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Hey Look At That Shot...
2007-03-05 05:24
by Alex Belth

They've got it really groovin',
Whacking that horsehide harder,
Those Yankees are alive.

Anyone remember that old Yankee jingle for WPIX? I hadn't heard it since I was a kid but found it on YouTube the other night. The horns used to get me jacked-up. I never could figure out what they were saying after "groovin," but I remember something about a horse. "Whacking-that-horsehide-harder," I said to Emily after I played her the clip. "I wonder who came up with that one?"

"Someone who was clearly sexually frustrated," she replied.

On 11 Alive!

Oh, and while I was at it, I found an old ad for the Reggie Bar too.

Comments (90)
Show/Hide Comments 1-50
2007-03-05 05:41:22
1.   yankz
You are so lucky to have a fiance that funny.
2007-03-05 05:46:58
2.   rbj
Wow, I totally do not remember that commercial, and I was watching back then.

Thanks for the flashback, Alex.

2007-03-05 06:11:25
3.   mikeplugh
Love the Chambliss pose as he watches the homer fly!
2007-03-05 06:40:48
4.   JL25and3
Ah, the Reggie bar. I was at Opening Day, 1978, and those of us who were there will never forget it. A classic moment.

Damn firewall - I can't get YouTube at work. I'll have to check the clips later.

2007-03-05 06:43:03
5.   Sliced Bread
I don't know who wrote that clumsy jingle, but 11 Alive ruled back in the day.

Odd Couple, Honeymooners, Twilight Zone, Popeye, Little Rascals, Yule Log, St. Pat's Parade, and of course, Yanks baseball.

Pretty much everything I know I learned on 11 Alive. Heh.

2007-03-05 07:06:19
6.   mikeplugh
Didn't PIX use the WTC as it's logo. The "11" was the towers....
2007-03-05 07:06:54
7.   mikeplugh
pix pix pix pix pix pix pix pix pix

Anyone remember that?

2007-03-05 07:11:56
8.   AbbyNormal821
Holy crap! I remember that commercial! Man, I'm old! I also remember that candy bar was quite yummy.
If I recall correctly, Robin Williams did a comedy skit back in the day in which he talked about celeb endorsements and I believe, mentioning that candy, and he put his own spin on it: "Reggie...a muther-f*cker", as if to say that Reggie was a cool bad ass! Nanu-nanu!
7 Stop it...you're cracking me up!!!
2007-03-05 07:20:46
9.   williamnyy23
7 Was that the asteroids like game (atari edition)played by a call in viewer? I never quite understood the premise.

I recently was able to get my hands on lots of original broadcast classic baseball games, more than a few of which were orginally aired on WPIX. In addition to enjoying the Scotter and Bill White, watching the commericials is really a treat.

2007-03-05 07:23:51
10.   Cliff Corcoran
5 Sigh, yes WPIX was the bomb. It also seemed to show The Jerk every weekend. And yes 6, there was a commercial about some WPIX flunky wandering around Manhattan trying to find something iconic to represent the channel and he kept looking right past the twin towers.

Another gem on youtube is the 1987 Yankee promo, which uses the intro to Bon Jovi's "Living On A Prayer" with lots of great footage of Winfield swinging from his heals, Donnie lacing line drives, and Rickey stealing second.

2007-03-05 07:35:11
11.   jayd
As Pavano pitches well and Lew Ford might go on the DH...Twinkes face the inevitable parting of the ways with Johan and Torii.

I smell Spring Training Trade blockbuster...

"A New York tabloid reporter told Santana that Yankees fans already are abuzz about the possibility of him landing in New York when he is slated to become a free agent after next season.

Santana said he is waiting to begin talks with the Twins on a contract extension. Negotiations are expected to begin sometime this month."

My birthday is the 19th, Cash and I've been calling this one for 2 years now.... Johan my Johan...

2007-03-05 07:49:16
12.   Yankee Fan In Boston
i swear that i lived on reggie bars one summer. i haven't seen that commercial in years. thanks.

