as my colour commentator. He treated me like I was a ten year veteran. That was Tom Cheek.
Congratulations on your induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Hall deserves you as much as you deserve to be in the Hall.
ALL TALK AND NO ACTION
Have you noticed that much of the talk in sports these days doesn't seem to be about the great games or the exciting plays, but rather the negotiators and mediators and General Managers and owners and managers and lawyers and union leaders and coaches and scouts and politicians? Even when we're talking about the Sidney Crosby's and the Jonathan Toews', it's as union members/negotiators rather than hockey players. In baseball, we're 3 months away from spring training and four months from opening day. Alex Anthopoulos is the new Pat Gillick and Mark Buehrle is going to get the Ontario government (insert joke here) to repeal the Pit Bull ban so that he doesn't have to commute from Lewiston N.Y. or Livonia, Michigan (Close to Ontario, Pit Bulls welcome). We predict, we speculate, we prognosticate. That's sports these days.
Remember, the Jays are now the favourites to win the American League East. The Yankees are dead. The Red Sox just signed Shane Victorino, for crying out loud. Big Papi is getting older and heavier. Their manager is much despised around these parts. The Jays will kill them with Johnson, Morrow, Ricky Romero, JA Happ, and of course, Buehrle. My "Sportsline" partner Bubba says the Jays will be expected to win every game this year with a lineup like they have. I even think the starters can win 70 games between the five of them. But, of course it's all talk right now.
I kind of wish Tom Cheek was around to see this latest incarnation of the Jays. Tom was named the winner of the Ford C. Frick award for excellence in baseball broadcasting. If it weren't for the efforts of Mike Wilner of The Fan in Toronto, Cheek might never have gotten in. He died in 2005, never knowing how much support and love he had garnered. If it wasn't for Tom, I never would've gotten to where I am today in broadcasting. I have so many stories to tell, having worked with him back in the early days of the Jays. I will reveal many of those stories tomorrow, including the time I got to sit beside Tom and broadcast three innings of play by play when his partner, Early Wynn, took sick. That day, I became a professional broadcaster.
The hockey thing has got me puzzled. Gary Bettman makes a 15 second announcement that he is pleased with the progress of the talks. I wonder if he can even look NHLPA head Donald Fehr in the eyes. Really, if the players had any idea that the Fehr-Bettman standoff would negatively effect negotiations, they should've gotten together and made other arrangements a long time ago. This is THEIR livelihood. Instead, half of them flew off to Europe to play hockey, which made it appear as if they were more concerned with playing somewhere, rather than getting a deal done. Fight or flight, I guess. And now some of those players have been hurt (physically) and some have been hurt by the lack of progress, miscommunication, idle threats, family pressure, peer pressure, guilt, homesickness, etc. Every time somebody posts something on Twitter, they get their hopes up for a resolution. Let's face it, it's un-Canadian to make your fellow hosers suffer through the Holiday season with only the World Junior Championships to look forward to. With all due respect to the Hamilton Bulldogs, Toronto Marlies, Kitchener Rangers, London Knights and Dundas Real McCoys, a Christmas with no NHL is like a donut without the coffee. The two just go together.
Have you noticed that much of the talk in sports these days doesn't seem to be about the great games or the exciting plays, but rather the negotiators and mediators and General Managers and owners and managers and lawyers and union leaders and coaches and scouts and politicians? Even when we're talking about the Sidney Crosby's and the Jonathan Toews', it's as union members/negotiators rather than hockey players. In baseball, we're 3 months away from spring training and four months from opening day. Alex Anthopoulos is the new Pat Gillick and Mark Buehrle is going to get the Ontario government (insert joke here) to repeal the Pit Bull ban so that he doesn't have to commute from Lewiston N.Y. or Livonia, Michigan (Close to Ontario, Pit Bulls welcome). We predict, we speculate, we prognosticate. That's sports these days.
Remember, the Jays are now the favourites to win the American League East. The Yankees are dead. The Red Sox just signed Shane Victorino, for crying out loud. Big Papi is getting older and heavier. Their manager is much despised around these parts. The Jays will kill them with Johnson, Morrow, Ricky Romero, JA Happ, and of course, Buehrle. My "Sportsline" partner Bubba says the Jays will be expected to win every game this year with a lineup like they have. I even think the starters can win 70 games between the five of them. But, of course it's all talk right now.
