When Willie Mays stumbled through his final seasons with the Mets, I cringed at my boyhood hero’s public decline. Brett Favre’s multiple attempts to unretired and regain his past glory have turned his Hall-of-Fame career into an immediate punch line. When our favorite sports broadcasters milk an extra few years from their once stellar career the results can be just as ugly.
Bob Davis, the immediately recognizable radio voice of the Kansas Jayhawks and the Kansas City Royals, is now stumbling through the final years of his once sterling play-by-play career. Your best friends will tell you when you’ve lost it. Davis apparently doesn’t
have any friends quite that close. So it’s left to the unfriendly critics to
deliver the message. Bob, it is time to unplug the mic.
Davis was once my favorite local sports broadcaster. When my wife and I moved to Kansas City in 1988, he was the voice who told us KU’s Danny and The Miracles had pulled off one of the greatest upset runs in the history of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Davis was network excellent right here in our backyard. I was thrilled that we had a talent like his to enjoy. I promoted him in my KC Star column to get the Royals gig when it opened. Davis won a number of my SOFA Awards as my pick for the best play-by-play voice in a talented market. But Father Time strikes midnight for us all. It is time for Bob to board that pumpkin and head home.
Max Falkenstien milked a 60-year broadcasting career out of his ties to Kansas University. Max didn’t really fall off in his late years because he was never very good – at least not his last 30 years. John Kadlec somehow lasted more than a decade in Mizzou’s football booth without ever displaying any evidence of talent or wit. Davis’ talent is far superior to both Max and Mr. Mizzou – but he is in danger of being remembered with similar pity as a guy who just hung on in the radio booth too long.
Davis has always been an emotional play-by-play guy and this is one of the reasons he is so loved by his fans. He first reminded me of my all-time favorite play-by-play voice, the Cornhuskers’ late Lyell Bremser, whose calls of Nebraska football were as legendary in the state as any of the gridiron greats. Bremser stayed in the booth beyong his years as well.
Davis’ decline began for me a few years ago with his Kansas basketball calls. His game-day emotion was giving way more and more to game-day screaming, whining, and seeing things that weren’t there or missing other things that were apparent to others.
Davis is passionate about wanting his teams to win. I enjoy that part of his work. But he now is apparently unable to see what is happening on the field or court. If it is not his eyes,
then he is simply having trouble processing the speed of what is occurring in front of him from his eyes to his vocal chords into an understandable and accurate play-by-play broadcast.
Last week Davis’ call of a home run by Boston’s Dustin Pedroia began as “A pop up.” It landed on the other side of Fenway’s Green Monster in left. It was a day game with plenty of sunshine. When I saw the video highlight later that evening, the blast looked like a moon shot off Pedroia’s bat rather than a pop up. Monday night he had the Orioles’ centerfielder racing and sliding to catch a fly ball that was caught by the O’s shortstop. These are just a few examples of many.
I like Bob. Always have. But if his friends won’t tell him what he needs to hear, I will…as will his listeners.
After Davis’ call Monday night, Twitter exploded with a little game that quickly became known as @BobDavisRecitesHistory. Ross Martin, the sports editor for the St. Joseph News-Press whose Twitter handle is @pcbearcat, tweeted this hash tag with this salvo; “Ronald Reagan is shot … And he’s gone! Wait, no, it’s only a superficial wound. I thought FOR SURE he was gone.” What followed was a flood of funny, cruel and entertaining
made-up quotes from Royals fans, Mizzou fans, Kansas fans and the like on Davis’
skewed take on some of history’s more famous events. Below is a sampling. You can
read them all by searching Twitter’s @BobDavisRecitesHistory.
“Here’s Hitler with a chance to invade England. HE BLASTS IT TOWARDS THE ENGLISH CHANNEL…caught by America.”
@BrianMcGannon
“This contraption the Wright Brothers are building will never get off the ground. And there she goooooes!!”
@KirkProductions
“Boy, that Benedict Arnold’s a nice guy,if I had to trust 1 guy, it’d be him.Now they’re gonna call him for treason?”
@timthegm
“Quantrill looks like he’ll ride past Lawrence…And the Eldridge is on fire.”
@MelanieRR
“White smoke coming from the Vatican. When is foul fair? When it’s spelled F O W L.”
@michaelengel
“Heading into the top of the 1st in Vietnam, and this looks like it’ll be an easy win for the Americans.”
@pcbearcat
“General Custard rounds into the back for an easy win, wait, what happened there? Now he’s gonna be called out? Oh my!”
@timthegm
“That Nero, he’s quite a fiddle player. Denny, do you smell smoke?”
@KirkProductions
“The British are not coming.”
@michaelengel
“Bin laden escapes, jumps in the ocean to swim away!! And now he’s sinking, and I guess he’s dead?”
@timthegm
“The Eagle is on the lunar surface and here comes John Glenn down the ladder to take the first steps on Jupiter.”
@bri_goodman
“Reagan’s just been shot! He’ll have 2 shots at the foul line if he can shake this off.”
@jaymeararegan
“Davey Crockett charges in there and reclaims the Alamo!”
@jakedogg79
“It’s a beautiful morning in Honolulu today and, oh look a Japanese air show!”
@kcroyalsfantatic
“That is a fine looking horse!!! What a show of sportsmanship from the Trojans!”
@Clintonde
“Hitler looks to sign a peace treaty… No wait, he is in Warsaw with the German Army. We go to the bottom of the 1st.”
@KCTeti
“Oh, and the South has won – no! OH! They surrendered at Appomattox!”
@michaelengel
GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24
Some of those are funny, most not. Comedy is hard.
Listened to the KU-CU FB comeback last year, with Davis calling the game. It was a great call.