9 i'd love to watch some of those old games. were they online? (i assume that they weren't, but i thought i'd give it a shot...)

also, for anyone interested in watching today's spring training game against the tigers, it is on ESPN at 1:15. i am at work, so i don't have access to a TV. i did some searching and found that ESPN is streaming on a couple of sites. (that player from last season is out of commission.)

watch it at either of these places:
http://chooseandwatch.com

http://channelchooser.com

a heads up, there seems to be some adult themed links on the pages, so click carefully at work.

enjoy.

2007-03-05 07:57:30
13.   williamnyy23
12 Unfortunately no...I stumbled upon someone via ebay who seemingly taped every baseball game from 1971 onward. In addition to more prominent events such as All Star Games and post seasons, I was able to get Rags' no hitter, the Pine Tar Game and something as obscure as a Yankees/Twins game from May 1985 in which the Yanks rallied from 8-0 down to walk off with a win on a Mattingly 3-run homer (that game always stuck out in my memory and I was shocked that he had it).

If you are looking for classic games online, MLB.com has a nice selection (some even include a few commercials). I paid $14.95 for access to the library for the entire off season and it was well worth it.

2007-03-05 08:05:17
14.   Yankee Fan In Boston
i remember that game against the twins. wow. i'll just check ebay out. i don't know why i hadn't thought of that.

...also, kei igawa is pitching today.

quest!

2007-03-05 08:05:47
15.   Yankee Fan In Boston
13 ...and thanks, by the way.
2007-03-05 08:09:33
16.   vito
"When you open a Reggie bar, it tells you how good it is...."
2007-03-05 08:13:52
17.   vockins
My grandmother used to mail me Reggie Bars since they weren't available in South Carolina. Very Goo Goo Clusteresque.

WPIX could have done nothing but the Yule Log and they'd have to get respect. I got to see it in HD last year. Forget sports in HD. HD Yule Log will change your life.

WPIX blooper reel, probably not funny unless you lived in or around NYC in the 80s:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-Kfqp7wSrkc

2007-03-05 08:20:53
18.   Yankee Fan In Boston
17 "The video you have requested is not available"
2007-03-05 08:43:38
19.   vockins
18 I just cleared my cache, cleared my history, copied and pasted the link above and it worked for me in IE and Firefox. Give it another shot.
2007-03-05 08:51:48
20.   dianagramr
Alex, 17

Oh ... thank you thank you thank you!

I interviewed Jerry Girard during my senior year in high school for a journalism course. I was already taller than him. Nice guy ... gave me a tour of the studio (it was tiny! .... the camera angles they used made it seem MUCH bigger). Saw Steve Bosh ... he didn't smile the entire time I was there.

Drat ... I miss Jerry ...

2007-03-05 08:52:00
21.   The Mick 536
"Reggie tastes pretty good." Classic scene when he splits the wafer and then eats a piece."

Remember being at the game. Fans threw the bars on the field. Took mine home. Never ate it. Three years later, when I was moving, I found the bar in the back of my sweatshirt drawer. Never did taste the taste.

"I was reminded that when I strike out a billion people in China don't care."

2007-03-05 09:00:58
22.   dianagramr
12

don't forget tvuplayer

www.tvunetworks.com/download.htm?id=rds_us

2007-03-05 09:13:30
23.   JL25and3
5 You're right, everything worth knowing could be found on channel 11. Among other things, it meant that they had the best rain delays going. Twilight Zone and Odd Couple reruns - and if you were very lucky, even an old F Troop. It is ballooooooon!
2007-03-05 09:17:44
24.   markp
"Who says I'm stupid!?"

"Not in front of the men, Jane."

2007-03-05 09:21:06
25.   dianagramr
5

and they had carried a syndicated version of the "Beat the Clock" game show which I used to watch all the time ...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beat_the_Clock_%281969%29

2007-03-05 09:30:03
26.   wsporter
This is the one I remember being played on PIX:

Y.A.N.K.E.E.S.
Here come the YANKEES
Let's get behind and cheer the YANKEES
They're gonna learn to fear the YANKEES
Everyone knows they play to win, cause

They're the New York YANKEES
Show them today why your the YANKEES
No other way when your the YANKEES
Wadda ya say we win a brand, new, ballgame

We're gonna shout when ya powder the ball
We're gonna scream, "put it over the wall"
The other teams gonna know what it means to play the Y.A.N.K.E.E.S
We love the Yankees

Shout it out loud , We Love The YANKEES
We're really proud of our YANKEES
And we're gonna win today
2, 3, 4, Hit, Run, Fight, Score, Go! Go! Go!

