Hall of offer ‘microphone memories’

The National Baseball Hall of Fame is partnering with Mango Publishing to explore 100 years of baseball on the radio airwaves.

One hundred years ago, a new technology carried descriptions of the Aug. 5, 1921, Pirates vs. Phillies game beyond Forbes Field and into a few hundred homes with receivers within reach of KDKA-AM in Pittsburgh. It was the start of an unbreakable bond between broadcasting and baseball – one that brought the national pastime to more fans than ever.

“Memories from the Microphone: A Century of Baseball Broadcasting” brings to the written page the magic of baseball over the airwaves. The new book, authored by historian Curt Smith, takes readers behind the scenes of some of baseball’s greatest moments with the announcers who brought those games to millions of fans.

“If a baseball broadcaster bonds with the public, he becomes an extended member of the family,” Smith said in a media release. “‘Memories from the Microphone’ tells how for the last one hundred years on radio, then television, America’s family has been buoyed by Major League Baseball on the air.”

Organized chronologically, “Memories from the Microphone” charts the history of baseball broadcasting through the stories and personalities that have shaped the game. Featuring rich content detailing iconic moments described by legendary announcers like Mel Allen, Red Barber, Harry Caray, and Vin Scully, the book – published by National Baseball Hall of Fame Books, a division of Mango Media Inc. – accompanies the reader on a journey through baseball history via the men and women whose descriptions turned hits and runs into history.

The book features a forward by Hall of Famer and longtime Orioles broadcaster Brooks Robinson.

“I was privileged to work with the greatest players and coaches when I played and some of the greatest announcers when my playing career was through,” Robinson wrote in the forward. “Those broadcasters helped continue and strengthen the connection between the game and the fans – a bond that has made baseball the National Pastime.”

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will celebrate the anniversary of the first baseball game broadcast on radio with a virtual program with the book’s author, Curt Smith, discussing the book and baseball broadcasting history at 2 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 5.