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Touch ‘em all, John Gordon
By
Gordy Jones
2011 marks the 25th and final season of having John Gordon as the
Twins’ play-by-play announcer. When John came aboard in 1987, I thought the
The Twins hadn’t
been very good at the time, and I thought Gordo would get some additional big
league experience and move on … maybe with the Tigers.
I still hadn’t
gotten over losing Halsey Hall as Herb Carneal’s
partner. Halsey was off the wall, wacky, spontaneous and hilarious. He was a
good baseball guy, too. He wasn’t politically correct, as he did his
play-by-play while often having a “beverage,” eating from his bag of green
onions and smoking a cigar. Walking through my old neighborhood as a kid, I can
remember hearing his voice coming from everyone’s front porch, where they sat
listening to the Twins’ game on the radio. His voice was synonymous with summer
in
After Halsey’s
passing, the Twins tried pairing up many announcers with Herb. But after Halsey’s
unique style, they all seemed too polished and professional … boring. Many were
very good, though, while others weren’t.
Then along came John
Gordon, and I thought, “Here we go again.” But 1987 was a magical year, and by
the time the Twins won the pennant, I felt like I had heard Gordo say, “Touch ’em all Kirby Puckett” all of my life. Soon John Gordon was
part of the Twins fan’s lives. He became part of summer in
John is very active
in the Twins community. He hosts and emcees charitable
events all year long. If it’s a charity affiliated with baseball or an
important pregame ceremony, Gordo is usually the man.
At the recent Harmon Killebrew memorial birthday
dinner and auction for the Killebrew Foundation,
Gordo co-emceed with Jim Kaat and Dick Bremer. While
on stage, as the bids were flying around, Gordo suddenly made a bid of a large
sum of cash … just as a donation. Then he sat down and wept as he remembered
his friend Harmon.
Another thing John
has given
On a personal note:
When my dad was dying, I talked to John and told him how my dad loved baseball,
how we played catch together and other stories. When my dad died, John did a
little memorial to him, right in the middle of a Twins broadcast. It was very
cool; it made the family’s day. It made a sad day … not so sad.
For several years
now, I have been the official photographer for the Touch ‘Em
All Golf Classic. Summer won’t be the same without the tournament, nor without
“Touch ’em all (batter’s name)” enhancing the air
waves of a summer evening.
Well, deservedly,
John wants to relax and enjoy his family. I wish him well, and thank him for
the great memories.
The Mauer Cup is On!
The 2nd annual Mauer Cup
Little League Tournament kicked off two weeks ago with former Twins pitcher
Jack Morris throwing out the first pitch. Jack gave the kids a few words of
advice, but ended his talk with, “Have fun. You’re playing the greatest game in
the world!”
Jack was very
excited about this tournament, and he was the first guy there, arriving at
around 7 for an
The Mauer Cup, which raises thousands of dollars for St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospitals, will have its championship game broadcast live.
Check your listings.
Who’s on First?
Fans and critics who
were whining that it’s imperative Joe Mauer takes on another position can relax now. Joe, who
loves catching, has been having fun while making some big plays at first.
I was never worried
that Joe would have a problem adapting. Joe is a gifted athlete, and it hasn’t
been too many years since Joe was playing on the fields of
Before a recent
game, Gardy was making the lineup, and gave Joe his
choice between catcher and first. Joe chose first … he must be having fun!
Fans! If you have any Twins related questions, email Gordy at gejones1@aol.com
Check out Gordy’s book at http://www.baseballguy.org.
Gordy can be reached at gejones1@aol.com.