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Bob Casey (baseball announcer)

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Bob Casey
Born
Robert John Casey

(1925-04-11)April 11, 1925
DiedMarch 27, 2005(2005-03-27) (aged 79)
Minneapolis Veterans Hospital
Alma materUniversity of Minnesota
OccupationSports commentator
Years active1947–2005
Children3
Sports commentary career
GenrePublic address announcer
Sport(s)MLB, NFL, NBA
EmployerMinnesota Twins

Bob Casey (April 11, 1925 – March 27, 2005) was the first and only public address announcer for the Minnesota Twins from their founding until his death in 2005. He started announcing Twins games when the franchise moved to Minnesota from Washington, D.C., in 1961.

Casey worked 44 seasons and more than 3,000 games for the Twins. He was inducted into the Twins' Hall of Fame in 2003. He was known for his playful commentary, intentional and unintentional gaffes, and iconic announcement of "Noooooooooooooo smoking!" in the Metrodome. Twins president Dave St. Peter said Casey's voice was "synonymous with the Minnesota Twins."[1]

Early life

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Robert John Casey was born on April 11, 1925.[2] He was a native of Minneapolis.[3] He served in the United States Air Force during World War II as a B-17 turret gunner.[4] He attended the University of Minnesota on the G.I. Bill and became a student manager for Minnesota Golden Gophers basketball team in 1949 and 1950.[5][4]

Career

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Announcer Sid Hartman, a childhood friend of Casey, invited him to announce for the Minneapolis Lakers in 1947.[4][6] In 1951, Casey also began to serve as the announcer of the Minneapolis Millers, a Triple-A team in the old American Association, a position he held for 10 years. He also worked for Minnesota Vikings during his career.[7]

Casey began as the public address announcer for the Minnesota Twins at their first game in 1961.[8] Casey's voice was an iconic part of the Minnesota baseball experience, known for his style and signature player introductions. Casey, who missed only a handful of Twins games during his tenure with the team, was well known for his nasally voice and distinctive delivery.[9] He would introduce star Kirby Puckett as "Kir-BEEEEEEEEEE PUCK-it!", remind fans there was "Noooooooooooooo smoking" at the Metrodome, than he'd add "if you must smoke, go back to (whatever city the opposing team was from)", and not to "throw anything or anybody onto the field".[10][11][12] Casey was also known for his occasional butchering of player names and calls on the field, both accidentally and on purpose, calling Dustan Mohr as Dustin Hoffman, Omar Vizquel as Ozzie Virgil, and Adam Kennedy as "Pat".[13][7] During a stadium bomb threat in 1970, he announced at 9:15 p.m. "The Twins have been advised by Bloomington police that there will be an explosion here at the Met at 9:30, please leave the stadium in an orderly fashion."[14] While announcing a Minnesota Vikings game, he called a 15-yard penalty against the New York Giants as being for having an "illegitimate" player on the field.[7]

By 1998 he had only missed three games as an announcer, when his sons graduated college.[4] He was inducted as the 12th member of the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame in 2003, by which he had announced nearly 3,500 games.[7]

Personal life

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Casey had a wife, Rosemary, and three sons, Mike, Tom, and Joe.[4]

Death

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On March 27, 2005, Casey died at the Minneapolis Veterans Hospital in Minneapolis aged 79, fifteen days before what would have been his 80th birthday. He had been battling liver cancer and pneumonia. Alex Rodriguez, who had developed a relationship with Casey over the years, called him before he died.[15][16][17] Casey said Kirby Puckett and Alex Rodriguez were his favorite players, and had even asked Alex to help him take a ceremonial first pitch that June.[13] From the founding of the Twins until his death, he was the only public address announcer in the team's history.[12] During his life, he announced more than 4,500 sporting events for the Twins, Lakers, Millers, Vikings, and other teams, including over 3,000 for the Twins.[4][18]

Kent Hrbek, Tony Oliva, Dan Gladden, and Jack Morris served as pallbearers Casey at his March 30, 2005 funeral at St. Olaf Catholic Church in Minneapolis.[1][10] He is buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.[2] The April 8 home opener vs. the White Sox was an all-game tribute to Casey. There was an on field tribute before the game and members of the Casey family shared PA duties during the game.[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b Sansevere, Bob (March 31, 2005). "A character among characters". Grand Forks Herald. pp. 1C, 2C. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  2. ^ a b ROBERT JOHN CASEY / PFC / USAAF / WORLD WAR II / LOVING HUSBAND / FATHER GRANDPA (Gravestone). Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
  3. ^ Aschburner, Steve (2008). The good, the bad, and the ugly : Minnesota Twins : heart-pounding, jaw-dropping, and gut-wrenching moments from Minnesota Twins history. Chicago: Triumph Books. p. 165. ISBN 978-1600780769. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Zgoda, Jerry (August 9, 1998). "Announcer's calls a hit with Dome's fans". Star Tribune. pp. C1, C7. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  5. ^ Hartman, Sid (May 12, 1973). "Untitled article". Minneapolis Tribune. p. 18. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  6. ^ Halsted, Alex (2011). 100 things Twins fans should know & do before they die. Triumph Books. p. 55. ISBN 9781600785542.
  7. ^ a b c d "Casey at the mike for Twins". St. Cloud Times. May 31, 2003. pp. 1D, 2D. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  8. ^ Reusse, Patrick (August 22, 1999). "Off-the-field characters". Star Tribune. pp. C8. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  9. ^ "Twins PA announcer Casey dies". ESPN.com. Associated Press. March 27, 2005. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Campbell, Dave (March 31, 2005). "Dome won't be the same minus Casey". Argus-Leader. Associated Press. p. 15. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  11. ^ Weyler, John (June 30, 2003). "Bob Casey is standing the test of time in Minnesota". Los Angeles Times. p. 14. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Long-time Twins PA voice Casey dead at 79". The Daily Tribune. Associated Press. March 28, 2005. p. 9. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Twins announcer Casey dies at age 79". March 27, 2005. Archived from the original on August 20, 2007. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  14. ^ Stoneking, Dan (August 26, 1970). "More security at Met studied". The Minneapolis Star. p. 83. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  15. ^ Varda, Maija (August 13, 2016). "Alex Rodriguez, Bob Casey, and the Twins". Twinkie Town. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  16. ^ "TheDeadballEra.com :: Bob Casey's Obit". www.thedeadballera.com.
  17. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 22, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. ^ Baenen, Jeff (March 28, 2005). "'His voice was a trademark'". The Duluth News Tribune. pp. 1D, 5C. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
  19. ^ Sheldon, Mark (April 1, 2015). "Kurtz will perform PA duties for Twins". Minnesota Twins. Archived from the original on March 7, 2007. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
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