Robert Ferris Prince (July 1, 1916 - June 10, 1985) was an American radio and television sportscaster and commentator best known for his 28-year stint as the voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball club, with whom he earned the nickname “The Gunner” and became a cultural icon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Events 1190 - Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowns in the Sally River while leading an army to Jerusalem Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic A sportscaster, (also sports announcer, sport commentator or sport presenter) is a type of Journalist on Radio and/or Television The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern
Prince was one of the most distinct, colorful and popular voices in sports broadcast history, known for his gravel voice, unabashed style and clever nicknames and phrases, which came to be known as "Gunnerisms. " His unique manner influenced a number of broadcasters after him, a list that includes Pittsburgh Penguins voice Mike Lange and Pittsburgh Steelers color analyst Myron Cope among others. Mike Lange (born March 2, 1948 in Sacramento California) is the radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Myron Cope (January 23 1929 - February 27 2008 born Myron Sidney Kopelman, was an American Sports Journalist, Radio personality and
Prince called Pirates games from 1948 to 1975, including the World Series championship years of 1960 and 1971. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Cincinnati Reds over Boston Red Sox (4-3 Pete Rose, MVP For other events named "World Series" see World Series (disambiguation. The 1960 World Series was played between the Pittsburgh Pirates (NL and New York Yankees (AL from October 5 to October 13, 1960 The 1971 World Series matched the defending champion Baltimore Orioles against the Pittsburgh Pirates, with the Pirates winning in seven games Nationally, Prince broadcast the 1960, 1966, and 1971 World Series and the 1965 All-Star Game for NBC. The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the "Midsummer Classic" is an annual Baseball game between players from the National League The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's
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Early life
Prince was born in Los Angeles. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West His father was a former West Point football player and a career military man. "USMA" redirects here For other uses see USMA (disambiguation The United States Military Academy (also known as USMA, An Army brat, he attended many schools before graduating from Schenley High School in Pittsburgh. Schenley High School is a Public school in Oakland, the cultural and educational center of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. An athlete himself, he lettered in swimming at the University of Pittsburgh. The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a non-sectarian coeducational independent state-related, "public" research University Prince joined Rosey Rowswell in the Pirates' broadcast booth as a commentator in 1948, and he was promoted to the top spot shortly after Rowswell’s death in February, 1955. Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Cleveland Indians over Boston Braves (4-2 All-Star Game Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar)
As a result of his unmistakable voice, fertile baseball mind, and high-profile persona, it wasn't long before Prince would be king among Pirates supporters everywhere. Perhaps more than any Pirates player, Prince was responsible for the conversion of an untold number of fans in the Baby Boomer generation. His voice was a fixture on team broadcasts that aired continuously for seven decades on KDKA-AM, a clear channel radio station that could be heard well beyond the tri-state area after sundown. KDKA (1020 AM) is a Radio station in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and is often said to be the oldest commercial radio station in the United States The term is also used in the context of T1 A clear channel, in its general sense is a communications channel, such as a radio
A regular smoker who was known to have a drink or two off the field and keep late hours, Prince lived much like the way he broadcast. In 1957, on a dare by Pirates third baseman Gene Freese, Prince jumped from the third floor of the Chase Hotel in St. Louis into a swimming pool below.
Many veteran observers believe Prince did his best work while paired with longtime sidekick Jim "The Possum" Woods and vice versa in the 1960s, which coincided with the rise of the Pirates as a championship-caliber team. It was Woods who first referred to Prince as the "The Gunner. " However, it was not because of his staccato style but rather the result of an incident, during Woods' first spring-training with the Pirates in Fort Myers, Florida (1958). As Woods recounted, two decades later, to an interviewer in Cleveland, Prince had a narrow escape from an encounter with a jealous husband who was packing a gun.
To be sure, no one bled black and gold like Prince did before or since. Invariably, when his Buccos were trailing in the late innings by two runs, he'd say, "We need a bloop and a blast!" His partisanship slipped over into Woods' style as well, and by the mid-'60s, The Possum would be announcing the presence of pinch-hitter (and reserve catcher) Jesse Gonder with, "Let's go up yonder with Jesse Gonder. " (The two would continue working together through the 1969 season, after which the flagship station KDKA refused to match a higher salary offer from KMOX in St. Louis for Woods to join Jack Buck in the Cardinals' booth; that partnership only lasted two seasons. ) Prince was more of a rooter than a homer, in that he always showed respect to opponents and the game alike. Like the vast majority of broadcasters of his time, he rarely second-guessed players or managers. He was especially close friends with Milwaukee Braves pitchers Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette.
