Remembering Gene Elston and nights with a transistor radio

Happy Sunday friends! The Astros are within spitting distance of a .500 record, but who cares about that anymore? Six months ago, .500 + 2 or 3 would have been a success story. Now, it would likely be considered somewhat of a disappointment by many, including the Astros’ leadership.

Meanwhile…

The Astros lost a legend this weekend. Gene Elston, the original voice of the Astros — and Colt 45s — died Saturday at 93. Whether you remember listening to him live or you simply have heard of him through history, you know that the Hall of Fame announcer has a special place in Astros’ lore.  He was the voice from 1962 until 1986, which means, yes, that he covered those two famous ’80s teams. For me, he was my first introduction to baseball radio announcers. Still remember snuggling under my covers with that little transistor radio crackling while I listened to Astros’ games on KWKH in Shreveport. Why under the covers? Well, as most little kids do, I had a bed time and I had to try to be quiet so mom and dad didn’t know I was still awake…sometimes at midnight if the team was on the West Coast.

There were many of those nights since television had only a game of the week back in the day. Radio was the way to go. Of course, he made the transition to television smoothly, even for a guy who wasn’t born into the television era. He introduced me to J.R. Richard, Terry Puhl, Jimmy Wynn, Rusty Staub and even Joe Morgan among others.

He didn’t have the opportunity to introduce me to Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Ken Caminiti and I can only imagine if he’d been able to call the games of this current team with Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers Jr., Jose Altuve and George Springer.

Elston had a way of bringing the game to life before television was prominent in baseball. His partner, Loel Passe, was actually the color guy and, yes, he was colorful with popular catch phrases like: “Now you chunkin’ in there J.R.!” and “He breezed him, one more time!”

I met Gene Elston at a Cotton Bowl game around 1980. Had a chance to tell him of my late nights with the transistor radio and got some pictures (which I’ll need to find).

If you have time and would like to watch Elston and some great Astros’ history, watch the last half inning of Houston’s famous 2-0 over San Francisco and Mike Scott‘s no-hitter.

Yes, there have been plenty of great announcers over the years for Houston. But none outshine Gene Elston.

 

We’ll leave it there for today. I’m guessing you have memories of Gene yourself or those first 25 years of Astros’ baseball. Leave your thoughts here this morning and of those glorious early years of the Astros.

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128 responses to “Remembering Gene Elston and nights with a transistor radio”

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  1. Thanks for doing this Chip.
    Gene Elston was the consummate professional as an announcer. He was not shilling for the team; he was not squeezing in ads and promotions every half inning. Though I’m sure inside he pulled for the team, he was never a homer. He told you what was happening and let the emotions fall on the fan side of the radio.
    If I remember right during one of the many work stoppages they talked about him doing recreations of old Astro games because he not only kept scorecards, he kept note of every pitch type and location.
    He moved over to TV smoothly as he knew that less was more on the small screen.
    God bless you and hold you in His hands Mr. Elston.

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    • Beautifully done Dan. Today’s announcers tell you what management wants them to. I feel insulted sometimes at the things they try to sell us. In Gene’s day it was all about the game. That’s how I learned about the game and came to love it

      Gene Elston may be gone but I will never forget him.

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  2. thanks for the post and the link to that footage chip. I’ve recounted in here before listening with my grandfather on a transistor in amarillo to a station that faded in and out (mostly out) coming from shreveport. elston was among the best ever.

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  3. Great story that brought back many of my own similar memories. I was fortunate enough to have grew up in Houston, my dad moved us here in 1957, and I had none of the radio fade as I listened to Gene. I always looked forward to spring training so I could listen to his wonderful descriptions of the game being played. As a teen, I was able to transition from a transistor (see what I did?) radio under the covers to a small electric radio. Mom knew about it but she was okay with it… she was a huge Astros’ fan herself.

    Gene allowed me to feel so comfortable at the “game.” I actually felt as if I were there in person. I am honored to have been able to listen to him throughout his entire Astros’ career.

