Home > Furman Bisher > Archives > 2009 > January > 23 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USPete Van Wieren will be impossible to replace
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A few days from now I get to crown Pete Van Wieren with an award the Atlanta Sports Council created in my name, and at the same time, honor Skip Caray in absentia. Let it be said from the outset, that it isn’t easy for me to write this without blushing. It’s a warm feeling to know that Gary Stokan, and his Council, feel safe enough to entrust that duty upon me, since I have no record in the stockade or with the Atlanta Police Department. No DUIs and all those other things that fester the lives of athletes, both professional and otherwise.
But, that’s not what I come before you today to talk about. It’s about Pete and Skip, but more about Pete since he is around to get the message. If you have ever lived in a small town and the closest you ever got to the metropolitan life was the radio, you get an idea of where I came from. My early acquaintance with major-league baseball was by the voices that came through that old Atwater Kent radio, with the speaker on top. Waite Hoyt came out of Cincinnati, some time delivering long soliloquies on baseball while the Reds sat out a rain delay. And Russ Hodges from Charlotte, delivering Washington Senators games as they came to him over a Western Union wire. (Ronald Reagan, then known as “Dutch,” did some of the same on Cubs games out of Des Moines, I’ve read. Never heard him. WHO had a weak signal in our parts.)
These were the kind of messengers I grew up with as I got to know major-league baseball and became addicted to the game. By the time I came upon Pete Van Wieren, I had been around myself and had seen some of the world and had come to know some of these idols of mine. Russ Hodges lived just down the street from me in Charlotte and would wave some times as he drove past on the way to his studio to do his thing. (Plink! Sound of a toy bat against a Coke bottle.) “It’s a double down the right-field line,” he’d say, reading from the Western Union ticker.
Pete was one of those who came into many a kid’s bedroom at night, almost stealthily delivering the Braves games across the South. Often, I was among his audience, nights I wasn’t at the ballpark myself, or when the Braves were on the road. On reason is, I’m a radio guy. Sometimes I try to watch the game on TV and get the voice by radio, but that’s a bummer. TV is about three seconds behind radio, and I already knew how the play came out. I turn off the TV. Who needs it?
I’ve got Van Wieren. I’ve said this several times before — never admitted it to Pete — that he has the perfect voice for baseball. He makes me feel that I’m right there beside him and he’s talking right in my ear. It’s a gentle voice. No whooping and yowling. It comes oozing through the speaker like honey out of a horn — and if that has the sound of exaggerated patronization, I apologize. But it’s true. There’s nobody smoother than Pete delivering the game from his seat to yours. But not any longer.
That’s the depressing part of it. Pete has retired. Now, that doesn’t mean he won’t be heard again. Remember how many times Ernie Johnson retired? And we still get a blip of him now and then. Officially, though, Pete is off the air. There may be some as good down the line, but none better, and none whose style rests better on my ears. It’s my honor to do him honor, such as it is. Bon voyage, old friend.
Permalink | Comments (57) | Post your comment | Categories: Braves/MLB
Comments
By Atown
January 23, 2009 8:40 PM | Link to this
Beautiful! Well said. My sentiments exactly.
By Chief Nocahoma
January 23, 2009 9:07 PM | Link to this
Well done Pete. Thanks for the memories. I enjoyed the ride. Enjoy your retirement. I look forward to seeing you at the ballpark with your grandchildren.
By Long Time Listener
January 23, 2009 9:39 PM | Link to this
I could not agree more. Pete has such a smooth, soothing delivery, plus such an encyclopedic knowledge of the game and its players. He and Skip were the best ever—and I grew up with Mile & Ole Earn, who weren’t shabby themselves. Skip’s lighthearted irreverence offered the perfect complement to Pete’s solidly researched knowledge. God love ‘em, how I’ll miss hearing them both.