In 1966, Prince concocted a good-luck charm known as the Green Weenie, a plastic rattle in the shape of an oversized green hot dog that Pirates fans used to jinx opponents. The Green Weenie was a sports Gimmick co-created by Bob Prince (1916 - 1985 the legendary broadcaster for the Pittsburgh Pirates Major ("Never underestimate the power of the Green Weenie," he liked to assure listeners).
Later career
Soon after control of the broadcasts changed from Atlantic Richfield to Westinghouse Broadcasting in 1969, Prince had numerous conflicts with Westinghouse management. His conflicts with Westinghouse executives Edward Wallis and A. B. "Bill" Hartman became personal. Finally, in 1975, Prince and sidekick Nellie King were fired, a decision that Pirates fans did not take well. Egged on by competing radio station WEEP, hundreds of supporters held a parade and downtown rally. Several Pirates players also went to bat for him, but Prince was not rehired despite their efforts.
After his time with the Pirates, Prince had stints calling Houston Astros baseball, Pittsburgh Penguins hockey and ABC's Monday Night Baseball. The Houston Astros are a Professional baseball team based in Houston Texas. The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional Ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. Monday Night Baseball is a live game telecast of Major League Baseball that airs most Monday nights during the regular season on ESPN and is also available However, Pittsburgh was clearly the place for Prince, as he never realized his previous popularity elsewhere. He was removed from the primary Monday night broadcast team during his first season and dropped after its conclusion. He also was released by the Astros after a one-year stay.
Prince drifted from job to job, many of which were considered small for a celebrity who had been the hottest act in town. Eventually, he returned to baseball and called Pirates games for a cable station in the early 1980s. However, his exposure was limited and Prince was too far removed from the scene to offer many insights about the game or the team.
May 3, 1985
KDKA and the Pirates decided to make Prince a member of the regular broadcast team in 1985. The announcement came days after he had been released from a hospital for cancer treatments. Prince returned to the Pirates broadcast booth on May 3, 1985 to announce three innings of the game between the Pirates and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Kansas City Royals over St An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of Sports &ndash most notably Cricket and Baseball during The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA Weakened from mouth cancer, Prince was able to announce only two innings but was given three standing ovations by the crowd as pure magic occurred. Oral cancer is any cancerous tissue growth located in the Mouth. The Pirates scored 9 runs in the first inning that Prince announced, one for each year of his absence from the booth. In the next inning Prince called for first baseman Jason Thompson to park one "so we'll have a little bit of everything", and Jason promptly homered.
In 1985, it was a Pirate team that was not very talented and was not a playoff contender. Willie Stargell had retired, and most of the 1979 Championship Team had disbanded. Wilver Dornell "Willie" Stargell ( March 6, 1940 &ndash April 9, 2001) nicknamed " Pops " in the later years of The Pittsburgh Pirates had 98 wins and 64 losses and captured the National League East Division title by two games over the Montreal Expos Nonetheless, the fourth inning broadcast announced by Prince on May 3, 1985, was the fifth most runs scored in any one inning during the Pittsburgh Pirates long franchise history. One commentator on KDKA Television (Channel 2) referred to it on the 6:00 p. KDKA-TV is the CBS owned and operated (O&O Television station in Pittsburgh. m. news as the "last revival of the Green Weenie," Prince's good luck charm from 1966. Prince continued to announce "the middle three" innings of several home games for the next four weeks, but grew too weak to continue and died a week later of mouth cancer.
Honors and awards
Prince was posthumously awarded the Ford C. Frick Award by the Baseball Hall of Fame as a broadcaster in 1986. A posthumous recognition is a ceremonial award given after the recipient has died usually in honor of an action associated with their death The Ford C Frick Award is an award bestowed annually by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the United States to a Broadcaster for "major contributions Champions Major League Baseball World Series: New York Mets over Boston Red Sox (4-3 Ray Knight, MVP Even today, his name remains synonymous with Pirates baseball. In 1999, Prince was selected for the Pride of the Pirates award, a lifetime achievement honor given annually to a member of the organization.
Gunnerisms
Prince used dozens of pet words and phrases that were often imitated but never duplicated in his profession. Here are some:
- "A bloop and a blast": A base hit and a home run, usually late in the game when the Bucs were down by a run.
- "There's a bug loose on the rug" or just "A bug on a rug": A ground ball that scooted between all the fielders on the defensive team, often skipping/rolling all the way to the outfield wall.
