#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:
- Marty Brennaman – is the voice of the Cincinnati Reds since 1974.
- Thom Brennaman – is the original play-by-play broadcaster for the Arizona Diamondbacks, now with the Cincinnati Reds and FOX Sports. I had the chance to call a half-inning of a D-Backs/Florida Marlins game with Thom in 2004, with Randy Johnson of the D-Backs pitching against the Marlins’ Josh Beckett. A friend of mine had purchased the opportunity to be in the booth during a game at a silent-auction and through a little finagling, I ended up on the air!
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
- Harry Kalas – was the voice of Philadelphia Phillies and NFL Films for nearly 40 years.
- Todd Kalas – has been a sportscaster since 1991 with the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays, currently a member of the Houston Astros broadcast team.
Who else would you put on the list?