I kind of wish Tom Cheek was around to see this latest incarnation of the Jays. Tom was named the winner of the Ford C. Frick award for excellence in baseball broadcasting. If it weren't for the efforts of Mike Wilner of The Fan in Toronto, Cheek might never have gotten in. He died in 2005, never knowing how much support and love he had garnered. If it wasn't for Tom, I never would've gotten to where I am today in broadcasting. I have so many stories to tell, having worked with him back in the early days of the Jays. I will reveal many of those stories tomorrow, including the time I got to sit beside Tom and broadcast three innings of play by play when his partner, Early Wynn, took sick. That day, I became a professional broadcaster.
The hockey thing has got me puzzled. Gary Bettman makes a 15 second announcement that he is pleased with the progress of the talks. I wonder if he can even look NHLPA head Donald Fehr in the eyes. Really, if the players had any idea that the Fehr-Bettman standoff would negatively effect negotiations, they should've gotten together and made other arrangements a long time ago. This is THEIR livelihood. Instead, half of them flew off to Europe to play hockey, which made it appear as if they were more concerned with playing somewhere, rather than getting a deal done. Fight or flight, I guess. And now some of those players have been hurt (physically) and some have been hurt by the lack of progress, miscommunication, idle threats, family pressure, peer pressure, guilt, homesickness, etc. Every time somebody posts something on Twitter, they get their hopes up for a resolution. Let's face it, it's un-Canadian to make your fellow hosers suffer through the Holiday season with only the World Junior Championships to look forward to. With all due respect to the Hamilton Bulldogs, Toronto Marlies, Kitchener Rangers, London Knights and Dundas Real McCoys, a Christmas with no NHL is like a donut without the coffee. The two just go together.
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
"SPORTSLINE" BACK IN THE DAY
Even though I host the show "Sportsline" with Bubba ONeil (weekdays, 5 pm EST on CHCH TV), the show actually originated over 30 years ago on Global TV. Back then, Bob McCown fronted the show by himself at 11:30 p.m., and it was billed as "the last word on Sports". It was a great show. Innovative, funny, unique. It was a must-see for hardcore sports fans who occasionally, but not always, got to see actual highlights from games that had just been completed or were still in progress. This was quite a change from the sportscasts on CBC or CTV, which usually dealt with games from the PREVIOUS evening in their highlight packages. Satellite technology was just coming into it's own back then, and the folks at Global realized that they could get the jump on the competition by being more, shall we say, up to date. Being able to see highlights from a game played a few hours earlier in Detroit or Chicago was a big deal back in the day.
Of course, now you can literally see the scoring play within seconds of it actually happening. And with social media, you don't need to tune into that scratchy radio broadcast anymore, you get your updates as they happen from somebody who's sitting at the game. Or watching it on TV somewhere. Yes, the days of waiting up until 11:30 to catch all the action are long gone. But, in it's prime, "Sportsline" was the real deal. McCown and producer Mark Askin built up the brand for a couple of years, and then moved on to bigger and better things. In 1984, Jim Tatti and myself became the first two-man sports show in the country. The chemistry between us was excellent. We were both sports junkies, the kind of guys you'd want to sit and have a beer with while watching the game. We had hockey pools going. Penalty drafts, fantasy teams, all that stuff. We used to list the goal scorers, even if we didn't have a highlight of the goal. Fans loved that. They didn't have to wait until the next day's newspaper to find out who had scored. Within a short period of time, "Sportsline" had moved from a cult show to a mega-hit. Global loved it, especially since they were making over a million dollars a year on the show. This was the mid 80s remember, when a million dollars was like 5 or 10 million in today's dollars. Not only did we do fantastic highlights, we also did great sports journalism (an oxymoron to some). We covered the Leafs, Jays, Argos, TiCats, the NFL, NBA, tennis, golf, auto racing, horse racing and had excellent reporters such as Bill Bird, Don Martin, Mitch Azaria, and before I arrived, Vic Rauter and Gerry Dobson.
