Posted: 3/30/05
Final Draft - by Cliff Buchan
Tradition suffers with passing of Bob Casey
Baseball fans everywhere will agree that the game is one of tradition. For many, the game is woven into society through and through.
Outside of Minnesota, the passing Sunday of Bob Casey, the public address announcer for the Minnesota Twins, may deserve only a small blurb in the baseball notes of daily newspapers or perhaps a mention on ESPN.
Not in Minnesota, however.
Casey, the only man to work as the PA guy for the Twins, was 15 days shy of his 80th birthday when he died on Sunday. Ominous reports on the decline of Caseyís health surfaced throughout the winter. Many were left to wonder if this was it for Casey.
Sunday we learned the hard news.
Caseyís passing truly is a blow to the tradition of baseball in Minnesota. It wonít be the same at Minnesota home games this year not to hear that voice barking from his PA hole deep behind home plate at the Metrodome.
For baseball fans to truly appreciate Casey they had to hear him more than once or twice. While some outside fans may have thought Minnesotans were crazy to rave about Casey, locals continued to love to hear him do the lineups before the game and announce the batters and the pitching changes.
Much has been written, of course, about his famous ìNo smokingî decree in the Metrodome or his legendary introduction of Kirby Puckett. Thatís how many will remember Casey.
Others will remember him from his days at the old Met Stadium in Bloomington when he announced fans should not panic because of an approaching tornado.
Others will choose to remember him for his love of the game and forgive his misspeaks and faux paus, which happened from time to time. They simply made the man more lovable and some might say more adorable.
And there was something constant, too, about Bob Casey. He was always there, never seemingly stopped by sickness, even family functions.
That was the comforting part. The knowledge that Casey would always be there. It gets back to tradition in many ways.
Itís the same with Twinsí games on WCCO. What would a Twins home broadcast be without the soothing call from Herb Carneal?
Carneal is also near retirement and may be in the radio booth for only a short time. The same was understood with Casey. After 44 years, what can we expect?
Baseball fans understand the tradition of the game and accept the fact change will come.
Perhaps it is like the old pitcher who has been a solid performer but running out of innings or the aging hitter who delivered many clutch hits but can no longer catch up with the heater from a young gun on the mound. Fans will tolerate the old-timers until they fade from the scene.
Bob Casey has made his exit and we pause to remember and not forget. Baseball is a game of tradition and memories and Casey sure gave us plenty of the latter. Bob Casey stories will be told for many years to come.
Casey wonít be forgotten soon and in the tradition of baseball, that has made the man pretty special.
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