Voices of Summer: Ranking Baseball's 101 All-Time Best Announcers (68 page)

urt Smith is an author, award--winning radio/television commentator, and former presidential speechwriter. He is generally considered America's leading baseball radio/ television historian.

Smith's ten books are What Baseball Means To Me, Storied Stadiums, Our
House, Windows on the White House, Of Mikes and Men, The Storytellers, A Fine Sense
of the Ridiculous, Voices of The Game, Long Time Gone, and America's Dizzy Dean.
Says Bob Costas: "Curt Smith stands up for the beauty of words."

Smith hosts the syndicated series "Perspectives" on Rochester, New
York's National Public Radio outlet WXXI. He is Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Rochester, an Upstate New York Messenger Post
Newspapers columnist, and regular contributor to Rochester's CBS TV
affiliate WROC.

Raised in Caledonia, NewYork, Smith was a Gannett Company reporter,
The Saturday Evening Post senior editor, and speechwriter to George H. W.
Bush. He wrote more speeches than anyone else for the 41st president,
including the State of the Union, "Just War" Persian Gulf address, speech on
the 50th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, and Bush's emotional 2004 eulogy to
Ronald Reagan at Washington's National Cathedral.

Leaving the White House in 1993, Smith hosted Smithsonian Institution
series before turning to radio/TV. His radio commentary has been voted
"Best in New York State" by Associated Press. He hosted the Fox Empire
Sports Network "Fan TV" series, wrote ESPN TV documentaries based on his
Voices of The Game, and helped write ESPN's SportsCentury series.

Smith has written for, among others, Newsweek, The NewYork Times, Reader's
Digest, and Sports Illustrated. He has appeared on numerous network programs, including ABC's "Nightline," Armed Forces Radio, BBC, "CBS This Morning,"
CNN, CNBC, ESPN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, Mutual Radio, Radio
America, andThe History Channel.

The 1973 SUNY at Geneseo graduate has been named among the "100
Outstanding Alumni" of New York's State University System, is a member of
the Judson Welliver Society of former presidential speechwriters, and lives
with wife Sarah and children Olivia, 5, and Travis, 4, in Rochester.

n 1961, Theodore H. White received a Pulitzer Prize for his book
The Making of the President 1960. John F. Kennedy sent a note: "It
pleases me that I could provide some of the plot."
Tl. 1. 1 l _1 I. 1 1 119 r7 - I•r i 1 .1 1

This hook's plot is peculiar to baseball's Voices of Summer. I wish to thank
the many broadcasters who provided fact and recollection. Numerous
writers were also helpful: Bob Broeg, Jack Craig, Joseph Durso, Joe Falls,
Peter Gammons, Leonard Koppett, Phil Mushnick, Marty Nolan, Rob Rains,
Bob Raissman, Harold Rosenthal, Richard Sandomir, Russell Schneider, Bill
Schulz, Morris Siegel, Jayson Stark, John Steadman, Larry Stewart, George
Vescey, Paul White, and George Will.

Broadcast officials, some now deceased, were generous as well: Geoff
Belinfante, Dan Bell, Bryan Burns, Scotty Connal, Harry Coyle, John
Lazarus, Carl Lindemann, Bill MacPhail, Dan Quinn, Joe Reichler, Jack
Rosenberg, Larry Shenk, and Tom Villante.

I am grateful to major- and minor-league officials: Mary Appel, Joe L.
Brown, Chris Eno, Glenn Geffner, Jim Healy, Larry Lucchino, Laurel Prieb,
Brent Shyer, Stu Smith, and Bill Veeck. Veeck entered Cooperstown in 1991.
Its great Hall of Fame staff is still there: Jeff Idelson, Vice-President, Communications; Bill Francis, Senior Researcher; and Jeremy Jones, Manager of
Recorded Media.

Bobbe Siegel helped me create this book. My wife, Sarah, nursed it to
completion. Our children, Olivia and Travis, supplied love and support.
Philip Turner and Ken Samelson edited the manuscript with care and insight.
I also wish to thank audio/video archivist John Miley and attorney Phil
Hochberg. The facts and opinions herein, of course, are mine.

Finally, let me acknowledge. the reader. The poetess Marianne Moore
observed, "Baseball is like writing. You can never tell with either how it will
go or what you will do." Thank you for caring about each.

-Curt Smith, Rochester, New York

February 4, 2005