We're gonna shout when ya powder the ball
We're gonna scream "put it over the wall yo"
The other teams gonna know what it means to play the Y.A.N.K.E.E.S
We love the Yankees

Shout it out loud, We Love The YANKEES
We're really proud of our YANKEES
And we're gonna win today

Y.A.N.K.E.E.S. Yes
Y.A.N.K.E.E.S. Yes

They didn't play the whole thing cause that takes about an hour and a half. The arrangement, if you can call it that, had a sort of Mitch Miller schmaltzyness to it. Does anyone remember that?

2007-03-05 09:37:55
27.   vockins
Holy crap, the 1983 WPIX promo made me spit coffee all over my monitor. The cut to the baby skeleton in the "Friendship, Secrets, and Lies" promo belongs in a video editing hall of fame.
2007-03-05 09:43:56
28.   3rd gen yankee fan
Wow, does that bring back memories of sitting on my grandparents' floor in front of the TV, watching games and eating cheese sandwiches. What I continue to be amazed at about the Banter is culturally, how close we all are! Because of this team? Wow. Nuts!
2007-03-05 09:44:48
29.   3rd gen yankee fan
Oh hey, did anyone ever find a decent player for the Mac?
2007-03-05 09:54:54
30.   Sliced Bread
23 Seriously, I'd take an "F-Troop" rain delay or an "Odd Couple" over "Yankeeography" any day.

And who could forget the WPIX editorials? I couldn't recall what any of them were about, but was conditioned to wait for the line: "What's your opinion? We'd like to know."

26 Dang, I didn't know there were lyrics beyond the first stanza. Schmaltztastic!

2007-03-05 09:59:12
31.   JL25and3
30 Omg, I haven't thought about those editorials for years. I can picture the guy exactly - his name was Richard something.

I hate to say it, but the Yankees song was kind of ripped off from the Mets song, which was basically superior...even if it did lend itself too easily to parody:

Eat the Mets, eat the Mets,
Step right up and beat the Mets...

2007-03-05 10:00:49
32.   JL25and3
30 God bless Wikipedia:

WPIX was also famous for the many post-news editorials from 1969 to 1995 that were "anchored" by Richard N. Hughes, Vice President of News Operations. His editorials ended with the legendary tagline, "What's your opinion? We'd like to know."

2007-03-05 10:10:47
33.   Sliced Bread
[31 - 32] Nice recall! Richard Hughes, who knew?

Yeah, the Mets parody varied from neighborhood to neighborhood.

"Coz the Mets are really scratching their balls,
Chasin' those home runs over the wall.
East side, West side, everybody's comin' down
to beat the M-E-T-S METS of New York town!"

Even if you liked the Mets you had to love that one.

2007-03-05 10:11:41
34.   JL25and3
33 "Everybody's going down..."
2007-03-05 10:13:50
35.   nemecizer
7 9 Oh my God, I totally remember that. I haven't thought about it in years.

And yes, 6, the did use the Twin Towers to represent channel 11. I remember they had a series of commercials of some guy trying to figure out what the station could use. I think in one he'd be lost in thought, leaning back in his office with the twin towers right outside. I'd yell at the TV "use the towers, idiots!".

Thanks for the memories!

