Voices of Summer: Ranking Baseball's 101 All-Time Best Announcers (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Lindsey Nelson termed televised baseball picture plus caption..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

If anything arouses baseball fans more than the teams they follow, it is the announcers who call--indeed, embody--the games those teams play. Smith, longtime sports--broadcasting historian, certainly understands this notion as he offers his provocative selection of the top 101 baseball announcers of all time, from the pioneers of the 1920s (Graham McNamee) to today's best (Jon Miller, Skip Caray, Tim McCarver). Each entry lists (and judges) a broadcaster's longevity, continuity, awards, fan popularity, use of language, quality of voice, and knowledge--ending with a point total and ranking. Most impressive is Smith's encyclopedic yet readable essay on each broadcaster, many of whom he seems to have known personally. His top pick, Dodger announcer Vin Scully, may be beyond argument; everyone else is fair game. Readers will probably agree with many of Smith's picks--Red Barber, Harry Caray, and Mel Allen near the top--while finding other selections, well . . . ludicrous: Jack Brickhouse, God rest him, higher than ESPN's Jon Miller or Seattle's Dave Niehaus? Of course, that's the fun of it. A must for the baseball collection. Alan Moores
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

Russ Hodges’s frantic pronouncement at Bobby Thomson’s "Shot Heard ’Round the World": "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!" and Jack Buck’s incredulous remark after Kirk Gibson’s heroic home run in the 1988 World Series: "I don’t believe what I just saw!" are just a couple examples. The sometimes downright hysterical commentaries of broadcasters very often become more memorable than even the games they describe. Though countless studies have weighed the merits of our great players, none has assessed the virtues of the men who turn diving catches and soaring home runs into the stuff of myth. In The Voices of Summer, Curt Smith has compiled a list of 101 classic announcers—from national celebrities to local favorites, overlooked giants to upcoming stars—in search of the greatest baseball broadcaster of all time. From the poetic reflections of Dick Enberg to the Falstaffian frenzy of Harry Caray, Smith answers the timeless questions: Was Mel Allen better than Ernie Harwell? Does Joe Buck compare to his legendary dad? Which of today’s young broadcasters really matches the all-time greats? Irreverent, authoritative, and uncommonly addictive, this book will be the definitive guide to baseball announcing for any and all baseball fans.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (April 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786714468
• ISBN-13: 978-0786714469
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #579,462 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Smith writes. Reader reads. Headache starts., July 28, 2005

By	Patrick (Carson City, NV) - See all my reviews

Baseball on the radio is truly a beautiful thing. As a child I use to lay in bed at night and fall asleep listening to Dodger games. Vin Scully painted vivid pictures of not only the action on the field, but the atmosphere in the stadium. Even today, as an adult, I find it more enjoyable to listen to Giants and A's games on the radio, because Jon Miller and Bill King are great announcers. With that backdrop you can imagine how excited I was to recently receive this book as a birthday present, and how dissappointed I was after reading it.
Curt Smith writes in a style that at best could be described as eclectic, and at worst ragtag. Everything is written in a disjointed, stream of consciousness format that leaves the reader confused and reaching for the Tylenol.
Reading this book reminded of the first time I read Shakespeare (9th grade/"A Midsummer Nights Dream"). I wanted to enjoy the writing, but was at times thoroughly frustrated by the text. Part of me wanted to cry, the other scream at the top of my lungs.
Despite my love of baseball, and my fondness for radio announcers, I could not recommend this book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Awful!!, April 3, 2006

By	N. Corzine "baseball fan" (Indiana) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Because there is really nothing like it, Smith's 'Voices of the Game' works despite the author's continual self-indulgence. The stories remain compelling even when the author is offering prose that is, at most times, numbing. Smith is the authorial version of a speaker in love with the sound of his own voice.

Like his dreary MLB Blog, Smith's 'Voices of Summer' is nothing but bits and pieces of fluffy rambling rehashed, regurgitated, and spun over and over and over again. The ratings system, which Smith seems to be quite proud of, is not really all that impressive and appears to offer a weak excuse for Smith to tell readers all about his favorites. Granted, I wasn't looking for objectivity here, but why bother...just rate the voices and give us your opinion.

Unfortunately, Smith's opinions are mostly incoherent blurbs in which the author mixes odd bits of old books with choppy sentences that pretend to grand eloquence. What should have been a pleasant book about a very pleasant subject was, all too often, a painful and sickening experience. Sickening? Yes. Sickening. I wanted my money back less than halfway through.

I gave it one star, which was being generous since I ended up loathing this book. Worse, it actually makes the failings of 'Voices of the Game' more telling.

For a former presidential speech writer, Smith is a pretentious and overly wordy author who, frankly, just isn't that good. This book was a sham and one wonders what he can offer in an upcoming biography of Mel Allen that others - more talented by far - have not already offered.

Bottom line. Avoid this stinker and, if you have to read Smith, pick up 'Voices of the Game' because everything in this book is there in a more coherent and interesting format.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars One of the worst books I've ever read, July 11, 2005

By	The Iceman - See all my reviews

This is a poorly writen book and it is such a shame, because for baseball fans the topic is so interesting.

The author writes in a bizarre style that is extremely difficult to read. The writing is very clipped, and as such, quite painful to read. He likes to show off his knowledge of obscure words which does nothing to communicate his points. He ticks off little known facts, but does little in the way of explaining why they are relevant.

Reading this book in a normal manner was impossible. I found that skimming through it was the only way I could keep my sanity. I had to restrain my desire to take out the blue pencil and begin editing his work.

At one point I checked to see who published this book. It was a very obscure publishing house, certainly no one will ever confuse them with Random House. Still, how this monstrosity ever found its way into print is a mystery.

There are many great baseball books that have been written over the years, Boys of Summer, Lucky to be a Yankee, etc. This book is clearly not one of them -- not even close. Reading this book was more effort than it was ever worth. Don't waste your time.