    May Gene Elston be remembered forever as one of the great ones in his profession. I, for one, am happy to have known him.

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  4. I can’t tell you about Elston’s style or compare him to others, because for 25 years he was the man who visited my home for three hours a day and there were no other broadcasters. I didn’t listen to others because I had one team and they had one announcer. His voice is not just a memory, it is like a favorite book or movie. It’s just there, ingrained in my memory like my mother’s smile or my sister’s whine.
    The mention of Elston’s name brings his voice to my head and it is familiar like the hymns we heard over and over in church and school in my youth.
    I’ll always wonder just what Elston thought about the way the Astros and major league baseball treated Roman Mejias during that first year of the franchise, when he had all those family problems and hit incredibly well in a monster ballpark and got treated like crap.
    I always felt like he had to bite his tongue when they made that stupid trade for Runnels and again when they made one of the worst trades in baseball history, trading away Rusty Staub for nobody. God, he must have been pissed.
    I miss Elston and I have for years. Baseball hasn’t been quite the same since he’s been gone. Milo was OK, but he couldn’t touch Elston, in my opinion.
    I guess it’s just a family thing. He was like a brother, who would actually talk to me. A lot!

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  5. I’ve always been taught to forgive, but there’s something I’ll never be able to forgive, and that’s when Dr. John McMullen fired Gene Elston. His replacement Milo Hamilton had called Hank Aaron’s historic home run, and I think McMullen thought Milo had the better pedigree. That was the biggest slap in the face anyone could ever give, but Elston took it gracefully. Milo Hamilton was, and always has been a self promoter. He called a good game, but he couldnt talk about anything but himself. Personally I’m glad I don’t have to listen to Milo tell us where he was going to dine, and with whom he was dining with. When Gene called Mike Scott’s no hitter….it was like you were seeing the game in the booth with him!!
    When I get to heaven I’m gonna sit down beside Gene and let him tell me stories of the very beginning of this team I love so much.

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  6. Ya know I’m not saying this is a must win game, but this really is a must win game.
    Currently score is 2-0. Keuchel who hardly EVER gives up a homerun….has given up 2 so far.

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  7. It is hard to get young folks to understand how important listening to the radio broadcast was to us. If we were driving some place with the radio my kids had trouble following what was going on.
    Early on there was only one baseball game on TV every week and of course the sad sack Astros were rarely on. It was a big deal when the local broadcasts began. They would show only the Astros road games on Sundays.
    A far cry from what we have today. And of course Gene Elston was the center of our radio universe.

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    • They deserve to lose of they don’t quit giving up outs on the bases today. And……so far Gomez has shown me exactly NOTHING. I want a do over, and get all those talented guys we gave up for him.

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      • Didn’t get a good feeling about the Gomez trade from the get-go, just that somebody was developing a case of over-anxiousness. You don’t mess with chemistry, which this team seems it may have. I too would rather have the
        Forgone Four back.

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  9. Second *grand slam* of this series!! I said rather LOUD that Jed was the guy I wanted up to bat in that inning! All he needed to do is get a hit……but Daaang a GRAND SLAM was awesome!!!

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  11. And all day I’m yelling at the stupid Astros hitters and then BOOM!
    So then I’m yelling at Marisnick not keeping the barrel of the bat up and bunting the ball down and BOOM!
    Baseball is crazy! and so am I!

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  15. I’m going to try not to be too hard on the Qualls situation. I’ve been saying since June that we needed to do something different than going to him in clutch situations. We are headed out on the road and hopefully we will have a lead of at least a few games when we end this road trip in Arlington. Arlington down 7-0 bottom of 7. Good job with the post today Chip.

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  16. It should be interesting to watch TuckerII and Cameron tonight in game one of that Appy Championship series, because they are easily the youngest guys on the field. No other 18 year olds in either lineup. The majority of the players are 21 and 22 years old.
    Both Greeneville and Princeton finished second in their divisions and both eliminated the teams that were in first place at the end of the season, in the semis.

