Red Barber facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Red Barber
Barber in 1955
Born	Walter Lanier Barber (1908-02-17)February 17, 1908 Columbus, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	October 22, 1992(1992-10-22) (aged 84) Tallahassee, Florida, U.S.
Nationality	American
Other names	The Ol' Redhead
Alma mater	University of Florida
Occupation	Sports announcer
Spouse(s)	Lylah Scarborough (m. 1931)
Children	1
Awards	Ford C. Frick Award (1978)
Sports commentary career
Team(s)	Cincinnati Reds (1934–38) Brooklyn Dodgers (1939–53) New York Yankees (1954–66)
Genre(s)	Play-by-play
Sports	Major League Baseball

Walter Lanier "Red" Barber (born February 17, 1908 – died October 22, 1992) was a famous American sports announcer and author. People often called him "The Ol' Redhead." He was best known for broadcasting Major League Baseball games for over 40 years.

Red Barber called games for three big teams: the Cincinnati Reds (1934–1938), the Brooklyn Dodgers (1939–1953), and the New York Yankees (1954–1966). He also announced college and professional American football games, especially in New York City. He was a true pioneer in sports broadcasting.

Red Barber's Life Story
Honors and Awards
Books by Red Barber
See also

Red Barber's Life Story

Starting Out in Broadcasting

Red Barber was born in Columbus, Mississippi. His family moved to Sanford, Florida in 1918. When he was 21, he went to the University of Florida. He planned to study education.

In 1930, Red Barber was working as a janitor at the University Club. One day, a professor who was supposed to speak on the university radio station, WRUF, didn't show up. Red Barber was asked to fill in! His very first broadcast was reading a paper about cows. After that, he decided he wanted to work in radio. He became WRUF's director and chief announcer. He even covered Florida Gators football games.

Red Barber left school to focus on his radio career. In 1934, he got a job broadcasting for the Cincinnati Reds. This was his first time announcing a major league baseball game.

Becoming Famous with the Brooklyn Dodgers

In 1939, Red Barber moved to the Brooklyn Dodgers. He quickly became very popular in Brooklyn. People loved his friendly, down-to-earth style. He used many unique phrases that became famous.

Here are some of Red Barber's well-known sayings:

"They're tearin' up the pea patch" – This meant a team was winning a lot of games.
"The bases are F.O.B. (full of Brooklyns)" – This meant the Dodgers had players on all three bases.
"Can of corn" – This described a baseball hit softly that was easy to catch.
"Rhubarb" – This was used for any big argument or fight on the field.
"Sittin' in the catbird seat" – This meant a player or team was doing really well.
"Walkin' in the tall cotton" – Another phrase for being very successful.
"Slicker than boiled okra" – This described a ball that was hard for a player to hold onto.
"Easy as a bank of fog" – This described a player moving very smoothly.
"Tighter than a new pair of shoes on a rainy day" – This meant a game was very close.
"Tied up in a croker sack" – This meant a game was completely decided, with one team winning easily.

Red Barber also had a special way of talking about players. He would often call them "Mister," "big fella," or "old."

"Now, Mister Reiser steps to the plate, batting at .344."
"Big fella Hatten pitches, it's in there for strike one."
"Old number 13, Ralph Branca, coming in to pitch."

Many announcers today use "back, back, back" for a long fly ball. Red Barber used it to describe the outfielder's movement. In Game 6 of the 1947 World Series, he famously said:

"Here's the pitch, swung on, belted ... it's a long one ... back goes Gionfriddo, back, back, back, back, back, back ... heeee makes a one-handed catch against the bullpen! Oh, Doctor!"

The phrase "Oh, Doctor" was also picked up by other sportscasters.

In 1939, Red Barber made history. He broadcast the first-ever major league baseball game on television! It was on an experimental NBC station. He also became the sports director for CBS Radio Network in 1946. There, he created the CBS Football Roundup, which let listeners switch between different college football games.

In 1948, Red Barber became ill and had to take time off. The Dodgers' president, Branch Rickey, arranged for Ernie Harwell to fill in. This was a unique "trade" where an announcer was traded for a baseball player!

Red Barber as head of CBS Sports and host of his TV show, Red Barber's Club House, 1949.

