Enberg's grace was a thing of beauty behind the mic

Some days you look up and see yet another part of your childhood disappear.

In the sports broadcasting world, that pattern has become all too common for
most people in my generation the last five years between Pat Summerall, Craig
Sager, Joe Garagiola, and Wayne Walker. Before I established this blog, there
was Stuart Scott, Jack Buck, Hank Stram, Bill King and Frank Gifford to name a
few.

I logged online before I went to work on Friday morning only to discover yet another
link to my childhood is gone as the great Dick Enberg died at age 82. Enberg
provided play-by-play for various sports on numerous radio and television networks
(including but not limited to NBC, CBS and ESPN), and for various teams, over the
course of an approximately 60-year career.

His most recent broadcasting duty was radio voice of the San Diego Padres. Two
years ago, I was on driving my truck on route for Alhambra Water and listening to
95.7 The Game (KGMZ, San Francisco). The Padres were playing the Giants.
Hence, Enberg was a guest one one of the shows. Listening to the interview, I was
reminded of what an eloquent speaker that Enberg exuded. His style was a mix of
articulate grace and humor but the latter was natural as opposed to forced.

Most every broadcaster I followed had their catch-phrases that took on a life of their
own. With Marv Albert, there is “YES and it counts!” With Bill King it was, “Holy
Toledo!” With former San Francisco 49ers/California Golden Bears radio broadcaster
Joe Starkey it was, “Oh what a Bonanza!”

For Enberg, his catch-phrases were “Touch ‘em all” for home runs in baseball. With
sports like football or basketball, it was “Oh, my!” in reference to exciting or athletic
plays.

You associate certain broadcasters with a sport, even if they broadcast other sports
as well. Listen to Keith Jackson, you know it’s college football season. Listen to Vin
Scully, you know it’s baseball. With Enberg, the sport could be anything from baseball
to football (college or pro), basketball (college or pro), boxing, tennis, golf, Olympics,
Rose Bowl, Super Bowl or Breeder’s Cup horse racing. Enberg won so many trophies
for his broadcasting prowess that a metal detector would not be safe. He earned
numerous Emmy Awards and other forms of recognition from the pro football,
basketball and baseball halls of fame and various other honors.

If there was one word that described Enberg’s personality, it was versatility. I was
fortunate enough to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism from
the University of Nebraska in 1997. Though I eventually shifted my focus to writing,
I have an appreciation the talent it takes to broadcast sports events, newscasts and
talk shows.

Whether he was broadcasting football, basketball, or any of his 28 Wimbledon
tournaments, Enberg brought a steadfast preparation coupled with a story-telling
approach. Keep in mind, each sport requires different mannerisms.

I have seen broadcasting styles evolve other the years but not necessarily for the
better. Play-by-play voices like Sean McDonough, Brad Nessler and Mike Tirico
could fit in any era. However, it is the sports talk show climate that makes me
appreciate Enberg’s style even more. Though Steven A. Smith, Max Kellerman,
Skip Bayless and Colin Cowherd are entertaining, they feed too much into the
“louder is better” category.

When I first started watching sports, and very naive about a lot of it, I had to rely
on one of the commentators to let me what was what. Enberg, above all others,
was my favorite. He wasn’t too technical. Translation, he never came off like a
know-it-all. He also wasn’t a buffoon. There are too many of those today but I
digress.

Though Enberg remained on top of his game before retiring in 2016, listening
to him reminded you of a different era of broadcasting. In today’s climate, social
media blurs the lines of traditional media. The volume of media covering events
has clouded trust between coaches/athletes and media.

Enberg, however, was a trusted source.

Enberg was beyond a shadow of doubt, an elite broadcaster. If there is a Mount
Rushmore of broadcasters, he belongs.

The next football game I watch that involves an incredibly athletic play, Enberg will
be looking down from heaven exclaiming, “Oh, my!”