Mel Allen had baseball's biggest stage as announcer for the New York Yankees
Mel Allen’s long and storied announcing career puts him on the Mount Rushmore of baseball broadcasters. The voice of the Yankees from 1939-1964, he called the action for 19 pennant-winning clubs and 13 World Series champions. Allen started each game with his familiar, “Hello there everyb
Mel Allen had baseball's biggest stage as announcer for the New York Yankees
Mel Allen’s long and storied announcing career puts him on the Mount Rushmore of baseball broadcasters. The voice of the Yankees from 1939-1964, he called the action for 19 pennant-winning clubs and 13 World Series champions.
Allen started each game with his familiar, “Hello there everybody. This is Mel Allen.” He often punctuated great plays with his trademark, “How about that?!”.
Along the way, Allen was the first to call Joe DiMaggio “Joltin’ Joe”, and the man who dubbed Tommy Henrich “Old Reliable”.
In the early days of radio, the World Series announcers were the broadcasters of the participating teams. Starting in 1947, the Yankees fought their way to 15 of the next 18 Fall Classics. During this era Allen was the de facto voice of baseball’s greatest event.
Allen was often compared to his Brooklyn counterpart Red Barber. The Ol’ Redhead began with the Dodgers the same year Allen started with the Yanks. Known for his southern charm and meticulous preparation, Barber was eloquent and accurate. He was also a devout Christian, a married homebody.
In contrast, Allen was a single man who enjoyed all that New York City had to offer. The Yankee broadcaster was expressive, gregarious. He brought the party with him.
In 1954 Barber left the Dodgers and joined Allen in the Yankee booth. The two New York titans worked together until 1964. In 1978 the pair became the first broadcasters the earn baseball’s highest honor – the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award.
In 1990 Yankee PR man Marty Appel brought back Allen to call a game, making him the first man to broadcast an MLB contest in seven decades. Allen called games spanning the careers of Gehrig to Don Mattingly.
Allen is in the Halls of Fame for the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame, the American Sportscasters Association, and the National Radio Hall of Fame. In 1992 he received baseball’s prestigious William J. Slocum Award. Seven years later the American Sportscasters Association ranked Allen the second greatest of all time behind only Vin Scully.
Allen passed away in 1996. Two years later the Yankees unveiled a plaque honoring Allen at Monument Park.
The plaque reads, “With his warm personality and signature greeting, ‘Hello there everybody.’ He shaped baseball broadcasting by charismatically brining the excitement and drama of Yankees baseball to generations of fans. He made pet phrases such as, “Going, going, gone!” a part of our language and culture. A Yankee institution. A national treasure. How about that?”
In the collection is this correspondence on Yankee letterhead dated January 30, 1962. It is signed by Allen at the bottom.
From 1954-1964 Red Barber and Mel Allen called games for the Yankees
When Red Barber left the Brooklyn Dodgers broadcast booth in 1953, the Yankees immediately signed him. In the Bronx, Barber teamed with Mel Allen as a study in contrasts. Barber was a man who carefully chose his words and actions; Allen was a man who enjoyed the excitement of the game and New York C
From 1954-1964 Red Barber and Mel Allen called games for the Yankees
When Red Barber left the Brooklyn Dodgers broadcast booth in 1953, the Yankees immediately signed him. In the Bronx, Barber teamed with Mel Allen as a study in contrasts.
Barber was a man who carefully chose his words and actions; Allen was a man who enjoyed the excitement of the game and New York City.
The pair stayed together in New York until the Yanks let Allen go in 1964. In ’78 the two men each were honored with the received the Ford C. Frick Award. It was the first time the recognition went to announcers.
In the collection is this handwritten letter penned by Barber in his trademark red ink.
In 1992 Mel Allen received baseball's prestigious William J. Slocum Award
Among the many honors Mel Allen received is baseball’s prestigious William J. Slocum Award. The honor is given each year by the New York Baseball Writers Association. Starting in 1930, the writers bestowed it on baseball’s most important people. In the first decade of the honor such lumi
Among Allen’s fellow announcers to earn the honor are Ernie Harwell, and Vin Scully. More than 50 members of the Baseball Hall of Fame have received it.
In the collection is the plaque Scully received from the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers in 1995, three years after Allen.
The oldest professional sport in the United States, baseball remains America’s National Pastime to this day. The game’s current leagues were flourishing soon after the end of the 1800s. Every city with a team had multiple newspapers reporting their games. Sportswriters worked from stadium press boxes describing their team’s contests in great detail. The widespread news coverage helped grow the game. In 1908 writers banded together to form the Baseball Writers Association of America. The BBWAA’s founding mission was to “ensure professional working conditions for beat writers at all MLB ballparks and to promote uniformity of scoring methods. Early in the 1900s New York City boasted three big league teams, the Giants and Dodgers of the National League, and the Highlanders – who later became the Yankees – in the American League. The Big Apple soon became the hub of the baseball world. One of the writers who covered the New York teams was William J. Slocum. Respected for his baseball knowledge and writing ability, Slocum quickly rose to the top of his profession. Well-liked, he helped organize the New York chapter of the BBWAA. The Bill Slocom Award is one of the most prestigious awards baseball has to offer. The little-known honor has been given to more than 50 members of the Hall of Fame.
Really like to watch this week in baseball. He made that show.
I’m sure glad he made the Baseball Ball of Fame! He made baseball fun.