August Autograph Pickups

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by dgo71

I cannot think of Rex without hearing him announcing O's games at old Memorial Stadium. I always loved his tagline "Give that fan a contract!" when someone made a nice grab of a foul ball. When the O's were especially awful in the late 80s my friend and I would joke that it couldn't hurt to let the fan at least try out.

You couldd'a been a contenda!

Very true, that 1988 season was brutal for the O's... I forget how many games that they lost in a row, but it was amazing. I was on a business trip to Las Vegas and I remember thinking every day that maybe I should place a bet for them to win, but every dy they continued to lose. Some teams are just plain BAD!

BTW, I never heard Rex Barney behind the mike that I recall, but I understand he was a solid broadcaster. He was considered to be quite a fireballing prospect when he first came up to the majors, but he, like many fastball pitchers, lacked the control to be successful. He did capture lightning in a bottle on September 9, 1948 when he hurled a no-hitter against the NY Giants, prevailing 2-0. Here are two ticket stubs to Barney's 1948 no-hitter from my personal collection.