Lee Hamilton (sports)
Encyclopedia
Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton is an American sportscaster
and radio talk show
host based in San Diego, California
. His current show "Sports Watch" is on from 10am-2pm Pacific Time Monday through Friday on XEPRS-AM, known on-air as "XX 1090 Sports Radio" and he works alongside producers Bobby Wooldridge and Alex Padilla. Hacksaw is also a regular contributor to SanDiego.com.
Hamilton is also a host on Sirius XM Satellite Radio's MLB Network Radio channel. He began calling play-by-play for the NFL on Compass Media Networks
in 2009.
Hamilton had been the afternoon drive-time host on KLSD
, "XTRA Sports 1360" in San Diego, from its launch in November 2007 until September 3, 2008, when his contract with parent company Clear Channel Communications
expired and Clear Channel wanted better ratings so they let him walk. The expiration also ended a job he had at KLAC in Los Angeles
.
Before that, he served 17 years at XETRA-AM "XTRA Sports 690", a station that was operated by the current American operator of XEPRS, John Lynch.
and KPWR
), as well as former UCLA Bruins
quarterback
Wayne Cook. Hamilton still had a daily segment at the start of the show until 2006.
. His show, "620 Sportsline", was a four-hour show similar in format to the show he would host in Southern California. During his tenure at KTAR, Hamilton engaged in a long-running feud with then-Arizona Republic columnist Tom Fitzpatrick, whom he dubbed "Trashcan Tom Fitzpatrick." Fitzpatrick countered with blasting Hamilton in his column for being self-important and being all style and no substance. The main reason he gave for leaving KTAR was a chance to do play-by-play for the Chargers, since Phoenix didn't have an NFL team at the time.
Even earlier, in the mid-1970s, he was play-by-play voice of the Mohawk Valley Comets
- Clinton, New York
, Utica, New York
of the North American Hockey League
, Cleveland Crusaders
of the World Hockey Association
, and hosted an evening sports talk radio show on Akron, Ohio
talk station WHLO
.
, Seattle Seahawks
, USC Trojans
, Minnesota Vikings
, and San Diego State Aztecs.
Hamilton was the play-by-play announcer for San Diego Chargers
on radio from 1986
to 1997
, one of the longest tenures of any play-by-play announcer in the team's history. Hamilton replaced Ted Leitner
, whom Hamilton referred to as "Teddy Lightweight." Leitner eventually replaced Hamilton in 1997 when XTRA Sports lost the broadcasting rights to KFMB
, but not before Hacksaw went on an on-air tirade during his last game as Chargers' announcer. (In an ironic twist, Hamilton and Leitner became broadcast partners in 2007 as KOGO assumed the broadcast rights to San Diego State Aztecs football games. Hamilton is normally a color commentator
, but switched to play-by-play for a few early season games when Leitner called San Diego Padres
games on XEPRS-AM.)
In 2001
, he resigned as the play by play announcer for the Minnesota Vikings
after just one pre-season game. It came after a reporter for a weekly African-American newspaper in Minneapolis who is also the father of current Arizona Cardinals
wide receiver
Larry Fitzgerald
exposed allegedly racist and sexist comments that Hamilton sometimes used on his talk shows. Hamilton was going to replace long time Vikings announcer Dan Rowe. The job would go to Terry Stembridge, Jr.
As a Chargers announcer, Hamilton would criticize the referee's calls against the Chargers; on one occasion, Hamilton screamed at the refs to throw the flag, dammit!, calling for pass interference against the defender on a long pass play.
Among the games he called was Super Bowl XXIX
in January 1995, the only such appearance in team history. His partners were Jim Laslavic
and Pat Curran
. Another broadcasting partner was Chet Forte
, who was too ill to continue during the Chargers' run to the Super Bowl.
(1998–1999), the Pac-10 men's basketball tournament, and National Football League
games on Sports USA Radio Network
.
Nationally syndicated sports talk host Jim Rome
used to broadcast on the same station as Hamilton, and often imitates him saying "React to me!", "Show me your lightning bolt!", and "Good night now!" on The Jim Rome Show
.
He called Hideki Irabu, a Japanese pitcher, a "fat Jap".
On January 6, 2010, Hamilton engaged in an ongoing confrontation with Double X 1090 morning drive hosts Scott & BR by referring to Scott Kaplan
as "Wide Right" and BR (Billy Ray) as an "imbecile," also claiming that several inarticulate callers were worthy of calling the "morning show." Hamilton also stated on the air that, while the two morning hosts might be willing to "start it," he would use management to "finish it."