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  18. If you haven’t heard about this kid in Langcaster….you should!! Akeem Bostic was the 19yr old pitcher we got for Corporan. This kid is AWESOME! Check out his game tonight!! All I can say is WOW!! The pitchers we have down on the farm are going to be ACES when they come up to the big club! Daaang!! And Matt Duffy hit his 20th homerun tonight for Fresno!! Can’t wait for this kid to get here!!⚾⚾⚾

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  22. Chip: Your story about the transistor radio really brought back memories for me. I grew up and learned baseball listening to Waite Hoyt and Joe Nuxhall broadcasting the Reds games when they still played in Crosley field. Crosley had a Tal’s Hill all the way around the outfield fence that served as the warning track. They were so good at describing the action and the ballpark that the first time I actually went to a game I had a vivid picture in my mind of what to expect and was not disappointed. I loved and still do love listening to the games on the radio because it lets you create the image of the game in your mind. Alas, the art of baseball radio announcing is fading and I cringe regularly when Steve Sparks is doing the play by play. Robert Ford is OK and Sparks is kinda competent as a color guy. But Elston was a wizard. We moved here in 1985 so I didn’t hear him much but I was mystified when they let him go in favor of Milo who was and is a legend in his own mind and a thoroughly incompetent radio announcer. Integrity is also a rare commodity these days but from the little I heard Elston he had a bunch.

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    • Drbill14…..I have no choice than to listen to the games on the radio, and I concur that listening to Steve Sparks makes the game dull and uninspiring. I’ve written SEVERAL emails to the front office, and all I get back is “he’s trying so be patient”. I’ve given up on asking for a better side kick for Robert Ford.
      You are 100% correct about Milo Hamilton. He was the reason the last two radio guys were fired after two years. I’m so glad I don’t have to listen to his drivel about how great he is……should have been retired 10yrs ago. Robert Ford occasionally has Larry Dierker in the booth with him, and it’s HEAVEN!!!

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      • Dierker is pretty amazing. He is probably in the top 5-7 Astro players all time. He is their greatest manager of all time. And he was their best color man on the radio. True talent.
        Sparks is improving as a color guy – but I don’t think he will ever be even a competent play by play announcer.

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      • Girl, I do sympathize. That Steve Sparks puts me into a trance. I’d come to after the game barley knowing who won.

        Being able to see the games again Is like waking up after hibernation. Hoping you get to see again soon.

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      • Becky: And I thought those two were pretty good. Whenever Milo graces the booth with his presence now there is so much butt kissing by the new guys it makes me want to gag.

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    • My family moved around the country quite a bit in the 1950’s and 60’s, and i was fortunate enough to have heard some of the game’s great broadcasters for at least a reasonable amount of time on a regular basis. My grandfather was an avid Pirates fan and made me one, too, in the late 50’s listening to Bob Prince and Jim Woods. I also enjoyed Waite Hoyt and Joe Nuxhall when we were near Cincinnati, as well as By Som and Ritchie Ashburn in Philadelphia. The best team of announcers I ever heard was Lon Simmons and Russ Hodges of the 60’s Giants.

      But Gene Elston took a back seat to no one. He was understated, yes, but he was so professional and knowledgeable it was like he was teaching a baseball class every night. The biggest shame I have of being an Astros fan since 1968 is the way he was let go – certainly the blackest of black eyes the organization has ever suffered.

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  23. http://Www.fresnobee has an awesome article about Mark Appel. This young man has his head on right, and his love of the Lord is a testament to his success. I have no doubt he will be coming to spring training to fight for a job in the rotation. He’s the kind of son every mother wished she had!!

