Sports Radio News
Tom Hamilton: ‘Down Goes Anderson!’ Call was ‘Out of the Blue’
“That was a night I was fortunate that maybe I said the right thing.”
Published
2 months agoon
By
BSM Staff
On Saturday night from Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio, a dust-up ensued when Cleveland Guardians infielder José Ramírez dove head first into second base to secure a double. The slide nearly interfered with Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson’s attempt to tag him out, and seconds later, he confronted his opponent and ultimately ended up dropping the gloves. The two star players were able to land a few punches before being restrained by teammates, one of which was a right hook that knocked Anderson to the ground.
Cleveland Guardians fans listening to the melee on the radio heard play-by-play announcer Tom Hamilton describe the action, using imagery and evoking a clear picture of what was going on. In a call resembling legendary broadcaster Howard Cossell’s enduring account of “The Sunshine Showdown” between George Foreman and Joe Frazier, Hamilton exclaimed, “Down goes Anderson! Down goes Anderson!” During his postgame press conference, Guardians manager Terry Francona emphasized the severity of the altercation, but also made sure to mention Hamilton’s enthusiastic and hardly melodramatic verbal composition.
In a conversation with Sports Illustrated columnist Jimmy Traina, Hamilton explained how appreciative he was of the positive feedback on the call, which went viral on social media and is being lauded by many to be among his best work. The veteran radio broadcaster, who is in the midst of his 34th season calling Cleveland’s MLB games, immediately deflected attention away from the vociferation and instead towards Ramírez.
“It’s one of those things where it’s so unexpected because sometimes you can see a fight brewing because maybe there have been guys getting drilled by pitchers in a series or in a certain game and you feel like, ‘Uh oh. If somebody else gets hit, we’re going to have somebody charge the mound and look out,’” Hamilton articulated. “This was out of the blue; I don’t think any of us saw it coming.”
Especially since the skirmish abruptly began, Hamilton had to rely on his sterling eloquence and adept diction to find the words to duly encapsulate the moment. He asserted how there was no plan or forethought about what he would say if there were to be a bench-clearing brawl and simply had to sonically depict what was occurring on the field.
“There are a lot of times you walk out of that booth after a ballgame and you go, ‘Why did I say that?’ or, ‘Why didn’t I say this?,’” Hamilton said. “That was a night I was fortunate that maybe I said the right thing.”
Hamilton is a broadcaster synonymous with his team, representative of the sound of summer to generations of baseball fans in the locale. Through all of his years watching and calling baseball, he has been on hand for numerous brawls – but never one where two players evidently squared up with one another.
“It was almost like the second base umpire was like a boxing referee,” Hamilton recalled, “and he backed out of there and let them go.”
When Hamilton arrived at the ballpark for the Sunday game between the Guardians and White Sox, players on the team wanted him to do the call for them again. Hamilton, however, declined to do so, recognizing how it occurred in the moment and being careful not to say the wrong thing and being suspended or fired. Broadcasters need to be conscientious of the effects their actions could have on their employer and career, as demonstrated by Orioles play-by-play announcer Kevin Brown’s reported suspension. It came after a relatively banal remark about the team pertaining to their record against the Tampa Bay Rays in a recent broadcast open and strides in the right direction.
As for Hamilton, his 28-year-old son called him on the phone and told him that the call was blowing up on social media. Since Hamilton is not on any social media platforms, he did not know what he was referring to, nor did he realize it was plauditory rather than castigating in scope.
“Fortunately, this time, I didn’t do the wrong thing,” Hamilton said. “Again, I just don’t get caught up in it because if you do my job as a play-by-play guy – and I’ve done every sport and college basketball in the Big Ten for 25 years – if you get caught up in the people that say they like you and the people that say they hate your guts, you will never sleep at night.”
Sports Radio News
92.9 The Game Enjoys Ratings Growth in Atlanta Summer Book
In weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p), the station finished 2nd overall with a 6.8 share.
Published
4 hours agoon
October 4, 2023By
BSM Staff
The summer ratings book is out in Atlanta, and 92.9 The Game once again turned in a strong quarterly performance with Men 25-54.
In weekday prime (M-F 6a-7p), the station finished 2nd overall with a 6.8 share for the book. For the full week (M-SU 6a-Mid), the station remained 2nd with a 5.6 share.
Looking at the weekday shows, in mornings, the summer book represented the second ratings period for the station’s show helmed by Tiffany Blackmon, Mike Johnson, and Beau Morgan. The Morning Shift saw a slight drop from its first book, finishing with a 7.1 share for the quarter. That figure was an 8.4 share in the spring book. Nonetheless, the program remained in a strong position, 2nd overall in the market.
In middays, the station had a pair of shows finish 2nd, with The Steakhouse — featuring Steak Shapiro and Sandra Golden –enjoying an uptick from a 6.9 in the spring to an 8.1 in the summer. Shapiro and Golden are heard weekdays on the station from 9a-11a.
Additionally, middays with Andy Bunker and Randy McMichael generated a 7.1 share, which was one tenth of a point off from its spring book. Similar to The Morning Shift and The Steakhouse, Bunker and McMichael secured 2nd place in their time slow.