I am likely best known for the "Hebsy" Awards. My nickname came about when Jim McKenny couldn't pronounce "Hebscher" at our weekly media hockey games, and went with "Hebsy" instead. Typical hockey player-turned-sportscaster. Just chop off the end of one's name and add a "y" to the end. Smitty, Jonesy, Hebsy. One day I compiled a bunch of "bloopers", put them to banjo music and voiced them over "live". Tatti couldn't stop laughing, and if you've ever heard Jim laugh, you know how infectious it can be. (the laugh, not Jim). Thus, the Hebsy Awards were born. Jim came up with the idea of putting my head on top of the "Oscar" award as a logo, and the rest is history.
Another thing I am proud of is the music that we played (and still play) on "Sportsline".
As musical coordinator back in the day, it was my job to choose the various "needle drops" that made it to air. We used to run music under our highlights and for our "bumpers" that led into commercials. One day in 1988, I decided to use a 15 second piece from a Tragically Hip song (Highway Girl) on one of our bumpers. I had met the band through a very close friend who was high up in the Hip organization. The day after we "debuted" the Hip song, I got a call from a viewer wanting to know who did the song and where could he find it. Before you knew it, the Hip's music became part of the audio landscape of the show. "New Orleans is Sinking" "Blow at High Dough" "Boots or Hearts", "38 years old", "Little Bones", "Thugs" and many more worked beautifully with hockey hilites. Of course, it didn't hurt that the Hip rolled out "50 Mission Cap" about the death of former Leaf Bill Barilko in a plane crash right about the time Pat Burns and Dougie Gilmour (from Kingston) were leading the Maple Leafs to the playoffs for the first time in years. Then there was "Fireworks", an homage to Bobby Orr and those great hockey moments we'll never forget. Two things most Canadians have in their DNA: Hockey and music.
And since there's no hockey to talk about, I want to point out two athletes who are headed in opposite directions. Robert Griffin III, the defending Heisman Trophy who plays for the Washington Redskins, is one of the most exciting, electifying players I have ever seen. His gutsy win over the New York Giants last night was a thing of beauty, especially when he was running out of the pocket and picking up huge chunks of yardage. Of course, there's always the chance that he might fumble the ball, but that's the risk you take. Personally, I love watching quarterbacks run. The more the merrier.
On the other side of the coin is Andrea Bargnani. He might be one of the best "first half" players in all of basketball. But, like the baseball player who drives in 80 runs a year, but none of them in the clutch, Bargnani is virtually invisible on the floor late in the game. Once again he had a chance to hit a clutch 3 pointer last night, but his tying attempt was a "brick", and the Raps lost a tough one in Denver. Bargnani ended up with 23 points in the game, but in the fourth quarter he was just 1-4 shooting for two points and no rebounds. Not exactly a go-to guy. Kyle Lowry, on the other hand, scored 12 points and added two assists in the final quarter to help bring the Raptors to within one point. Even though Lowry didn't shoot well in the game, he was constantly driving to the basket, and hit on all 11 of his free throws. Toss in 7 assists and 3 blocked shots and you've got a guy who can do it all. The problem is, the big 7 footer who's supposed to be able to put the ball in the hole is nowhere to be found when his team needs him most. If I'm a Raptors player, I don't know if I can go "balls to the wall" if Bargnani is my teammate. Bryan Colangelo must trade him now if the team hopes to move forward. Bargnani is badly stunting the growth of this team.
Even though I host the show "Sportsline" with Bubba ONeil (weekdays, 5 pm EST on CHCH TV), the show actually originated over 30 years ago on Global TV. Back then, Bob McCown fronted the show by himself at 11:30 p.m., and it was billed as "the last word on Sports". It was a great show. Innovative, funny, unique. It was a must-see for hardcore sports fans who occasionally, but not always, got to see actual highlights from games that had just been completed or were still in progress. This was quite a change from the sportscasts on CBC or CTV, which usually dealt with games from the PREVIOUS evening in their highlight packages. Satellite technology was just coming into it's own back then, and the folks at Global realized that they could get the jump on the competition by being more, shall we say, up to date. Being able to see highlights from a game played a few hours earlier in Detroit or Chicago was a big deal back in the day.
