The above featured Detroit Free Press article was digitally re-imaged by Motor City Radio FlashbacksA special thank you to senior MCRFB consultant Greg Innis, of Livonia, MI., for contributing the Newspapers.com archives (Detroit radio related) articles, ads, and images we have featured on this site, since 2016.
Thank you, Greg Innis, for making these historic Detroit radio features possible. 🙂
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DETROIT FREE PRESS | (Bloomington, Minn.) Sunday, May 18, 1978 — The Tigers dismaldecline continued Saturday as the Minnesota Twins dealt them their sixth consecutive defeat, 3-1.
In keeping with their current trend, the Tigers played well enough to win. They collected seven hits, compared to the Twins’ eight, and Milt Wilcox was certainly every bit as effective as his Minnesota counterpart, Geoff Zahn.
But Zahn got the win while Wilcox was stuck with his fifth loss as the Tigers exhibited almost an uncanny inability to hit with men on base.
As a result, they now need only one setback to match their longest losing streak of the season. Furthermore, 17 of the Tigers’ last 24 games have ended in failures, which is why they’re now fifth in the American East, a distant 12 and a half games behind the Boston Red Sox.
Twins 3. Tigers 1. (Click on box score for largest detailed view)
But the only solution manager Ralph Houk could offer Saturday was continued patience.
“All we can try to to do is relax ’em and wait,” Houk explained in the otherwise silent, somber clubhouse.
“They”re all trying too hard when they come up with men on base,” Houk continued. “That’s obvious.
“We just can’t seem to get going. We can’t get the runs in. We can’t bunch our hits. We scatter them all of the time.
We’ll come out of this sooner or later,” Houk predicted. “We’ve got to break loose. And when we start winning we won’t be able to understand why we didn’t do it before because it’ll look so easy.
“But right now, it seems the little things keep happening to us. We get runners picked off base and we leave men on second or third when we’ve got a chance for a big inning. We’re not hitting that bad. We’re just not hitting with men on base. And when you don’t score, you’re not going to win. But all we can do is sit back and wait.”
One has towonder, though, how much longer Houk will continue to be patient. Butch Wynegar put the Twins on top, 1-0, with his third homer of the season at the bottom of the second inning Saturday. (See article below for more; click on, tap or stretch article for larger detailed read).
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Detroit Free Press, 06/18/1977 | Copyright 2022. Newspapers.com
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BASEBALL REFERENCE: For the complete Minnesota Twins vs. Detroit Tigers June 17, 1978 game-day box score and stats — click HERE
Detroit Free Press Sunday, June 18, 1978 (a.)
Detroit Free Press Sunday, June 18, 1978 (b.)
The voice for the Detroit Tigers Ernie Harwell with Paul Carey.
Frank Beckmann, who spent nearly five decades on Detroit radio, is being remembered for his long-running work on “New Talk 760” WJR and as the voice of the Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Pistons, and, for 33-years, the Michigan Wolverines, during his long radio career. Beckmann died Saturday. He was 72.
Beckmann retired from WJR in March 2021 from WJR where he had been hosting late-mornings (9 am-12 noon) on the talk outlet until his final broadcast.
“I will be forever grateful to WJR for helping all of my boyhood dreams to come true. As a youngster growing up on the east side of Detroit, I always imagined sitting behind a microphone, announcing Lions and Tigers games,” Beckmannsaid last year when he retired. “It was surreal for me to actually have been able to do that, along with experiencing the other great opportunities this radio giant known as WJR provided me.” Beckmann said he had looked forward to more time on the golf course during his retirement.
Two weeks ago Beckmann’s family shared the sad news that he was he was entering hospice after several recent strokes. Last June, just months after his retirement, Beckmann was diagnosed with vascular dementia, a rare brain disease, after his started exhibiting unusual behavior. His wife, Karen, had toldThe Detroit Newsearlier this month that doctors give him days to live.
“Frank was a giant. Not only in stature, but in the world of broadcast radio too, saidWJR’s Chris Renwick of his 6-foot, three-inch friend. “Frank always did it his way, and always kept us the best informed audience in all of radio,” said Renwick, noting Beckman also helped raise tens of millions of dollars for Detroit charities.
