What do Roy Halladay, David Cone and Dennis Martinez have in common? Answer: Florida Marlins' announcer Dave Van Horne. After calling Roy Halladay's 1-0 win over the Marlins on May 27, the former voice of the Montreal Expos has now called the last three perfect games by right-handed pitchers. To Dennis Martinez's perfect game for the Expos against Los Angeles in July 28 of 1991, Van Horne then added Yankee David Cone's perfect game against the Expos on July 18 of 1999 and, finally, Halladay's gem last week against Florida (Van Horne's first perfect game on radio). Considering there've only been 20 MLB perfectos since 1876, calling three of them is a stunning batting average.
"It's been a thrill all three times," Van Horne told Usual Suspects from his Florida home Tuesday. "I think Martinez's was probably my favourite. It was the Expos' only perfect game, and it was at Dodger Stadium where Sandy Koufax had pitched his perfect game against Chicago in 1965. So much history there. Plus, my partner Ken Singleton knew Dennis personally from playing with him in Baltimore. He knew both the man and the pitcher.
"Dennis was a recovering alcoholic and he'd turned his career around in Montreal. Very early in the game during a commercial, Ken said, 'We're in for something special.' He knew. And it was special"
Van Horne, who called almost every Expos game from 1969 till he moved to Florida in 2000, says an incident early in his career in Richmond, Va., convinced him to spurn superstition about telling listeners that there's a perfect game or no-hitter in the offing. "I was visiting a fellow in the Veterans Hospital, and he was mad at me because I didn't tell him there was a no-hitter going on. He went away from the radio to do some things and missed it. After that, I realized that my saying no-hitter was not going to have any effect on it."
Van Horne says he subtly alters his style in the later innings of possible no-hitters. "I probably do more play-by-play in the later innings of a no-hitter than I usually do," says Van Horne, who's also called an amazing 11 of them in the major-league career, including two by original Expo Bill Stoneman. "More descriptions of the pitcher and the dugouts, the strategy and the situations. I want to keep the viewer in touch. Also I've always prided myself on my objectivity, so I try to keep up the excitement level - even when it's an opposing player like Halladay or Cone."
Van Horne says he wasn't sure when he'd get on air for the 1999 Cone no-hitter at old Yankee Stadium. "TSN had a tennis match or a golf tournament, and we were delayed. I want to say it wasn't till the fourth inning we got on. Finally we got on, and I remember my partner that day, Gary Carter, was rooting the whole time for the Expos to get a hit."
Van Horne was again a finalist (along with Tom Cheek and Jacques Doucet) for this year's Ford Frick Award offered by the Hall of Fame for achievements in broadcasting the sport. If there's any justice, he'll get the call soon. He belongs, perfect games and all.
Kids Say The Darndest Things: Toronto Maple Leafs' prospect Luca Caputi was being interviewed on air by Buck Martinez and Pat Tabler during Monday's Tampa/ Toronto broadcast on Rogers Sportsnet. Everything was going swimmingly till Tabler offered, "I hear you're a big sports fan". Replied a grinning Caputi. "Yeah, Sportscentre, I'm glued to the TV, 10:30, 11 o'clock every night," Er, Sportscentre is TSN's highlight pack. Sportsnet's show is called Connected.
Two-Line Passes: President Barack Obama makes a lot of noise about being a fervent Chicago sports fan. But unless he's showed up at the United Centre dressed as Vince Vaughn, he's still AWOL on Chicago's most popular sports team of the moment. Which makes the Commander in Chief zero for his presidency on the NHL file. Maybe someone told him there were Oilers in the NHL and he freaked out... We'll have more Friday on the meaning of NHL playoff ratings, but here are the numbers after two games on CBC. Saturday: 3.164 million was followed by Monday: 2.775 million. NBC-- which expresses it ratings using different statistics-- followed its Saturday: 2.8 rating and 6 share with a Monday: 4.1 rating and 7 share. (Versus will now take over for Games three and four in the U.S.)
Quibble Quibbles: The Stanley Cup Final is the TV showpiece for the NHL. So the best CBC can do for intermission is an extended (boring) interview with Chicago hero Denis Savard? Hello Ward Cornell. And NBC's most creative intermission idea is a panel? You have all year to plan for the Finals broadcasts and these are the best ideas you can summon?
Spare Us: While on the subject of Sportsnet, we understand that MMA is a big seller for the network in its never-ending fight for profile versus TSN. But having someone whose handle is Showdown Joe Ferraro pimp the sport's events in the guise of reporting is unacceptable. His reports shilling plot lines and upcoming events would make even Gorilla Monsoon, the old WWE huckster, blush. Either report the sport straight or else sell the segments as advertising.
Lame Is As Lame Does: Then there's writer Ted Green of the Los Angeles Times. Green was trying to hype the upcoming NBA Final between Boston and Los Angeles with some boilerplate about why the Celtics suck and the Lakers rule. Singling out Paul Pierce, the emo king of the Celts, Green opined, "Pierce's idea of a fun night is going clubbing and getting stabbed. Good times!" Uncomfortable factoid: Pierce was stabbed 11 times in the face, back and neck in 2000. He almost died.
Chris Haney: Finally, Usual Suspects pays attention any time one of us ink-stained media wretch makes it big. So the Trivial Pursuit exploits of Chris Haney, who died Monday, were a source of pride to us and all media types. Further endearing himself, the former Canadian Press photog used his money to build two of the finest golf courses in the country - Devil's Pulpit and Devil's Paintbrush. We should all leave behind such a fine footprint.