- "A dying quail": A bloop base hit, more commonly known as a "Texas Leaguer. "
- "Can o' corn" or "A No. 8 can of Golden Bantam": A routine fly ball or popup which came straight down, from old-time grocery stores in which canned goods (including corn) were on a very high shelf and a stick was used to pull them off the shelf . . . and be neatly caught by the clerk. Golden Bantam was a popular brand of corn.
- "Foul by a gnat's eyelash" and "Close as fuzz on a tick's ear": The difference between a ball being fair or foul or a player being safe or out.
- "Frozen rope": A hard line drive, often hit by Roberto Clemente.
- "Hidden vigorish": A call for help for the Pirates or for an individual player, as in, "He just needs a little hidden vigorish. " (Vigorish, from a Yiddish slang term, is the somewhat hidden profit that bookmakers get for a bet, regardless of who wins or loses. )
- "Low hummin' riser": A fastball.
- "Rug-cuttin' time" and "For all the money, marbles, and chalk": The deciding moment; crunch time.
- "Runnin' through the raindrops": Escaping without serious damage, as when a Pirate pitcher gives up several hits and/or walks in an inning but the other team did not score.
- "He couldn't hit that with a bed slat": After a batter chased a pitch way outside.
- "A little bingle": A little hit (single); a way to get on base and start a rally.
- "Aspirin tablets": Fastballs so quick they seem that small.
- "Atem balls": A pun describing hard batted balls that went right to a fielder -- right "at 'em. " When this happened a few times in a game, Prince would say that a Pirate pitcher "has his atem ball workin' tonight. "
- "Babushka power": Prince would call on the power of the headscarves that women fans wore. At Prince's urging, the women sometimes would take off their scarves and wave them; Steelers announcer Myron Cope later adapted the idea into the "Terrible Towel. " that Steeler fans still wave.
- "Arriba!": Spanish for above or aloft, used by Prince in reverential reference to Clemente and his astonishing skills. Fans adopted the word as Clemente's nickname. Prince was fluent in Spanish and helped mentor and translate for Hispanic players, including Clemente, a Puerto Rican who spoke English with a heavy accent.
- "How sweet it is!": Exclaimed whenever the result was sweet for the Pirates. The phrase apparently was also used by Rosey Rowswell, longtime Pirate announcer who Prince joined at the beginning of his career. It is originally attributed to entertainer Jackie Gleason.
- "Good night, Mary Edgerly, wherever you are": His trademark farewell, although he never explained on-air who she was. Prince admitted the phrase was a variation of comedian Jimmy Durante's nightly good-bye to an unseen Mrs. Calabash on his television show. Mary Frances Smith Edgerly was, indeed, a real person, a dear friend of Bob and Betty Prince who resided at the Blue Waters Beach Club in St. Petersburg, Florida. "Mayme" was a lifelong baseball fan and used to spend hours in the stands during spring training watching her beloved Pirates. She was a lively and interesting lady who died at the age of 105, two weeks after attending an Old-Timers' game in Buffalo, New York. Clemente also loved Mary and gave her one of his record-setting bats.
- "Hoover": A double play in which the Pirates would "vacuum" runners from the bases, which happened often, as second baseman Bill Mazeroski holds the all-time record for double plays. Once criticized for "promoting" a vacuum cleaner company that was not a sponsor, Prince -- who did not like anyone challenging his sayings -- invented the explanation that he was referring to the tax relief policies of former President Herbert Hoover.
- "Pull out the plug, mother!": When the other team's rally went down the drain, often due to an inning-ending double play.
- "Kiss it good-bye!" or "You can kiss it good-bye!" or "You can kiss this baby good-bye!": legendary home run call and current broadcast standard.
- "Radio ball": A fastball thrown so hard it “could be heard but not seen. ”
- "Soup cooler": A pitch delivered high and inside, so termed because it was up around the lips (which blow on soup to cool it).
- "Spread some chicken on the Hill with Will" or just "Chicken on the Hill": After a home run hit by Pirates slugger Willie Stargell who owned a fried chicken establishment in the Hill District of Pittsburgh and offered free chicken to any customer who was in line when Stargell homered. Wilver Dornell "Willie" Stargell ( March 6, 1940 &ndash April 9, 2001) nicknamed " Pops " in the later years of
- "Sufferin' catfish": Words of frustration after the baseball gods conspired against his team. A fairly common southern term.
- "The alabaster plaster": The rock-hard infield surface at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field. Forbes Field was a Baseball park in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania from 1909 to 1971 An "alabaster blast" was the basehit that came off the hard infield, more commonly known as a "Baltimore chop. "
- "The bases are F. O. B. ": The bases are loaded (“Full of Bucs,” probably borrowed from Red Barber's "Full of Brooklyns"). Walter Lanier "Red" Barber ( February 17, 1908, Columbus Mississippi – October 22, 1992) was an American
- "The House of Thrills": Forbes Field itself.
