The best radio announcer that the Houston Astros Baseball Club has ever had — Gene Elston — will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame today in Cooperstown, NY. Here is my previous post on Elston at the time that his induction was announced, and the Chronicle’s David Barron has this interesting interview of Elston in the today’s Chronicle.
I couldn’t help but notice Elston’s response to Barron’s question about his opinion of former Cardinals and Cubs announcer, the late Harry Caray:
What did [Elston] think of Harry Caray?
“Harry Caray was a gem. He was one in a million. He was one of the greatest guys you would ever want to meet. Just absolutely fabulous.
“He was not a good play-by-play man, but he was the fans’ announcer. He was an entertainer. He sold the game. He probably sold the game more just by being there than anybody I can think of.”
A little bit different opinion of Caray than that expressed by another Hall of Fame announcer for the Stros, don’t you think?
Update: Richard Justice has the story from Elston’s induction ceremony.
He probably sold the game more just by being there than anybody I can think of.”
Aww, come on, Milo sells the game harder than anyone. You can’t go 30 seconds without a reference to the Amazing Siding Running Catch or the Trulucks Caught Foul Ball! 😉