Kibitzer
Sky Soldier
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2011
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- 5,676
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For many many MANY years, every time I watch a favorite team (e.g., UConn) win a nailbiter, my standard answer when asked my thoughts of the game: "We had 'em all the way!" (Never used for blowouts). And I thank Diana for lots of occasions to resurrect it.
I got it from a zany announcer for the Pittsburgh Pirates of the Clemente era, Bob Prince.
This line, properly uttered, has endured as part of a unique language known as Pittsburghese, spoken by Yinzers like me. I used it with precision about a week ago when the Sox scored 4 in the 9th to win, 6-5.
The play-by-play and commentary for the 6-1 blowout of the Penguins by the Broons last night was performed by those superb Canadian guys and even they had some familiarity with Prince's old line. One said "I guess if the score were reversed, local (Pittsburgh fans) would say, 'We had 'em all the way!' " But his colleague was uncertain about this usage and muttered some thought about how he believed that the cognoscenti correctly apply this line (nailbiters only, never for blowouts). Simply amazing that a line used 50-60 years ago would surface in these circumstances.
Which got me to thinking about other signature lines by sportscasters, present and past.
John Sterling: "The-e-e-e-e-e-e Yankees win!"
Michael Kay: "See ya!" after a home run shot. Don Orsillo (Red Sox) prefers to tell us "That ball is outta here!"
Marv Albert: "YES!" after a made shot.
Red Barber sat in the catbird seat and Dizzy Dean told us that a base stealer "slud" in safely.
Johnny Most immortalized the steal of the ball by John Havlicek.
Any others?
I got it from a zany announcer for the Pittsburgh Pirates of the Clemente era, Bob Prince.
This line, properly uttered, has endured as part of a unique language known as Pittsburghese, spoken by Yinzers like me. I used it with precision about a week ago when the Sox scored 4 in the 9th to win, 6-5.
The play-by-play and commentary for the 6-1 blowout of the Penguins by the Broons last night was performed by those superb Canadian guys and even they had some familiarity with Prince's old line. One said "I guess if the score were reversed, local (Pittsburgh fans) would say, 'We had 'em all the way!' " But his colleague was uncertain about this usage and muttered some thought about how he believed that the cognoscenti correctly apply this line (nailbiters only, never for blowouts). Simply amazing that a line used 50-60 years ago would surface in these circumstances.
Which got me to thinking about other signature lines by sportscasters, present and past.
John Sterling: "The-e-e-e-e-e-e Yankees win!"
Michael Kay: "See ya!" after a home run shot. Don Orsillo (Red Sox) prefers to tell us "That ball is outta here!"
Marv Albert: "YES!" after a made shot.
Red Barber sat in the catbird seat and Dizzy Dean told us that a base stealer "slud" in safely.
Johnny Most immortalized the steal of the ball by John Havlicek.
Any others?
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