Of course, now you can literally see the scoring play within seconds of it actually happening. And with social media, you don't need to tune into that scratchy radio broadcast anymore, you get your updates as they happen from somebody who's sitting at the game. Or watching it on TV somewhere. Yes, the days of waiting up until 11:30 to catch all the action are long gone. But, in it's prime, "Sportsline" was the real deal. McCown and producer Mark Askin built up the brand for a couple of years, and then moved on to bigger and better things. In 1984, Jim Tatti and myself became the first two-man sports show in the country. The chemistry between us was excellent. We were both sports junkies, the kind of guys you'd want to sit and have a beer with while watching the game. We had hockey pools going. Penalty drafts, fantasy teams, all that stuff. We used to list the goal scorers, even if we didn't have a highlight of the goal. Fans loved that. They didn't have to wait until the next day's newspaper to find out who had scored. Within a short period of time, "Sportsline" had moved from a cult show to a mega-hit. Global loved it, especially since they were making over a million dollars a year on the show. This was the mid 80s remember, when a million dollars was like 5 or 10 million in today's dollars. Not only did we do fantastic highlights, we also did great sports journalism (an oxymoron to some). We covered the Leafs, Jays, Argos, TiCats, the NFL, NBA, tennis, golf, auto racing, horse racing and had excellent reporters such as Bill Bird, Don Martin, Mitch Azaria, and before I arrived, Vic Rauter and Gerry Dobson.
I am likely best known for the "Hebsy" Awards. My nickname came about when Jim McKenny couldn't pronounce "Hebscher" at our weekly media hockey games, and went with "Hebsy" instead. Typical hockey player-turned-sportscaster. Just chop off the end of one's name and add a "y" to the end. Smitty, Jonesy, Hebsy. One day I compiled a bunch of "bloopers", put them to banjo music and voiced them over "live". Tatti couldn't stop laughing, and if you've ever heard Jim laugh, you know how infectious it can be. (the laugh, not Jim). Thus, the Hebsy Awards were born. Jim came up with the idea of putting my head on top of the "Oscar" award as a logo, and the rest is history.
Another thing I am proud of is the music that we played (and still play) on "Sportsline".
As musical coordinator back in the day, it was my job to choose the various "needle drops" that made it to air. We used to run music under our highlights and for our "bumpers" that led into commercials. One day in 1988, I decided to use a 15 second piece from a Tragically Hip song (Highway Girl) on one of our bumpers. I had met the band through a very close friend who was high up in the Hip organization. The day after we "debuted" the Hip song, I got a call from a viewer wanting to know who did the song and where could he find it. Before you knew it, the Hip's music became part of the audio landscape of the show. "New Orleans is Sinking" "Blow at High Dough" "Boots or Hearts", "38 years old", "Little Bones", "Thugs" and many more worked beautifully with hockey hilites. Of course, it didn't hurt that the Hip rolled out "50 Mission Cap" about the death of former Leaf Bill Barilko in a plane crash right about the time Pat Burns and Dougie Gilmour (from Kingston) were leading the Maple Leafs to the playoffs for the first time in years. Then there was "Fireworks", an homage to Bobby Orr and those great hockey moments we'll never forget. Two things most Canadians have in their DNA: Hockey and music.
And since there's no hockey to talk about, I want to point out two athletes who are headed in opposite directions. Robert Griffin III, the defending Heisman Trophy who plays for the Washington Redskins, is one of the most exciting, electifying players I have ever seen. His gutsy win over the New York Giants last night was a thing of beauty, especially when he was running out of the pocket and picking up huge chunks of yardage. Of course, there's always the chance that he might fumble the ball, but that's the risk you take. Personally, I love watching quarterbacks run. The more the merrier.
On the other side of the coin is Andrea Bargnani. He might be one of the best "first half" players in all of basketball. But, like the baseball player who drives in 80 runs a year, but none of them in the clutch, Bargnani is virtually invisible on the floor late in the game. Once again he had a chance to hit a clutch 3 pointer last night, but his tying attempt was a "brick", and the Raps lost a tough one in Denver. Bargnani ended up with 23 points in the game, but in the fourth quarter he was just 1-4 shooting for two points and no rebounds. Not exactly a go-to guy. Kyle Lowry, on the other hand, scored 12 points and added two assists in the final quarter to help bring the Raptors to within one point. Even though Lowry didn't shoot well in the game, he was constantly driving to the basket, and hit on all 11 of his free throws. Toss in 7 assists and 3 blocked shots and you've got a guy who can do it all. The problem is, the big 7 footer who's supposed to be able to put the ball in the hole is nowhere to be found when his team needs him most. If I'm a Raptors player, I don't know if I can go "balls to the wall" if Bargnani is my teammate. Bryan Colangelo must trade him now if the team hopes to move forward. Bargnani is badly stunting the growth of this team.