- "'Tweener": a hit to the left or rightfield gap and thus between the fielders.
- "We had 'em alllll the way" or "The Buccos had 'em alllll the way": A way to say that the Pirates never trailed in a game. Also used humorously and ironically after the Pirates scored an improbable, come-from-behind victory.
In addition, Prince created colorful nicknames for numerous Pirates players, a list that included:
- Nelson Briles: "The Rainmaker"
- Roberto Clemente: "Arriba" and "The Great One"
- Donn Clendenon: "Clink"
- Gene Clines: "Li'l Angry"
- Roy Face: "The Baron (of the Bullpen)"
- Dick Groat: "Double Dozen"
- Harvey Haddix: "The Kitten" (reference: 1960 World Series Game 7 broadcast mp3 available at MLB. Nelson Kelley "Nellie" Briles (Born August 5, 1943 in Dorris, California – Died February 13, 2005 in Roberto Clemente Walker (August 18 1934 &ndash December 31 1972 was a professional baseball player and a Major League Baseball Right fielder. Donn Alvin Clendenon ( July 15, 1935 – September 17, 2005) was a First baseman in Major League Baseball. Eugene Anthony (Gene Clines (born October 6, 1946 in San Pablo California) is a former Outfielder in Major League Baseball, Elroy Leon Face (born February 20 1928 in Stephentown New York) is a former right-handed Relief pitcher in Major League Baseball Richard Morrow Groat (born November 4 1930 in Wilkinsburg Pennsylvania) is a former two-sport athlete best known as a Shortstop in Major Harvey Haddix Jr ( September 18, 1925 - January 8, 1994) was a Major League Baseball left-handed Pitcher who played with com)
- Richie Hebner: "Puck" (Hebner played hockey as a youth in the Boston area). Richard Joseph Hebner (born November 26, 1947 in Norwood Massachusetts) is a former Third baseman in Major League Baseball who had
- Don Hoak: "The Tiger" (reference: 1960 World Series Game 7 broadcast mp3 available at MLB. Donald Albert (Don Hoak ( February 5, 1928 in Roulette Pennsylvania – October 9, 1969 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania) was com)
- Ralph Kiner: "The Alhambra Kid"
- Bruce Kison: "The Whip"
- Vern Law: "The Deacon" (reference: 1960 World Series Game 7 broadcast mp3 available at MLB. Ralph McPherran Kiner (born October 27, 1922) is an American former Major League Baseball player and current Announcer. Bruce Eugene Kison (born February 18, 1950 in) is a former Starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Vernon Sanders Law (born March 12, 1930 in Meridian Idaho) is a retired Major League Baseball Pitcher. com)
- Bill Mazeroski: "Maz" and "The Glove"
- Al Oliver: "Scoop"
- Dave Parker "The Cobra"
- Manny Sanguillen: "The Road Runner"
- Bob Skinner: "The Dog" (reference: 1960 World Series Game 7 broadcast mp3 available at MLB. William Stanley Mazeroski (born September 5 1936 in Wheeling West Virginia) nicknamed "Maz" is a former Major League Baseball player who spent his entire Albert Oliver Jr (born October 14 1946 in Portsmouth Ohio) is a former Major League Baseball player David Gene "The Cobra" Parker (born June 9, 1951 in Calhoun Mississippi) is an American former player in Major League Baseball Manuel De Jesus Sanguillen Magan, better known as Manny Sanguillen or "Sangy" (born March 21 1944 in Colon Panama) is a former Robert Ralph Skinner (born October 3, 1931, La Jolla California) is a scout for the Houston Astros and a former Outfielder com)
- Willie Stargell: "Pops" and "Willie the Starg"
- Bill Virdon: "The Quail" (reference: 1960 World Series Game 7 broadcast mp3 available at MLB. Wilver Dornell "Willie" Stargell ( March 6, 1940 &ndash April 9, 2001) nicknamed " Pops " in the later years of William Charles Virdon (born June 9, 1931 in Hazel Park Michigan) is a former Outfielder, manager and coach in Major com)
External links
- Bob Prince bio by James Forr
- Baseball Hall of Fame - Frick Award recipient
- Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Bio Project
- Bob Prince at Find A Grave
| Preceded by Buck Canel |
Ford C. Frick Award 1986 |
Succeeded by Jack Buck |
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