Nat Allbright
Encyclopedia
Nathan Matthew "Nat" Allbright (November 26, 1923 – July 18, 2011) was an American sports announcer who specialized in doing play-by-play radio broadcasts of games that he had never seen, using information sent using Morse code
from the stadiums where the games were played to provide listeners with vivid recreations of the actual games, in which Allbright would describe each pitch and play, combined with sound effects to make the depiction more vivid to listeners. Allbright was hired by the Brooklyn Dodgers
to announce recreated games played away from Ebbets Field
to a network of radio stations on the East Coast that included more than 100 stations, providing facsimile coverage of 1,500 Dodgers games, despite never having seen one.
on November 26, 1923. As a child, he moved with his family to Ridgeway, Virginia
, and would recreate games in his imagination using lineups that he had taken from the local paper. He served in the United States Army Air Forces
during World War II
. After receiving training in radio broadcasting, Allbright hosted musical and dance programs on the air, and covered baseball and other sporting events for stations in the Washington area, producing both live and recreated accounts.
, owner of the Dodgers, wanted to create a radio network to reach fans of the Dodgers located on the East Coast of the United States
. Someone who had previous experience simulating games was desired, as such broadcasts were far less expensive than sending announcers and the required support staff to various stadiums. Assigned to find the right candidate, Dodgers president Buzzie Bavasi
hired Allbright, who was working at the time for radio station WEAM in Virginia. Invited to spend time with the Dodgers at spring training, he observed the players in action, with an eye for details of each player's mannerisms that he could use in his recreations. Allbright began his broadcasting career with the Dodgers in 1949, and his recreations were presented on more than 100 radio stations by the following season. During his time with the Dodgers, he broadcast 1,500 games from a studio in Washington, D.C.
, beginning each one with a statement required by the Federal Communications Commission
that the contents of the radio program were a recreation of an actual game and then starting each game by stating "This is Nat Allbright, from Ebbets Field!"
Allbright maintained notes and pictures in his studio of each National League ballpark to help make his descriptions as vivid as possible. An assistant sitting outside his recording booth would take details from the play by play feed and prepare a script lisiting the details of each half inning. Allbright would be notified of any gap in game play so that he would be able to stretch out the material with added commentary until the typed sheets needed for the next half inning were completed. Using the information transmitted about each pitch from the ballpark, Allbright would provide a running account of the game, using his knowledge of the players and their individual characteristics and quirks to provide a running color commentary
for a game he could not see. Most of the sound effects he used were from recordings, though he had a knack for using dental clicks to simulate the sound of a ball being struck by the bat. He used records and tape recordings of the National Anthem, crowd murmurs, roars and jeers to help maintain the verisimilitude of the broadcasts, though sportswriter Leslie Timms of the Spartanburg Herald-Journal
would reminisce that he could never figure out why the same vendor was shouting "Cold Beer, Here" regardless of which stadium the Dodgers were playing in. Allbright himself supplied the voice of the beer vendor, leaning away from the microphone to simulate the voice coming from the stands. If transmissions were not received from the live game, he might add in improvised foul balls; extensive lags could be turned into an imaginary rain delay to buy additional time, with thunder simulated by crinkling a piece of cellophane. In a 1955 article, sportswriter Red Smith
described how Allbright never claimed to be broadcasting from Ebbets Field, but didn't make it clear that he wasn't, "kind of leaving it up to the listeners to decide for themselves."
After Fred Saigh
, then owner of 90% of the St. Louis Cardinals
, was convicted of income tax evasion and sentenced to 15 months in federal prison in January 1953, Allbright was part of a group of prospective buyers that sought to buy the team from Saigh. A month later, Saigh sold the team to a group led by the owners of Anheuser-Busch
, accepting a lower offer of $3.75 million to keep the team in St. Louis.
From 1950 until 1961, Allbright did 1,500 broadcasts of games played by the Dodgers, though he never saw the team play in person. Washington Post
sportswriter Bob Addie
called Allbright the "king of the baseball re-creators", an art whose practitioners included Ronald Reagan
. He was awarded a ring when the Dodgers won the 1955 World Series
, their only championship in Brooklyn
. Improving technology and the move of the Dodgers to Los Angeles
in 1958 cost Allbright many of his fans, with the team's evening home games starting at 11:00 PM in the Eastern Time Zone
where his radio stations were located.
