Written by Bob Smizik
http://communityvoices.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/sports/bob-smiziks-blog
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
In the many, many years I’ve worked in sports journalism, it has been my pleasure to make the acquaintance of some truly remarkable people.
Near the top of that list would be Joe Paterno, the Penn State football coach, and Bob Prince, the legendary Pirates announcer.
New insights on both are available on the market and I’m here to tell you about them.
"They Know Joe,’’ is a book of remembrances of Paterno by people famous and not-so famous. It is written by Neil Rudel and Cory Geiger, writers who have covered Paterno during his career.It is an absolute treasure of anecdotes and new information about Paterno that sheds even more light on this remarkable man.
Among those who "know Joe’’ are former President George H. W. Bush and Bobby Bowden, both of whom wrote forwards. Also: Dan Rooney, Johnny Majors, Mike Reid, Lou Holtz, Beano Cook, Kerry Collins, Adam Taliaferro. Tom Osborne and many more.
One of my favorites rememberances is the one by Beano Cook, who recalled his first meeting with Paterno in what was then Frankie Gustine’s Restaurant on the Pitt campus.
"We got into an argument about a recruit both schools wanted,’’ Cook recalled. "He made some derogatory remark about Pitt and I gave it right back about Penn State.’’
A fist fight, according to Cook, loomed, and he knew how it would have ended.
"The over/under on me with Paterno would have been 30 seconds.’’
Dan Rooney talks about the time he almost hired Paterno but instead "settled’’ for Chuck Noll.
Penn State linebacker Navarro Bowman, whose final season was 2009, shed some on Paterno "the figurehead.’’
"Nothing goes on with the Penn State program unless Joe Paterno has something to do with it,’’ he said. "No matter how old the man gets, everyone knows that he’s not going to miss anything and the he knows what’s going on.’’
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Pat Hughes, the play-by-play voice of the Chicago Cubs, has a CD on the career of Prince that is priceless. It’s part of Hughes’ "Hall of Fame’’ series and it truly does justice to Prince, who was a big part of so many lives in the Pittsburgh region.It’s all there -- Prince at his best. You can hear "The Gunner’’ calling Roberto Clemente’s 3000th hit, the Harvey Haddix masterpiece, the Dock Ellis no-hitter, the famous interview with Bill Mazeroski after the seventh game of the 1960 World Series, the final game at Forbes Field There’s a section on his firing after the 1976 season, his induction into the Hall of Fame and much more.
Since Prince is most remembered as a generous, flamboyant character who was more famous and more revered than most of the players he covered, it’s often forgotten what a technically superb broadcaster he was. I have to admit I forgot how good he was.
This CD clearly reminds you of his excellence. He told you what was happening as it happened and he told it accurately. He didn’t wait for the play to end before describing it, as too often happens today. He was a master craftsman.
I learned a lot about Prince that I didn’t know, including the fact he did the 1966 World Series, although the Pirates were not involved.
Amid all the nostalgia about the 1960 World Series and with much to be heard during the coming Pirates season about the 1971 championship, this is an appropriate time to remember Prince and this CD does it in superb fashion.
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Information on how to purchase the Prince CD can be found at www.baseballvoices.com.
Information on how to purchase "They Know Joe’’ can be found at www.paterno.altoonamirror.com.
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