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...
and radio talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
host based in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. His current show "Sports Watch" is on from 10am-2pm Pacific Time Monday through Friday on XEPRS-AM, known on-air as "XX 1090 Sports Radio" and he works alongside producers Bobby Wooldridge and Alex Padilla. Hacksaw is also a regular contributor to SanDiego.com.
Hamilton is also a host on Sirius XM Satellite Radio's MLB Network Radio channel. He began calling play-by-play for the NFL on Compass Media Networks
Compass Media Networks
Compass Media Networks is an American radio network.The company launched in January 2009. It is owned by former Westwood One CEO and former COO of Connoisseur Media, Peter Kosann...
in 2009.
Hamilton had been the afternoon drive-time host on KLSD
KLSD
KLSD is a sports station based in San Diego, California. The sports programming began on November 12, 2007. Previously, KLSD's format was progressive talk radio....
, "XTRA Sports 1360" in San Diego, from its launch in November 2007 until September 3, 2008, when his contract with parent company Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
expired and Clear Channel wanted better ratings so they let him walk. The expiration also ended a job he had at KLAC in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Before that, he served 17 years at XETRA-AM "XTRA Sports 690", a station that was operated by the current American operator of XEPRS, John Lynch.
Years in Southern California
From 1986 to 2005, he hosted a daily four-hour talk show on those stations. In July 2005, he lost the show as part of a restructuring as KLAC de-emphasized sports talk in favor of "man talk." He was replaced by Matt "Money" Smith and Joe Grande, both of whom once read sports news as part as morning shows on music stations (respectively, KROQ-FMKROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
and KPWR
KPWR
KPWR is a commercial radio station located in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area on an analog signal and in HD Radio...
), as well as former UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Wayne Cook. Hamilton still had a daily segment at the start of the show until 2006.
Before Southern California
Before the Chargers, Hamilton was announcer for the football and basketball programs at Arizona State University and a talk-show host in Phoenix for news/talk/sports station KTARKTAR (AM)
KTAR is the callsign for a radio station in Phoenix, Arizona. It airs programming from ESPN Radio, in addition to KTAR-acquired broadcast rights for local teams...
. His show, "620 Sportsline", was a four-hour show similar in format to the show he would host in Southern California. During his tenure at KTAR, Hamilton engaged in a long-running feud with then-Arizona Republic columnist Tom Fitzpatrick, whom he dubbed "Trashcan Tom Fitzpatrick." Fitzpatrick countered with blasting Hamilton in his column for being self-important and being all style and no substance. The main reason he gave for leaving KTAR was a chance to do play-by-play for the Chargers, since Phoenix didn't have an NFL team at the time.
Even earlier, in the mid-1970s, he was play-by-play voice of the Mohawk Valley Comets
Mohawk Valley Comets
They Mohawk Valley Comets are a former professional ice hockey team based in Utica, NY. They were a member of the North American Hockey League from 1973 to 1977.-Season-by-season results:...
- Clinton, New York
Clinton, Oneida County, New York
Clinton is a village in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 1,952 at the 2000 census. It was named for George Clinton, a royal governor of the colony of New York....
, Utica, New York
Utica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
of the North American Hockey League
North American Hockey League
The North American Hockey League is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is enterting its 36th season in 2011-12. It is currently the only Junior A Tier II league, sanctioned by USA Hockey. The NAHL currently acts as an alternative to the United States Hockey League...
, Cleveland Crusaders
Cleveland Crusaders
The Cleveland Crusaders were a professional ice hockey team from Cleveland, Ohio. The Crusaders were founded by Nick Mileti, and played in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1976...
of the World Hockey Association
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
, and hosted an evening sports talk radio show on Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
talk station WHLO
WHLO
WHLO is an AM radio station in Akron, Ohio, USA, operating on 640 kHz, and owned by Clear Channel Communications.The station has a news/talk format with Jim Quinn's program from WPGB in Pittsburgh, and a schedule of syndicated talkers during the day, headed by Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, with a...
.
Play-by-play work
Hamilton has also been a noted play-by-play host for the San Diego ChargersSan Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
, USC Trojans
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the athletic teams representing the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy...
, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
, and San Diego State Aztecs.
Hamilton was the play-by-play announcer for San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on radio from 1986
1986 NFL season
The 1986 NFL season was the 67th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXI when the New York Giants defeated the Denver Broncos to win their first league title in 30 years.-Major rule changes:...
to 1997
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
, one of the longest tenures of any play-by-play announcer in the team's history. Hamilton replaced Ted Leitner
Ted Leitner
Ted Leitner is a former KFMB News 8 sportscaster and current radio play-by-play announcer for the San Diego Padres and San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball. He is also a former host on KFMB radio in San Diego. Due to a hectic schedule, he left KFMB just three days shy of his 25th anniversary at...
