John Gordon (baseball)
Encyclopedia
John "Gordo" Gordon is a Major League Baseball
radio broadcaster who is best known as the play by play announcer for the Minnesota Twins
on the Twins Radio Network and their Metro Affiliate KSTP 1500 AM. He is well known among Twins fans for his intense emotional style of play-calling, and for his trademark call of each Twins home run
: "Touch 'em all, _______!" (including the name of the player who hit the home run).
and began his career in broadcasting with the class-A Spartanburg Phillies in 1965 after earning a degree from Indiana University
. In 1970 he left Spartanburg to join the Baltimore Orioles
' broadcast team, a job which he left in 1973 to accept a job as the head broadcaster at the University of Virginia
where he called basketball
and football
games. In 1977 he joined the broadcast team for the New York Yankees
' AAA affiliate, the Columbus Clippers
, and in 1982 he moved up to the Yankees' major league broadcast crew, where he remained through 1986.
Gordon joined the Twins' broadcast crew on WCCO 830 AM as Herb Carneal's
partner in 1987, which ended up being a season in which the Twins would go on to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals
in the 1987 World Series
. He has remained with the Twins ever since and currently broadcasts alongside former Twin Dan Gladden
. His longtime partner Carneal died April 1, 2007 at the age of 83 due to congestive heart failure. He announced that the 2011 season will be his last as play-by-play announcer for the Twins. The Twins held a ceremony before Gordon's last game to commemorate his years with the organization. At the end of the ceremony, Gordon's long-time broadcast partner Dan Gladden drove Gordon for a lap around the ballpark on a sidecar of a motorcycle. The Twins won Gordon's final game 1-0 on a walk-off hit by Trevor Plouffe
.
.
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...
radio broadcaster who is best known as the play by play announcer for the Minnesota Twins
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...
on the Twins Radio Network and their Metro Affiliate KSTP 1500 AM. He is well known among Twins fans for his intense emotional style of play-calling, and for his trademark call of each Twins home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
: "Touch 'em all, _______!" (including the name of the player who hit the home run).
Career
Gordon was born John Gordon Gutowsky in Detroit, MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and began his career in broadcasting with the class-A Spartanburg Phillies in 1965 after earning a degree from Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
. In 1970 he left Spartanburg to join the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
' broadcast team, a job which he left in 1973 to accept a job as the head broadcaster at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
where he called basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
games. In 1977 he joined the broadcast team 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...
' AAA affiliate, the Columbus Clippers
Columbus Clippers
The Columbus Clippers are a minor league baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The team is owned by the government of Franklin County, Ohio....
, and in 1982 he moved up to the Yankees' major league broadcast crew, where he remained through 1986.
Gordon joined the Twins' broadcast crew on WCCO 830 AM as Herb Carneal's
Herb Carneal
Herb Carneal was an American Major League Baseball sportscaster. From 1962 through 2006, he was a play-by-play voice of Minnesota Twins radio broadcasts, becoming the lead announcer in 1967 after Ray Scott left to work exclusively with CBS...
partner in 1987, which ended up being a season in which the Twins would go on to defeat 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...
in the 1987 World Series
1987 World Series
The 1987 World Series pitted the Minnesota Twins versus the St. Louis Cardinals.Minnesota was victorious in a World Series that was the first in which the home team won every game...
. He has remained with the Twins ever since and currently broadcasts alongside former Twin Dan Gladden
Dan Gladden
Clinton Daniel "Dan" Gladden III is an American former Major League Baseball player and current radio broadcaster.-Baseball career:Gladden is a graduate of Westmont High School in Campbell, California...
. His longtime partner Carneal died April 1, 2007 at the age of 83 due to congestive heart failure. He announced that the 2011 season will be his last as play-by-play announcer for the Twins. The Twins held a ceremony before Gordon's last game to commemorate his years with the organization. At the end of the ceremony, Gordon's long-time broadcast partner Dan Gladden drove Gordon for a lap around the ballpark on a sidecar of a motorcycle. The Twins won Gordon's final game 1-0 on a walk-off hit by Trevor Plouffe
Trevor Plouffe
Trevor Patrick Plouffe is an American professional baseball outfielder. He currently plays for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball.- Minor leagues :...
.
Personal life
John has a wife, Nancy, and two grown children. They make their home in Bloomington, MN and are very active supporters of the Fellowship of Christian AthletesFellowship of Christian Athletes
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a non-profit interdenominational Christian organization founded in 1954 and that has been based in Kansas City, Missouri since 1956. It falls within the tradition of Muscular Christianity. Although established by evangelical Protestants, the concept has...
.
Trivia
- Gordon was inducted into the South Atlantic League Hall of FameSouth Atlantic League Hall of FameThe South Atlantic League Hall of Fame was opened in 1994. The Hall of Fame serves to honor the best players, executives, managers, media members and umpires from the over 100 year history of both the South Atlantic League and the Western Carolinas League....
for his work with the Spartanburg Phillies on June 19, 2001, among him in that year's class were Walter AlstonWalter AlstonWalter Emmons Alston , nicknamed "Smokey," was an American baseball player and manager. He was born in Venice, Ohio but grew up in Darrtown. He is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he lettered three years in both basketball and baseball and is a member of the University's Hall...
, Murray CookMurray Cook (baseball)George Earl Murray Cook is a Canadian scout and former front office executive in Major League Baseball...
, and Tommy LasordaTommy LasordaThomas Charles Lasorda is a former Major League baseball player and manager. marked his sixth decade in one capacity or another with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the longest non-continuous tenure anyone has had with the team, edging Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully...
.
- Gordon played fictional Twins broadcaster Wally Holland in the 1994 movie Little Big LeagueLittle Big LeagueLittle Big League is a 1994 family film about a 12-year-old who suddenly becomes the owner and then manager of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. It stars Luke Edwards, Timothy Busfield and Dennis Farina.-Plot:...
.
- Gordon was inducted into the Pavek Museum of BroadcastingPavek Museum of BroadcastingThe Pavek Museum of Broadcasting is a museum in St. Louis Park, Minnesota which has one of the world's most significant collections of vintage radio and television equipment. It originated in the collection of Joe Pavek, who began squirreling away unique radios while he was an instructor at...
Hall of Fame in 2008.