Three Distinct Moments In Sports
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It’s funny how events that occur in the daily comings and goings in sports evokes memories of the treasure chest of stories and experiences that came my way throughout my rich and blessed life as a broadcaster.
I’ve told people for years that for the most part, the games and happenings on the field always took a back seat to the often brief stories of the people involved, both the ones I covered and the ones I worked with.
This past week there were three of those events, each one having nothing to do with the other, that brought back those thoughts.
The first involved versatile and consistent play-by-play man Kenny Albert who moved past his celebrated father Marv, into second place on the all-time list of games broadcast of the four major sports, baseball, football, basketball and hockey.
I met Kenny for the second time when he joined the Fox NFL team when it was launched in 1994. He was just a pup at the time, and he first broke in working local hockey games in the Washington D.C. area. But he has emerged as a man for all seasons, and is the only announcer who is currently broadcasting all four of those sports.
When he was behind the mike for a Stanley Cup playoff game earlier in the week, it was his 1482nd professional game. The only announcer who has done more, and that includes expert-analysts and sideline reporters, is the guy writing these words. He’s done 1544.
The point here is not that I’ve done the most. In fact, it won’t be too long before Kenny, and Kevin Harlan who is currently 4th, will vault into the lead. So I’ll be headed down to third place eventually. I am grateful now, and will be grateful then. As they say, records are made to be broken.
I mentioned how meeting Kenny when Fox NFL became reality 31 years ago was for the second time.
The first time was unforgettable. Marv Albert and I became friends when we both attended Syracuse University. He became an immediate smash hit, working the radio broadcasts of both the New York Knicks of the NBA and the NHL Rangers.
In 1968, as I have mentioned before, I was at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, doing the sports segments on the nightly local news shows at 6pm, 7pm, and 11pm.
Marv invited me to sit with him when he was doing a Knicks game around New Year’s at Madison Square Garden and join him and his family afterwards at his New York apartment. I was in the city then and so I accepted.
He had his first child, a son, who was then ten months old quietly sleeping in his crib when Marv asked me to play a couple of tunes on his piano. He urged me to play and not be concerned about the baby, who he figured would be mesmerized by my soft renditions on the keys.
Instead, the child screamed and cried bringing my performance to a grinding halt.
The baby, as you might have guessed by now, was Kenny.
We’ve talked about that night, and how keen he was at an extremely tender age to know what was good and not good when he heard the music. Talk about a harsh critic.
I’ve never forgotten that evening, and it jumped into my head when Kenny Albert inched his way to second place for the most network pro broadcasts in television history.
Who ever figured that when I hit the notes, he would cry from the crib once upon a time.
TNT ended a 36-year run broadcasting NBA basketball. I spent 20 years joyfully toiling for Turner Sports who did it right and did it well.
The aforementioned Marv Albert and Kevin Harlan were a huge part of the game presentations, and being a part of the team for me was meaningful because all the telecasts were in prime time when the viewership was at its peak.
It was there that I continued my partnership with the great Hubie Brown who earlier this season worked his final game at the age of 90.
I had other terrific experts by my side, including Chris Webber, Jeff Van Gundy, Steve Kerr, Mike Fratello and Chuck Daly. Daly became my partner three years after leading the ‘Bad Boys’, the Detroit Pistons to back-to-back NBA championships. He was a marvelous head coach who began in the college ranks. I was working in Boston at WBZ-TV the same time Chuck was the head man at Boston College. Suddenly, in 1971, he left B.C. departing for the University of Pennsylvania leaving many of his recruits in the lurch. On the night he left, I delivered a blistering commentary criticizing him for abandoning the Eagles for a prime Ivy League post, where he captured the conference title in the first four years.
Now, years later, we were working together. We got along famously, but one time, on a flight we were both on, headed to a TNT assignment, I took the chance to ask him if he remembered my critical commentary when he switched schools.
I knew I might be opening up a can of worms by bringing it up.
Chuck replied that he did recall my commentary very well. I asked him why he never brought it up and why he obviously never held a grudge.
His reply: “it was a one day story”.
I never forgot that moment, and it only boosted my respect for the game’s great figures even more.
But the lynchpin of the operation was the pre, halftime and post game show, Inside the NBA, featuring phenomenal host Ernie Johnson, the one-of-a-kind Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and now Shaquille O’Neal. It was an unscripted program that may just be the best ever of its kind. With the new TV contracts beginning next season, the show, fortunately will continue on ESPN.
But the key factor in that Turner experience was that everyone knew each other, and everyone appreciated each other and got along famously. There were no exceptions.
When President Trump paid a visit to the U.S. Steel plant in West Mifflin, Pa, his talk included references to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team I was closest to in my career.
I discussed my relationship with Art Rooney, his son Dan, and Dan’s son Art, who is the current President of the club.
In talking about the Aaron Rodgers situation last week, I disclosed how mere timing of life placed me there during the transformation from ineptness to perennial power for the Steelers.
The draft in those days had a million rounds, and Rocky was taken in the 16th round in 1968.
He was not earmarked to be one of the team’s stars, but a versatile, hustling back who could do many things in helping a team win. He did play at Notre Dame during their 1966 national championship team, of which he played a big part, so he was used to the bright lights of football.
Bleier didn’t play that year due to injury and was drafted into the Army and served in Viet Nam as a foot soldier. He was in an infantry unit and was assigned as a squad grenadier launching rockets. While on patrol in August of 1969, he was wounded in the thigh by an enemy bullet, and when he tried to leap over an enemy grenade which landed nearby, the grenade exploded sending shrapnel into his lower right leg. His left foot was severely damaged. He eventually was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Doctors told him not to expect to ever play football again.
Art Rooney sent him a post card saying the team was not doing well and that he was needed. Rocky’s reaction was that if somebody takes the time to send you that message that they didn’t have to do, you have a special place for those kind of people.
I lived through those entire events when I was in Pittsburgh, and got to know Bleier when he was drafted. A wonderful guy.
So when I saw him present a jersey to the President making him an honorary Steeler, all those moments came rushing back to me.
To make this long story shorter, Rocky Bleier underwent several surgeries, rehabbed in amazing fashion, and ultimately returned to the Steelers in 1971 but struggled.
He never gave up. Finally after a period of brutal training, he earned a spot in the Steelers starting lineup in 1974. Two years later.Rocky, along with Hall of Famer Franco Harris both rushed for over 1,000 yards, making the Steelers only the second team to accomplish that feat.
Rocky Bleier played in the first four Steeler Super Bowl triumphs.
It is the most courageous story I experienced in my career.
And when he was up on the stage presenting the President with that Steeler jersey, that was all I could think about.
For yours truly, a wonderful week of three distinct moments in sports had me recall the so-called little things that punctuate over a half century of not-to-be forgotten memories.