2007-03-05 10:14:27
36.   OldYanksFan
I thought this was pretty cool.
http://tinyurl.com/2dpy2t
2007-03-05 10:15:45
37.   thelarmis
channel 11 ruled growing up! i remember watching the great space coaster in the morning before school (i think that was pix, but maybe i'm off there) and 'playing' TV PIX after school. or something like that.

i liked the 2nd wave of Reggie bars better, from the 90's, after reggie day at the stadium. iirc, the 1st ones had caramel, which i didn't like but the next ones were peanut butter, which ruled! i bought them by the box...

the rajun cajun is talkin' on espn right now! this is sooo cool! an actual yankees game! can't wait to watch quest and mariano, too... : )

2007-03-05 10:16:21
38.   Yankee Fan In Boston
22 the last time i tried tvu, it wasn't working. but that might have just been me.
2007-03-05 10:18:07
39.   thelarmis
i wonder if louisiana lightning still keeps a drumset at the stadium. he used to have one in a closet room and would play for awhile before his starts back in the day. paulie o. played too, but was terrible. i think the unit played also...
2007-03-05 10:19:15
40.   Yankee Fan In Boston
39 guidry just got even cooler.
2007-03-05 10:21:11
41.   Shaun P
12 Are you having any luck with either of those 2 links? On the first one, I got 'Cold Pizza' when I clicked on ESPN, on the second, something about the X games.
2007-03-05 10:22:49
42.   C2Coke
Anyone watching the game on MLB.TV? Is it buffering a lot? Driving me nuts.

Igawa a little nervous?

Sheff...

2007-03-05 10:23:23
43.   Yankee Fan In Boston
41 i have begun to weep. x games. ugh. i have been misled and i apologize. i'm scouring, looking for alternatives... has tvu worked for anyone else?
2007-03-05 10:26:16
44.   mehmattski
I decided to take a "long lunch" and watch the first two innings at home.

Quest is leaving the ball up- he's thrown a couple of good breaking balls, but the rest has been all over the place.

2007-03-05 10:27:00
45.   thelarmis
40 i wonder if gator played rightie or leftie. o'neill played rightie...
2007-03-05 10:28:51
46.   C2Coke
Uh...Wang used 21 pitches to finish two innings. I guess Igawa is more than a little nervous.
2007-03-05 10:28:52
47.   mehmattski
The quest today is apparently to walk as many Tigers as possible...
2007-03-05 10:29:50
48.   C2Coke
Igawa only has one out and so far 2/3 of his pitches were balls.
2007-03-05 10:30:41
49.   bobtaco
42 C2Coke, are you on Mac or PC? I discovered this weekend that you need to download the Flip4Mac Windows Media Player to get mlb.tv to work right for the Mac. You also need to get the beta, because the current one doesn't buffer properly either. Here is the link:

http://www.flip4mac.com/wmv_beta.htm

43 TVU works great on the PC, there is no Mac client.

2007-03-05 10:31:25
50.   Sliced Bread
Iggy doesn't look nervous, but is definitely shakey. Sheff had two good rips on him before walking.

Igawa has a nice change up.

Just missed on a few pitches as he's trying to stay inside on righties.

One thing I like about him so far is his calm demeanor even as things are not going his way.

Show/Hide Comments 51-100
2007-03-05 10:32:23
51.   C2Coke
And another goal for Quest is to set the record of an inning with most pitches of the year. Might as well get that done now in the first starting appearance...
2007-03-05 10:33:43
52.   Sliced Bread
He did manage to strike out the side.
2007-03-05 10:34:14
53.   C2Coke
Thanks, bobtaco, but I am using someone else's PC...and I don't know why I am convinced it's MLB causing the problem? Not yours?
2007-03-05 10:35:07
54.   mehmattski
Three walks, three strikeouts....

"He walked 18... a league record. He struck out 18... also a league record. He hit the announcer twice, and the bull mascot- also... league records."

Kei "Nuke" Igawa?

2007-03-05 10:36:51
55.   C2Coke
His calm demeanor can qualify him as the Japanese Wang.

He's got more than enough ability to be a # 4, and to be honest I already trust him a lot more than I ever will with Pavano.

2007-03-05 10:38:39
56.   Sliced Bread
54 nice
55 word
2007-03-05 10:41:23
57.   mehmattski
Well, I guess its time to go back to work. Thanks to YFIB for the heads-up on the ESPN broadcast, now I can tape the rest of the game and watch it later tonight! Gotta love the Banter.
2007-03-05 10:41:57
58.   The Mick 536
Back to WPIX. At the beginning of the 50's, they carried both the Yankees and the Giants when they played at home. Lorraine Day did the Giant pregame. I don't remember who did the Yankees.

