My best memories of Joe Nuxhall weren't the times I talked to him.
They were the times I'd sit on the front porch with my dad listening to him on the radio.
Nuxhall, the longtime color man of Reds' radio, passed away this past weekend.
Everyone who knew or heard Nuxhall on the air liked him. He was a hard person not to like.
Nuxhall had a passion for baseball and his broadcasts came across that way. His "get out of here" or "stay fair" calls on Reds' home runs were legendary.
So were his interviews with players like Tony Perez.
I'll never forget how hard my dad laughed at some of the things Nuxhall said on the air, some of them intentional, some not.
In the end, Nuxhall was an everyday guy from Hamilton, who became a major league baseball player. He never forgot his roots or the fans who adored him.
A few years ago, he came to Lima for his book signing. Over 200 people waited in line to shake his hand or get his autograph.
Most just wanted to say thanks for how much he had meant to them over the years.
With each person who said, "Thanks Joe for all those years on the air," he nodded and said, "Thanks, I really appreciate that."
And he really did. He was that kind of guy.
4 comments:
Ush, I agree with you -
Joe will be sorely missed. My best memory, and maybe you'll remember this too, was when Marty and Joe came to Xavier over the winter between 1976 and 1976 seasons to talk up the Reds. Someone asked Marty how much beer Joe drank during a game, and Marty replied that there was no one in that room who could keep up with him. And there were a lot of beer drinkers in that room!
I do remember that day. And, it seems every time after that I heard Marty speak on the Reds' winter caravan, someone always asked about Joe. Although, I think the Xavier group was the only one that asked about his beer drinking ability.
That was fairly early in his broadcast career, 30+ years ago. He was about our age then, and maybe could handle a few beers daily. In all the stories I've heard about Joe on 700 WLW and other sources, no one else mentioned his love for beer. Ice cream, yes, but not beer. Maybe Marty was playing to the crowd a little that day.
That was fairly early in his broadcast career, 30+ years ago. He was about our age then, and maybe could handle a few beers daily. In all the stories I've heard about Joe on 700 WLW and other sources, no one else mentioned his love for beer. Ice cream, yes, but not beer. Maybe Marty was playing to the crowd a little that day.
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