I am a Child of the Braves — so forgive me if two weeks ago I made a promise to myself to quit mentioning the Atlanta Baseball Club and their pursuit to make the postseason.
But last Sunday, as I watched one more episode of Favre-center before bed, a shocking statement crawled across the bottom line on ESPN: Braves’ announcer Skip Carey, 68, has died.
I must’ve stayed awake for at least another hour, frantically flipping channels in search for any more confirmation of that sobering message. Alas, it was true, Skip was gone.
Skip Carey was my favorite announcer — by far. I felt as though listening to him call games on the old TBS or on 750 AM in Atlanta was a link to the past. Carey still told the story of a baseball game as if televisions didn’t exist.
I knew when Carey was on the air that I was likely to laugh. Recently he slyly remarked during a rough Braves loss, “well, the bases are loaded again, and frankly I wish I was.”
It was those kind of moments that made Carey special. He frankly didn’t care what the ‘suits’ said was the right or wrong way to do things. He told it like it was and made no apologies. There are very few broadcasters left who do the same, and there probably will be very few ever again.
I was just eight years old during the First to Worst season in 1991. Skip Carey has been my narrator of Atlanta’s story ever since. I’ll miss him greatly.
Foster check
Former Georgia Southern Eagle Jayson Foster will be a little closer to Statesboro this weekend. Foster and his Miami Dolphins will be in Jacksonville on Saturday to scrimmage the Jaguars.
Foster was one of the most electrifying college football players in the country as a senior last year — but now he’s just another helmet in the crowd trying to secure a roster spot on a team where nobody’s job is safe.
Foster has appeared in one preseason game thus far, returning the opening kickoff against Tampa Bay, “four yards deep in the end zone 25 yards before getting drilled by Donte Nicholson” according to miamidolphins.com.
Foster also muffed a punt during the game, then watched the rest of the game from the bench.
Every Georgia Southern fan is hoping to death Foster gets a shot with the big club. Something tells me it’s going to come right down to the wire, however. There’s a long standing stigma against small size in the NFL, and size is one thing J-Fos is lacking.
No. 14 — I still can’t get used to that — will need a big performance this preseason to wow the powers that be. I say that performance is coming this weekend: Foster scores and the Phins beat the Jags.
If not, my dismal record takes another hit: 17-24.
But last Sunday, as I watched one more episode of Favre-center before bed, a shocking statement crawled across the bottom line on ESPN: Braves’ announcer Skip Carey, 68, has died.
I must’ve stayed awake for at least another hour, frantically flipping channels in search for any more confirmation of that sobering message. Alas, it was true, Skip was gone.
Skip Carey was my favorite announcer — by far. I felt as though listening to him call games on the old TBS or on 750 AM in Atlanta was a link to the past. Carey still told the story of a baseball game as if televisions didn’t exist.
I knew when Carey was on the air that I was likely to laugh. Recently he slyly remarked during a rough Braves loss, “well, the bases are loaded again, and frankly I wish I was.”
It was those kind of moments that made Carey special. He frankly didn’t care what the ‘suits’ said was the right or wrong way to do things. He told it like it was and made no apologies. There are very few broadcasters left who do the same, and there probably will be very few ever again.
I was just eight years old during the First to Worst season in 1991. Skip Carey has been my narrator of Atlanta’s story ever since. I’ll miss him greatly.
Foster check
Former Georgia Southern Eagle Jayson Foster will be a little closer to Statesboro this weekend. Foster and his Miami Dolphins will be in Jacksonville on Saturday to scrimmage the Jaguars.
Foster was one of the most electrifying college football players in the country as a senior last year — but now he’s just another helmet in the crowd trying to secure a roster spot on a team where nobody’s job is safe.
Foster has appeared in one preseason game thus far, returning the opening kickoff against Tampa Bay, “four yards deep in the end zone 25 yards before getting drilled by Donte Nicholson” according to miamidolphins.com.
Foster also muffed a punt during the game, then watched the rest of the game from the bench.
Every Georgia Southern fan is hoping to death Foster gets a shot with the big club. Something tells me it’s going to come right down to the wire, however. There’s a long standing stigma against small size in the NFL, and size is one thing J-Fos is lacking.
No. 14 — I still can’t get used to that — will need a big performance this preseason to wow the powers that be. I say that performance is coming this weekend: Foster scores and the Phins beat the Jags.
If not, my dismal record takes another hit: 17-24.