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    • It’s hard enough being a person of deep religious faith in today’s world when you have no spotlight on you. I can’t imagine what it must be like when a lot of people focus on your daily performance.
      I have been aware of his journey of faith for a long time. I think he has patience that I and others don’t quite relate to, but he has so much talent as a pitcher, too.
      I hope he can find a good level and balance between the two. I hope he finds someone to share his faith with and who can help him achieve a good balance in life that allows success with the career path he has chosen and the life path he has chosen, if he hasn’t already.
      I know Mark is not alone on this path. There are a lot of guys in our system who have a relationship with Jesus Christ. They celebrate this a lot on twitter.

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  24. Ditto the comments on Elston: I also grew up with Elston under my pillow, since 1962. When it comes to baseball announcers, Vin Scully is the best ever but I would put Elston next. And the fools he had to suffer in the broadcast booth! Loel Passe was a lovable guy and actually a good contrast with the just-the-facts-Ma’am Elston style. But I remember when they brought in Bob Prince for a year or so. The guy was a legend in Pittsburgh, so maybe he was past his prime, but he was maybe the worst broadcaster I’ve ever heard. Elston’s dismissal was one of the many mistakes the Astros have made over the years..RIP Gene.

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  25. RF Springer
    2B Altuve
    SS Correa
    CF Gomez
    DH Gattis
    3B Gonzalez
    1B Carter
    C Stassi
    LF Marisnick
    P Fiers
    An all RH lineup against a lefty and Lowrie sits. As a switch hitter he can be used any time off the bench with lots more options on the bench, including Valbuena, Rasmus, Villar, Tucker and Conger.

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  26. OK boys and girls here we go, the first game of this REAL IMPORTANT road trip.
    If these guys ever needed us to say a little prayer for them it’s now. This next 10 days will tell us if they will in the post season or not. They’ve worked too dang hard not to be in it! October baseball……HERE WE COME!!!!

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  29. Talk about missing announcers like Gene Elston. Today, 6th inning for A’s. Walk, walk, single, double, go, walk, single, single, walk. Then grounder to Correa.

    Ashby says Correa and Altuve will be there a long time but that was a MUST double play. Now seriously, the problem in the 6th was the infield failed to get a double play.

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  33. I gave up when our pitchers cold get any body out. And our pitchers sucked BIG time. Can’t win many games if you can’t get anyone out. If Kazmir can’t get outta the 4th or 5th inning tomorrow our bullpen will get hammered. I guess teams like the A’S are doing to other teams like the Astros did……play spoiler, and they seem to be successful.

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  34. Five of the batters we walked scored. Two of our runners got picked off and two more were barely able to keep from getting picked off.
    Chris Carter was a liability on the field today.
    Not only was Altuve 0-4, he only saw 10 pitches in 4 PAs.
    Gattis showed why he has been a negative WAR player all year. He was just clueless up there.
    Texas leading Seattle 2-0 in the sixth.
    Fiers wasn’t great but he got screwed on the corners all game long by the ump. Hinch should have pulled him before he walked that second guy in his last inning. He was gassed. And he was pissed at the ump.
    Thatcher had one job. Get a left handed batter out. He walked him.
    Last year, when Oakland was good, they killed us.
    This year, when Oakland is horrid, they’re killing us.

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  35. Whenever I play Mr. Donny Downer things perk up so let me say it looks like, after the games on Tuesday, the Astros lead will be down to 1 game. We are facing Sonny Gray and Cole Hamels is pitching for the Rangers tomorrow. By the time this road trip is over we may be worrying more about what the Twins and Angels are doing as the wild card may be our only hope.

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    • On May 3rd, the Astros were 18-7 (11 games over). Today they have played an additional 113 games and are 1 over .500 in those games. All games count, but it would appear that those projections of .500 or 2 or 3 games over would have been correct except for a sensational April. Let’s hope the Astros make poor predictors of us all and finish with a run.

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  37. Bad pitching, base running, and lineup. Why wasn’t Lowrie playing today. It’s really not a good time to be resting the best hitters. And having MarGo between Gattis and Carter? Why is Carter even playing?