By Long Time Listener
January 23, 2009 9:44 PM | Link to this
I could not agree more. Pete has such a smooth, soothing delivery and an encyclopedic knowledge of the game and its players. He and Skip together were the best ever, and I grew up with Milo and Ole Earn, who weren’t too shabby themselves. Skip’s light-hearted irreverence fit perfectly with Pete’s well-researched facts. God bless ‘em, I’ll miss hearing them so.
By Andy
January 23, 2009 11:58 PM | Link to this
Furman, Enjoyed the column on Pete. The Braves have been fortunate over the years to have excellent broadcasters. Pete was always my favorite. One thing you failed to mention was how prepared he always was. Pete knew the game top to bottom, inside and out. And when he called a game, it was like you were sitting with him sharing a cold beer on a steamy summer night: smooth and refreshing. Thanks for the column, and thank you, Pete. Best wishes in retirement. Andy D. Chattanooga
By Jack Doane
January 24, 2009 1:16 AM | Link to this
Furman, you aren’t too shabby yourself. This from a former employee. Your column still ranks right up there. Thanks for hiring me. And you are so right about Pete and Skip. It’ll never be the same again, but neither will the Braves.
By BeachGaBulldog
January 24, 2009 2:03 AM | Link to this
I was fortunate to hear Pete all 33 years. I am old enough where I just barely remember Larry Munson doing the Braves, so my first real start was hearing Milo Hamilton. Pete was always fun to listen to. He knew the game very well. I will miss him, too. Thank you, Pete! Those 33 years were great!
By Ken Stallings
January 24, 2009 2:52 AM | Link to this
I think a smile just lit up the old Dutchman’s face upon reading those words of him!
By Ted
January 24, 2009 5:14 AM | Link to this
Well said Mr. Bisher. Even though old Skip will be missed a lot, in some ways Pete will be missed more. I learned a lot about baseball from him. I too enjoyed listening to a baseball game on the radio. Thank you Pete.
By Michael Nissenfeld
January 24, 2009 7:01 AM | Link to this
My first sounds of Braves baseball started with Milo Hamilton. I really enjoyed listening to both Milo and Ernie, after Milo was releived of his duties and I learned Skip Carey was leaving the Hawks for the Braves, I wasn’t too sure. But the trio of Ernie, Pete and Skip was the best of all time. I still remember some March days in Atlanta listening to a Braves exhibition game and I’d hear mostly Petes voice and it did project a warmth, almost as if I was sitting there in West Palm Beach next to him. One other thing, one night after many a Brave loss in the late 70’s, a TBS camera panned on my disappointed face as I was heading up the ailse and out of the ballpark, and Pete said “And another dissapointing loss for Mr. Braves”. I will miss Skip but to me Pete was more the voice of Braves Baseball.
By taco slammer
January 24, 2009 7:05 AM | Link to this
Remember Sgt. Joe Friday on the TV show Dragnet, when he would say, ‘just the facts ma’am’? That is what you got with Pete Van Wieren. The man can paint the picture while using the least amount of words. He was the best.
By Bullwinkle
January 24, 2009 7:25 AM | Link to this
Thanks, Furman. And thanks, Pete. Hall of Fame material, both.
By T2daD
January 24, 2009 7:34 AM | Link to this
“Honey from a horn”; Spoken doesn’t do him the justice that your writing does.
You’ve hit the mark.
Again.
By mike
January 24, 2009 8:44 AM | Link to this
I too grew up listening to Milo and Ernie.Even though the Braves were not competitive back then, I miss those days.I guess they were easier times .Pete you are a class act and will be missed dearly .I really hope you have a wonderful life and God Bless .Thank You.
By cat
January 24, 2009 9:01 AM | Link to this
Fantastic….That voice will always be Braves Baseball.
By Jack - Augusta
January 24, 2009 9:37 AM | Link to this
Pete was (is) the best ever and I grew up listening to Earnie Harwell and the Detroit tigers. We were fortunate in Atlanta to have had the priviledge of listening to Pete do braves games and its unfortunate that we all have to retire someday. You are a class act Pete and will be truly missed as you gave the Braves credibility and a sense of calm during good times and bad. Much good luck in your retirement and I hope you come back to the booth on occasion. We will miss you for sure.
