Wallace Frank Messer (August 8, 1925 - November 13, 2001) was an American sportscaster, best known for his 18 seasons announcing New York Yankees baseball games. is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 23, 32, 37, 44, 49 Name New York Yankees (1913–present) New York Highlanders (1903-1912) Baltimore Orioles (1901-1902) (Also referred to as...

Background

An Asheville, North Carolina native, Messer was a member of the Marines during World War II in the South Pacific. After the war, he worked minor league baseball in the 1950s and got his major-league break when he joined the Baltimore Orioles and worked alongside their noted longtime voice, Chuck Thompson. In 1966, the year Bill O’Donnell also joined the broadcast crew, the O’s won their first world championship. Not to be confused with Ashville. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 4, 5, 8, 20, 22, 33, 42 Name Baltimore Orioles (1954–present) St. ... Charles L. Chuck Thompson (June 10, 1921 - March 6, 2005) was an American sportscaster best known for his broadcasts of the National Football League Baltimore Colts and Major League Baseballs Baltimore Orioles. ... This article is currently under construction // This year in baseball Events January 20 - The Baseball Writers Association of America voters elect Ted Williams to the Hall of Fame. ...

Messer’s next major-league break came after the 1967 season, when Joe Garagiola left the Yankees broadcast crew to concentrate on the network jobs he also had at NBC Sports and NBC News. Messer took Garagiola’s place for 1968, working with ex-Yankees Jerry Coleman and Phil Rizzuto. The Yankees’ longtime public-relations director Bob Fishel had urged team management to approve a traditional play-by-play sportscaster, which the Yanks had not had since the firing of Red Barber after the 1966 season. The following are the baseball events of the year 1967 throughout the world. ... Joseph Henry Garagiola, Sr. ... The NBC Sports logo used since 1989. ... NBC News endcap, used from 2002 to present. ... Gerald Francis Jerry Coleman (born September 14, 1924) is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and, currently, a play-by-play announcer for the San Diego Padres. ... Philip Francis Rizzuto (September 25, 1917 – August 13, 2007), nicknamed The Scooter, was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who spent his entire career from 1941 to 1956 with the New York Yankees. ... Walter Lanier Red Barber (February 17, 1908 - October 22, 1992) was an American sportscaster. ... This article is currently under construction // This year in baseball Events January 20 - The Baseball Writers Association of America voters elect Ted Williams to the Hall of Fame. ...

Messer was eventually given the gig of emceeing the Old-Timer’s Day ceremonies – an event in which he participated until the year before his death – and special events, such as the retirement of Mickey Mantle’s Number 7 jersey in June 1969. Messer’s steadiness and dry wit blended well with Rizzuto’s enthusiasm. For many years, New York Yankees yearbooks would refer to Messer as "One of the real pros in the business." Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995) was an American baseball player who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... The following are the baseball events of the year 1969 throughout the world. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 23, 32, 37, 44, 49 Name New York Yankees (1913–present) New York Highlanders (1903-1912) Baltimore Orioles (1901-1902) (Also referred to as...

The Yankee broadcast crew gained its best known incarnation in 1971 when Messer and Rizzuto were joined by former St. Louis Cardinals infielder Bill White, a replacement for Bob Gamere (who’d been brought in when Coleman moved to the West Coast after the 1969 season). Messer, White and Rizzuto called Yankee games together until the end of the 1985 season. This article is currently under construction // This year in baseball Events January 31 - The new Special Veterans Committee selects seven men for enshrinement to the Hall of Fame: former players Dave Bancroft, Jake Beckley, Chick Hafey, Harry Hooper, Joe Kelley, Rube Marquard, and executive George Weiss. ... Major league affiliations National League (1892–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 2, 6, 9, 14, 17, 20, 42, 42, 45, 85 Name St. ... William De Kova White (born January 28, 1934 in Lakewood, Florida) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and left-handed batter who played for the New York and San Francisco Giants (1956, 1958), St. ... Bob Gamere (Born 1939 in Worcester, Massachusetts) is an American Sportscaster. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... The following are the baseball events of the year 1969 throughout the world. ... This article is currently under construction // This year in baseball Events January 7 - Outfielder Lou Brock and knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. ...

Messer was acclaimed by critics and fans both for his straight-shooting play calling on radio and TV, and by the club for his effectiveness promoting team events. "We call Frank 'Old Reliable' up here, because we know when we're in trouble, he is here," Rizzuto said on the final 1973 Yankee broadcast before the renovation of the original Yankee Stadium. This is about the stadium the New York Yankees currently play in. ...

