Jim Woods
Encyclopedia
James M. Woods was an American
sportscaster
, best known for his play-by-play work on Major League Baseball
broadcasts.
and the age of eight, became the team's batboy and reader of scores on local radio. He attended the University of Missouri
for one year before taking a job at KGLO
in Mason City, Iowa
. In 1939, he replaced Ronald Reagan
as the Iowa Hawkeyes football
announcer.
Woods joined the Navy in 1942, where he spent four years as a Chief Petty Officer on the Navy War Bond circuit, working with stars such as Farley Granger
, Dennis Day
, and Victor Mature
. After the war, he joined WTAD
radio in Quincy, Illinois
, where he spent two years before he moved to Atlanta as an announcer for the Atlanta Crackers
, where he replaced Ernie Harwell
.
, he was hired to call New York Yankees
games alongside Mel Allen
and Red Barber
. He was fired after the 1956 season
when sponsor Ballantine Beer wanted to make room for former Yankee shortstop Phil Rizzuto
. Yankees general manager George Weiss
was opposed to this, and told Woods that it was the only time he'd had to fire someone for no reason at all.
In 1957, Woods called New York Giants
games with Russ Hodges
and the NBC Game of the Week with Lindsey Nelson
and Leo Durocher
. The Giants moved to San Francisco after the season, but Woods didn't come along; Giants owner Horace Stoneham
wanted someone who knew the Bay Area to work alongside Hodges.
, he moved to Pittsburgh as Bob Prince
's sidekick on Pirates
games, where he achieved his greatest fame.
Woods picked up his nickname of "Possum" while with the Yankees. Woods had a slight overbite and close-cropped gray hair. When he walked into the clubhouse fresh from a haircut, Enos Slaughter
sized him up and said, "I've seen better heads on a possum." Woods didn't mind the name and Prince would frequently refer to him as "Possum" or "Poss" on the air.
Woods loved his time in Pittsburgh, and especially liked working with Prince. But rightsholder KDKA
was notorious for low pay, and was unwilling to give him a raise. Woods had a better offer in St. Louis
, where Harry Caray
had been abruptly fired after the 1969 season
. Jack Buck
moved into Caray's No. 1 slot, and Woods took over Buck's spot as the No. 2 announcer. Woods always preferred the second spot because he didn't like to do the public relations work that came along with being the primary announcer.
Woods and Buck didn't get along, and Woods left the Cardinals after the 1971 season
.
, where he called games in 1972
and 1973
. However, A's owner Charlie Finley let him go after only two years; he wanted someone who would root for the A's from the booth. A few months later, he was hired by the Boston Red Sox
as Ned Martin
's assistant. On the same day Woods signed his contract with the Red Sox, Finley had second thoughts and asked him to come back to Oakland, but Woods turned him down. Ironically, the Red Sox' flagship station at the time, WBZ
, was owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting
, which also owned Pirates flagship KDKA.
Woods and Martin worked together from 1974
to 1978
. By his own admission, Woods toned down his style considerably from his days in Pittsburgh, believing that Red Sox fans preferred their announcers to be more restrained. Despite their popularity, both were fired by the team's flagship radio station, WITS-AM
, following Boston's shocking playoff defeat at the hands of Bucky Dent
and the Yankees in 1978 for not cooperating fully with the team's radio sponsors. Martin remained in Boston, moving over to television coverage of Bosox games. Although he left Martin, Boston and Red Sox behind, Woods also switched to television. His final play-by-play job was as an announcer for The USA Thursday Game of the Week
. Woods would remain with the USA network until Eddie Doucette
replaced him in 1982.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
, best known for his play-by-play work on 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...
broadcasts.
Early life
At the age of four, Woods became the mascot for the Kansas City BluesKansas City Blues (American Association)
The Kansas City Blues are a former minor league baseball team located in Kansas City, Missouri, in the Midwestern United States. The team was one of the eight founding members of the American Association....
and the age of eight, became the team's batboy and reader of scores on local radio. He attended the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
for one year before taking a job at KGLO
KGLO
KGLO is a radio station licensed to serve Mason City, Iowa. The station is owned by Three Eagles Communications and licensed to Three Eagles Communications, Inc. It airs a News/Talk radio format. The station aired an adult contemporary format during the 1980s.The station's call letters reflect...
in Mason City, Iowa
Mason City, Iowa
Mason City is the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 28,079 in the 2010 census, a decline from 29,172 in the 2000 census. The Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Cerro Gordo and Worth counties....
. In 1939, he replaced 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....
as the Iowa Hawkeyes football
Iowa Hawkeyes football
The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
announcer.
Woods joined the Navy in 1942, where he spent four years as a Chief Petty Officer on the Navy War Bond circuit, working with stars such as Farley Granger
Farley Granger
Farley Earle Granger was an American actor. In a career spanning several decades, he was perhaps best known for his two collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock, Rope in 1948 and Strangers on a Train in 1951.-Early life:...
