#BookClub “Lucky Bastard”

Joe Buck will be behind the mic for this Sunday’s Super Bowl 51.
I had the recent pleasure of reading Buck’s book, “Lucky Bastard.”   His Super Bowl assignment this weekend isn’t unusual, as Buck is FOX Sports’ top play-by-play announcer, having covered Super Bowls, World Series and other mega-sporting events for the network since 1994.  As a former sportscaster, this read was right down my alley.
Buck shares a number of personal and some embarrassing stories about his career in broadcasting, provides a peak behind the curtain of live sports broadcasts and offers insight into the personal demands the TV business puts on those who work in it.
Buck describes it as: “My life, my dad, and the things I’m not allowed to say on TV.”
The book details all of that, with an emphasis on the relationship he had with his dad, multiple hall-of-fame broadcaster Jack Buck.
Here’s my list of top father-son broadcast legacies, with a lot of extra weight to those that have worked in the Phoenix market:
The Bucks:

  • Jack Buck – was the play-by-play voice of the Louis Cardinals for nearly five decades, as well as did work for several national networks in various sports.
  • Joe Buck – FOX’s lead play-by-play announcer for the National Football League, Major League Baseball and other sports coverage.

The Danas:

  • Joe Dana – was a broadcaster in Phoenix in the 1930s through the ‘50s.
  • Kent Dana – was an anchor at Channels 12 and 5 in Phoenix from the late 1970s until 2009.
  • Joe Dana – is a reporter and anchor at Channel 12 in Phoenix since 2001.

The Brennamans:

The Van Sants

  • Peter Van Sant – was a reporter and anchor for KOOL-TV in Phoenix (now FOX 10) from 1978-’82, now a correspondent with 48 Hours.
  • Jeff Van Sant – is a reporter with Channel 5 and 3 in Phoenix since 2015.

The Careys

  • Harry Carey – was a legendary broadcaster for five Major League teams, most notably the St. Louis Cardinals for 25 years and the and Chicago Cubs for 16 years.
  • Skip Carey – was the play-by-play announcer for the Atlanta Braves for 32 years.
  • Chip Carey — was a sports broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves, among others, since 1987.

The Kalases

Who else would you put on the list?

Written by
at Feb 1, 2017

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