Red Barber also helped start the career of another famous announcer, Vin Scully. He invited Vin Scully to join the Dodgers' broadcast team in 1950. Together, Barber, Connie Desmond, and Scully called games for the Dodgers on both radio and TV.

Breaking Barriers in Baseball

Red Barber was one of the first people to know about a huge change coming to baseball. The Dodgers were going to sign Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson would be the first black player in the major leagues in many years.

At first, Red Barber wasn't sure if he could broadcast games with a black player. He had grown up in the Southern United States, where racial segregation was common. But after seeing Jackie Robinson play and handle the tough treatment from some fans, Red Barber became a strong supporter. He cheered on Jackie and other black players like Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe. He even wrote a book about this time called 1947: When All Hell Broke Loose in Baseball.

During this time, Red Barber also broadcast many World Series games for radio and TV. He often worked with New York Yankees announcer Mel Allen. He also called New York Giants football games and other college and professional football games.

Moving to the New York Yankees

Before the 1953 World Series, Red Barber was asked to call the games for NBC. But he wanted more money than was offered. When the Dodgers' owner didn't support him, Red Barber decided not to work the Series. This disagreement, along with a contract dispute, led to him leaving the Dodgers.

Soon after, the New York Yankees hired Red Barber in 1954. He tried to be very neutral and factual in his broadcasts for the Yankees. He didn't openly cheer for the team. Some fans found this style a bit dull, especially compared to Mel Allen's exciting way of calling games.

Red Barber explained that he and Mel Allen had different ways of calling long fly balls. Mel Allen would watch the ball, saying "That ball is going, going, it is GONE!" Red Barber would watch the outfielder. He believed watching the player's movements helped him know if the ball would be caught. This is why his famous call of Gionfriddo's catch describes the outfielder, not just the ball.

In 1966, the Yankees had a very bad season. On September 22, only 413 people came to a game at Yankee Stadium. Red Barber asked the TV cameras to show the empty stands. The team's media head told the cameras not to. But Red Barber still talked about it, saying, "I don't know what the paid attendance is today, but whatever it is, it is the smallest crowd in the history of Yankee Stadium, and this crowd is the story, not the game." This upset the new team president, and Red Barber's contract was not renewed.

Later Life and Legacy

After leaving the Yankees in 1966, Red Barber stopped broadcasting baseball. He wrote several books, including his autobiography, Rhubarb in the Catbird Seat. He also appeared in sports documentaries, like Ken Burns' Baseball.

From 1981 until he passed away, Red Barber made weekly appearances on National Public Radio's Morning Edition. He would talk with host Bob Edwards from his home in Tallahassee, Florida. They often discussed sports, but also other topics, like the plants around his home. He always called Bob Edwards "Colonel Bob."

Red Barber passed away in 1992. Bob Edwards later wrote a book about their radio friendship called Fridays with Red: A Radio Friendship.

Honors and Awards

Red Barber with his wife Lylah and daughter Sarah, 1950.

Red Barber received many awards for his amazing career.

In 1973, he was inducted into the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame.
In 1978, he and Mel Allen were the first broadcasters to receive the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
In 1979, he received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Florida. He was also inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame.
In 1984, he was part of the first group inducted into the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame.
He won a George Polk Award in 1985 and a Peabody Award in 1990 for his NPR broadcasts.
In 1995, he was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame after his death.

In 1993, TV Guide named Red Barber the best sportscaster of the 1950s.

In 1994, he was featured many times in the Ken Burns series Baseball. He shared stories about baseball history, especially about the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The University of Florida gives out a Red Barber Radio Scholarship each year. It helps students who want to study sports broadcasting.

A WRUF microphone that Red Barber used in the 1930s is now part of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum's collection.

Books by Red Barber

The Rhubarb Patch: The Story of the Modern Brooklyn Dodgers (1954)
Rhubarb in the Catbird Seat (1968)
Walk in the Spirit: Inspiring Men, Moments and Credos from a Lifetime of Sports Reporting (1969)
The Broadcasters (1970)
Show Me the Way to Go Home (1971)
1947: When All Hell Broke Loose in Baseball (1982)