By hk
January 24, 2009 10:35 AM | Link to this
… I grew up in Tulsa, listened to Harry Caray do St Louis Cardinal games … for me baseball ‘was’ the radio announcers …
By doningeorgia
January 24, 2009 10:35 AM | Link to this
As always I’m with Bish with his comments on Pete. Growing up in Wichita, Kansas and being a Dodger fan during the late 40’s I learned baseball listening to the St. Louis Cardnials with Harry Carey and Jack Buck. I came to Atlanta in 1968 and Milo and Ernie. With Pete, well he was great and growing better as he learned baseball history and shared it with the fans. We had a mutual friend, Bill Hargrove who passed away last year at the age of 106. Bill never missed a Braves game where ever he was. He loved Pete and they shared their love for baseball.
By Chopdawg
January 24, 2009 10:55 AM | Link to this
Great read, Furman. I grew up in the era of the transistor radio, and my messengers were Milo Hamilton and Bob Elson with WCFL in Chicago (broadcast through the local White Sox network affiliate) and occasionally Harry Caray on KMOX in St. Louis, a clear-channel station I could barely get on my transistor. Then, a couple of years later, came Skip Caray, broadcasting Atlanta Crackers games.
My favorite broadcaster of all time has to be Munson, although I didn’t like him as a baseball broadcaster—his style was too dramatic and intense (“Cardinals losing tough to the Reds” etc).
By Brian
January 24, 2009 11:37 AM | Link to this
Pete was with me every night to put me to sleep. Whether the Braves won or lost, I felt like I always had a friend to going through it with. Will there be another great Braves announcer, yes, but there will never be a better combination of Skip, Pete and Ernie and for that mattter Don and Joe too. Thank you Pete, for all the memories!
By Thad Mohlet
January 24, 2009 12:40 PM | Link to this
I will miss Pete and Skip. They were like a part of my family. I could count on them to make me smile on those long hot summer Georgia nights. Whether it was Skip’s sarcasm or Pete’s knowledge the fact is that they made listening to the radio a rite of passage.
By bp
January 24, 2009 12:50 PM | Link to this
I think this is the first ajc blog where everyone is in agreement.Pete will be sorely missed.Hopefully he will come back and do some cameos.The Braves have screwed up by putting their games on so many channels.I live in Nashville and can’t see half of them.I have been listening on mlb.com but now I probably won’t as much.Trust me the braves are losing millions of fans a year but could care less!Part of it is their sorry play and their uncaring attitude towards thetr TRUE fans.
By Jodi
January 24, 2009 1:56 PM | Link to this
Pete, Skip and Ernie were all great. I miss them all. I have one very big request. Please DO NOT bring Don Sutton back. He never called the game. He always talked about himself and what he did. I wish him well where ever he is. Atlanta does not need him. I like Chip but not the guy who worked with him.
By Hillbilly Deluxe
January 24, 2009 3:01 PM | Link to this
Good column. Pete,Skip, and Ernie were a great blend. Each contributed his own special part of the mix. I grew up listening to the Braves on the radio. When they first came to Atlanta only about 20 games a year were televised. I also listened to Caray and Buck on KMOX and whatever other games I could occasionally pick up. I think today’s kids are missing something not drifting off to sleep to the sound of a game crackling on an AM radio from some far away ballpark they’ve seen only in their imagination.