, pitching for the Cardinals in the 1934 World Series
against the Detroit Tigers
, while another customer had his father's name inserted into a game in which he supposedly played alongside Babe Ruth
for the New York Yankees
. Other recordings had couch potatoes playing for the Boston Celtics
, boxing at Madison Square Garden
and playing golf at the U.S. Open.
During the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, Allbright produced a manufactured account of the All-Star Game that was scheduled to have been played that year at Municipal Stadium
in Cleveland, but had been cancelled due to the work stoppage. The Washington Post lauded "the fantasy created by Mr. Allbright" that evening, noting that he "had listeners sensing a breezy, summer Ohio night perfect for baseball". Before the strike was settled after half of the 1982 NFL season
had been lost, Allbright broadcast eight simulated games featuring the Washington Redskins
facing their scheduled opponents, setting the imaginary pace for a season in which the Redskins would in reality go on to win Super Bowl XVII
.
on July 18, 2011, in Arlington, Virginia at the Virginia Hospital Center. He was survived by his wife, as well as by a daughter and a son.
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
from the stadiums where the games were played to provide listeners with vivid recreations of the actual games, in which Allbright would describe each pitch and play, combined with sound effects to make the depiction more vivid to listeners. Allbright was hired by the Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
to announce recreated games played away from Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...
to a network of radio stations on the East Coast that included more than 100 stations, providing facsimile coverage of 1,500 Dodgers games, despite never having seen one.
Early life
Allbright was born in Dallas, TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
on November 26, 1923. As a child, he moved with his family to Ridgeway, Virginia
Ridgeway, Virginia
Ridgeway is a town in Henry County, Virginia, United States. The population was 775 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Martinsville Micropolitan Statistical Area. Ridgeway is also home to Martinsville Speedway.-HIstory:...
, and would recreate games in his imagination using lineups that he had taken from the local paper. He served in the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After receiving training in radio broadcasting, Allbright hosted musical and dance programs on the air, and covered baseball and other sporting events for stations in the Washington area, producing both live and recreated accounts.
Dodgers game recreation
Walter O'MalleyWalter O'Malley
Walter Francis O'Malley was an American sports executive who owned the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers team in Major League Baseball from to . He served as Brooklyn Dodgers chief legal counsel when Jackie Robinson broke the racial color barrier in...
, owner of the Dodgers, wanted to create a radio network to reach fans of the Dodgers located on the East Coast of the United States
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
. Someone who had previous experience simulating games was desired, as such broadcasts were far less expensive than sending announcers and the required support staff to various stadiums. Assigned to find the right candidate, Dodgers president Buzzie Bavasi
Buzzie Bavasi
Emil Joseph "Buzzie" Bavasi was an American executive in Major League Baseball who played a major role in the operation of three franchises from the late 1940s through the mid-1980s....
hired Allbright, who was working at the time for radio station WEAM in Virginia. Invited to spend time with the Dodgers at spring training, he observed the players in action, with an eye for details of each player's mannerisms that he could use in his recreations. Allbright began his broadcasting career with the Dodgers in 1949, and his recreations were presented on more than 100 radio stations by the following season. During his time with the Dodgers, he broadcast 1,500 games from a studio in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, beginning each one with a statement required by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
that the contents of the radio program were a recreation of an actual game and then starting each game by stating "This is Nat Allbright, from Ebbets Field!"
Allbright maintained notes and pictures in his studio of each National League ballpark to help make his descriptions as vivid as possible. An assistant sitting outside his recording booth would take details from the play by play feed and prepare a script lisiting the details of each half inning. Allbright would be notified of any gap in game play so that he would be able to stretch out the material with added commentary until the typed sheets needed for the next half inning were completed. Using the information transmitted about each pitch from the ballpark, Allbright would provide a running account of the game, using his knowledge of the players and their individual characteristics and quirks to provide a running color commentary
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for a game he could not see. Most of the sound effects he used were from recordings, though he had a knack for using dental clicks to simulate the sound of a ball being struck by the bat. He used records and tape recordings of the National Anthem, crowd murmurs, roars and jeers to help maintain the verisimilitude of the broadcasts, though sportswriter Leslie Timms of the Spartanburg Herald-Journal
Spartanburg Herald-Journal
The Spartanburg Herald-Journal is a daily newspaper, and the primary newspaper for Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States.It is part of the New York Times Regional Media Group.- History :...