Jim Woods worked with Mel Allen. In 1954, Red Barber joined the Yankee broadcast team after being fired by O'malley for not being a homer. He was replaced on WOR-9 by Vince Scully.

In 1955, Phil, the Scooter who won an MVP award in 1950, was let go after 31 gaems. He became the first Yankee player, broadcaster in 1957.

Barber, no homer he, stayed on until 1966, a year the Yankees didn't do very well. He was fired after ordering the camera crew to pan the stadium to show that under 500 fans were present for a game which the Yankees had announced attendance of 67,000.

2007-03-05 10:44:37
59.   wsporter
58 I believe the explaination was that "the other 66,500 fans were there in spirit".
2007-03-05 10:46:06
60.   bobtaco
53 Acess the settings for the Windows Media Player (right click in the window), make sure you have it set for a DSL/Cable connection and not at 56K modem speed.

You can also set the buffer higher manually if you need to do it in the same options screen.

Hope that helps.

2007-03-05 10:48:54
61.   dianagramr
54

OK .... I had to go to B-R.COM for the statgeek fix:

Since 1957, there have been 3 instances of a starting pitcher walking AND striking out at least 11 batters in the same game

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/SZzf

2007-03-05 10:51:58
62.   thelarmis
57 ah, great idea! i'm gonna bust out the old vhs tape and watch it later after work...

don't the yanks know this is spring training and not the ALDS?

sheff has gotta be pissed for getting nailed.

2007-03-05 10:52:36
63.   C2Coke
Thanks a lot, bobtaco. It's still doing it with the video but at least the audio is stable now. I just cannnot wait to go home...
2007-03-05 10:55:07
64.   rbj
&@#*#^!#!!
Local paper has the game listed on two local radio stations, ESPN (1470 am) and a music station (96.1 fm)
Music station's playing music. ESPN has Dan f'ing Patrick. Ugh.
2007-03-05 10:55:44
65.   Shaun P
58 The Yanks (or CBS, right?) fired Red Barber for telling the truth!?!??! I had no idea.

The more things change . . .

2007-03-05 10:58:49
66.   Chyll Will
7 Beat me to it again, Mike. That's the FIRST thing I thought of, then I thought of "THE NEW ZOO REVIEWWWWWW, Comin' Right Atchoo!" and all the Hanna-Barbera cartoons after school, (and if it weren't for Boomerang, who'd remember Magilla Gorilla, Peter Potumus and Breezley Bruin?) and how many people remember the fireworks and the national anthem at the end of the programming day (right after "the Honeymooners, of course)?

Whew, TV seemed to be a lot more responsible back then when it didn't need to be.

Speaking of responsibility (or the lack thereof), who should we smack for that cocaine-laced Meow-Mix disco version of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame?"

2007-03-05 11:02:08
67.   Chyll Will
65 Didn't they fire mel Allen for something like that, too?
2007-03-05 11:02:15
68.   wsporter
The wrist looked good enough on that swing.
2007-03-05 11:08:57
69.   C2Coke
Matsui definitely seemed satisfied.
2007-03-05 11:12:24
70.   C2Coke
It's Mo.
2007-03-05 11:15:55
71.   RichYF
::In voice from Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls::

"Extend him. Exxxtend him. Extend HIM."

2007-03-05 11:16:19
72.   Sliced Bread
The Spring Training softball uniforms don't bother me that much, but there's something very unsettling about seeing Mo pitching in anything but his genuine Yanks threads.
2007-03-05 11:43:28
73.   The Mick 536
Why did they fire Mel Allen?
2007-03-05 11:54:07
74.   dianagramr
Over on the Mets broadcast, Ralph Kiner has made an appearance.

Ralph should have retired 20 years ago.

2007-03-05 13:32:26
75.   OldYanksFan
2 out, 2 run HR by Bronson.
Yanks win 6-5/
2007-03-05 14:39:51
76.   rbj
Dang, I had gone home for lunch, and accidently left the tv on -- got back to see the celebration, but I had missed the whole game. Dog got to watch it, though.
2007-03-05 14:53:16
77.   nemecizer
I know it means nothing, but a 5-0 start to Spring Training has me feeling good. It's making me think that the Yankees might not have the slow start to the season they've had for the past few years.