While Messer was relegated to radio for his final year, the trio still provided the second-longest three-man combination in New York sports history, behind the New York Mets crew of Lindsey Nelson, Ralph Kiner and Bob Murphy. Major league affiliations National League (1962–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 14, 37, 41, 42 Name New York Mets (1962–present) Other nicknames The Amazin Mets, The Amazins, The Metropolitans, The Kings of Queens Ballpark Shea Stadium (1964–present) Polo Grounds (1962–1963) Major league... Lindsey Nelson (May 25, 1919 - June 10, 1995) was an American sportscaster best known for his broadcasts of college football and New York Mets baseball. ... Ralph McPherran Kiner (born October 27, 1922) is an American former Major League Baseball player and current announcer. ... Murphy in front of the radio booth named in his honor Robert Allan Murphy (19 September 1924 – 3 August 2004) was an American sportscaster who spent 50 years doing play-by-play of Major League Baseball games on television and radio. ...

During that stretch, the trio was joined by Dom Valentino on radio for the 1975 season, Fran Healy on radio (and later, cable TV too) during the late 1970s and early 1980s, John Gordon on radio from 1982 to 1985, Bobby Murcer on WPIX in 1983 and 1984, and by the ultimate Voice of the Yankees, Mel Allen, on cable in the 1970s and 1980s. This article is currently under construction // This year in baseball Events January-June January 23 - Ralph Kiner is elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. ... Fran Healy may refer to: Francis Healy, the lead singer of Travis A former baseball player and current television announcer for the New York Mets. ... The Right Honourable John Gordon, Mr Justice Gordon (November 23, 1849 - September 26, 1922) was an Irish lawyer and politician, who served as Attorney-General for Ireland and a Judge of the High Court. ... Mel Allen (1955) Mel Allen (February 14, 1913 – June 16, 1996) was an American sportscaster, best known for his long tenure as the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees. ...

One of his signature phrases at the end of his last inning before switching booths from radio to TV (or vice-versa) was "(Announcer) will carry you along the rest of the way. It’s been a pleasure." Another was his radio call of a home run from 1981 onward, when the Yankees’ radio home was WABC): "A-B-C you later!" The following are the baseball events of the year 1981 throughout the world. ... WABC (770 kHz), known as NewsTalkRadio 77, is a radio station in New York City. ...

Besides Mickey Mantle Day, Messer’s great Yankee moments included his 1978 call of Bucky Dent’s dramatic three-run homer in the American League East Championship Game against the host Boston Red Sox; and his 1980 call of Reggie Jackson’s 400th home run ("There she goes! Might be upper deck!"), both on WINS radio. The following are the baseball events of the year 1978 throughout the world. ... Bucky Dent (born November 25, 1951), born Russell Earl ODey, is an American former Major League Baseball player and manager. ... The American League East Division is one of Major League Baseballs six divisions. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 4, 8, 9, 27, 42 Name Boston Red Sox (1908–present) Boston Americans (1901-1907) Other nicknames The BoSox, The Olde Towne Team, The Sox Ballpark Fenway Park (1912–present) Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds... Reginald Martinez Reggie Jackson (born May 18, 1946), nicknamed Mr. ... WINS (1010 kHz. ...

A star-spangled Fourth

Messer's most famous call may have been his description on WABC of the final out of Dave Righetti’s no-hitter at Yankee Stadium against the Red Sox, on July 4, 1983: As Righetti got Wade Boggs to swing at strike three, Messer intoned: David Allan Righetti (born November 28, 1958 in San Jose, California), nicknamed Rags, is an American former left-handed pitcher, and current pitching coach, in Major League Baseball. ... This is about the stadium the New York Yankees currently play in. ... is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The following are the baseball events of the year 1983 throughout the world. ... Wade Anthony Boggs (born June 15, 1958 in Omaha, Nebraska) is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball, primarily with the Boston Red Sox. ...

The kick, and the pitch..he STRUCK HIM OUT! Righetti has piched a no-hitter! Dave Righetti has piched a no-hitter! He strikes out Boggs for the final out of the ball game, and the Yankees POUR onto the field to congratulate Dave Righetti!

Ironically, according to the book Sports on New York Radio by Westwood One media executive and former sportscaster David J. Halberstam, the call should have been made by partner White, who was to call that half-inning as part of the in-game rotation of announcers between radio and SportsChannel TV (now Fox Sports Net New York). While White did the whole game bouncing between WABC and SportsChannel, Messer and Rizzuto rotated between TV, radio and the Fan Appreciation Day giveaways on the field between innings. Westwood One, Inc. ... David J. Halberstam (b. ... SportsChannel America was a cable television network that existed in the 1980s and early 1990s. ... FSN New York (often abbreviated as FSNY, or more appropriately, FSNNY), previously known as Fox Sports Net New York (or Fox Sports New York) and SportsChannel New York, is a regional sports network in the New York City metropolitan area, whose reach expands to cover the entire state of New...

