Jim Woods

James M. Woods (born October 22, 1916; died February 20, 1988, Seminole, Florida [ [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SL&p_theme=sl&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB326ED935BDD72&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM STLtoday - St. Louis Post-Dispatch Archives ] ] ) was an American sportscaster best known for his baseball play-by-play work.

Biography

Early life

At the age of four, Woods became the mascot for the Kansas City Blues and the age of eight, became the team's batboy and reader of scores on local radio http://books.google.com/books?id=Uzh6vqrdzMIC&pg=PA180&lpg=PA180&dq=Jim+Woods+sports+at+the+university+of+illinois&source=web&ots=kEH-FtlXoT&sig=OPaP4Yxiq7hItu6Cbwikz8wZqig&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPA181,M1] . In 1939, he replaced Ronald Reagan as the Iowa Hawkeyes football announcer.

Woods joined the Navy in 1942, where he spent four years as a Chief Petty Officer on the Navy War Bond circuit, working with stars such as Farley Granger, Dennis Day, and Victor Mature. After the war, he joined WTAD radio in Quincy, Illinois, where he spent two years before he moved to Atlanta as an announcer for the Atlanta Crackers, where he replaced Ernie Harwell.

Broadcasting career

New York Yankees, New York Giants and NBC

In 1953, he was hired to call Yankees games alongside Mel Allen. He left after the 1956 season to make room for former Yankee shortstop Phil Rizzuto. In 1957, Woods called New York Giants games with Russ Hodges and the "NBC Game of the Week" with Lindsey Nelson and Leo Durocher.

Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals

In 1958, Woods began a twelve year stint calling Pittsburgh Pirates games with Bob Prince.

Woods picked up his nickname of "Possum" while with the Yankees. Woods had a slight overbite and close-cropped gray hair. When he walked into the clubhouse fresh from a haircut, Enos Slaughter sized him up and said, "I've seen better heads on a Possum." Woods didn't mind the name and Prince would frequently refer to him as "Possum" on the air. Woods enjoyed his time in Pittsburgh, and especially liked working with Prince. But rightsholder KDKA was notorious for low pay, and Woods had a better offer in St. Louis, where Harry Caray had abruptly vacated the booth after the 1969 season. Jack Buck moved into Caray's No. 1 slot, and Woods took over Buck's spot as the No. 2 announcer. Woods always preferred the second spot because he didn't like to do the public relations work that came along with being the primary announcer.

Woods and Buck didn't get along, and Woods left the Cardinals after the 1971 season.

Later career

Woods moved on to the Oakland Athletics, where he called games in 1972 and 1973. From 1974-1978, Woods called Boston Red Sox games on radio with Ned Martin. Despite their popularity, both were fired by the team's flagship radio station, WITS-AM, following Boston's shocking playoff defeat at the hands of Bucky Dent and the Yankees in 1978 for not cooperating fully with the team's radio sponsors. Martin remained in Boston, moving over to television coverage of Bosox games. Although he left Martin, Boston and Red Sox behind, Woods also switched to television. His final play-by-play job was as an announcer for "The USA Thursday Game of the Week". Woods would remain with the USA network until Eddie Doucette replaced him in 1982.

Death

Woods died in Florida at the age of 71, survived by his wife Audrey.

References