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  38. A,J. Reed took home the minor league homerun title , and the RBI title for 2015.
    I think this kid is getting an invite to spring gaining to compete for the first base job.
    Tyler White can play 1st. Or 3rd base, so these two guys are both going to be ready to play for the big club next year. And the pitching!!! Oh Lord we have a stocked minor league!! I’m getting excited just thing about the talent we have just waiting to taste the majors!

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    • But Becky, the management is going to reward White’s great season by making him learn a new, and cumbersome position this winter. Just a continuance of no good deed goes unpunished.

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  41. I see talent all over the field and am already looking forward to 2016. I said a couple of weeks ago that I would not let my expectations for 2015 get me carried away. Our guys did not play like a first place team yesterday, and as 45 notes above, we’re a .500 squad since Spring. Some club will have to get hot over these next three weeks, I sure hope it’s us, but again, I think our GM is more concerned about his 40 man roster going forward than winning in 2015. As 1OP points out, we’ve still some pretty signifcant holes in the roster.

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    • The July trades raised my expectations. Also, Anaheim and Texas are flawed teams. We know ours is too (K or HR approach)…but I will be let down if they can’t compete enough now, when it matters, to play meaningful games in October.

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    • I agree, Devin, that all 3 teams are flawed, but the least flawed team appears to be the Rangers with the additions and return of Derek Holland. They always had a good offense, but now the bullpen, which was their weak link, has stabilized and the rotatioin looks to be on par, or even slightly better, than the Astros.

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  42. they missed their chance when they didn’t address the problem at first base. I don’t like moving guys from one position to another almost every day. And it would be nice to have a DH that could hit.
    I won’t be surprised if they don’t make the post season but I will be disappointed.

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    • Correctamundo Sandy! First base (Karter) gets a definite “F” on the grading scale, Third base (Valbuena a D+), and The DH (Gattis) is a C-. Yes, we’ve had some other issues but these are the ones that could keep us out of the playoffs.
      I will be disappointed if we don’t make simply because we’ve been in first almost all year and then to lose it in the last month of the season is a crime. If we had been playing .500 ball all year I wouldn’t be so much but the ability to blow it at this point would be extremely disheartening.

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    • Having a plan, and being so rigid that you are not going to deviate from it in order to adapt to situations, can turn out worse than a bad plan or no plan at all.
      “Better to lose today in order to have a better chance tomorrow” are famous words from nobody.
      Neither did any great leader say “I know there’s winners out there, but I’m satisfied with the losers I have, because I would rather have winners tomorrow.”
      But I say “Baseball is a business that has a 100% guarantee that if you don’t play for all the marbles today, you will get the prize tomorrow.” NOT!
      Just ask the Rays how that’s working out.

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      • I remember 1997. For the first time in a long time the Astros had a first place team. Not a great one but a good one. They couldn’t overcome the Braves pitching and never got past the first round.
        The next year they had ( in my opinion) the best team in the NL but again they never got past the first round of the playoffs.
        My point, there’s no guarantee for the future. You have to make the best of the present. The FO. Hasn’t done that

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    • I am assuming the Astros will upgrade the major league roster, but as it stands now, with Darvish returning next year the Rangers will be better than the Astros. However, there is no way they will bring back Chris Carter. My concern is will they bring back Valbuena, Conger and Gattis. I am sure they will bring back Gattis because of his low salary. I could live with Gattis if they upgraded 1B and 3B and found a better backup catcher. We also have to wonder if they will re-sign Kazmir. He hasn’t been the pitcher we hoped we were getting, but he is still a TOR and I would like to bring him back.

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      • Tim, would you bring back Gattis and be satisfied with the same Gattis next year as he is this year, a player with a negative WAR and a wRC+ of 90?

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      • Yes, if they upgraded the other positions I mentioned. I have noticed Gattis has been a bit more patient at the plate recently. I think with better hitters around him he will see better pitches and will be an average DH. I would like to upgrade the DH, but if my choice is to keep 1 between Gattis, Carter, Valbuena and Conger I would choose Gattis. I don’t see Crane and Luhnow making wholesale changes so I can accept Gattis as his salary is so low he will also still have some trade value.