Monday, 3 December 2012
MY MOM'S BRUSH WITH ROCK GREATNESS (AND MINE TOO)
The phone rang at our house in suburban Toronto one summer's day in 1976. The only person at home was my Mom, who answered and listened to an inquiry from a man with a southern accent "Does Jerry Hebscher live here?" (Jerry was my Dad's brother, who used to live with us many years prior) "No", said my Mom "he doesn't live here anymore, this is his brother Sid's home". "Oh" said the twangy voice "I know Sid. This is Levon from The Band calling. We'd like to invite y'all to our concert tonight." "Thanks" said my Mom, likely thinking "What band?". She politely declined the offer of concert tickets, backstage passes and a chance to meet Levon, Robbie, Garth, Richard and Rick, not knowing, of course, that this was THE BAND. My Uncle had gotten to know the guys back in the 60s when they were Levon and the Hawks, and he was a young salesman in Toronto. In fact, sometimes the guys didn't have a place to stay after their Toronto gigs, and my Uncle would offer up a hotel room that he and my Dad used at the Royal York Hotel as a showroom for the clothes they sold as manufacturer's agents. The only stipulation was that they vacated the room by 9 a.m. when clients began to arrive. That's how Levon and the band got to know my Uncle Jerry Hebscher.
When my brothers and I returned home that afternoon, my Mother recounted the phone call. "A man named Levon from some "band" called for your Uncle Jerry today and offered us tickets and passes to their show tonight". We all looked at each other "Levon? From The Band?" "Yes", she said "WHAT band?" When we picked ourselves up off the floor and realized that she had turned down the invitation, didn't get a phone number from Levon and had absolutely no way of getting back in touch with him to accept the invitation, we were inconsolable. We never did get to the concert, and a few months later, they played their final show, "The Last Waltz". Bummer!
But wait, it gets better. My Mom also had a chance meeting with the members of "Kiss" a few months later, while on vacation in Miami. We went on a family vacation and stayed at the Marco Polo hotel on Miami Beach. One day Mom came down to the pool and mentioned matter-of-factly that she had met the four members of a rock band called "Kiss". She chatted them up in the elevator, got to know Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley over a cup of tea in the hotel coffee shop and then told us of her meeting. "Such nice Jewish boys" she exclaimed. "especially Eugene and Paul". Well, of course, we ran all over the hotel trying to find four guys wearing Kiss makeup. At the time, nobody knew what Gene, Paul, Peter and Ace looked like without their costumes and make up. Except my Mom. We tried to get her to point them out to us, but she had better things to do by then. To her, they looked "very tired" and "had probably been working too hard". If only she knew. Many years later, I got a chance to meet Gene Simmons during a taping of Michael Landsberg's TSN show "Off the Record". I mentioned to him about the time he met my Mother in Miami, (as if he was going to remember) and his immediate response was "Did I ever schtup her?".
Tonight, musical history could be made when the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin walk onstage at the Ed Sullivan Theatre for a taping of "The Late Show with David Letterman". Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones were honoured at the Kennedy Center in New York, and have agreed to appear, but not play, on Letterman. Now, I'm going to stay up and watch the show, as I'm sure millions of others will, in the hopes that the three agree to play at least one song with Paul Shaffer and The CBS Orchestra. I've asked my Facebook and Twitter followers for their choice of a favourite Led Zep song that they'd like to hear. The results indicate that LZ could do no wrong playing Kashmir, Goin' to California, Rock n Roll or Whole Lotta Love. I'm pretty sure the CBS Orchestra knows how to play ALL of them.
