Bill Mazer dead at 92

[mart]

Most all of you are too young to remember The Amazin, the sweetest Radio & TV voice ever,

 

behind the mic at Offerman Stadium and the Aud, but if there would be a Super Bowl for

 

announcers, it would be hard to top him. At WGR and WKBW if I remember correctly, he was

 

the man.

 

RIP

[dhg]

RIP

[GG]

Bruce Beck delivered a eulogy on NYC sportscast last night and said "The Amazin was a NY broadcasting legend, but his heart was always in Buffalo."

[Buftex]

My exposure to Bills Mazer came much later in his career. When I lived in NYC (1988-1992), he had an afternoon radio show on WFAN, which, I believe was the first 24 hour sports talk radio station...or at least the first I had ever heard. He a weekday "lunch-time" show, live from Micky Mantle's...it was awesome. It was pretty baseball heavy (not a huge baseball fan), but he always kept my interest. Loved hearing reminice, in a totally unscripted, casual atmosphere from a reteraunt. You could hear people chatting in the backround, the occaisional police car siren as it sped by. You really felt like you were sitting at a table with Mazer and whoever he was talking to. I miss that kind of radio. They didn't have so many commercials.

 

Honeslty, at the time, I had never heard of him, and no idea about his link to Buffalo. I would hear him mention his days in Buffalo from time to time, and asked my dad about him.

 

RIP Bill!

Edited October 24, 2013 by Buftex

[VirginiaMike]

I have not thought about Bill Mazer for along time, but he was a voice I listened to all he time growing up RIP Bill

[mart]

Listening to him doing the little 3 games was like listening to a opera. That was when Canisius, Niagara, and St. Bona

 

were relevent. All of those games were sold out in advance and there were no scalpers, so the radio was the internet.

 

Don!t know if one of them will ever make it back to the big dance.

[Mediaman]

Grew up watching him on local NYC news doing sports. He would take viewer questions to try to stump him, always had his answers right! RIP

[bigK14094]

RIP I listened (on the radio!)to Bill Mazer doing the Bisons games in the 50's. The game play would come in over the ticker tape (I am not making this up) and he would do the game like it was live from here in Buffalo. International League was in Havana in those days I recall, and the tape from there was particularily criptic........he used to share that his spotter doing the game in Havana used to send him a one word description of what was going on.....hit, out, error.....Mazor had to make it all up beyond that. But, he had great talk between the "action", and I was just a kid who loved listening about Luke Easter, Poncho Herrerra, Bobby Wine, Jim Gentile, Bobby Del Greco..and all the great names that played in that era.

Edited October 24, 2013 by bigK14094

[yungmack]

RIP I listened (on the radio!)to Bill Mazer doing the Bisons games in the 50's. The game play would come in over the ticker tape (I am not making this up) and he would do the game like it was live from here in Buffalo. International League was in Havana in those days I recall, and the tape from there was particularily criptic........he used to share that his spotter doing the game in Havana used to send him a one word description of what was going on.....hit, out, error.....Mazor had to make it all up beyond that. But, he had great talk between the "action", and I was just a kid who loved listening about Luke Easter, Poncho Herrerra, Bobby Wine, Jim Gentile, Bobby Del Greco..and all the great names that played in that era.

Great post, brought back a lot of memories I hadn't thought about in years. Mazer was the man in those days and few have come close to him since.

[mart]

A couple of good photos in the NY Daily News today along with a great story. One thing about the photos-he is at the

 

radio microphone doing his show in a suit and tie. No jeans, tee shirts, etc.

 

A couple of lines from it if I may. "Mazer could make you feel like Buffalo, where he worked in radio and TV for 16 years,

 

was one of the country!s greatest sports towns."

[Marv's Neighbor]

Sorry to hear that! He was great when he was in BUF. Always wished he would have stayed. RIP.

[MyHorseAteTheKid]

Most all of you are too young to remember The Amazin, the sweetest Radio & TV voice ever,

 

behind the mic at Offerman Stadium and the Aud, but if there would be a Super Bowl for

 

announcers, it would be hard to top him. At WGR and WKBW if I remember correctly, he was

 

the man.

 

RIP

In the late 70's early 80's I used to see him doing sports on NYC television... I was floored when I heard him talking of his early days in Buffalo on a local NYC talk show interview... I told my father in-law about it and he told me he actually knew him back in the day..

RIP in peace Bill Mazer

[HurlyBurly51]

...

[Thunderstealer]

At WGR and WKBW if I remember correctly, he was the man.

 

RIP

 

Funny Steven King wrote a brief eulogy for Elmore Leonard upon his death in August saying, " he was the man". Rest in peace to both.

