Sports media rumblings: Jim Price, 73, not pondering retirement

Jim Price couldn't be happier with the job he has, and it shows 162 times a year, plus the postseason, when he puts on a headset and calls Tigers games on the radio.

No surprise, then, that Price, even at 73, has no plans for retirement.

"For sure, another 10 years," he said during a phone conversation last week. "Then I'll think about retiring after that. My health is great, it's just a lot of fun.

"I've gotta represent the fans."

Price is, by far, the longest-tenured current Tigers broadcaster, having joined the PASS telecasts in 1993, and the radio booth in 1998.

In all those years, he's missed just five assignments -- all early in the 2012 season, when he battled an illness, and was forced to the sidelines by Dave Dombrowski and Mike Ilitch. He was sick, but still wanted to do his job. It was tough to be away, listening to the broadcasts while Dan Petry filled in.

"It actually broke my heart," Price said. "I've been there every day, every pitch. I love it. I really do. Like Ernie Harwell said, 'This beats working for a living; we mention work, and we break out in hives.'"

Price, knock on wood, says he's feeling great these days, and is healthy after two cancer battles.

He took 20 minutes to chat about all things Tigers. Here are the highlights of our conversation:

Question: Can you please, for me, name one "bad area."

Answer: I have never been to one! I was just down at the plaza (in Kansas City) walking around, and a fan said, "Jim, I'm from Wyandotte." "Nice area!" People tell me I've got a lot of Jim-isms.

Q: Why so much "art of pitching" and not "art of hitting"?

A: I do talk about the art of hitting, but, really, the whole game is centered around the pitcher. I talk about it a lot. The art of pitching for me makes the whole game what it is.

Q: Gotta ask — what exactly is the "keyhole"?

A: The keyhole is the release point, repeatable mechanics, coming out of that same release point.

Q: Could the Tigers have picked a better successor to Harwell than Dan Dickerson?

A: Dan is really good. ... There were a lot of people trying to get that job; you don't want to know some of the people that thought they should have that job. Mr. Ilitch, he's very smart, it's the right team, no question.

Q: Your thoughts on the Sabermetric stats Dickerson loves to cite?

A: I take a little bit of that and a little bit of my knowledge. You can get inundated with stats. One's a fastball, two's a curve, 3's a slider. ... (Sabermetrics) will put you to sleep, let's face it.

Q: So you're saying Dickerson is your "research department"?

A: A lot of people don't know this. I brought this up many years ago, the "research department." I always say that to Dan, and that's Dan! A lot of people think we have our own research department. He'll find out what it is. There are times I put him in the corner for not coming up with the answer fast enough.

Q: Everyone has their fans and critics. You're no different. But you do get of credit for your willingness to criticize the team.

A: I'm a homer, but I say it the way it is. If I didn't, I don't think I would represent the fans the right away. I'll talk about the players, I appreciate their ability, and I never really come down on anybody. ... The only time I ever really did, we just played in Minnesota, and I said, "Our base running stinks!" And it really did!

Q: MLB is asking fans to pick their "Franchise Four" for each club. Who are the four best Tigers you've seen since you joined the team as a catcher in 1967?

A: No. 1, Al Kaline of course. And Miguel Cabrera. I really haven't thought too much about it, so many great ones. Look at that great '84 team. Look at the double-play combination for 18 years, Tram (Alan Trammell) and Lou (Whitaker), they're not getting the respect they should nationally. That's what comes to mind.

Boxed out

As it turns out, the most intrigue surrounding the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight Saturday was which media members would be allowed in.

According to multiple reports, CNN's Rachel Nichols and ESPN/HBO reporter Michelle Beadle were barred from covering the fight, allegedly because of their past criticism of Mayweather, who has a history of domestic abuse. Mayweather's camp was in charge of credentialing, and did their best to deny the credential revocations.

If Mayweather's camp wanted to keep out all the media members who've been critical of his past, it should've been a near-empty press row.

It wasn't, of course.

The lone Michigan-media writer at the fight was David Mayo, MLive's Pistons reporter who also has covered the rise of Mayweather, a Grand Rapids native. This was the 33rd Mayweather fight Mayo has covered, and while he said he was surprised Pacquiao wasn't more aggressive, Mayweather's ring maneuvers were as expected.

"Mayweather wasn't looking for a brawl," Mayo told The News. "He's a technician. Anyone expected (a brawl) should set fire to a $100 bill every Saturday."

Jeff Riger, of 97.1 The Ticket, also was at the fight, and did some really nice video interviews, including entertaining segments with the trainers for both fighters, and Evander Holyfield. The Holyfield interview was cut short when the ex-boxer's camp got made that Riger asked about the famous Mike Tyson ear bite.

Mane attraction

When Ryan Field left Fox Sports Detroit in May 2013, there went the best hair in the Detroit sports-media market.

At the time, I asked Field who would take his throne, and he said WXYZ's Brad Galli.

Well, a national outlet seems to agree. A website called GetGoodHead.com — a site about shampoo, obviously! — Galli was named the Michigan TV news personality with the best hair. The website announced a winner and a runner-up for each state.

Galli told the website he has gone to the same barber since he was 12.

Galli, if you haven't noticed, has rejoined the sports department at WXYZ after helping launch "The Now Detroit," a program heavy on human-interest features.

Runner-up in the hair contest, by the way, was Jon Jordan, a style editor at WDIV.

Booth high jinks

Hilarious scene in Milwaukee on Wednesday night.

Brewers broadcasters Bob Uecker and Joe Block were locked inside their booth — a booth that has no bathroom — for 90 minutes when a door handle broke. Miller Park workers had to use a large red ladder to climb into the front of the booth, before working on opening the door.

Block, a Roseville native and Michigan State graduate, tells me "it wasn't a big deal," but it made for some good, funny radio.

"It was, thanks to Ueck," Block said.

... FSD's Justin White was back at it on the air Thursday, accepting his latest challenge to eat a whole lot of food on air. He tried out the White Sox newest food offering, a batting helmet full of a pound of ribs, 1.5 pounds of fries, coleslaw and two big pieces of cornbread. White started chowing down before first pitch, and wasn't quite half done before the third inning of the game. It made for some funny TV, if not some nasty after-dinner effects. White began the challenge at 155 pounds.

... There was a shake-up with the flag-ship program for 97.1 The Ticket last week, when "Valenti & Foster" producer Jim Bentley was let go, to the shock of many at the station. Our tipster didn't know an exact reason behind the dismissal, but there were rumblings of a possible conflict with some on-air talent.

He said what?

Two candidates for the oddest thing said by a Detroit sports-media member this week.

* On Thursday, 97.1's Scott "The Gator" Anderson, in discussing the Tigers' bullpen travails, suggested that perhaps the Tigers were wise to not trade for former Braves All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel. Anderson's reason: Kimbrel's ERA is 5.06. Never mind, that's through 12 whole games with the Padres, and he had a 1.43 ERA throughout his career, or 294 games, before this season.

* On Wednesday, FSD's Jack Morris made an odd case that if a batter hits a solo home run, that should be considered an at-bat with a runner in scoring position. Broadcast partner Mario Impemba, somewhat uncomfortably, laughed off the suggestion.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

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