I hope you enjoy fireworks tonight without blowing your hand off. I never quite got the attraction of holding lit sticks with small explosives made in unknown countries by craftsmen who earn nineteen cents a month.Being a baseball announcer I see firework shows at least five times a year. They’re usually on when I’m doing the postgame show, trying to read out-of-town scores while the raid on Osama is going on in the background.
When I broadcast for the Mariners in the '90s we used to have indoor fireworks at the Kingdome. That never seemed like a good idea, and in fact ceiling tiles began plummeting to the ground.
And then of course there was the post game fireworks show at MacArthur Stadium when I was broadcasting for the Syracuse Chiefs. A spark started a brush fire beyond the left field wall.
But the best fireworks show I ever heard of was on July 5th, 1985. It was supposed to be a July 4th show. The Atlanta Braves were hosting the New York Mets that night. The game went 19 innings and ended at 3:55 in the morning. At 4:01 the show began. I’m sure the twelve people in the stands LOVED it.
This weekend I'll be broadcasting for the Mariners on 710 ESPN Seattle. We'll be in Anaheim for a four game series with the Angels. And Friday night is fireworks night.
Happy July 4th weekend. Drive safe out there.
15 comments :
Poppity pop-pop-pop!
My mum was clever. She said that I could have the fireworks or the money.
For a great recap of the July 4/5 Mets-Braves game, go here:
http://www.faithandfearinflushing.com/2011/07/01/the-happiest-recap-076-078/
I remember watching that game on TBS. Thank you, Rick Camp.
P.S. John Sterling, king of play-by-play hackdom, was broadcasting that game for Atlanta, a place he should have stayed (apologies to Braves fans).
As a long time Met fan, I remember that 1985 game like it was yesterday (yes, I stayed up to watch the whole thing)
I still remember Danny Heep standing on the warning track with his hands on his head as Rick Camp's homer cleared the wall...
I lived in Atlanta during the '80s. Wasn't at the game, but needless to say the people that lived in the neighborhood around Fulton County Stadium (an area with a lot of crime) were not thrilled to be awakened at 4 am to the concussive blasts of fireworks.
19 epic innings.
Oh and best ejection comment ever.
“At three o’clock in the morning, there are no bad calls.”
Hey Ken, Hope the M's consider you for full time announcer.
Dear Hillbilly,
Thank heavens, it was just fireworks.
Fireworks night seems to guarantee extra innings or rain....
Was at a Triple AAA game in Denver, way back when, on fireworks night at Mile High. The place was packed with young kids who had a hard time paying attention to the game, and parents who had a hard time waiting until the damn fireworks went off.
The game went into extra innings, but some bright boy doused the stadium lights when the players took the field for the 10th.
The crowd cheered initially and then booed when the lights flickered back to life. Of course it took time for the lights to get back to full strength.
My memory is that the game went 13 innings, and many families saw the post midnight fireworks from the parking lots...
Call me crazy, but I think there oughta be a rule that if the game's still tied at midnight, they should suspend play and resume it either the next day or at a future date. Five-hour-plus games do no good for either the fans or the players.
My neighbors were shooting off fireworks at 4 am without the excuse of a ballgame. And I watched that game, too (somewhat easier here on the left coast).
Hi Ken, two questions for your mailbag:
1) I've always enjoyed the episodes of Frasier where there is a compounding of misunderstanding between characters or Frasier's lies grows to farcical proportions. They're always so well plotted and executed, especially since it seems like there are a lot of moving parts-- can you take us through the process of how all this is mapped out in the writers' room?
2) Just curious, do you think part of being a successful TV writer in Hollywood is the ability to schmooze?
Cadavra's plan to suspend play at midnight would have deprived Met fans of the greatest comeback of all time, the tenth inning of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. Especially since it rained the following night. No fireworks, but I remember it was the night standard time resumed. There were cosmic forces involved in that game.
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