Broadcast legend says hello to old friends
JERRY HOWARTH
Jerry Howarth is into his fourth year of retirement after a legendary career in radio as the play-by-play voice of the Blue Jays, and he can still regale you with a story or two if you bump into him. And you just might since the native of York, Pa. now lives in Etobicoke with Mary, his wife of 50 years.
Howarth, 75, saw just about everything there was to see in Jays history over 36 seasons behind the mic. The Star caught up with him recently for his thoughts about the state of baseball broadcasts, the origins of his catch phrase and more.
The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
You had 36 years behind the mic doing Jays broadcasts and retired in 2018. Do you miss it?
No, I do not, and I say this because I enjoyed every pitch I called. When I left, I was very happy with my career and I left with no regrets. I had prostate surgery in November 2016 and by the next summer, in 2017, I began to feel it wearing on me. I thought I’d revive in 2018, but it didn’t quite happen that way. So, there were no regrets when I walked away.
Where did “Hello, friends!” come from?
When (longtime play-by play partner Tom Cheek, who died in 2005) contracted the malignant brain tumour, he was 65 and had to have surgery. I went from the No. 2 spot to the main spot and I told myself, “Don’t just say hi to everyone” … I’d made friends across Canada, and this country is a huge part of my life. So, I said that these are my friends (and) when I got on air, I said, “Hello, friends!” I didn’t want to do something routine or be like someone else. I felt like Canada was my country. I’ve lived here for 40 years. So, “Hello, friends!” became part of what I did, and I did it every (game) for 13 seasons.
Sportsnet has since restored its dedicated radio broadcast, but the network took it away in spring training and for part of the season in favour of a TV simulcast. What was your reaction to that, since you had a big hand in paving the way for baseball radio in this city?
I was shocked when they took away (radio play-by-play voice) Ben Wagner … It was disappointing. No matter how you do a simulcast, it’s not radio and it’s not the same. When I heard the simulcasts, it was not the same. And you can’t blame the announcers. Ben does it all by himself and he does a great job, and I endorsed him to take over the mic when I left.
The Jays’ TV broadcasts have come under criticism for having analysts Buck Martinez and Pat Tabler do their job remotely. What’s your take on that?
Again, I’m hopeful that changes next season or sooner. I’m hopeful the end of the pandemic is near and that they get partners together again in the booth on both radio and TV. I’m hopeful that they travel with the team. When Ben does road games, he has to make the call from a monitor and that’s not easy. On TV, when you call the game and you’re not at the park, it’s not easy either. They all do a terrific job, but I hope it’s back to the way it was next year.