An Exclusive Interview with Jamie Most and Mike Carey
By:
Michael D. McClellan | Monday, February 21st 2005
Players such as Dennis Johnson were hated when playing
against the Celtics, but that all changed once they
donned the green-and-white. If Johnny Most were calling
games today, how do you think he would feel about
(former Celtic) Antoine Walker’s wiggle?
JM
I don’t know if it would have been my dad’s favorite
[laughs]. He didn’t like trash-talking and showboating,
and deep down I think the wiggle would have bothered
him.
MC
I don’t know how he’d like it. When Johnny first
started broadcasting, those things just didn’t happen.
I’m not singling out Antoine Walker, because Kevin
McHale and Larry Bird were world class trash-talkers.
But it was different with them – they didn’t do it in
such an overt way, whereas Walker is more demonstrative.
Everyone associated with the Boston Celtics has a story
about Red Auerbach. Please tell me a little about
Johnny’s relationship with Red, and please share a
favorite story about these two great men.
JM
Dad spoke as highly about Red Auerbach as he did about
Walter Brown, and I heard nothing but good things about
him as far back as I can remember. They were friends
first, even though Red was his boss. There were some
common bonds between them - they both joined the Celtics
in the early 50s, they were both Jewish, and they were
both from New York. And Red always treated dad like a
part of the team; to him, dad wasn’t just a radio
personality. He was a part of the Celtics family.
When dad auditioned for the job, Red downplayed the fact
that he wanted him more than any of the others. It was
Red who helped convince Walter Brown to offer dad the
job – Walter loved dad’s audition, but wasn’t sure if
the Boston fans would take to someone from New York.
That’s when Red reminded Walter that he [Red] was from
New York, and that he was doing okay as the coach of the
Celtics. But when Red called dad, he acted as if Walter
had talked Red into making the choice [laughs].
MC
Johnny looked at Red as a father figure. There was a
lot of mutual admiration. Red wanted Johnny after
broadcasting one game – but as Jamie mentioned, Red
needed Walter Brown’s approval. And Walter had serious
reservations, because Johnny was from New York. That
didn’t phase Red at all. He talked Walter into it,
called Johnny with the news, and then negotiated a
contract.
Celtics fans everywhere are familiar with the heartfelt
refrain, “We love ya, Cooz.” Please take me back to
December 3rd, 1990, and share with me that wonderful
night “High high high above courtside”, when the Boston
Celtics retired Mr. Most’s microphone.
JM
Dad was a tough guy who didn’t shed many tears. To be
on that court with him, to see those tears, and to hear
that standing ovation…it was one of the most emotional
things I’ve ever experienced, and I know that it was
much more difficult for him. It showed the depth of the
love affair between dad and the fans. And to have Larry
Bird come out and give him a piece of the parquet floor
– it was a very special night, and one of the hardest
things my dad ever had to go through.
MC
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to be there for that
ceremony; my mother was dying of terminal cancer, and I
was with her. I’ve heard Jamie talk about it, and I’ve
heard other stories from people who were there, and I
know that it was a very emotional moment.
The expressions coined by Johnny Most represent a
lexicon basketball’s most descriptive color, uniquely
original and instantly identifiable. “Fiddles and
diddles”, “From downtown”, and “Stops and pops” are just
a few examples of his brilliance. Given today’s
high-tech, cookie-cutter approach to broadcasting, do
you think we’ll ever see another Johnny Most?
JM
I’ve sensed a trend in recent years where local radio
announcers are backing the local teams with more
emotion. People want to have the broadcaster on their
side, rooting for their team, but I just don’t believe
anyone will be able to duplicate what my dad did with
the Celtics. That’s just who he was – a fan of the
team, and the one with the best seat in the house. He
hated phonies, and he wasn’t going to be one. He was
going to root for his team, and he didn’t care if people
called him a ‘homer’. He stayed true to himself, and in
his mind that was the most important thing.
MC
No, I don’t think we’ll ever see another Johnny Most.
His style was pure emotion, which you can find today,
but there was nothing artificial about the way he called
the games. He loved his team. You could tell that just
by listening to him for a few moments. Bob Cousy once
said that Johnny’s broadcasts brought people to the
games, and this was back when the average fan felt that
Holy Cross could beat the Boston Celtics. Johnny’s
unique style made people take an interest in the team,
and he loved the team so much that you ended up loving
them, too.
The most important point that I would like to get across
with these books is that Johnny Most belongs in the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. To date,
the only broadcaster voted into the Hall of Fame has
been Chick Hearn. Johnny was an original, an NBA
pioneer, and a symbol of the Boston Celtics. His calls
will be replayed for many years to come.
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