Classic Baseball on the Radio: 1980s Style

A few years ago, I shared a YouTube channel here on the blog called Classic Baseball on the Radio. As you can gather by the name, the channel shared full radio broadcasts of Major League Baseball games from past decades.

For a long while, the broadcasts ranged from the 1970s all the way back to the 1930s. And that's amazing, don't get me wrong. I've thoroughly enjoyed listening to games from those eras.

 

But at some point this past year, I noticed that a few broadcasts from the 1980s started appearing on the channel. And then more. And then even more. 

 

And that's the decade of my childhood. 

 

So I wanted to post an update here, for all you fellow '80s kids and '80s baseball lovers.

 

Just think about it for a moment. The decade gave us a lot.

• You had Big League Chew, the San Diego Chicken, The Baseball Bunch, and bullpen carts that were essentially giant baseballs wearing giant baseball caps.  
• You had managers taking risks with hit-and-run plays, stolen bases, and squeeze bunts. (And don't forget all their heated confrontations with umpires.)
• You had guys who played for keeps. Pitchers threw high and tight. Baserunners slid hard to break up a double play. And if there was a play at the plate? You'd better be ready.

What an amazing combination of goofiness, fun, excitement, and toughness!

And now you can listen to all of that '80s goodness on Classic Baseball on the Radio.

Think of the player names you haven't heard in ages. The legendary broadcasters you haven't thought of in ages. The way they called the game. Those guys were studs. You didn't analyze what they were saying. You didn't pick apart their commentary.

 

You just listened. And appreciated. And enjoyed the game.

Part of the reason was that they didn't bombard you with data and analytics for two and a half hours. But a larger part of it was because they were entertaining. You looked forward to the actual game, sure, but you also looked forward to hearing those guys on the radio, because you knew they were going to make the game that much better—thereby making your day better. And it wasn't limited to certain teams or regions. It seemed like every team back in the '80s had legendary voices. Phil Rizzuto for the Yankees, Bob Murphy for the Mets, Harry Kalas in Philadelphia, Vin Scully for the Dodgers, Bill King in Oakland, Bob Uecker in Milwaukee, Jack Buck in St. Louis, and of course Harry Caray for the Cubs, drinkin' a beer and callin' the game.

 

And whether you were sitting in a lawn chair with a cold drink on the ground beside you, working on the car in the garage, or driving home from your shift, guess what? As long as you had even the simplest little transistor radio, those broadcasters were right there with you.

 

And you just listened. And appreciated. And enjoyed the game.

Even if you were a little kid, opening packs of cards on a Saturday afternoon with one ear listening out for the ice cream man. . . 

. . . you still listened. And appreciated. And enjoyed the game.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that baseball was more simple back then. Life was more simple back then. And that's one reason why channels like Classic Baseball on the Radio mean so much to me. Open up a game from any of the playlists. Listen to some legendary broadcasters describe the sights and sounds of baseball.

For a short amount of time, life will be simple again.

If you haven't checked out the channel yet, I hope you will. 

  

Now a question for you:

Did you have a favorite baseball radio broadcast back then? If so, what was the radio station's call sign? Who were the broadcasters? 

In my area we had the Yankees on WABC 770 AM, and the Mets on WHN 1050 AM and WFAN 660 AM.

Share yours in the comment section, and thanks for reading!