The Razor voice was cutting edge

Some of the more soul-touching times in life can be losing parts of your childhood. 

For many San Francisco Bay Area sports fans like myself, that moment came on Monday, August 3, 2020, when learning about the passing of Ralph Barbieri, who was both celebrated and scorned -- sometimes by the same people. Barbieri passed away at age 74 after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Barbieri is considered an icon in Bay Area sports lore along with being a pioneer for sports talk radio, specifically for KNBR 680 AM. Gary Radnich is another considered with Barbieri, who is best remembered for his years of co-hosting a show with former NBA player Tom Tolbert from 1996-2012. The show was known as “The Razor and Mr. T.”

Barbieri was given the nickname “Razor voice” by San Francisco Chronicle Herb Caen because of his high-pitched, raspy voice that was somewhat similar to Academy Award winning actor Joe Pesci. Barbieri and Tolbert’s show was the highest rated show in the Bay Area for over a decade pertaining to the 25-54 male demographic. 

Barbieri’s path to legendary sports talk pioneer was unconventional. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of San Francisco in political science with a minor in philosophy. He later graduated with a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. After living in New York, where he worked in advertising, he returned to San Francisco. 

The rest, as is commonly uttered, is history. 

Barbieri began his sports journalism career as a stringer for Sport magazine before joining KNBR on the sports news desk. Barbieri later became a sports talk show host at night and later in the drive time slot. Barbieri worked at KNBR until 2012, when he was unceremoniously dismissed. Barbieri was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2005 but never disclosed that information to either listeners or KNBR management until 2011. Barbieri sued Cumulus Media for discrimination because of age and illness. The case was settled in 2013. 

There are several things I take from Barbieri’s passing and the various tributes through both traditional and social media. I have spent 42 of 48 years of my life in Napa, CA as a Bay Area professional sports fan, specifically the San Francisco Giants and 49ers. I was also a Golden State Warriors fan before I switched my allegiance to the San Antonio Spurs. Growing in a blue collar family, listening to Barbieri made me want to become a sportscaster. I listened to his shows many nights in my bedroom and while driving. I later got my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska in broadcast journalism but wound up becoming a writer for 18 years. I still write six years after changing careers. 

I also identified with Barbieri because he had Italian lineage. I frequently found myself saying, “I’ll listen to that Paisan any day.” He was passionate about his teams. He loved them hard and criticized them hard, thus demonstrating that you could love your team and be critical. Barbieri loved the San Francisco Bay Area teams: Giants, 49ers, Warriors and San Jose Sharks. Giants baseball, however, was the team that Barbieri wore his heart on his sleeve. As a Giants fan myself, I felt like Barbieri was speaking to me when he talked. 

Barbieri was also the confluence of personalities. He was flawed but authentic. The Bay Area gets a reputation for being soft or aloof but I think Barbieri would hold his old against anyone from Boston, New York, Philadelphia or Chicago. He wouldn’t be a shrinking violet. Barbieri was also intellectual on many subjects. 

I never met the man but I called his radio show twice when I was a 17-year old kid. When I heard, “Let’s go to Vince in Napa,” I expressed myself clearly and lucidly but deep down, I was scared. What if “the Razor would cut me down to size.” My question on the Giants patchwork pitching staff actually turned into a meaningful dialogue that he liked. As a caller, that gesture meant the world to me. I remember thinking, “Whew!”

As an interviewer, Barbieri was no easy rider. The biggest example was his weekly interview with former Giants vice president of baseball operations Brian Sabean. On the air, they had an often contentious relationship. However, they both wanted the same thing -- for the Giants to be champions. Barbieri was not as abrasive as people believed. He simply asked questions that fans wanted to be answered and stopped at nothing to get there. 

As a listener, I had a love-hate relationship with him. There were times that I loved him and went “all in” with everything he said. Then there were times I would say, “Goddammit Ralph!” Though he had what some perceived as a confrontational personality on the air, the interviews suggested the exact opposite for his off the air personality. Barbieri was a loving father to his son, Tayte, and also cared about people from all walks of life within his industry. 

Though I did not choose his form of media, I learned listening to Barbieri. I was a sports writer for 18 years before I changed careers. Barbieri was an example of being yourself and being secure in doing so. Today’s medium of sports talk is a turn off in part because the banter seems too scripted. It’s like you have to disagree or have a hot take just to draw people. In any walk of life, I believe that if you agree or disagree, do it naturally. Do it because it is how you feel. If you have to do it to draw readers or listeners, how real is it?

Love him or hate him, Barbieri was dedicated to his craft. Was he flawed? Yes but aren’t we all. He was the biggest mouthpiece for the Giants. Granted, there were people with a lot of capital that built what is now known as Oracle Park but Barbieri banged that drum daily on the Giants flagship radio station. 

Barbieri was famous for finishing his shows with, “angels fly because they take themselves lightly.” Ralph, I never met you on Earth but I’ll meet you in person in heaven.  As two fellow Paisans, let’s enjoy a bottle of red vino.