Hamilton has called 11 no-hitters and two World Series, often in tandem with such broadcast legends as Jack Buck, Jack Brickhouse, and Bob Elson. Those pairings did not always prove to be perfect. In the book, Hamilton speaks frankly about his tenuous relationship with Harry Caray when the two were paired together in St. Louis during the mid-1950's and again in Chicago during the early 1980's. He also discusses his rocky relationship with former Astros broadcaster and manager Larry Dierker. The talented but brash Hamilton was certainly known to sometimes make waves in addition to airwaves, but his work was so well-received that he was enshrined into the broadcasters' wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992. He received an even more unexpected honor eight years later - election to the exclusive Radio Hall of Fame, of which only seven other baseball broadcasters belong. He has truly managed to work his way up from humble origins.
After listening to Ronald (Dutch) Reagan during his schoolboy days in Iowa, Hamilton got his first broadcast gig as a fluke: his commanding officer in the Navy needed someone to announce a game in Guam, just after the end of the Second World War. After admitting that he played baseball and knew something about the game, he was placed behind the WXLI microphone on the Armed Forces Radio Service. He got his big league break with the lowly St. Louis Browns in 1953. It was not easy, but he knew how to make a bad team sound good. When the Browns headed to Baltimore, Hamilton moved into the Cardinals broadcast booth for a year. He then worked for the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Cubs again before becoming the Voice of the Houston Astros in 1985. He is now in his 21st season with the team. The story he tells in Making Airwaves: 60 Years at Milo's Microphone is a profile in courage, a tale of talent and determination, and a behind-the-scenes look at seven decades of baseball history.