By Yoda
January 24, 2009 4:30 PM | Link to this
Only one better than Pete, and that was Jimmy Dudley
By Drexel Gal
January 24, 2009 5:44 PM | Link to this
Although Mr. Van Wieren was allegedly knowledgeable about baseball, much of his reputation was embellished by his refusal to admit when he was wrong. Years ago, he hosted a feature on the Braves’ postgame show, in which he would recount the experiences of a specific player or season. In one, he spoke of the tie in the NL pennant race of 1962, which required a three-game playoff between the Dodgers and Giants. The Giants won the playoff and advanced to the World Series, which they dropped to the Yankees in seven games (the Yankees won the odd-numbered games, and the Giants the even-numbered ones). Pete stated in his closing remarks that the Giants WON that World series. When challenged on it (in what then passed for sports-talk radio), he insisted he was right —- even though all sources showed that he was wrong.
Okay, the guy had a long career, and, yes, it is a shame that Skip died. However, that team was long past its prime, and can best be described as “tired”. If Red Barber and Mel Allen can be replaced, then you can bet these two can, as well.
That is my opinion. I do NOT welcome yours.
By NRBQ
January 24, 2009 10:05 PM | Link to this
Well, you’re gonna get one, Drexel B!tch.
Sorry that your life and work is not revered by hundreds of thousands like Pete’s obviously is.
And I hope you derive about 30 seconds of pleasure from deriding a man’s reputation that will shine as long as his listeners will live.
(not really)
By Micah
January 25, 2009 12:05 AM | Link to this
I would like to thank Pete for all the memories and for the inspiration for me trying to live my dream in sports radio.
By Mike
January 25, 2009 12:22 AM | Link to this
Well said Mr. Bisher I don’t know how I’ll get through the baseball season without hearing Pete or Skip. Hopefully he will do some home games. It would be nice if Pete’s “Diamond Notes” shows were available on CD. You are also irreplacable Mr. Bisher thanks for the years of great writing.
By MikeTyson
January 25, 2009 7:32 AM | Link to this
Drexel Gal has herpes simplex 200, that’s why her panties be all up in a wad
By David Murphy
January 25, 2009 8:34 AM | Link to this
No doubt Pete was one of the best, however, you are the best at what you do. What will we do then? I wish Lewis was here, now that is another story. David Murphy
By AZBravoFan
January 25, 2009 11:07 AM | Link to this
Nothng signals the end of the recent Braves era more than the loss of Pete and Skip. I would argue that it’s tougher even than saying goodbye to Smoltz. In a way, being able to listen to Pete and Skip discuss and analyze the loss of Smoltz would have helped the fans’ healing process. I wonder if Pete would consider helping out in the booth some if the Braves were to make a playoff run.
By GT
January 25, 2009 2:39 PM | Link to this
Take Pete and line him up against some of the younger ones and the difference is what is wrong with about everything today.
By James
January 25, 2009 4:32 PM | Link to this
And there was Ernie Harwell broadcasting Cracker games before he went to Detroit.
By herbK
January 25, 2009 6:00 PM | Link to this
Not much of a braves fan, but Pete & Skip were simply two of the best I’ve ever heard. Will miss them both.
By Mitch
January 25, 2009 6:55 PM | Link to this
Thank you for the memories, Mr Bisher. I listened to Pete from the time I became a Braves fan in 1983, until TBS took him off TV. I used to love to hear his calls of the game.
Pete was one of the greatest sports voices ever, on both Braves and Hawks games.
Happy retirement, Pete. MitchBy Ed
January 25, 2009 6:56 PM | Link to this
I will miss Pete and Skip and the Braves on TBS. As we moved around America they taught me and my children to love baseball and the Braves.
By Gary Heckman
January 25, 2009 7:32 PM | Link to this
Thank you for your excellent article on Pete. I couldn’t agree more about Pete and ALL the other Braves announcers. I only wish the kids of today could have heard the pioneers of yesteryear. They painted a picture of the game and you could almost feel yourself there in the grandstand seats.
Alas, yes it is true they eventually get replaced. But they are never forgotten in the memories we hold dear in our hearts. I wish Powell and hopefully Sutton a long and prosperous career with the Braves.
