Every spring I always read a book about baseball. Some are about major leagues, some about minor leagues. For my birthday, I received Hello, Friends!: Stories from My Life and Blue Jays Baseball by Jerry Howarth.
Who is Jerry Howarth? He was the Blue Jays radio announcer from 1981 to 2017. That's a lot of seasons.
For 36 years, Jerry Howarth ushered in eternal hope each spring and thrived in the drive of each fall as the voice of the Toronto Blue Jays. In 1982, the lifelong avid sports fan joined Tom Cheek as full-time play-by-play radio announcer for the Blue Jays, and for the next 23 years, "Tom and Jerry" were the voices of the franchise. Jerry became part of the fabric of a nation and a team, covering historic moments like the rise of the Blue Jays through the 1980s that culminated in back-to-back World Series Championships in 1992 and 1993. His Hall of Fame-worthy broadcasting career has been nothing short of legendary. When Jerry retired in February 2018, the tributes poured in and made one thing perfectly clear: Toronto baseball would never be the same.
Howarth brings together thoughts on life, family, work, and baseball. Featuring stories about everyone from Dave Stieb, Jack Morris, Duane Ward, Roberto Alomar, and Joe Carter to John Gibbons, Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Donaldson, and the late Roy Halladay, Hello, Friends! is a must-read for sports fans everywhere.
The book does deal with some on the field moments but mostly is about the people he met and the stories away from the diamond. He tells the story of his life growing up and how he prepared for a job in broadcasting. Quite inventive really.
He also reveals some interesting unique records, most of which I hadn't heard of. As he was on the air, he is nice throughout the book.
A great read not only for Blue Jay fans but for baseball fans and sports fans alike. I enjoyed it.
1 comment:
I read it earlier this year and found it interesting.
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