Five Minutes Is All You Need

When sportscaster Warner Wolf was unceremoniously dismissed from the Imus in the Morning radio show last week, media insiders speculated that he had chosen to retire; the Huffington Post questioned whether there is a market for the 79-year-old to do something new in the Internet age, like a blog or a podcast.

I can tell you with certainty: yes, there is.

For the past year, I have been vicariously publishing a Warner Wolf Twitter feed and YouTube channel, sharing his insights from 1986 with the Internet generation, exactly 30 years later -- and the response has been incredible. Fans, sportscasters, and the athletes themselves have demonstrated that Warner had something special on his hands. Compared to the dreadful shoutfests that make up sports television today, Warner could give us all the sports we need in 5 minutes, once a week.

How can the VHS era of sports highlights survive during the Internet age?  I've found that the two are actually a perfect fit. In 1986, Warner could only laugh at an athlete's embarrassing moments ("Nice catch, Jose.") But now in the social media era, we can ask them about it! Kicker Fuad Reveiz loves to relive slapping a Patriots linebacker across the face. Kelly Hrudey knows exactly why he smashed his stick after a random game. Howard Johnson revels in a botched spring training catch with John Gibbons. Danny Ainge tells us why he was smiling after falling down at the Garden!

And it wasn't just big-time names that Warner highlighted.  In 1985, Bruce Morris of Marshall University sank the longest in-game basketball shot in history: 89 feet 10 inches (it's such an important moment, Morris' footprints are still painted on Marshall's home court.) On the shot's 30th anniversary, it seems all of Herd Nation relived the moment on Warner Wolf's vicarious Twitter account -- including Morris' daughter Madison, who now plays for Marshall!

Likewise, it's been fascinating to see the children of famous athletes -- some of them now famous in their own right -- reacting to their parents' highlights on Twitter.  Check out these tweets from Orlando Woolridge's son, now a rapper and aspiring NBA forward; Gary Pettis' son, now an actor on Days of our Lives; and Boomer Esiason's daughter, now a sports broadcaster.  These young people are tweeting about Warner Wolf's Plays of the Week from 1986!

Warner also made some amazing predictions, which would have seemed like wild ideas 30 years ago, but are now commonplace.  In 1986, he proposed that professionals compete in the Olympics; that older-style baseball parks like Wrigley Field are better than "modern" parks; that in overtime, both NFL teams should have the opportunity to touch the ball; and that instant replay challenges should be called by coaches.

Even something as momentous as the World Series benefitted from some Warner Wolf magic.  In 1986, Warner's hometown Mets were the story of the year -- so much so, that he put together an '86 Mets highlight reel before they had even won the pennant. He also showed how loose they were in the clubhouse; Darryl Strawberry pranking Lenny Dykstra with a pie in the face during a commercial shoot (Dykstra later tweeted me, saying "I always love a good prank, and this ranks up there.") After the Series was over, Warner finished with a hot take on the Red Sox, giving them the Boo of the Week for having a parade after *losing* the World Series!


So what would a 5-minute Warner Wolf podcast look like? Check out this segment from November 14, 1986 -- exactly thirty years ago. First, he comments on how a late hit by the Eagles' Evan Cooper should have resulted in an ejection. Then, a montage of successful athletes who happen to be short (Marvin Hagler, Spud Webb, Doug Flutie, etc.) Next, he gives the Boo of the Week to the ridiculousness of the quarterback-in-the-grasp rule. Then, a suggestion that pitchers shouldn't be eligible for both Cy Young and MVP awards. Finally, a gleeful Plays of the Week montage featuring hockey fights, football players tackling officials, and the relatively new invention of trampoline basketball trick shots.  He even finds time to poke fun at himself for being short (claiming that he, Bob Costas, and Jim McKay all see eye-to-eye.)

There it is.  All the sports you need for the week, condensed into 5 minutes -- no shouting, and no angst.  Warner: we can make this happen.  With your help, we can bring joy back to sports broadcasting.