While sitting here hopng the J-E-T-S will B-E-A-T the Chargers (and coming up with reasons to dislike the City of San Diego…stupid zoo), I’ve been kindly sent a link to a segment of vintage Art Rust, Jr. from 1981, at the beginning of his tenure on WABC. It’s a Spring Training show during which Art — whom we lost this week — forecasts unseasonably blue skies for the rapidly improving the Mets. Lots of guys who can “hit the rock,” a big comeback by “Swannie” and so much more.
Listen to this if you were a fan of New York’s only nightly sports talk fix from that era. Listen to this, too, if you missed him entirely. We were six years from WFAN, and he sounds nothing like WFAN. It doesn’t even sound that much like 1981 (which sources inform me was almost thirty years ago), but that was part of Art’s charm.
And look out for Joel Youngblood at the hot corner this year.
AUDIO HERE: Art Rust, Jr. on WABC
Art Rust, Jr. still owes me ten bucks. Aw, heck, he can keep it.
Art’s WMCA show was the first one I ever called. I was 14. He was a perfect gentleman, didn’t even make fun of me for being a girl. He was so far away from the pit-scratching sports jocks of today it’s not even funny, and I’m not a nostalgic person in general. RIP Art.
Thanks so much for sharing that air check of Art Rust Jr.. Not only did he know his baseball, he told great stories about Jazz and boxing. I still listen to old tapes of him filling in at WFAN, good stuff!!