Racing Announcers Bloopers--

[AB195]

I know there are some announcing bloopers out there somewhere, all across America at local raceways. A tired announcer sais something he shouldn't, pharases something wrong, butchers the English language, yells something inappropriate, or just plain messes up over the airwaves.

There has to be a few stories out there, and I've just read an article about a few baseball announcers falling right into that catagory.

Harry Carry, the legendary Cubs announcer made this incestuous blunder of the Cubs outfielder, Scott Bullett in 1987, "Scott Bullett, as he takes left field, is getting congratulations from everybody. He and his daughter are parents now of a new baby".

The funniest ever occured in 1961 when Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese did afternoon baseball on Saturdays. As the camera panned around Yankee Stadium, it came to rest on a young couple on the front row kissing each other. Dizzy went a little crazy, saying such behavier was an insult to baseball, etc. etc. etc.
The camera kept comming back to the couple in between pitches, and the more Dizzy saw it, the more incensed he became. Finally, resigned to fact that the couple were there for the long haul, Dizzy said, "Well, I tell you, Pee Wee, it looks like he's kissing her on the strikes, and she's kissing him on the balls".

The network went dead for about 5 minutes.

[BJ Cavin]

I once walked out onto the track at Ocala Speedway to do a post race interview and asked a racer to spank his sponsors.

Then there were the "big and juicy Zuber Dog" comments while trying to sell some concessions items.

But by far the worst was a couple of weeks ago. The peanut vendor at Ocala has a stand called "Gary's Nuthouse." I was talking about the peanuts and accidently began referring to them as "Gary's nuts."

I'm certain that there have been more, but lucky for me I can't recall them.

[jason]

Oh BOY!!!!!!

Man I bet Bob has a bunch of my flubs on file at home. I get so excited some times, my mouth can't keep up with my thoughts.

[mocha2@dishmail.net]

Not racing related but this is a good one.One time during summer Olympic coverage a commentator for weightlifting opened the segment with this classic."I saw a snatch this morning and it was a beautiful thing".I don't know what year this happened or who the commentator was but I heard about it on a Sporting News Radio segment about famous sports bloopers.

[BJ Cavin]

Here's one from longtime Ocala announcer (and local radio personality) Wolf Bowers.

There used to be a guy who raced at Ocala named Festus. One night Wolf was rattling through the lineup for a race when this very buxom lady was walking up the steps toward the tower directly in front of Wolf. Wolf went to announce Festus and actually said "Breastus." I think everything stopped for about five minutes while we all laughed till we cried.

[Todd McCreary]

But by far the worst was a couple of weeks ago. The peanut vendor at Ocala has a stand called "Gary's Nuthouse." I was talking about the peanuts and accidently began referring to them as "Gary's nuts."

i dunno. sounds like there's a lot of possibilities with "big and juicy Zuber dog".

you didn't think anything of that blooper i caught Larry McReynolds in last week? he zinged Junior pretty good.

[ancrdave]

I have so many of mine, I lost count....

One of the funniest things was at Sunshine a few years back when Rick Bristol and I were the announcing team there... One of us would stay in the booth while the other had the wireless mic in the infield... After a particularly bad Mini Stock crash, Rick walked up to the driver just after he got out of his smashed car and ask him what happened... Now, it's not a good idea to ask any driver a question like that right after a big wreck... The driver's response: You saw it, that mother f***** put me in the wall!!! Plain as day for everyone to hear!!!

I remember watching wrestling on TV one Saturday while Japanese wrestler Hiro Matsuda was in a match with Mike Graham... Matsuda was well known for using karate chops in his matches... Gordon Solie says "and there's a vicious chop to the back of the throat." Now if you think about it, that's a pretty hard thing to do...

[Joe Dirt]

I sure have a healthy list of idiotic stuff that I have said. But on the other hand there is a time when announcers intentionally get creative. Here's a few names that I like to have fun with when they come to V.S.P.
Mike Petersak, Vic Coffee, Les Hare, Denny Bonebrake, Bodine Massengill, Jordy Nipper and Dick Liskie. Finally who can forget Mr. Ryan Aho

[Frasson118]

... and coming all the way from Alabama, please welcome Jody Nipple (it was supposed to be Jordy Nipper).

When harrassing the guilty announcer (guess which one!) about this, he said "You shoulda been here the night Chuck Chitty was in town"!

[Mark Keeler]

The great Ben Dodge has a story about an old driver... not sure of the first name, but the last name was Hiscock... to hear him tell the story of announcing that race is hilarious...

I will never forget the night at NSS when Roland was interviewing Ricky Carmichael for the first time and he asked him how it felt to finally be able to give his wrist a break after pumping it for so many years... or the night he was advertising the Peanut Lady and said (cuz she sells roasted peanuts too)... "not everyone likes wet nuts"...

I have made a few blunders... haven't been doing it long enough for any really good stories yet... although Saturday night was interesting with names like B.J. McLeod and Kevin Dicks (considering I was being harassed by 'others' in the tower every time I had to say either name!)... and of course we had the girls from "Save The Tata's" Breast Cancer Awareness here to top it all off!

[AB195]

Gran Prix Announcer; "The lead car is asolutely, truly unique, except for the one behind it which is identical to the one in front of the similar one in back."

Greg Norman, PGA Golfer; "I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father."

Ringside Boxing Analyst; "Sure there have been injuries and even some deaths in boxing, but none of them really that serious."

Basketball Analyst; "He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn't like it. In fact, you can see it all over their faces."

Remember Yogi Berra, baseballs famous lines;

"It deja-vu all over again."
"The late afternoon shadows really come early here in Chicago."
"You can observe alot, just by watching."

[Todd McCreary]

there HAS to have been a lot of fun that was had with "Dick Trickle".

[oldyeller]

Can't remember many specific voice-type bloopers from my undistinguished announcing career for a traveling series, but we did have a free frisbee giveaway where we tossed them from the announcer's booth, which sounded like a good idea until a woman turned around at the wrong time and took a frisbee in the nose: Man, noses can bleed.

And I was announcing the night Speedo the Clown, Kent Tyler (is he still around?) was visiting the track with his purple car, Rosie, which launched fireworks: It was during a terrible drought and the fireworks started nine separate little fires in the infield grass.

And I recall annoucing a midget race at, I think, Butler in Michigan, which had the announcers's stand in the infield -- it looked like an aircraft control tower. I don't remember much about the feature except that Jack Hewitt was leading in a tight battle, and I kept turning 360s without realizing the cord from the mike was wrapping around my feet, and when I tried to take a step, I fell flat and unplugged everything.

Ah, good times. No wonder ESPN never called.

[john tenney]

Surprised no one has mentioned Larry McReynolds. My favorite line of his was ...

"It almost always never happens that way"

[all4racin]

I sure have a healthy list of idiotic stuff that I have said. But on the other hand there is a time when announcers intentionally get creative. Here's a few names that I like to have fun with when they come to V.S.P.
Mike Petersak, Vic Coffee, Les Hare, Denny Bonebrake, Bodine Massengill, Jordy Nipper and Dick Liskie. Finally who can forget Mr. Ryan Aho

And noone has had more fun with Ryan Aho than Joe Linebarier and Rick Eshelman. DCN 2009 got to be a bit hysterical!