By Gary Heckman
January 25, 2009 7:49 PM | Link to this
Thank you for your excellent article on Pete. I couldn’t agree more about Pete and ALL the other Braves announcers. I only wish the kids of today could have heard the pioneers of yesteryear. They painted a picture of the game and you could almost feel yourself there in the grandstand seats.
Alas, yes it is true they eventually get replaced. But they are never forgotten in the memories we hold dear in our hearts. I wish Powell and hopefully Sutton a long and prosperous career with the Braves.
Names like Bisher, Carey, Harwell, Brickhouse, Hoyt, Hodges and SO many others too countless to name here, have dotted the ledger of our minds and will continue to live on in our hearts.
By richbrave
January 25, 2009 10:03 PM | Link to this
Absolutely - and bringing “the Mouth of the South” back for a reprise will simply deepen the nostalgia and longing for VAN WEIREN.
By Gene
January 26, 2009 8:50 AM | Link to this
Pete had great knowledge of the game, and he was a gentleman on the talk shows. I recall how great it was when out of town, to come into range of WSB and hear the voice of Milo, Larry, Ernie, Pete, and Skip. I no longer live in Atlanta but get the radio broadcast over my computer. Furman is absolutely correct about the value of radio sports announcers. I can’t address this subject without mentioning the great announcer from Fairfield, AL, Mel Allen. Good luck to Pete. He leaves some big shoes to fill.
By taxistan
January 26, 2009 10:25 AM | Link to this
No Skip. No Pete. No Ernie. No mas.
By bobby
January 26, 2009 11:06 AM | Link to this
This goes back a long time but I remember games over what I think was the Liberty Network. It seems like the announcer called himself the “Old Scotsman”. I think his name was Gordon McClendon. Of course these games were recreated from Western Union.
By Bill D.
January 26, 2009 11:43 AM | Link to this
A fantastic broadcasting team, Pete ,Skip,and Ernie. I like Joe Simpson. Please Braves ,do not bring back Don Sutton and his me,me me broadcasting attitude. When he was in Atlanta I turned off the sound because I could not take him.
By barr
January 26, 2009 11:53 AM | Link to this
sutton is roughh, but better than a lot of the goons calling the game. as a boy ( im 25) snuck headphones into my room so I cluld listen to the hawks and braves at night when I should be sleeping. After listening to SKip, pete, joe and even during the summer it was oh so painful to try and listen and watch McCarver now its even worse with Joe Buck. I went college and seminary in Pensacola and did not have cable so I really learned to love the radio then. I would take long rides and listen to those fellows eating seeds and drinking cokes or coffee, my wife (of 7 months) even began to lve those two guys on the radio dhe cried when I cried when I heard the news of skip. I am not sure if I can be braves fan w/o those two, we will see Powell does not sound to bad… people genrally are replaceable but Skip, Pete, and Mr. Furman Bisher arent (or will be)
By Scott
January 26, 2009 1:05 PM | Link to this
It seems crazy to me that I have such a fondness and emotional attachment to Pete. Yet, I look back over my 41 years and I recall so many meaningful moments in my life that Ernie, Pete, and Skip were a part of whether they knew it or not. I remember Sitting on my Granddad’s lap when I was young listening to the games, My Dad and my Brothers and I at the games listening on that little hand held radio, My friends and I hanging out and listening while we worked on our cars, My sons and I listening to and laughing at Pete and Skip. I just don’t know how you can think of the Braves without Ernie, PETE, and Skip. To say the least You will be missed Pete. So, from all of us Fathers, Sons, Grandsons and Brothers Thanks for the memories Pete. So long old friend. God Bless.
By J
January 27, 2009 2:38 PM | Link to this
Scott, don’t forget all of us Mothers, Daughters, Grandaughters & Sisters.
By Billy
January 27, 2009 3:17 PM | Link to this
I remember listening to them sitting on the hood of my car and talking with my best friend. We could not pick up the braves on the radio in the house. We were way out in the country. But the car radio would pick them up and we would sit on the end of the car with the windows down listening to the Braves. Many a night, we sat discussing the Braves and reliving every hit. It was almost like you were there. We’ll miss Pete, Ernie and Skip and those summer nights.