But according to Messer, after White saw him return to the WABC radio booth (he helped White call the last half of the eighth inning), White insisted that Messer, the senior of the two, should call the ninth.

"It was a class act," Messer said of White’s gesture.

A tar-spangled Sunday

Another Messer moment came less than three weeks later -- Sunday, July 24, 1983. The Kansas City Royals were playing the Yankees at the Stadium. In the top of the ninth inning, George Brett came up to bat against Rich (Goose) Gossage, his old rival. Brett hit a two-run homer, putting the Royals up 5-4. After Brett rounded the bases, Yankees manager Billy Martin (at the suggestion of his protege, third baseman Graig Nettles) came out of the dugout and urged home-plate umpire Tim McClelland to measure the amount of pine tar on Brett's bat, citing an obscure rule that stated the pine tar on a bat could extend no further than 18 inches. Brett's pine tar extended about 24 inches. is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The following are the baseball events of the year 1983 throughout the world. ... Major league affiliations American League (1969–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 5, 10, 20, 42 Name Kansas City Royals (1969–present) Other nicknames The Boys in Blue Ballpark Kauffman Stadium (1973–present) a. ... George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953 in Glen Dale, West Virginia) is a former Major League Baseball player for the Kansas City Royals. ... Richard Michael Goose Gossage (born July 5, 1951, in Colorado Springs, Colorado) is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. ... Alfred Manuel Billy Martin (May 16, 1928 – December 25, 1989) was an American second baseman and manager in Major League Baseball. ... Graig Nettles (born August 20, 1944, in San Diego, California) (nicknamed Puff) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and left-handed batter who played for the Minnesota Twins (1967-69), Cleveland Indians (1970-72), New York Yankees (1973-83), San Diego Padres (1984-86), Atlanta Braves (1987) and... Pine tar is a sticky material produced by the high temperature carbonization of pine wood in anoxic conditions (dry distillation or destructive distillation). ...

"I've never seen this," said sportscaster and ex-Yankee Bobby Murcer on WPIX as he watched McClelland measure the bat across the plate. "I never have either," said Messer. A few moments later, McClelland signalled Brett out. Bobby Ray Murcer (born May 20, 1946, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) was a professional baseball player for 17 seasons. ... WPIX, channel 11, is a television station in New York City. ...

The normally mild-mannered Brett charged out of the dugout, enraged, and was immediately ejected. An incredulous Messer:

He's out! Look at this!...He is out, and having to be forcibly restrained from hitting plate umpire Tim McClelland. And the Yankees have won the ball game 4 to 3!

The Royals protested the game, and their protest was upheld by American League President (and former Yankees chief executive) Lee MacPhail, who ruled that the bat was not "altered to improve the distance factor", and that the rules only provided for removal of the bat from the game, and not calling the batter out. Leland Stanford MacPhail, Jr. ...

The game was replayed, starting after Brett's homer. Billy Martin had one last trick up his sleeve, appealing the play before, saying the umpires had no way of knowing Brett had touched all the bases. The umpires produced affidavits saying he had. The game had virtually no effect on 1983's pennant race, but was in many ways the closing chapter on a heated rivalry.

Later years

After the Yankees let Messer go following the 1985 season (with Bobby Murcer becoming a fixture as play-by-play man and analyst for TV broadcasts), Messer worked for the Chicago White Sox and called CBS Radio Network Game of the Week broadcasts. He continued to emcee Old-Timer’s Day ceremonies through 1997. One of his most poignant jobs was introducing Mickey Mantle at the 1994 event, just after Mantle had completed treatment for alcoholism. This article is currently under construction // This year in baseball Events January 7 - Outfielder Lou Brock and knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. ... Bobby Ray Murcer (born May 20, 1946, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) was a professional baseball player for 17 seasons. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 2, 3, 4, 9, 11, 16, 19, 42, 72, Name Chicago White Sox (1904–present) Other nicknames The Sox, The South Siders, The ChiSox, The Pale Hose, The Good Guys, The Go-Go Sox, The... The CBS Radio Network provides news, sports and other programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. ...

Even after John Sterling and Michael Kay took over the introduction of players in the late 1990s, Messer was still the event "host," greeting the Stadium fans before turning over the rest of the show to his successors. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Michael Kay (born February 2, 1961) is the main play-by-play voice of the New York Yankees, host of Centerstage on the YES Network and the host of The Michael Kay Show on WEPN. // Kay began reporting as a youth at the Bronx High School of Science and then...