I had the opportunity to meet Page and Plant back in the mid 90s when The Tragically Hip opened for them in California. At the San Jose Arena, prior to the show, the two of them were having a bite in the commissary backstage. I took a deep breath, went over and introduced myself, and to my delight, they both agreed to shake my hand and acknowledge my presence. I was star struck. Jimmy Page's hands were so soft, I didn't want to release my handshake. Beautiful long fingers, perfectly manicured nails and soft, soft features. I had a man crush on him BEFORE I ever met him. Upon meeting him, I was totally in love.......with his hands. I briefly considered NOT washing my hands for a few days, but then realized that getting an autograph would be a better souvenir. Alas, I never did get up the nerve to ask. They probably would've said "no" anyway. Let's hope they say "yes" to Letterman tonight.
The phone rang at our house in suburban Toronto one summer's day in 1976. The only person at home was my Mom, who answered and listened to an inquiry from a man with a southern accent "Does Jerry Hebscher live here?" (Jerry was my Dad's brother, who used to live with us many years prior) "No", said my Mom "he doesn't live here anymore, this is his brother Sid's home". "Oh" said the twangy voice "I know Sid. This is Levon from The Band calling. We'd like to invite y'all to our concert tonight." "Thanks" said my Mom, likely thinking "What band?". She politely declined the offer of concert tickets, backstage passes and a chance to meet Levon, Robbie, Garth, Richard and Rick, not knowing, of course, that this was THE BAND. My Uncle had gotten to know the guys back in the 60s when they were Levon and the Hawks, and he was a young salesman in Toronto. In fact, sometimes the guys didn't have a place to stay after their Toronto gigs, and my Uncle would offer up a hotel room that he and my Dad used at the Royal York Hotel as a showroom for the clothes they sold as manufacturer's agents. The only stipulation was that they vacated the room by 9 a.m. when clients began to arrive. That's how Levon and the band got to know my Uncle Jerry Hebscher.
When my brothers and I returned home that afternoon, my Mother recounted the phone call. "A man named Levon from some "band" called for your Uncle Jerry today and offered us tickets and passes to their show tonight". We all looked at each other "Levon? From The Band?" "Yes", she said "WHAT band?" When we picked ourselves up off the floor and realized that she had turned down the invitation, didn't get a phone number from Levon and had absolutely no way of getting back in touch with him to accept the invitation, we were inconsolable. We never did get to the concert, and a few months later, they played their final show, "The Last Waltz". Bummer!
But wait, it gets better. My Mom also had a chance meeting with the members of "Kiss" a few months later, while on vacation in Miami. We went on a family vacation and stayed at the Marco Polo hotel on Miami Beach. One day Mom came down to the pool and mentioned matter-of-factly that she had met the four members of a rock band called "Kiss". She chatted them up in the elevator, got to know Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley over a cup of tea in the hotel coffee shop and then told us of her meeting. "Such nice Jewish boys" she exclaimed. "especially Eugene and Paul". Well, of course, we ran all over the hotel trying to find four guys wearing Kiss makeup. At the time, nobody knew what Gene, Paul, Peter and Ace looked like without their costumes and make up. Except my Mom. We tried to get her to point them out to us, but she had better things to do by then. To her, they looked "very tired" and "had probably been working too hard". If only she knew. Many years later, I got a chance to meet Gene Simmons during a taping of Michael Landsberg's TSN show "Off the Record". I mentioned to him about the time he met my Mother in Miami, (as if he was going to remember) and his immediate response was "Did I ever schtup her?".
Tonight, musical history could be made when the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin walk onstage at the Ed Sullivan Theatre for a taping of "The Late Show with David Letterman". Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones were honoured at the Kennedy Center in New York, and have agreed to appear, but not play, on Letterman. Now, I'm going to stay up and watch the show, as I'm sure millions of others will, in the hopes that the three agree to play at least one song with Paul Shaffer and The CBS Orchestra. I've asked my Facebook and Twitter followers for their choice of a favourite Led Zep song that they'd like to hear. The results indicate that LZ could do no wrong playing Kashmir, Goin' to California, Rock n Roll or Whole Lotta Love. I'm pretty sure the CBS Orchestra knows how to play ALL of them.
I had the opportunity to meet Page and Plant back in the mid 90s when The Tragically Hip opened for them in California. At the San Jose Arena, prior to the show, the two of them were having a bite in the commissary backstage. I took a deep breath, went over and introduced myself, and to my delight, they both agreed to shake my hand and acknowledge my presence. I was star struck. Jimmy Page's hands were so soft, I didn't want to release my handshake. Beautiful long fingers, perfectly manicured nails and soft, soft features. I had a man crush on him BEFORE I ever met him. Upon meeting him, I was totally in love.......with his hands. I briefly considered NOT washing my hands for a few days, but then realized that getting an autograph would be a better souvenir. Alas, I never did get up the nerve to ask. They probably would've said "no" anyway. Let's hope they say "yes" to Letterman tonight.
