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March 24, 2021 5:01 pm  #1


Baseball Radio Call One Of Many Chosen For U.S. Recording Registry

Every year, the U.S. Library of Congress chooses music or audio that will be "preserved for all time" as part of its special collection. Included in this year's set is a pretty eclectic mix: "Lady Marmalade" by Labelle, "Celebration" by Kool & The Gang, "The Harder They Come" by Jimmy Cliff, "The Rainbow Connection" by Kermit the Frog, and something called "St. Louis tinfoil," believed to be the earliest known recording of the human voice, made by none other than Thomas Edison. It dates from 1878!

And, in a somewhat ironic choice considering what Rogers did to its Jays crew on the Fan, a baseball call from 1961 radio has also been selected. It features the legendary Phil Rizzuto.

"On Oct. 1, 1961, Roger Maris hit his 61st homerun of the season, eclipsing Babe Ruth’s previous homerun record. Phil Rizzuto’s radio play-by-play of the entire at-bat is one of the most iconic moments in sports history. From the moment when the Yankee hitter stepped to the plate, Rizzuto captures the excitement and anticipation of a crowd ready to watch history being made, booing when the first two pitches miss the strike zone and then exploding when Maris connects with the third, prompting Rizzuto’s trademark shout of “Holy Cow!” amid the deafening cheers."

And then there's an episode of "This American Life," an NPR radio show that became a podcast, the first such podcast ever named to the collection. 

I wonder what famous calls will be forever lost to Canadian fans now that Rogers has completely dismantled its radio crew out of penurious penny-pinching.

You can see the complete list of what was inducted here.