would reminisce that he could never figure out why the same vendor was shouting "Cold Beer, Here" regardless of which stadium the Dodgers were playing in. Allbright himself supplied the voice of the beer vendor, leaning away from the microphone to simulate the voice coming from the stands. If transmissions were not received from the live game, he might add in improvised foul balls; extensive lags could be turned into an imaginary rain delay to buy additional time, with thunder simulated by crinkling a piece of cellophane. In a 1955 article, sportswriter Red Smith
Red Smith (sportswriter)
For other uses, see: Red Smith Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith was an American sportswriter who rose to become one of America's most widely read sports columnists.-Career:After graduating from Green Bay East High School, site of Packers home games until 1957, Smith moved on to...
described how Allbright never claimed to be broadcasting from Ebbets Field, but didn't make it clear that he wasn't, "kind of leaving it up to the listeners to decide for themselves."
After Fred Saigh
Fred Saigh
Frederick Michael Saigh Jr. was the part-owner, then sole owner, of the St. Louis Cardinals of American Major League Baseball from 1948 through 1953.- Pre-Cardinals years :...
, then owner of 90% of the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, was convicted of income tax evasion and sentenced to 15 months in federal prison in January 1953, Allbright was part of a group of prospective buyers that sought to buy the team from Saigh. A month later, Saigh sold the team to a group led by the owners of Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...
, accepting a lower offer of $3.75 million to keep the team in St. Louis.
From 1950 until 1961, Allbright did 1,500 broadcasts of games played by the Dodgers, though he never saw the team play in person. Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
sportswriter Bob Addie
Bob Addie
Robert Addie was an American sportswriter who covered baseball for The Washington Post and Washington Times-Herald. Addie was known for his clean style, hilarious anecdotes, unabashed sentiment, red socks and dark glasses. He never missed a day on the Washington Senators' beat for 20 years until...
called Allbright the "king of the baseball re-creators", an art whose practitioners included Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
. He was awarded a ring when the Dodgers won the 1955 World Series
1955 World Series
The 1955 World Series matched the Brooklyn Dodgers against the New York Yankees, with the Dodgers winning the Series in seven games to capture their first championship in franchise history. It would be the only Series the Dodgers won in Brooklyn . The last time the Brooklyn franchise won a World...
, their only championship in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. Improving technology and the move of the Dodgers to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1958 cost Allbright many of his fans, with the team's evening home games starting at 11:00 PM in the Eastern Time Zone
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
where his radio stations were located.
Custom recreations
In the years after he retired from broadcasting for the Dodgers, Allbright began a company producing simulated recreations of sporting events, in which he would insert names supplied by customers as part of the recording. One client wanted to have himself inserted as a catcher for Dizzy DeanDizzy Dean
Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the last National League pitcher to win 30 games in one season. Dean was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953....
, pitching for the Cardinals in the 1934 World Series
1934 World Series
The 1934 World Series matched the St. Louis Cardinals against the Detroit Tigers, with the Cardinals' "Gashouse Gang" winning in seven games for their third championship in nine years....
against the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, while another customer had his father's name inserted into a game in which he supposedly played alongside Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
for the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. Other recordings had couch potatoes playing for the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
, boxing at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
and playing golf at the U.S. Open.
During the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, Allbright produced a manufactured account of the All-Star Game that was scheduled to have been played that year at Municipal Stadium
Municipal Stadium
Municipal Stadium can mean:*Hiroshima Municipal Stadium , in Japan*Municipal Stadium , in Morocco*Municipal Stadium , in Romania*Jinnah_Stadium_, in Pakistan*in the United States of America:...
in Cleveland, but had been cancelled due to the work stoppage. The Washington Post lauded "the fantasy created by Mr. Allbright" that evening, noting that he "had listeners sensing a breezy, summer Ohio night perfect for baseball". Before the strike was settled after half of the 1982 NFL season
1982 NFL season
The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule...
had been lost, Allbright broadcast eight simulated games featuring the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
facing their scheduled opponents, setting the imaginary pace for a season in which the Redskins would in reality go on to win Super Bowl XVII
Super Bowl XVII
Super Bowl XVII was an American football game played on January 30, 1983 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the strike-shortened 1982 regular season...
.
Death
Allbright died of pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
on July 18, 2011, in Arlington, Virginia at the Virginia Hospital Center. He was survived by his wife, as well as by a daughter and a son.