Monday, October 22, 2007

Rest in Peace, Max McGee

I know that I'm late to this one, and there isn't much to be said that hasn't been said already. I would like to say a few things, just the same. I grew up with McGee. We went on a lot of Sunday rides with my grandmother when I was a kid, and one concession my Raider fan father always made was to flip the radio to the Packer games in the fall. McGee and partner Jim Irwin provided the descriptions that allowed the game to play in my head. McGee played the part of the colorful, knowledgeable fan, and I stress colorful. It isn't every day that you'll hear an announcer today refer to a wrap around draw, common in the early Holmgren days, as an "enema draw". Once in a great while this would get him in trouble, but by and large McGee's commentary was much appreciated by Packer fans who suffered through horrible teams during much of his radio career. His ten Wisconsin "Sportscaster of the Year" awards were much deserved. Rest well, Max.

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