, Dennis Day
Dennis Day
Dennis Day born Owen Patrick Eugene McNulty, was an Irish-American singer and radio, television and film personality.-Early life:...
, and Victor Mature
Victor Mature
Victor John Mature was an American stage, film and television actor.-Early life:Mature was born in Louisville, Kentucky to an Italian-speaking father from the town Pinzolo, in the Italian part of the former County of Tyrol , Marcello Gelindo Maturi, later Marcellus George Mature, a cutler,...
. After the war, he joined WTAD
WTAD
WTAD 930 AM is a radio station broadcasting a news talk format. Licensed to Quincy, Illinois, the station is currently owned by STARadio.WTAD carries a variety of local programming, as well as nationally syndicated shows such as Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Mark Levin, Dave Ramsey, and Coast to Coast...
radio in Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...
, where he spent two years before he moved to Atlanta as an announcer for the Atlanta Crackers
Atlanta Crackers
The Atlanta Crackers were minor league baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1901 and 1965. The Crackers were Atlanta's home team until the Atlanta Braves moved from Milwaukee in 1966....
, where he replaced Ernie Harwell
Ernie Harwell
William Earnest "Ernie" Harwell was an American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 years, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called the action on radio and/or television...
.
New York Yankees, New York Giants and NBC
In 19531953 New York Yankees season
The New York Yankees season was the 51st season for the team in New York, and its 53rd season overall. The team finished with a record of 99-52, winning their 20th pennant, finishing 8.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Indians. New York was managed by Casey Stengel. The Yankees played their home...
, he was hired to call 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...
games alongside 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...
and Red Barber
Red Barber
Walter Lanier "Red" Barber was an American sportscaster.Barber, nicknamed "The Ol' Redhead", was primarily identified with radio broadcasts of Major League Baseball, calling play-by-play across four decades with the Cincinnati Reds , Brooklyn Dodgers , and New York Yankees...
. He was fired after the 1956 season
1956 New York Yankees season
The New York Yankees season was the 54th season for the team in New York, and its 56th season overall. The team finished with a record of 97-57, winning their 22nd pennant, finishing 9 games ahead of the Cleveland Indians. New York was managed by Casey Stengel. The Yankees played their home games...
when sponsor Ballantine Beer wanted to make room for former Yankee shortstop Phil Rizzuto
Phil Rizzuto
Philip Francis Rizzuto , nicknamed "The Scooter", was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
. Yankees general manager George Weiss
George Weiss (baseball)
George Martin Weiss was an American baseball executive. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.Weiss was one of Major League Baseball's most successful farm system directors and general managers...
was opposed to this, and told Woods that it was the only time he'd had to fire someone for no reason at all.
In 1957, Woods called New York 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....
games with Russ Hodges
Russ Hodges
Russell Patrick Hodges was an American broadcaster who did play-by-play for several baseball teams, most notably the New York and San Francisco Giants.-Early career:...
and the NBC Game of the Week with Lindsey Nelson
Lindsey Nelson
Lindsey Nelson was an American sportscaster best known for his broadcasts of college football and New York Mets baseball.-Early life and career:...
and Leo Durocher
Leo Durocher
Leo Ernest Durocher , nicknamed Leo the Lip, was an American infielder and manager in Major League Baseball. Upon his retirement, he ranked fifth all-time among managers with 2,009 career victories, second only to John McGraw in National League history. Durocher still ranks tenth in career wins by...
. The Giants moved to San Francisco after the season, but Woods didn't come along; Giants owner Horace Stoneham
Horace Stoneham
Horace C. Stoneham was the principal owner of Major League Baseball's New York/San Francisco Giants from the death of his father, Charles Stoneham, in 1936 until 1976. During his ownership, the team won National League pennants in 1936, 1937, 1951, 1954 and 1962, a division title in 1971, and a...
wanted someone who knew the Bay Area to work alongside Hodges.
Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals
Woods wasn't unemployed for long, however. In 19581958 Pittsburgh Pirates season
- Offseason :* December 2, 1957: Ellis Burton was drafted from the Pirates by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1957 minor league draft.* December 28, 1957: Dee Fondy was traded by the Pirates to the Cincinnati Redlegs for Ted Kluszewski.- Notable transactions :...
, he moved to Pittsburgh as Bob Prince
Bob Prince
Robert Ferris Prince was an American radio and television sportscaster and commentator best known for his 28-year stint as the voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball club, with whom he earned the nickname “The Gunner” and became a cultural icon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Prince was...
's sidekick on Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
games, where he achieved his greatest fame.
Woods picked up his nickname of "Possum" while with the Yankees. Woods had a slight overbite and close-cropped gray hair. When he walked into the clubhouse fresh from a haircut, Enos Slaughter
Enos Slaughter
Enos Bradsher Slaughter , nicknamed "Country", was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 19-year baseball career, he played from 1938–1942 and 1946-1959 for four different teams, but is noted primarily for his time with the St...
sized him up and said, "I've seen better heads on a possum." Woods didn't mind the name and Prince would frequently refer to him as "Possum" or "Poss" on the air.