I can handle his mistakes like those mentioned when he is so good at the rest of it.
In Davis’ defense, I can’t believe I just typed that, the play with the sliding center fielder was just that. I watched it on TV and their center fielder was charging hard and slid to make the catch, but the shortstop was tracking the play as well and made an over the shoulder catch. It was a hell of play.
Davis has made a few blunders in his older years, but how many young wannabes will be able to cover what they love for as many years as Davis has in their career when it is coming to a close?
Right on Bob. A legend in my book for sure.
Kadlec may have sucked as an announcer but he was a Mizzou guy and I got a kick out of some of his comments. It’s also OK with me that he retired. Mike Shannon sounds like he’s drunk half the time (probably is) doing Cardinals games but he’s a StL guy so I like him. Denny Mathews may sound bored to tears most of the time but hearing him on the air brings back good memories. I thought Bremser was a joke but he’s a Nebraska guy so you liked him.
I’ve never heard Davis do anything but Royals games. It always seemed to me he was yelling into the microphone because he’s half deaf. He should not be doing the Royals but if the KU fan base wants him doing their games then he should continue.
I wouldn’t mind seeing him replaced for KU’s broadcasts either. I’m probably in the minority of KU alums, but he takes the license to be an emotional homer too far for my taste. It’s nothing personal; it’s just not my preference. Questioning borderline calls is fine, but insisting that we got jobbed every time wears thin.
I never heard of Bob Davis until he started doing Royals games and I have never been a big fan. I was really happy when he got moved from the tv games and into radio so I wouldn’t have to listen to him every day.
On the other hand, Ryan and Frank have been doing an outstanding job this season.
I grew up listening to BD’s calls of KU basketball, and living in STL now I miss hearing “Swish! He nailed it!” on winter nights. I’m indifferent about his work on KU football, as most are indifferent about KU FB in general.
I’ve heard enough of BD’s calls on Royals radio and TV to say he’s pretty brutal. It makes a long losing season that much longer, and Royals fans deserve better baseball and better on air talent.
But I don’t see the need to drag him out of Allen Fieldhouse just yet. The vast majority of KU BB games are on TV, at least half on national TV. A young KU fan has probably heard Ron Franklin call more games than Bob-I know, sweetheart, that’s shocking. The core audience for the Jayhawk Radio Network doesn’t want to admit to themselves that they’ve lost their fastball, much less their beloved play by play guy.
Take away the small white ball and let him keep the big orange one for a few more years where he does very little harm.
I shit you not, I once heard Max ‘Frankenstein’ blurt out during a lull in a KU FB game the following:
“There’s Zac Wegner. Zac – by the way his real name is Zachary – anyway, Zac…”
It’s all about fear of death. Nobody wants to hang up the cleats or the mic for fear of moving on to the next career or the next life.
Let’s do it Grim Reaper! I’ve been there, done that and have the T-Shirt to prove it!
Johnny Carson did it the right way. It takes a certain amount of confidence and high self esteem to do it his way. Most people are too insecure and self loathing to walk away at an appropriate time. Could be they never saved and have to keep working.
Bob may have good reasons, as did Splitt, for working to the very end. Problem is at that point they are doing it more for their edification than our entertainment.
Didn’t Johnny then die shortly after?
12 or 13 years later
Bob Davis takes “homer” to a level never seen before. He is hard for me to listen to.
“So…here’s Butler at the plate. 2 out, nobody on in the 9th. Royals down by 6. If Butler can get on, then Cabrera, then Gordon, then Hosmer, then Moustakas and Escobar the Royals would find themselves right back in the ball game!”
Brutal.
Denny’s voice has gotten more gravelly with age, which I like. I also learn some baseball from him. Bob…not so much. Might as well bump him out and have Steve Stewart be the full time #2 guy.
Stewart’s bland, but listenable.
Best basketball announcers, all levels:
3. Gus Johnson: poor prep, but that voice and excitement!
2. Brent Musberger: he has his detractors, but he WAS the NBA in the 70 and 80′s.
1. Neil Funk: voice of Bulls in their Jordan-era and 80′s voice of the Kings…”Birdsong from three….KABOOM!”
Bob Davis has ALWAYS been horrible at assigning any measure of blame toward a Kansas player or coach. I can forgive partisanship in the job, but not total blinders to any shred of objectivity.
he is the worst announcer i have ever heard.
I’m OK with Davis’ Royals call, but can understand some not liking his style. Bob is perhaps less perceptive and sharp as his younger days, but I prefer listening to Bob than Denny Mathews, who seems to be bored out of his skull the past few years. Denny’s the first one who’s got to go.
Frank White is my favorite Royals color commentator…by far. He’s great.
I think most KU die-hards, like myself, still enjoy Davis’ call for KU games and LIKE his homer-ism. For me, homer-ism works and is OK in college sports. Davis calls KU games in a manner that mimmicks how I feel watching the game. When KU’s on a fierce comeback against VCU, then Morris gets called for a questionable charging call, I WANT my announcer to sound as disgusted and disbeliefed and pissed as I am. I have no problems with with Davis’ KU calls. And Davis’ coach shows with Self are often entertaining and funny. Davis is pretty witty.
I think Davis teamed with Chris Piper (who has a near-perfect blend of objectiveness and homer-ism) has been fantastic. Davis’ years may be numbered because of age, but I’ll enjoy however many years he has left.
mathews has sounded bored not just in recent years…he sounded bored when the Royals won the pennant in 85
How did I miss this Twitter blast? Fuckin’ soccer….
Anyway, Bob is the reason I can’t listen to the radio anymore. His exuberance just in no way matches up 90% of the time with the actual play on the game. Mostly in pop ups which he has no business calling.