Ken Beatrice

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Ken Beatrice was an American radio personality and sports talk radio pioneer. He hosted a Washington D.C. area radio call in sports show for 23 years, first on WMAL 630 between 1977 and 1995 [Ken Denlinger (1995-10-07), Callers say goooodbye to WMAL's Beatrice, "The Washington Post".] , later on WTEM 570 and 980 between 1995 [Leonard Shapiro (1995-10-17), Beatrice's show will go on, "The Washington Post".] and 2000. [Leonard Shapiro (2000-04-18), WTEM talk show host Beatrice to retire, "The Washington Post".] His last show on WMAL was on October 6, 1995. He retired on April 20, 2000. [Leonard Shapiro (2000-04-21), He could talk the talk, "The Washington Post".]

Beatrice's show was known for his encyclopedic memory of obscure sports statistics and his pronounced Boston accent. He was particularly well known for his commercials for local Arby's restaurants, in which he mentioned his friendship with the proprietor, Bernie Streeter, his love for the Jamocha shake and, due to dietary restrictions after his heart attack, saying "I'll be honest with you, I don't eat the curly fries, but I'm told they're very good."

When 10-digit dialing was instituted in the DC area, his famous phone number "432-"W"MAL" required an area code, so Ken would tell callers to "Slap a 202 in front of it and keep the phone company happy."

People in the Washington area still quote his famous catch phrases, such as "If I could make that trade, I'd make it twice", "It's an easy lookup", "Yeeeeer Next on SportsCall", and, "Bye now."

A memorable feature of Beatrice's show was the respect he gave children who called and his willingness to engage in dialogue--very unlike talk-show hosts these days.

Ken-isms

"Gawd Luvya you keep these lines lit every night"

"I don't have the sawces or the resawces to scout high school ball"

"We don't play games or gimmicks on Sports Call, but every now and then I get my grubby little paws on enough tickets to give to everyone who calls in"

"The NFL doesn't have a team in Los Angeles!"

"I memorize birth years not birth dates"

"You don't trade a yacht for a rowboat"

"Bernie Streeter treats his employees with a dignity and respect that is then passed on to you, the customer"

"The food here at Arby's is made fresh as you order it, not under a heat lamp catching a few rays"

"I limit myself to one a month" (referring to Arby's milkshakes)

"I only take two weeks of vacation a year...one to be with my family, and one to teach a class"

"If I could predict the future, I'd make one bet and become the biggest sports bum who ever lived."

"Charlie Brown once said 'Potential is man's greatest burden'"

"432-WMAL is the number here on the postgame show, and right now... you're next! Hello!"

"Football is a game of attrition."

"Eighty five percent of all football games are lost rather than won."

"Sam Horn has a swing you could drive a truck through"

"May I beg your indulgence?"

"Sports Call is YOUR show!"

"If you're on the line, stay there! After the show I'll talk with you. No one ever gets short changed on SportsCall!!!" (Imagine Jim Rome or Dan Patrick doing this after their shows)

"I'll be taking calls in my office if you can't get through tonight."

"Offense puts people in the seats, but defense wins games"

"If If's and But's were candy and nuts, oh what a party we'd have!"

"If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a bicycle."

"If everyone were great, no one would be great"

"The best trades are the ones that aren't made"

"You live by the blitz...you die by the blitz"

"An oral agreement ain't worth the paper its written on"

"No! You're gonna listen to me Ken. Joe Gibbs lost that game! Aw go eat at Arbys!" --Caller Mike Dog, angry after the Redskins lost to the Bengals to end the 1988 season at 7-9.

"You gotta have a solid Mike Man. That's your middle linebacker."

"The Bullets should give John Williams the ball." (On his proposal for the Bullets to convert 6'9" Forward John "Dinner plate" Williams to a point guard.)

"Listen to the game with the sound turned down. I think you'll find that you enjoy it more that way."

"We do not deal in rumors and innuendo here on Sportscall."

"Success or failure of any organization begins at the top."

"I am not a fan of any team. I am a sports fan."

References and notes