|
If you don't know whoHot Rod Hundley is, you better find out. Read his Wikipedia page. The most important fact is that Hot Rod was the voice of the Utah Jazz from 1974-2005. At that point, the stupid Jazz brass decided to move Hot Rod onto radio broadcasts only (he had previously done radio and TV simulcasts) and bring in the ever annoying, never insightful, lover of porn (why else would he always be yelling "Money Shot!") meathead Craig Bolerjack. Now if I want to enjoy the Jazz telecast, I have to turn off the TV and turn on the radio. Thanks a pantload for that one, Jazz brass.
Anyway, I was driving home last night and had the radio on listening to Hot Rod call the play-by-play and was amazed at the job he was doing. Hot Rod calls the game like he is by himself and no one is listening. He says whatever he wants, and you can tell he is just tired of what he does. This is all extremely entertaining. To hear the disappointment in his voice is priceless. I mean, who else could turn a virtually meaningless game between Utah and Charlotte into high class entertainment. The best part is that it seems Hot Rod doesn't even like the Jazz. He's mostly just disappointed by them.
As a subscriber to the NBA league pass, I get to hear a lot of announcing and most of it is atrocious. The best announcer I hear, by far, is tucked away on local radio: Hot Rod Hundley. To my money, he is the best of all time. Don't give me Chick Hearn, Hot Rod kills him with his signature style. Does Hot Rod pronounce the majority of the names of players correctly? No. That's what makes him great. Here's a list of some of my favorites:
Man-U Ginobili. He says it just like Manchester United fans Umeka Okafor. Most people say it Emeka. Not Hots. Rodger Bell. Isn't it supposed to be Raja? No. It isn't. It's taken him 6 years to even come close to saying Kirilenko correctly, and he still can't quite do it. Paul Pierce/Ricky Davis=Ricky Pierce. When these two guys played for the Celtics they had one game that wasn't on TV so I had to listen on the radio. I cannot honestly tell you who scored what that game, since Hot Rod just called both players Ricky Pierce, who had retired from the NBA some 7 years earlier. Ronnie Brewer/Paul Milsap=Ronnie Milsap. This is the same principle, but let it be known that Ronnie Milsap has never suited up for the Jazz. He has played country music, but never hit a J in the NBA to my knowledge.
The best thing about Hot Rod, is that he paints a picture for you like none other. You listen on the radio and you really can see the action because Hot Rod describes it like none other. By far my favorite parts of the legend of Hot Rod, are the little sayings he has that make him an Icon. The best:
Hippity Hop Move Belt-High Dribble Frozen Rope-you could hang your wash on it Leap-and-Lean Goodifitgoes Yo-Yo dribble With a gentle push and a mild arc the old cowhide globe hits home Stops on a dime,seven cents change (I have no clue what that means,btw) Hammer Dunk You gotta love it, baby!
One last story about ol' Hot Rod. One night, me and a few of my friends decided we would head out to Wendover, Nevada for some casino gaming action. We got there and saw good old Hot Rod, sloshed like no other, hamming it up at a craps table. He was three sheets to the wind when out of nowhere, some nasty lady comes up and asks Hot Rod to sign her old, wrinkly boobs. Does Hot Rod even blink? No. He signs those nasty funbags like it was something he does daily. And he probably does. I love you Hot Rod, you are the best ever.
|
I agree with every word of this article. Hot Rod is the greatest, and that meathead Bolerjackoff (who I heard is totally racist) needs to go back to college football. I love how, unlike most local commentators, he is not a homer - he gets just as excited when the opposition pulls a sweet play as when Utah. Also, I love how disgusted he gets when Utah misses a defensive rotation or turns it over on a botched alley-oop.
The influx of Euro players has really done havoc on Hot Rod's game - sometimes he can consume an entire play in trying to pronounce Thabo Sefolosha only to end with "shot's flat and Millsap grabs the rebound!"
Finally, I heard ol' Hotz is going to be hanging it up shortly to move down to Arizona and be with his grandkids. I am thoroughly dreading that sad day.