German-born Beckmann first signed on to WJR in 1972. In 1981, he succeeded Bob Ufer as the University of Michigan football play-by-play announcer, calling games for 33 seasons. He was honored as “Top Michigan Sportscaster” numerous times, and was been cited for his work as the only person to broadcast games for all four of Detroit’s major sports teams and the creation of “Sports Wrap” in 1981, recognized as Detroit radio’s first sports talk show.
In 2014, Beckmann received the Chris Schenkel Award from the National Football Foundation, making Beckmann a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and was also been inducted into the Michigan Associations of Broadcasters Hall of Fame and named “Best Midday Personality” by the group.
In Beckmann’s honor, his family is asking instead for donations to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, which is creating the Frank Beckmann Center for Journalism. Get detailsHERE.
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The above article published by InsideRadio, Monday, February 14, 2022. Credit and article is courtesy of insideradio.com (Atlanta, GA)
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Motor City Radio Flashbacks extends our deepest heart-felt condolences to the entire Frank Beckmann family, to his beloved radio audience and friends, and to the entire staff of WJR.
MIKE WHORF 1975 (Photo: Peter Whorf; Detroit Free Press)
‘A TRIBUTE TO MIKE WHORF’
— A SOUL ENCOUNTERED —
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In closing out the year, we pay homage to WJR broadcasting legend Mike Whorf, who passed away in November, at the age of 88.
In wake of his passing, Kevin Collard, former producer at WJR for over 16 years, created and produced a special two hour tribute to the award-winning “Kaleidoscope” program host. We found Kevin’s tribute he featured on his ‘Soul Encountered‘ podcast page (see our Blogroll link) just four days after Mike’s passing, on November 14.
Kevin Collard also worked with over 30 hosts at WJR (not to mention Mike Whorf) including: Paul W Smith, Ken Calvert, David Newman and wrapping up his career there working with Frank Beckmann in 2009. Kevin also stated he did production work for Larry Patton, John McCullough, Kevin Joyce, Mitch Albom and other luminaries affiliated with Detroit radio as well.
Earlier this month, Kevin shared his ‘A Tribute to Mike Whorf’ podcast with Motor City Radio Flashbacks. A professed “fan and follower of the site”, we are truly honored to share this beautifully produced, Mike Whorf rememberance, here, on our web page today.
Thank you, Kevin Collard
For more on the passing of this WJR broadcasting legend, go HERE
Mike Whorf was on WJR from 1964 to 2003.
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Obituary for Michael Whorf
April 21, 1932 – November 10, 2020
Mike Whorf, longtime radio host of the Peabody Award-winning WJR program Kaleidoscope, died in Detroit on Tuesday, November 10th. He was 88. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Whorf spent his childhood and teen years in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Whorf attended Provincetown High School and upon graduation in 1950, enlisted in the United States Air Force where he trained as a radio announcer on the Armed Forces Network.
(Photo credit: Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors)
After military service, Whorf worked on the radio in Massachusetts and in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, where he met and married his wife of 49 years, Barbara Ann Brown. From the 1960s through the 90s, Whorf was part of a WJR Detroit line-up of radio personalities known throughout the Great Lakes region. Whorf’s Kaleidoscope topics ranged from politics to religion, from the arts to sports. In 1968, he was recognized with one of the world’s top media honors: the George Foster Peabody Award for his documentary on the life and work of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Mike Whorf also served during the mid-1980s as program director of classical station WQRS-FM in Detroit. While with WQRS, Whorf created the program “Quest for Excellence,” a juried music competition show for aspiring young talents broadcast live before a studio audience.
In 2008 he was inducted into the Michigan Broadcasting Hall of Fame by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.
Aside from broadcasting, Whorf’s greatest joy was his life as a family man. He and his beloved wife Barbara and their son and daughters enjoyed traveling to the Eastern US for visits with many relatives. In their golden years, Mike and Barb were blessed to alternate time between overseas trips and watching their grandchildren grow.
Michael’s wife Barbara preceded him in death in 2006. He is survived by son Peter (Jennifer), daughters Sarah, Jennifer (Quinn), Suzannah (Ian) and grandchildren Daniel, Annemarie, Michael, Noelle, Jack, Sean, Nate, Noah and Olivia.
Private services have been held.
Memorials appreciated to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Pain & Palliative Care Center, 44405 Woodward Ave., Pontiac, MI 48341.
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A special thank you to senior MCRFB consultant Greg Innis, of Livonia, MI., for contributing the Newspapers.com archives (Detroit radio related) articles, ads, and images we have featured on this site, since 2016.
