Bob Sheppard: Yankees announcer forever?

Really interesting post today from Darren Rovell on NBC's Sports Biz blog: It's about Bob Sheppard, the 97-year-old announcer for the New York Yankees. He's been announcing for the Yankees since 1951 -- that's 57 years -- except this year there's a bit of a difference:

Sheppard, 97, who had been announcing all the names and numbers for the New York Yankees since 1951, hasn’t made it to the stadium this year due to illness, but his voice has lived on due to the fact that he has recorded the Yankee lineup.

Given the ovation at the mention of Sheppard’s name last night, it’s clear that there would be no replacement for Sheppard if he sadly never makes it to the new stadium next year.

But due to the state of text-to-speech technology, Sheppard’s voice could be the voice of the starting lineups for the next 50 years, if the Yankees choose to go that route.

Read on...

Everything you ever wanted to know about goal horns

Two of our most popular blog posts are about goal horns, and I bet this one will be just as popular.

There's a great thread on the Hockey Music Forum about the technology behind hockey goal horns -- complete with photos, videos, audio files, technical specifications, and more.

A sample: "We use a real freight train locomotive horn model "K3L" manufactured by Airchime. Our rinks is not large, however we have the horn specifically set so that it's loud and not ear piercing. The model Ottawa has is the same as ours, which is a three trumpet horn with the exception of the third trumpet which is a K5 and we use a K3. The K3 gives a deeper note than the K5 which is not hard on the ears if set at 60psi."

(The photo above is a Black Finish 4 Horn Kit & 2.0 Gallon Tank from HornBlasters.com)

"EVERYBODY JUST SHUT UP!"

From Ohio.com:

I’m writing this at Jacobs Field. It’s te third inning of Tuesday’s Tribe game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The press-box windows are open; it’s 75 degrees.

I’m actually having a conversation with the person next to me ... It’s doesn’t matter what we’re talking about….

But the point is, I could hear it. I actually could talk to someone at a ballgame! I mean, he could finish a sentence without the scoreboard bellowing: “EVERYBODY CLAP YOUR HANDS! EVERYBODY CLAP YOUR HANDS!'’

You hear that at an NBA game, and you want to scream: “EVERYBODY JUST SHUT UP! EVERYBODY JUST SHUT UP!'’

I followed the Cavaliers from Washington to New Jersey to Detroit to San Antonio during the playoffs. I haven’t been able to talk to anyone — and hear anything — in any arena for two months. I had to SCREAM at people next to me.

...

At Quicken Loans Arena and some other NBA venues, the scoreboard breathes fire during the introductions. There are explosions that rock the walls. A guy races to midcourt and starts shouting… then he raises his voice to a screech… the scoreboard howls at you.

It’s like being trapped in a video game designed to make you go deaf or turn your mind to mush.

(via GameOps.com)

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Behind the scenes at Joe Louis Arena

From the Detroit News, here's an account of some of the staff and activities that go on behind the scenes to prepare for a Red Wings game:

Ricky Gopigian Audio engineer ... By 9:30 a.m. Sunday, he was doing routine checks around the building, including a stop in the media work room to prepare morning news conferences. He also made sure Karen Newman had the proper setup for the national anthem ... Gopigian, an entertainment business veteran since the late 1970s, ended the day overseeing the postgame news conferences.

...

Sheldon Nueman Director of broadcasting ... Nueman has the most unique office in Detroit. It's 100 feet above center ice. From there -- inside the giant four-sided scoreboard at the Joe -- Nueman and his company control everything from the animated octopus to the distinctive horns that blare after goals. Nueman, 51, president of Livonia-based Joseph Productions Inc., also can control the video needs at Comerica Park and the Hockeytown Café from this location.
...
As for the goal horns, they're real horns powered by nitrogen tanks. Hockey fans know the sound is unique to the Joe, and Nueman wouldn't be more specific about how it's created.

"It's a mystery, kind of like the recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken," Nueman said

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(via Kukla's Korner)