Arch McDonald
Encyclopedia
Arch Linn McDonald, Sr. was an American
radio
broadcaster who served as the voice of Major League Baseball
's Washington Senators
from to (with the exception of , when he broadcast the New York Yankees
and Giants
).
McDonald was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas
. During the early 1930s, he broadcast for the Chattanooga Lookouts
, and won the first The Sporting News
"Announcer of the Year" award in 1932--a remarkable achievement, considering that the Lookouts were a Class A team. Senators owner Clark Griffith
jumped him straight to the big club in 1934, and he immediately became a hit. He was one of the first to use "ducks on the pond" as a term for players on base, and also sung an old country tune, "They Cut Down the Pine Tree," after a big Senators play. He was best known, however, for recreations of road games--a common practice in the 1930s, when line charges were too expensive for live road coverage. For many years, it was common for Senators fans to crowd around McDonald's studio at a drug store on G Street to watch his recreations.
In 1939, he became the first full-time voice of the Yankees and Giants, working the second half of the season alongside a young Mel Allen
. In that same year, he aired the opening of the Baseball Hall of Fame on CBS
. However, his homespun style didn't play well in New York, and he was back in Washington for the 1940 season.
For the most part, McDonald called losing baseball; the Senators only finished higher than fifth four times during his tenure. However, he was named "Announcer of the Year" again in 1942. During the 1940s, he began calling Washington Redskins
and college football games.
McDonald was forced off Senators broadcasts by a sponsor change in 1956, but remained behind the mike for the Redskins. He died at age 59, of a heart attack, while en route by train from New York City
to Washington, D.C.
(Obituary: New York Times, October 17, 1960)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcaster who served as the voice of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
from to (with the exception of , when he broadcast 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...
and Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
).
McDonald was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
. During the early 1930s, he broadcast for the Chattanooga Lookouts
Chattanooga Lookouts
The Chattanooga Lookouts are a minor league baseball team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. They are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team, which plays in the Southern League, has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club since the 2009 season. The Lookouts...
, and won the first The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
"Announcer of the Year" award in 1932--a remarkable achievement, considering that the Lookouts were a Class A team. Senators owner Clark Griffith
Clark Griffith
Clark Calvin Griffith , nicknamed "the Old Fox", was a Major League Baseball pitcher, manager and team owner.-Biography:...
jumped him straight to the big club in 1934, and he immediately became a hit. He was one of the first to use "ducks on the pond" as a term for players on base, and also sung an old country tune, "They Cut Down the Pine Tree," after a big Senators play. He was best known, however, for recreations of road games--a common practice in the 1930s, when line charges were too expensive for live road coverage. For many years, it was common for Senators fans to crowd around McDonald's studio at a drug store on G Street to watch his recreations.
In 1939, he became the first full-time voice of the Yankees and Giants, working the second half of the season alongside a young Mel Allen
Mel Allen
Mel Allen was an American sportscaster, best known for his long tenure as the primary play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees. During the peak of his career in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, Allen was arguably the most prominent member of his profession, his voice familiar to millions...
. In that same year, he aired the opening of the Baseball Hall of Fame on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. However, his homespun style didn't play well in New York, and he was back in Washington for the 1940 season.
For the most part, McDonald called losing baseball; the Senators only finished higher than fifth four times during his tenure. However, he was named "Announcer of the Year" again in 1942. During the 1940s, he began calling 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,...
and college football games.
McDonald was forced off Senators broadcasts by a sponsor change in 1956, but remained behind the mike for the Redskins. He died at age 59, of a heart attack, while en route by train from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to 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....
(Obituary: New York Times, October 17, 1960)