, whom Hamilton referred to as "Teddy Lightweight." Leitner eventually replaced Hamilton in 1997 when XTRA Sports lost the broadcasting rights to KFMB
KFMB (AM)
KFMB is a conservative talk radio station in San Diego, California, co-owned with KFMB-FM and KFMB-TV. KFMB is one of the few stations in the U.S. that increases power at night. The daytime power is limited due to KBRT , a religious-programming station with transmitters on Santa Catalina Island....
, but not before Hacksaw went on an on-air tirade during his last game as Chargers' announcer. (In an ironic twist, Hamilton and Leitner became broadcast partners in 2007 as KOGO assumed the broadcast rights to San Diego State Aztecs football games. Hamilton is normally a color commentator
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...
, but switched to play-by-play for a few early season games when Leitner called San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
games on XEPRS-AM.)
In 2001
2001 NFL season
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...
, he resigned as the play by play announcer for the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
after just one pre-season game. It came after a reporter for a weekly African-American newspaper in Minneapolis who is also the father of current Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, and currently ranks fourth all-time in league history in receiving yards per game for a career , behind Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, and Marvin Harrison...
exposed allegedly racist and sexist comments that Hamilton sometimes used on his talk shows. Hamilton was going to replace long time Vikings announcer Dan Rowe. The job would go to Terry Stembridge, Jr.
As a Chargers announcer, Hamilton would criticize the referee's calls against the Chargers; on one occasion, Hamilton screamed at the refs to throw the flag, dammit!, calling for pass interference against the defender on a long pass play.
Among the games he called was Super Bowl XXIX
Super Bowl XXIX
Super Bowl XXIX was an American football game played on January 29, 1995 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1994 regular season...
in January 1995, the only such appearance in team history. His partners were Jim Laslavic
Jim Laslavic
Jim Laslavic is a former American Football linebacker who played ten seasons in the National Football League. He is currently a sportscaster for KNSD in San Diego and a Radio announcer for KIOZ. He lives in Coronado, California with his wife, Susan, and two kids, Hayley and James. Laslavic is a...
and Pat Curran
Pat Curran
Pat Curran is a retired American football tight end. Curran played for the National Football League Los Angeles Rams and San Diego Chargers between 1969 and 1978....
. Another broadcasting partner was Chet Forte
Chet Forte
Fulvio Chester "Chet" Forte, Jr. was an American television director and sports radio talk show host.-Early life:...
, who was too ill to continue during the Chargers' run to the Super Bowl.
Other assignments
Other play-by-play assignments include the USC Trojans football team, the Seattle SeahawksSeattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
(1998–1999), the Pac-10 men's basketball tournament, and National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
games on Sports USA Radio Network
Sports USA Radio Network
The Sports USA Radio Network is the largest independent nationwide sports broadcasting radio network, specializing in live broadcasts of American football, specifically of the NCAA football Division I-A and National Football League...
.
Catchphrases
Hamilton is best known for his pet phrases: "Show me your lightning bolt!", and "I am bleeping brilliant!" and, "You use the line or you lose the line," his argumentative attitude toward some callers, and "I've won awards, I have a national reputation, i've built a sportstalk empire".Nationally syndicated sports talk host Jim Rome
Jim Rome
Jim Rome is an American sports radio talk show host syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications....
used to broadcast on the same station as Hamilton, and often imitates him saying "React to me!", "Show me your lightning bolt!", and "Good night now!" on The Jim Rome Show
The Jim Rome Show
The Jim Rome Show is a sports radio talk show hosted by Jim Rome. It airs live for three hours each weekday from 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. The show is produced in Los Angeles, California, syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, and can be heard on more than 200 affiliate radio stations in the U.S...
.
Controversy
During the Rae Carruth incident, he asked a caller if "blacks are more likely to abuse their spouses than other races?"He called Hideki Irabu, a Japanese pitcher, a "fat Jap".
On January 6, 2010, Hamilton engaged in an ongoing confrontation with Double X 1090 morning drive hosts Scott & BR by referring to Scott Kaplan
Scott Kaplan
Scott Kaplan is an American sports radio personality, currently based in San Diego, California. For many years, he was partnered with Sid Rosenberg, first hosting The Drive on Sports Fan Radio Network, and later The Sports Guys on WNEW-FM. He is currently the morning drive time host on XEPRS-AM, a...
as "Wide Right" and BR (Billy Ray) as an "imbecile," also claiming that several inarticulate callers were worthy of calling the "morning show." Hamilton also stated on the air that, while the two morning hosts might be willing to "start it," he would use management to "finish it."