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  44. We are going to have to wait until the Fresno Grizzlies finish their playoffs before we can even get a LOOK at Matt Duffy. I reminded you yesterday,that he can play both 1st and 3rd he has played both equally well. His primary position has been 3rd. They guys go up against Sony Grey tonight, and I don’t have to tell you how tough this kid is. His last start Sept 2nd was less than stellar, and I can only hope tonight’s game can be a repeat of that game…….but my gut tells me otherwise. I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when these guys played some small ball, you cant live and die by the long ball every single game. I’ll be listening to the game tonight (thank God I’m retired) and I hope to go to bed happy!! As for next year and the years after, there is so much fabulous talent in our minor league system it’s just a matter of time to see those guys up here, and I can not WAIT!!!

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  45. Gene Elston, thank you for being The Voice, and more important, knowing when not to be the voice. I too listened in bed at night and you were the Astros for me.

    Nobody but nobody ever did it as well.

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  46. The 2015 season rides to a large extent on the next 9 games on the schedule. After the last 2 in Oakland this year [starting with Sonny Gray], then we have 3 at LAA followed by 4 huge games at Arlington.

    If we make it through this nine games, we get to turn around and face the same teams – Oakland, LAA and Texas one more time – but at least we get to do that ain the friendly confines of MMP. If it’s not decided by then, we end the season on the road vs. the Mariners.

    Who will the heroes of September be? We need Jed, Preston, Luis, Evan and Go-Go to step it up a notch, and we need George, Jose, Carlos, Marwin, Jake, and all our pitchers to be at their best. We need Chris Carter’s behind to be permanently superglued to the bench. We need Conger relegated to an emergency pinch hitting and back-up to a back up catcher role. We need Jason Castro back – or need Max Stassi to dig his superman undies out of storage and wear them to every game.

    Nobody else wearing blue and orange can get picked-off base. No more baserunning feaux pas can be made. No more pop-flys can be dropped. No more throws can be air-mailed to first base. We can have no more ‘Qualls being Qualls’, ‘Watch for IEDs in the Fields!’, Train Wreck Neshek’, or ‘will he be Joe or Margaret Thatcher today?’ lapses from our pen.

    We need heroes – heroes with arms, heroes with gloves, and heroes with bats.

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  47. And heroes who *WANT* to be heroes!! They gotta want it so bad they can taste it.
    You can’t TEACH that………they have to want that all by themselves. If we go to the playoffs and lose, then these guys will KNOW next year what it takes to WIN IT. No more woulda, coulda, shoulda’s!! Situational hitting, situational hitting, situational hitting!!

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  48. Concerning Carter, my ambivalence shows Big Time. I want the Astros to win and go to the playoffs. Carter can contribute greatly to that cause.

    However, if he gets 3 hits, that will mean he now has it solved and we will be watching him again next year. If he goes on a 9 for 9 run,, he will be all the way up to .200.

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      • Danry Vasquez is an all-around athlete. Not so Mr. Carter. Carter is and has always been a one-tool guy – and unfortunately for him and for the Astros, that tool has been unmasked and stripped from him.

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  49. Sad news about the passing of former Astro pitcher J. Andujar. He was a character. Early on, when he was quite erratic, he beat the Reds one day and Sparky said “Every dog will have his day.” But Andujar went on to be pretty good. Better than Dan Larson, Lemongello, McLaughlin, etc.

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    • Andujur. Was a head case…..I’ve seen him charge more than one ump. He stirred up trouble just about every where he went!! But he was a dang good pitcher!

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  50. Jon Kemmer, 21st round pick in 2013 is the Texas League Player of the Month for August. I love watching these long shot guys have an impact. And don’t forget about our guy Tyler White, he’s a 33rd rounder.

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