The local holiday shopping shelves are flooding with Cardinals World Series championship-related merchandise of varying quality. But in the bigger picture, Redbirds rooters will ï¬nd two items that recently hit the market to be of interest: CDs chronicling the careers of legendary Cards broadcasters Harry Caray and Jack Buck.
Pat Hughes, the radio voice of the Chicago Cubs and a former colleague of Caray’s in Caray’s final years with that club, has done a masterful job of not only assembling some of their memorable calls, but also doing extensive research. He thus not only tells the story of their careers, but also their lives, thus making these disks much more than mere highlight reels.
And there isn’t sugarcoating. For instance, on the Buck CD, Hughes tells about the rift between Buck and Caray in their early days in the Redbirds’ booth, and how Caray didn’t want to work with Buck.
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On the Caray CD, Hughes talks about Caray’s sad childhood, about how he never knew his father and had only a faint recollection of his mother, who died when he was 7. Because of that, the Christmas season remained a difï¬cult time for him even as an adult.
Such background adds texture to the big calls. Hughes includes Buck’s famous “Go crazy folks,’’ description of Ozzie Smith’s improbable homer to win Game 5 of the 1985 National League Championship Series, and his “That’s a World Series winner†call of the ï¬nal out of the team’s championship-winning game in 1982.
But adding spice to Hughes’ production are Buck’s call of the last two outs of Bob Gibson’s no-hitter over Pittsburgh in 1971, a call of Missouri football and even his description of the ï¬rst goal the Blues scored in franchise history (by Larry Keenan, in 1967).
Laughing matter
Hughes’ efforts shine because he goes beyond the booth. For example, the Buck CD includes a conversation Hughes and Buck had on the air on the Cubs radio network when Hughes was discussing an appearance Buck was going to make the next night at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago.
“It’s called, ‘An Evening with Jack Buck,’ and admission is free,’’ Hughes says on the air.
Buck shoots back, “That shows you how important I am when the admission is free. If it was Tony Bennett, how much would the tickets be?’’
That gets a big laugh in the booth.
Also included is part of Buck’s acceptance speech in 2000 when he was presented with a lifetime achievement Emmy Award.
“I look at it this way,†he said. “I’ve given the Cardinals some of the best years of my life; now I’m going to give them some of the worst.â€
The Caray CD also is a standout, with Hughes saying Caray “was more loved by his fans than any baseball announcer who ever lived.’’
It’s hard to argue that point, as Caray would live and die with the fortunes of the teams he broadcast.
As the radio voice of the Cardinals, Caray was a household name in 1950s and 1960s wherever KMOX’s signal reached.
But after he was fired in 1969, he eventually ended up with the Cubs and became a national icon broadcasting the Cubs on WGN- TV, which was picked up on cable systems across the country.
Included are some of his top calls in the 1960s with the Redbirds, including extensive coverage of the Cards’ memorable run from a 13-game deï¬cit to win the 1964 pennant. There are plenty of “It might be. It could be. It is’’ home run descriptions and numerous “Holy cow!’ calls.
There even is a clip from his 1960 Cotton Bowl broadcast.
Hughes said he spent countless hours working on the CDs, but they were a labor of love. “When they’re done, it’s a great deal of satisfaction,’’ he said, because he personally knew the subjects and enjoyed researching their lives.
These are the ï¬rst two of a series of CDs Hughes plans to do on legendary baseball broadcasters, with one on the Reds’ Marty Brennaman just completed.
The CDs sell for $16 each (or $30 for both) on the Internet at or by mail at Baseball Voices, 2033 North Milwaukee Ave., Box 250, Riverwoods, Ill. 60015-3581. A $2 shipping fee must be added per order.