True voice of the Yankees was born 100 years ago
Jobs WeeklyJob FairPlace an AdCareers and Worklife BlogBusiness BlogSalary WizardSearch New CarsSearch Pre Owned CarsVehicle ReviewsClassic Cars BlogThe Bike Blog2013 Fall Auto Show Guide (PDF)Only baseball followers over the age of 60 will have firsthand remembrances of Allen in his heyday as the unparalleled radio voice of the . Younger listeners got to hear him through the syndicated TV series "This Week In Baseball" and occasional Yankees play by play assignments with SportsChannel in the early 1980s.
Now, thanks to the latest edition of the "Baseball Voices" CD series, more fans can become familiar with the greatest Yankees announcer ever. And we're offering no apologies to , who is to professional sports announcing what is to newscasters.
"He was obviously a very talented man," said , the ' radio play by play announcer who has produced, written and narrated the "Baseball Voices" series. "Similar to , he was blessed with an unbelievable voice, but he combined his natural gift with a very strong work ethic. That's how he became as great as he did."
We learn through Hughes' 67 minute CD that Allen was born on Feb. 14, 1913. The CBS Radio Network encouraged him to change his last name, common among broadcasters in that era.
Allen's career with the Yankees spanned the greatest seasons of the franchise. He began in 1938, calling Cheap NFL Jerseys the feats of players from to to .
In a 20 year span, with Allen behind the microphone, the Yankees won 15 pennants and 10 World Series.
As the CD details, Allen didn't limit his career to baseball. He called numerous college football and NFL games. He provided voiceovers for Fox Movietone newsreels. He pitched numerous commercial products, most notably Ballantine beer.
"In our business, it's interesting, that combination of ego and insecurity," Hughes said. "I don't think he had a real big ego problem, but he was massively insecure. Anybody who would work that hard and do that many things had to have some insecurity. There's almost a built in system of insecurity within our business."
Hughes pointed out that classic announcers such as Red Barber, and were fired from prominent broadcasting jobs.
That fate befell Allen after the 1964 season. Allen, who died in 1996 without ever getting an explanation, was only 51 at the time.
In fact, one of the most revealing clips from the "Baseball Voices" CD is hearing Allen, as voice of the Milwaukee Braves, calling the pennant clinching game for the 1965 .
"Baseball Cheap Jerseys Voices" previously has revived the great calls of Red Barber, , Jack Buck, Caray, , and , Kalas, , Bob Prince, and Bob Uecker.
"It's an interesting process," Hughes said of his task in assembling the series. "It's very difficult to find certain things. I found clips (for the Allen CD) from every decade, one or two audio clips from the '30s into the 1980s, culminating with the (1983 Dave) Righetti no hitter. I have him on the air in 1938 with his first World Series, and he sounded darned good for a 25 year old doing a World Series game for .
"I like also Mel talking about his younger days. That I know hadn't been heard anywhere before. That's the goal, to find things that nobody has ever heard."