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The Press Box

Al Michaels Talks About His Career as a Baseball Announcer

The Press Box

The Ringer

Sports

4.43.2K Ratings

🗓️ 31 March 2021

⏱️ 62 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker are joined by sportscaster Al Michaels in preparation for the start of the baseball season. They discuss Michael’s relationships with Curt Gowdy and Sal Bando (6:30), his first broadcasting job for the Hawaii Islanders (16:00), the art of calling baseball (37:40), and much more! Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker Guest: Al Michaels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Emmy Award-winning producer, actor and comedian Larry Wilmore is back on the air, hosting a podcast

0:05.2

where he weighs in on the issues of the week and interviews guests in the world of politics,

0:09.6

entertainment, culture, sports, and beyond. Check out Larry Wilmore, Black on the air on Spotify

0:14.7

or wherever you get your podcasts.

0:16.7

Hello, media consumers. Brian Curtis and David Shoemaker here. This is a special interview

0:30.8

episode of the press box to get you ready for the start of baseball season tomorrow.

0:35.2

David, when I say the name, Al Michaels, what sport do you think of first?

0:42.7

Is this a trick question?

0:44.0

Yeah. I mean, I think a football. You think of football. And here's why you think of football,

0:52.0

because Al Michaels is called every big primetime NFL game since 1986.

0:58.6

1986. Wow. That is a run. But until 1986, you could argue that Michaels was primarily known

1:06.0

as a baseball announcer. So radio announcer for the Cincinnati Res and the San Francisco Giants.

1:11.9

As soon as he got to ABC, he wound up calling so many incredible series that we remember from

1:17.8

childhood, the 85 world series, Royals Cardinals, that went seven games and had a famous blown call.

1:24.1

The 1987 world series, which also went seven, the 86 American League Championship series,

1:29.5

which contains the most perfect game Al Michaels ever called period in any sport.

1:35.6

So before opening day, I wanted to talk to Michaels about the art of calling baseball.

1:39.2

David, we got into his early years calling games in Hawaii. The time Bobby Valentine almost got

1:45.0

his head taken off. Thanks in part to ask something Al said on the air. And of course, he's one time

1:50.8

color analyst Howard Coase cell as the announcer's like to say it's a beautiful day for baseball here in

1:56.8

Southern California. Here's Al Michaels. All right, Al, when you were a kid in Brooklyn,

2:09.9

was announcing baseball in particular the first thing you wanted to do?

...

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