By Tim
January 27, 2009 11:30 PM | Link to this
Skip and Pete were legends who can never be replaced. They are both dearly missed. They always made it seem as if they were talking directly to you in describing the game.
By bigdaddy
January 28, 2009 12:09 AM | Link to this
I just realized that I am no longer a fat, zit-faced 14-year-old sitting out in someone’s back yard on a summer evening, a freezer of homemade vanilla ice cream being quickly devoured and Atlanta Braves baseball on the radio. At 57, the ice cream sacrificed in a fight with diabetes and my talking buddies from those days now all dead or dying, I feel the retirement of Pete Van Wieren as a final step away from some of the things I enjoyed. The Braves have been so fortunate with the professional broadcasters that have come through; they have understood the “friends and neighbors” aspect of their audience as well.
By Archbishop of Canterbury
January 28, 2009 12:55 AM | Link to this
Impossible?? We are talking about a baseball announcer?? Marx had it all wrong. Religion is not the opiate of the masses. Sports is the opiate of the masses. The ability to live through the most depressing of times and to draw solace in the droning( they were dulcet) of a baseball announcer. Not even a Fireside Chat. Just your “6-4-3”
By Furman Bisher
January 28, 2009 2:13 AM | Link to this
Speaking of replacement, can someone help me replace my adult diaper?!
Where’s my bedpan?!
By Remembering1991
January 28, 2009 11:01 AM | Link to this
My memory of Van Wieren was when, in 2004, my wife and daughter and I happened to be seated in an adoining booth at a restaurant. I’m not one to be “star-struck” and didn’t say anything all through dinner, waiting until his family was finished and they had left while Pete stayed to pay the bill. I casually looked at him and said, “You look like Pete Van Wieren.” His response: Nothing. He just looked at me and then looked around for his waiter. I was embarrassed in front of my 13 year old daughter. You’d have thought he was Clint Eastwood or someone other than a Braves announcer. That’s my experience with this self-centered jerk.
By furman bisher
January 28, 2009 11:59 AM | Link to this
I’d like to make this clear—-nowhere in my column did I use the word”impossible,” nor did I imply that. Understand, the writer does not compose the headline for his column. No, “impossible” was not used, nor implied. I just wanted to make that clear.
By bruce
January 28, 2009 9:00 PM | Link to this
Furman: thanks for a fine story and tribute. In the late sixties, when and after Bobby Cox was 3B in Richmond, I used to go to sleep listening to Frank Soden and Dave Van Horn doing the games, the road games were the wire broadcast you describe… funny times were when they would say “swong on” then plink “base hit” long pause” to right field and the runners move over”. It all seemed so dramatic, I would almost hold my breath waiting for the next call or the outcome of the play. Re-creation really was recreation, dramatic at that. I often kept score in a scorebook listening on the radio, but was too young to make it past the 6th or 7th inning before falling asleep, I’d push the snooze bar to get just a few more minutes of the game. Then I would rush downstairs in the morning to check the Richmond Times Dispatch to see if we won and the final box score was often not final. Radio is special. Thanks for that reminder and the memory. Bruce
By The Conservative
January 30, 2009 5:34 PM | Link to this
They say that Skip passed away while at his backyard birdfeeder, surrounded by orioles, bluejays, cardinals…….
By paullower
March 21, 2009 10:47 PM | Link to this
When I was growing up I always had a radio tucked under the covers so I did not miss a word Of Bob Elson doing the Sox and/or the Cubs. I would run home from school in the afternoon to catch as much of Bob as I could if there was a day game. Back then all Cubs games were in the afternoon. I have listened to baseball broadcasts for over 70 years and of all of them Bob Elson was tops. I still miss his calls. No hype or BS just the facts!!