Woods loved his time in Pittsburgh, and especially liked working with Prince. But rightsholder KDKA
KDKA (AM)
KDKA is a radio station licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Created by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation on November 2, 1920, it is one of the world's first modern radio stations , a distinction that has also been challenged by other stations, although it has claimed to be the first in...
was notorious for low pay, and was unwilling to give him a raise. Woods had a better offer in St. Louis
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...
, where Harry Caray
Harry Caray
Harry Caray, born Harry Christopher Carabina, was an American baseball broadcaster on radio and television. He covered four Major League Baseball teams, beginning with a long tenure calling the games of the St...
had been abruptly fired after the 1969 season
1969 St. Louis Cardinals season
The 1969 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 88th season in St. Louis, Missouri and its 78th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 87-75 during the season and finished fourth in the newly-established National League East, 13 games behind the eventual NL pennant and World Series...
. Jack Buck
Jack Buck
John Francis "Jack" Buck was an American sportscaster, best known for his work announcing Major League Baseball games of the St. Louis Cardinals. Buck received the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987, and is honored with a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame...
moved into Caray's No. 1 slot, and Woods took over Buck's spot as the No. 2 announcer. Woods always preferred the second spot because he didn't like to do the public relations work that came along with being the primary announcer.
Woods and Buck didn't get along, and Woods left the Cardinals after the 1971 season
1971 St. Louis Cardinals season
The St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 90th season in St. Louis, Missouri and its 80th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 90-72 during the season and finished second in the National League East, seven games behind the eventual NL pennant and World Series champion Pittsburgh...
.
Later career
Woods moved on to the Oakland AthleticsOakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
, where he called games in 1972
1972 Oakland Athletics season
The Oakland Athletics season involved the A's winning the American League West with a record of 93 wins and 62 losses. In the playoffs, they defeated the Detroit Tigers in a five-game ALCS, followed by a seven-game World Series, in which they defeated the Cincinnati Reds for their first World...
and 1973
1973 Oakland Athletics season
The Oakland Athletics season involved the A's winning their third consecutive American League West title with a record of 94 wins and 68 losses...
. However, A's owner Charlie Finley let him go after only two years; he wanted someone who would root for the A's from the booth. A few months later, he was hired by the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
as Ned Martin
Ned Martin
Edwin Martin was an American sportscaster, known primarily as a play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox from to...
's assistant. On the same day Woods signed his contract with the Red Sox, Finley had second thoughts and asked him to come back to Oakland, but Woods turned him down. Ironically, the Red Sox' flagship station at the time, WBZ
WBZ (AM)
WBZ is the call sign for an AM radio station in Boston, Massachusetts owned by CBS Radio, itself owned by the CBS Corporation. Originally based in and broadcast from Springfield, Massachusetts, WBZ was the first commercial radio station in the United States...
, was owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting
Westinghouse Broadcasting
The Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, also known as Group W, was the broadcasting division of Westinghouse Electric Corporation. It owned several radio and television stations across the United States and distributed television shows for syndication....
, which also owned Pirates flagship KDKA.
Woods and Martin worked together from 1974
1974 Boston Red Sox season
The Boston Red Sox season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Red Sox finishing third in the American League East with a record of 84 wins and 78 losses.- Offseason :...
to 1978
1978 Boston Red Sox season
The 1978 Boston Red Sox season was a season in American baseball. It involved the Red Sox finishing second in the American League East with a record of 99 wins and 64 losses.- Offseason :...
. By his own admission, Woods toned down his style considerably from his days in Pittsburgh, believing that Red Sox fans preferred their announcers to be more restrained. Despite their popularity, both were fired by the team's flagship radio station, WITS-AM
WWZN
WWZN is an AM radio station licensed to serve the Boston media market. Its programming is a time-brokered mix between progressive talk radio during the daytime , sports talk and religious programming in the overnight hours...
, following Boston's shocking playoff defeat at the hands of Bucky Dent
Bucky Dent
Russell Earl "Bucky" Dent , is a former American Major League Baseball player and manager. He earned two World Series rings as the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees in and , and was voted the World Series MVP in 1978...
and the Yankees in 1978 for not cooperating fully with the team's radio sponsors. Martin remained in Boston, moving over to television coverage of Bosox games. Although he left Martin, Boston and Red Sox behind, Woods also switched to television. His final play-by-play job was as an announcer for The USA Thursday Game of the Week
The USA Thursday Game of the Week
The USA Thursday Game of the Week is a former television program that broadcast Major League Baseball games on the USA Network.-Background:...
. Woods would remain with the USA network until Eddie Doucette
Eddie Doucette
Eddie Doucette is the president of Doucette Promotions Inc. He is a former television and radio announcer. He was the original radio voice of the Milwaukee Bucks where he broadcast games for 16 years. He also broadcast games for Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers and Portland...
replaced him in 1982.