TUNING IN … WITH ARDITH STEPHANSON
Take Me Out
If I asked you to name Canada’s top music exports to the U.S., what would be your answer? Celine Dion, some may say. Shania Twain. Bryan Adams. Justin Bieber….
How about Dan Shulman?
The Torontonian who used to be the voice of the Blue Jays has moved on to broadcasting south of the border. Americans got to hear his pipes on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball this week, as he and John Kruk belted out Take Me Out to the Ballgame during the seventh-inning stretch of the Cardinals-Cubs game. The singing was part of an unorthodox approach to the telecast in celebration of 100 years at Wrigley Field.
First off, Shulman and Kruk were perched in the stands instead of in the press box. They called the game from the right field bleachers at Wrigley instead of in the traditional press box behind home plate. One downfall of that was the weather – Shulman’s bald pate was apparently cold.
Secondly, they grabbed some unsuspecting kid who joined them and got to yell out the traditional “Let’s get some runs!” to end the song. It was hard to tell whether young “Grant” was happy about the entire ordeal, especially as Shulman kept asking for his toque.
And then there was the singing.
Shulman does have a great set of pipes, but I think they are better suited to calling the game, and not trying to get a show in Vegas. I don’t mind his pairing with Kruk, who is decent on Sunday Night Baseball. They even traded a few barbs related to the 1993 World Series, and the fact Shulman is from Toronto.
Besides the anniversary of Wrigley, this season also marks the 25th anniversary for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. The Cubs and Cards wore retro uniforms on Sunday night. And Shulman and Kruk were delivered some hot dogs during the game, since they had to endure sitting outside!
Ain’t No Harry
Shulman may have a decent voice, but he doesn’t compare to the legendary Harry Caray, the Cubs announcer who sang during the seventh inning stretch for years, actually starting with his time as the announcer for the White Sox.
Let’s be honest, Harry’s singing was pretty terrible (rest in peace Harry), but it was the terrible-ness that made him such an icon.
Apparently it all began because he used to privately sing along with the song while the Comiskey Park organist was playing it for the public. One afternoon, Caray was singing to himself when radio producer Jay Scott decided to open the booth’s microphones without letting Caray know. The rest, as they say, is history. Besides his trademark wide-rimmed glasses, Caray may best be known for his renditions of the song, punctuated with: “Let’s get some runs!”
One Basket Short
The Toronto Raptors provided their fans – and all basketball fans, for that matter – with a thrilling first round, although the ending was disappointing for those supporting the “Northern Uprising.”
Sunday’s Game 7 loss to the Brooklyn Nets featured a thrilling dash to the finish, only to see the Raptors come up one point short, unable to convert on a final possession. The Nets advanced to the second round. It was an entertaining finish to watch.
It was also pretty cool to see the fans at Air Canada Centre decked out in red and white, organized in the bleachers with their giveaway t-shirts. Fans outside gathered by the thousands as well. In both venues, the raucous noise ended like a sudden flick of a light switch when the final buzzer ended the Raptors’ season.
Game 7 attracted an average audience of 912,000 — the third-most watched Raptor game ever, TSN said Monday. The seven-game average of 732,000 made it the most-watched NBA playoff series ever in Canada. Five of the games rank among the top 10 Raptor viewing audiences ever recorded.
Around the Dial
Shulman and Kruk aren’t bad, but my mom still laments the departure of Jon Miller and Joe Morgan, who were unceremoniously dumped in November of 2010 after a 21-year run. It was time to make a change, but they certainly helped build the “franchise” of the Sunday Night Baseball telecast … Miller and Morgan were to baseball what Madden and Summerall were to football … Since Miller and Morgan, Shulman has been a constant but he has had a merry-go-round of colleagues in the booth. In 2011, the commentators were Orel Hershiser and Bobby Valentine. Valentine left to become the Boston Red Sox manager, and was replaced by Terry Francona for the 2012 season. Francona stayed for one season and was then hired by the Cleveland Indians; he was replaced by Kruk, who had been part of the Baseball Tonight team since 2004. Prior to this season, Hershiser left ESPN to become an analyst for the Dodgers on SportsNet LA, and was replaced by Curt Schilling. Schilling’s diagnosis of and treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer meant he was unavailable at the beginning of the season. Shulman and Kruk will work as a two-man booth until Schilling recovers sufficiently to join the broadcasts … Thanks to the reader who pointed out last week that the WHL championship is not only on Shaw. It is available in our area on Access Communications. Remaining games (as necessary) are today, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday and Monday.