I'd like to be 10 up on Boston and Toronto by the end of May, Mr. Torre. Please don't wear out Scott Proctor by then. Thank you, signed Joe.

2007-03-05 15:52:32
78.   Chyll Will
73 From a cursory check around, there was never an official explanation for his firing. Rumors abound, but Mel neither confirmed nor denied anything publicly, and the Yankees (Topping, Ralph Houk, CBS) refused to say anything.

Now that ST has started, I'm still not excited enough to get in baseball frenzy mode. All the media hype conjecturing a season of turmoil has tempered my enthusiasm somewhat. Honestly, a good self-imposed media blackout will reinvigorate my pure joy for baseball. Later, all >;)

2007-03-05 16:13:13
79.   wsporter
78 Chyll, Maybe a 29th anniversary celebratory reenactment of the NY newspaper strike would be just the ticket?
2007-03-05 16:15:13
80.   Chyll Will
79 Punch it, I'm in...
2007-03-05 16:52:52
81.   Just fair
I am way late on the WPXI trip down memory lane. But I had to weigh in and mention "The Magic Garden." That had my 5 year old brain transfixed. Who knew a tree could have a doorbell.
2007-03-05 17:26:42
82.   claybeez
There's a post over at Dodger Thoughts on the health of Dioner Navarro's little boy. How Dioner even manages to focus on baseball is beyond me. He is quite the professional. My thoughts and best wishes go to him and his family. I hope their journey through illness and crisis comes to a quick and happy end.
2007-03-05 17:27:09
83.   Chyll Will
Magic Garden! How could I forget?

Seeya-seeya,
Hope you had a good-good time,
Bah-dum,
Hope you had a good-good morning,
Hmm-hmm,
Hope we get to see you again...

(whistle-whistle), another verse with slightly different words.

Sigh. Alex, tomorrow, you should do a retrospect with WNEW (Ch. 5), especially Saturday Afternoon Drive-In... hmm, that had a cool sax, too...

2007-03-05 17:43:42
84.   dianagramr
81

beat me to it .... nice to know I wasn't the only one who watched that back in the day

2007-03-05 18:17:17
85.   DarrenF
That Yankees commercial was great. So was the Magic Garden theme. Take all that greatness, add it up, and condense it into 3 seconds and you will have this:

http://tinyurl.com/2u6jzt

2007-03-05 18:20:20
86.   Raf
66 Ah, New Zoo Revue... I was in love with Emmy Jo

83 You know Carol & Paula are still performing, right? One of my coworkers took his kid to see them last year.

2007-03-05 18:35:18
87.   bobtaco
66 I had a friend growing up whose father worked at a TV studio in Philadelphia in the late 70's and early 80's. He had a videotape that had outtakes from New Zoo Revue, where the actors were joking around and cursing at each other, and making other lewd jokes, totally in costume using their character voices. It was very funny. I wish I had a copy to post on Youtube.
2007-03-05 20:18:58
88.   Chyll Will
86 Me too! They came to my elementary school right before the show began. EVERYONE loved her. In fact, I think that's the first time I became aware that I wanted to be on TV.

87 "The Electric Company" DVD has some rude outtakes that I've got to check out, too.

2007-03-05 22:41:14
89.   mikeplugh
Heeeeeeeeey you guuuuuuuuys!!!

You have to love Rita Moreno in that cast. Also Morgan Freeman as "Easy Reader" was always killer following the Spiderman skits with the dialogue in a bubble above his head. Joan Rivers was the narrator for Letterman, and Letterman himself was Gene Wilder. Crazy!

2007-03-05 23:46:26
90.   Peter
26 I'm really late to this (not even sure if anyone's going to read this thread anymore), but you can listen to Here Come The Yankees, either instrumental or with vocals, here:

http://tinyurl.com/4spxp (with vocals)
http://tinyurl.com/2symjw (instrumental)

31 And just for good measure, here's Meet the Mets: http://tinyurl.com/yezsq9

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