Sunday, 2 December 2012
CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR.
What did you fantasize about growing up? No, I don't mean sexually. What did you dream of doing with your life? I always wanted to be a rock star. Or an athlete. Either fantasy would do. I did not dream of being in the media, even though my job as a sportscaster allowed me to get closer to athletes than most. When I worked for Global TV, and later the Maple Leafs radio network, I experienced firsthand what life was like playing in front of thousands of paying customers and then jumping on a bus to the airport, headed for the next game. I didn't play the game, but I witnessed the players daily routine, and the monotony of it. As Tom Petty sang "The waiting is the hardest part". Athletes and entertainers know it better than most.
When I traveled with the Toronto Maple Leafs, my schedule was not my own. I was required to be at the airport for a flight, be on the bus from the airport to the hotel (or the rink if the coach wanted to get a practice in) be on the bus the next day to go for the gameday skate and pick up any tidbits I might end up using on the broadcast that night. Back on the bus after practice, unless you wanted to spend your per diem on a cab or, god forbid, walk. By this time it was 12 noon and the game didn't begin until 7 o'clock. In some cities, that was OK. Lots to do, for example, in Manhattan or Chicago. Boston was a great place as well. But some places, like Minneapolis, Detroit and St. Louis had NOTHING to see or do. Winnipeg in the middle of winter was not the kind of place you wanted to venture out into. Imagine spending a long afternoon in your hotel room, watching TV and waiting for the 5 pm bus so you can get to the arena and waste another couple of hours before game time.
And then, before you know it, the game has started, and then it's over and the entire routine comes to life again. Bus, wait, airplane, wait, bus, hotel, eat, drink, sleep, wake, coffee, eat, bus, rink, bus, hotel, eat, nap, read, bus, game. Try that for 180-200 days a year and your fantasy quickly becomes reality. Add the bumps, bruises, broken bones, homesickness, anger with coaches, teammates, media, opponents, fear of losing your job or making a huge mistake in front of thousands and you've got a life that pays very well, but is nothing like you imagined as a kid. When I worked for Global, I hosted about 35-40 Leaf games on TV every season. I was responsible for the between periods interviews, which in those days, lasted 5 or 6 minutes sitting next to a sweaty hockey player while trying to come up with relevant questions. After "What did you think of your team's play in the first period?", there isn't much you can ask a guy who missed an empty net, took a stupid penalty, and is in the process of getting a divorce because his wife has been cheating on him back in Toronto while he's on the road getting his ass kicked on a team that's going nowhere. The tough thing is, you've seen the guy drinking heavily at the hotel bar and flirting with every skirt he sees. You've seen how he's lost a step in speed and doesn't go into the corners the way he did as a young man. You want to ask him all these questions, but you can't. It's a hockey telecast, and you work for the station that is spending millions of dollars for the rights to broadcast these games. You can't ask questions that are going to make the team mad. I did it once and was severely reprimanded by my bosses. Others, such as Dave Hodge and the late Pat Marsden didn't care what their bosses said. They had guts. I had a young family to feed.
By contrast, traveling with a rock band was a lot more fun. That story coming up in my next posting.
Friday, 30 November 2012
BLOOD, SWEAT, TEARS AND MAYBE HOCKEY IN JANUARY.
I was on assignment yesterday, reviewing the David Clayton Thomas show at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. The place is about a year old, very 70s style with comfortable seats and lots of legroom. Capacity of about 700. Intimate yet spacious. The acoustics are terrific, especially when you've got a Canadian Music Hall of Famer whose voice sounds as bluesy today as it did back in the late 60s when he fronted Blood Sweat and Tears. I have a confession to make. David Clayton Thomas once babysat for me and my brothers. I was about 7 years old at the time. I don't recall any details, but when we heard the song "Spinning Wheel" on the radio for the first time, my Mom said, with great delight "That fellow was once your babysitter" I later found out he was dating the girl who was babysitting us at the time, and happened to come and visit her once or twice. I have other stories involving my Mom and rock stars (Kiss, The Band) but I will leave them for a later date.