The venerable 92.9 The Game afternoon duo of Carl Dukes and Mike Bell, which airs from 2p-7p, saw a slight dip this quarter to finish with a 6.6 share, good for 3rd in the market. In the spring book, Dukes & Bell were 2nd with a 6.9 share.
Ratings information for 680 The Fan was not made available for the summer book.
Sports Radio News
Jon Ritchie: Joe DeCamara Deserves Credit from ESPN For Idea That Turned Phillies Season Around
Published
4 hours agoon
October 4, 2023By
BSM Staff
Earlier this year, 94 WIP producer Jack Fritz received acclaim for sharing an idea that Philadelphia fans should give struggling shortstop Trea Turner a standing ovation. Morning host Jon Ritchie believes his partner, Joe DeCamara isn’t getting the credit he deserves.
During DeCamara and Ritchie Wednesday morning, the former NFL star argued that ESPN’s Karl Ravech got the story wrong in its retelling during the Phillies National League Wild Card Game Tuesday.
“This is good stuff. Last night during the during the broadcast, I started getting texts and tweets about this, but didn’t hear it live because I was at the game,” DeCamara said. “But during the broadcast, Karl Ravech and David Cone talked about what Fritz did and the Trea Turner thing.”
The show then played the clip of Ravech and Cone talking about Fritz’s idea of giving the standing ovation and how it helped turn Turner’s season around. Ritchie jokingly took issue with the fact that it was actually DeCamara’s idea.
“I guess (Fritz) did do the organizing, that is true, but the idea was hatched by Joe DeCamara on our show,” said Ritchie. “This was Joe’s idea. He hatched it. Let’s give him some credit here, and if Jack Fritz is gonna get a ring, why doesn’t Joe DeCamara?”
DeCarama joked Jon Ritchie just “wants to cause trouble”, before his co-host pushed him to say it was his idea.
“If I say yes, I seem like a bad guy. If I say no, I’m lying. So I will say no,” DeCamara said slyly.
Last week, during an appearance on the station, Turner thanked afternoon hosts Jon Marks and Ike Reese for helping turn around his year.
“Obviously, the whole thing happened and the rest is kind of history. Started playing a lot better and it was thanks to you guys and the crowd,” the Phillies star said.
Sports Radio News
98.5 The Sports Hub Delivers Strong Summer Ratings But WEEI’s ‘Greg Hill Show’ Closes The Gap in Mornings
“98.5 The Sports Hub remained the top overall station in the summer book but WEEI’s Greg Hill Show made up significant ground in morning drive.”
Published
5 hours agoon
October 4, 2023By
BSM Staff
Boston has long been one of the hottest sports radio markets in America. With the latest summer ratings period now closed, we know it is also one of the most competitive between 98.5 The Sports Hub and WEEI.
In morning drive, Toucher & Rich still topped the market with an impressive 15.1 share. That rating is one that most shows would gladly take but after producing a massive 24.3 share last Summer, maintaining that performance was going to be a tall order. Though the show was 1st with a strong number, a decline of more than 9 shares year over year has to get the attention of the morning show and the management team. If anyone can rebound though and regain that past performance, T&R have shown they can.
Scott Zolak and Marc “Beetle” Bertrand continued to earn the number one spot in middays, garnering a 14.6 share for The Hub. That number was also down year-over-year but not as much as mornings. Zo and Bertrand turned in an 18.1 share in the 2022 Summer book.
Felger & Mazz — hosted by Mike Felger and Tony Massarotti — remains the best-performing show in Boston. The afternoon show held a 17.2 share to finish 1st in their time slot. The show did drop from a 19.7 share last summer but remains comfortably ahead of any market competition.
In weekday prime ratings, 98.5 The Sports Hub remained the top overall station with a 15.3 share. That number was down 25% year-over-year when it held a 20.4 share.
Meanwhile, WEEI rose more than 34% in weekday prime to a 7.4 share, up from a 5.5 in the same book a year ago. That placed them 3rd for the book.
WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show was the station’s biggest winner, more than doubling its share year over year. Hill’s program ranked 2nd with an 11.6 share this summer compared to a 5.2, 7th place finish last year. Only 3.5 shares now separate Hill from Toucher & Rich.
The midday pairing of Andy Gresh and Christian Fauria saw a slight increase for WEEI this quarter, moving to a 7.0 share. That figure was up from 6.3 last year. They were ranked 4th overall this quarter.
The afternoon pairing of Adam Jones, Meghan Ottolini, and Christian Arcand saw a noticeable drop, garnering a 3.9 share during the summer book. That put them in an 8th place tie during the summer book. Last year, WEEI’s afternoon show of Lou Merloni, Fauria, and Ottolini saw a 6.0 share in afternoon drive.
All numbers reported above are for sports radio’s target demographic of Men 25-54. The Hub did also have strong stories with Men 18-34 (1st for the full week, 2nd in prime), Persons 25-54 (1st for the full week, 3rd in prime), and Men 18-49 (1st for the full week, 1st in prime).