[KD in CA]

Wow....I watched “Sports Extra”on Sunday nights for years. RIP to a giant in the New York sports broadcasting world.

[BearNorth]

An Idol of my Childhood. Used to remember his Bison's broadcasts. Always thought he was "edgier" than Van Miller, and told it like it was. RIP Bill

[Gasjuggler]

RIP I listened (on the radio!)to Bill Mazer doing the Bisons games in the 50's. The game play would come in over the ticker tape (I am not making this up) and he would do the game like it was live from here in Buffalo. International League was in Havana in those days I recall, and the tape from there was particularily criptic........he used to share that his spotter doing the game in Havana used to send him a one word description of what was going on.....hit, out, error.....Mazor had to make it all up beyond that. But, he had great talk between the "action", and I was just a kid who loved listening about Luke Easter, Poncho Herrerra, Bobby Wine, Jim Gentile, Bobby Del Greco..and all the great names that played in that era.

 

You brought back many memories. I listen to the ticker tape games too. I even scored them like I was at the game. Mazer was great. Even at my young age then you knew he would end up in a big market. RIP

[Yoho]

RIP I listened (on the radio!)to Bill Mazer doing the Bisons games in the 50's. The game play would come in over the ticker tape (I am not making this up) and he would do the game like it was live from here in Buffalo. International League was in Havana in those days I recall, and the tape from there was particularily criptic........he used to share that his spotter doing the game in Havana used to send him a one word description of what was going on.....hit, out, error.....Mazor had to make it all up beyond that. But, he had great talk between the "action", and I was just a kid who loved listening about Luke Easter, Poncho Herrerra, Bobby Wine, Jim Gentile, Bobby Del Greco..and all the great names that played in that era.

 

I believe a home run was a "White Owl Wallop"

[Nitro]

Buffalo has been blessed with great radio and television sportscasters, announcers and play by play men. RIP Mr Mazer...one of the very best ever to grace Buffalo airwaves with his presence.

[SactoBillFan]

RIP a good man....

[RevWarRifleman]

RIP I listened (on the radio!)to Bill Mazer doing the Bisons games in the 50's. The game play would come in over the ticker tape (I am not making this up) and he would do the game like it was live from here in Buffalo. International League was in Havana in those days I recall, and the tape from there was particularily criptic........he used to share that his spotter doing the game in Havana used to send him a one word description of what was going on.....hit, out, error.....Mazor had to make it all up beyond that. But, he had great talk between the "action", and I was just a kid who loved listening about Luke Easter, Poncho Herrerra, Bobby Wine, Jim Gentile, Bobby Del Greco..and all the great names that played in that era.

A great post! But don't forget guys like Ted Savage & Jerry Rimer for the Bisons. I remember listening to the Bison games over the radio & when a foul ball would come up over the back stop at Offerman, you could hear it banging around up near the press boxes over the airwaves. Yeh, the "International League" because the had a team in Toronto, as well as in Havana, the "Sugar Kings".

[Yoho]

A great post! But don't forget guys like Ted Savage & Jerry Rimer for the Bisons. I remember listening to the Bison games over the radio & when a foul ball would come up over the back stop at Offerman, you could hear it banging around up near the press boxes over the airwaves. Yeh, the "International League" because the had a team in Toronto, as well as in Havana, the "Sugar Kings".

 

Don't forget the Montreal Royals.

[Greybeard]

RIP I listened (on the radio!)to Bill Mazer doing the Bisons games in the 50's. The game play would come in over the ticker tape (I am not making this up) and he would do the game like it was live from here in Buffalo. International League was in Havana in those days I recall, and the tape from there was particularily criptic........he used to share that his spotter doing the game in Havana used to send him a one word description of what was going on.....hit, out, error.....Mazor had to make it all up beyond that. But, he had great talk between the "action", and I was just a kid who loved listening about Luke Easter, Poncho Herrerra, Bobby Wine, Jim Gentile, Bobby Del Greco..and all the great names that played in that era.

 

RIP

 

You missed one of the key points in those broadcasts. When someone got a hit, I believe he banged to pieces of wood together to make the sound of the ball hitting the bat. The aural image of those games is as clear to me now as they were back then. He had a great voice for broadcasting.

[ShelfromNJ]

RIP It brought a tear to my eye when I heard about his death.

[montanafan]

One of my greatest childhood memories was to be invited by Cy Kritzer, the legendary Buffalo sportswriter to sit with him in the pressbox and watch the old Buffalo Bisons play. I went with some friends who were friends of him. In the next booth was Bill Mazur calling the game. About all I remember about the game was the Bisons won, Bobby Del Greco was in center field and Max Surkont came on in relief. I was about nine at the time and that along with my dad taking me to a bills game in their first season were the highlights of my childhood. I still remember wishing the game would never end.