Finding myself back in my New England hometown since May, I've nevertheless felt a little estranged from a place I've called home for most of the past decade, and have been relying on internet radio to bring me a little bit closer to the SF Bay Area. My daily dose of audio reminiscence took a particularly poignant turn today, when I tuned in to Rick Barry and Rod Brooks' afternoon show on KNBR only to learn that Bill King had passed.
The voice of the Oakland A's for the past quarter century, King was a true legend of sports radio in the Bay. I wasn't around for his historic calls of Warrior and Raider games, but he was the main reason why radio is for me the number one way to experience baseball. When I made it out to the Coliseum, I usually made sure to bring my pocket radio along, with AM 610's broadcast playing in my ear even as I watched the Athletics live. King's knowledge of and respect for the game itself were always a comfort, and his even-keeled delivery made the listener feel the timelessness of the sport. His absence began to be felt this season, when hip problems forced him to miss the A's away games. After entering San Leandro Memorial Hospital Friday to undergo surgery, complications led to the blockage of an artery in his lung, to which he eventually succumbed. He was 78.
As I sat down to put my thoughts in order this evening, I made a call to the most faithful A's fan I know back in Oakland, my friend Marcos. He'd just gotten off from work when he answered, and so I found myself in the undesirable position of breaking the news to him. Marcos did touch upon one aspect that made King so special: his modesty. Aside from the memorable imprint of his catchphrase "Holy Toledo!" the impression King gave was never one of blowing things out of proportion, that is, taking advantage of a great play in the field by trying too hard to make his play-by-play ripe for rebroadcast.
In an age where ESPN radio regularly replays the "calls of the night" across the nation, Bill King never called attention to himself. He simply called the game, and sports fans will miss him dearly.