Anyway, back to the show. The audience became instantly engaged when DCT launched right into "Spinning Wheel" and then got right into storytelling, which was an unexpected bonus. I always love to hear how a song was conceived and what the inspiration was. "Lucretia MacEvil" is about a girl he met in Wawa Ontario at a Holiday Inn. "Hi-De-Ho" was written by Carole King, and was mistaken for a gospel song by many in the "Bible Belt" of the U.S. "And When I Die" was written by Laura Nyro, who was the girlfriend of one of the band members of BS&T. It reached #2 on the Billboard Top 100. The stories were as good as the music. The ten piece band was magnificent and took their cues from DCT, who is part Lawrence Welk (bandleader with flair) and somewhat Dean Martinesque in his ability to make the audience feel as if they are engaged with him at a cocktail party. The audience recognized hits such as "You've Made Me So Very Happy", "Go Down Gamblin'", "You're the One" and a molasses slow rendition of Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" that was almost nap-inducing. New songs included "New World Blues" and "It Ain't Free" from his new album, which will be released next spring. The encore was Billie Holiday's "God Bless The Child".
All in all, a very enjoyable show in a lovely, comfortable venue.
Here's a question for those who have problems accepting "drug cheats" in sports. What would happen if, say, Melky Cabrera has a Hall of Fame career, but still has that 50 game suspension on his record? Can you still vote him in? Should a drug-related suspension disqualify one from induction to the Hall of Fame?
My friend Howard Bloom, from Sportsbusinessnews.com says we will have NHL hockey by January 15th. I didn't ask him what year, but I'm presuming (hoping) that it's 2013. Cross your fingers. Howard has a pretty good track record.
I was on assignment yesterday, reviewing the David Clayton Thomas show at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. The place is about a year old, very 70s style with comfortable seats and lots of legroom. Capacity of about 700. Intimate yet spacious. The acoustics are terrific, especially when you've got a Canadian Music Hall of Famer whose voice sounds as bluesy today as it did back in the late 60s when he fronted Blood Sweat and Tears. I have a confession to make. David Clayton Thomas once babysat for me and my brothers. I was about 7 years old at the time. I don't recall any details, but when we heard the song "Spinning Wheel" on the radio for the first time, my Mom said, with great delight "That fellow was once your babysitter" I later found out he was dating the girl who was babysitting us at the time, and happened to come and visit her once or twice. I have other stories involving my Mom and rock stars (Kiss, The Band) but I will leave them for a later date.
Anyway, back to the show. The audience became instantly engaged when DCT launched right into "Spinning Wheel" and then got right into storytelling, which was an unexpected bonus. I always love to hear how a song was conceived and what the inspiration was. "Lucretia MacEvil" is about a girl he met in Wawa Ontario at a Holiday Inn. "Hi-De-Ho" was written by Carole King, and was mistaken for a gospel song by many in the "Bible Belt" of the U.S. "And When I Die" was written by Laura Nyro, who was the girlfriend of one of the band members of BS&T. It reached #2 on the Billboard Top 100. The stories were as good as the music. The ten piece band was magnificent and took their cues from DCT, who is part Lawrence Welk (bandleader with flair) and somewhat Dean Martinesque in his ability to make the audience feel as if they are engaged with him at a cocktail party. The audience recognized hits such as "You've Made Me So Very Happy", "Go Down Gamblin'", "You're the One" and a molasses slow rendition of Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" that was almost nap-inducing. New songs included "New World Blues" and "It Ain't Free" from his new album, which will be released next spring. The encore was Billie Holiday's "God Bless The Child".
All in all, a very enjoyable show in a lovely, comfortable venue.
Here's a question for those who have problems accepting "drug cheats" in sports. What would happen if, say, Melky Cabrera has a Hall of Fame career, but still has that 50 game suspension on his record? Can you still vote him in? Should a drug-related suspension disqualify one from induction to the Hall of Fame?
My friend Howard Bloom, from Sportsbusinessnews.com says we will have NHL hockey by January 15th. I didn't ask him what year, but I'm presuming (hoping) that it's 2013. Cross your fingers. Howard has a pretty good track record.
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