Rex Barney
Encyclopedia
Rex Edward Barney was a Major League Baseball
pitcher
for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943 and from 1946 through 1950.
As a teenage phenom, Barney was signed by the Dodgers at the age of 18, in 1943. He pitched 45 innings that year.
Barney returned to the majors in 1946. He was one of the hardest throwers in the league but struggled with wildness early in his career. In 1948, however, he gained control of his fastball and had his greatest season; he won 15 games and finished second in the National League
with 138 strikeouts. The highlight was hurling a no-hitter
against the New York Giants
on September 9. He had to sit through a one-hour rain delay and showers in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings to finish the game.
The next season, Barney pitched semi-effectively while suffering lingering effects from a leg injury. He got knocked out early in his only World Series
start against the New York Yankees
. In 1950, he walked 48 batters in just 33 innings and never played in the majors again.
After his retirement as a player, Barney briefly worked as a broadcaster, calling games for Mutual
radio in 1958. That same year he also teamed with Al Helfer
to call several Philadelphia Phillies
games on New York station WOR-TV, helping to fill that city's void of National League baseball following the departure of the Dodgers and Giants to the West Coast.
announcer for the Baltimore Orioles
from 1974 until his death in 1997. He was famous for often using the phrase "Give that fan a contract!" when a fan snared a foul ball
on the fly. This was an expansion on the old radio and TV announcers' comment, "Sign him up!" He would also announce after every game, "Thank youuuuu."
Barney's famous "Thank youuuuu" were the last words to come over the PA system at Memorial Stadium after the Orioles' last game there on October 6, 1991. Barney was in the hospital at the time, and the message was recorded from there and played over the PA system to end the Orioles' tenancy. Barney also served as the Baltimore Colts
PA announcer from 1969-1983.
Barney co-authored (with Norman L. Macht) two books about his life in baseball, "Rex Barney's Thank Youuuu for 50 Years of Baseball" and "Orioles Memories: 1969-1994." He had become famous as an announcer, but to the end of his life, Barney always regretted his failure to last as a major league pitcher:
Rex Barney died on August 12, 1997. In tribute to him, the Orioles game that day was held without a public address announcer.http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/chronology/1997AUGUST.stm
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...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943 and from 1946 through 1950.
As a teenage phenom, Barney was signed by the Dodgers at the age of 18, in 1943. He pitched 45 innings that year.
Barney returned to the majors in 1946. He was one of the hardest throwers in the league but struggled with wildness early in his career. In 1948, however, he gained control of his fastball and had his greatest season; he won 15 games and finished second in the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
with 138 strikeouts. The highlight was hurling a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
against the 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....
on September 9. He had to sit through a one-hour rain delay and showers in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings to finish the game.
The next season, Barney pitched semi-effectively while suffering lingering effects from a leg injury. He got knocked out early in his only World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
start against 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...
. In 1950, he walked 48 batters in just 33 innings and never played in the majors again.
After his retirement as a player, Barney briefly worked as a broadcaster, calling games for Mutual
Major League Baseball on Mutual
Major League Baseball on Mutual was the de facto title of the Mutual Broadcasting System's national radio coverage of Major League Baseball games. Mutual's coverage came about during the Golden Age of Radio in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. During this period, television sports broadcasting was in its...
radio in 1958. That same year he also teamed with Al Helfer
Al Helfer
George Alvin Helfer was an American radio sportscaster.Nicknamed "Mr. Radio Baseball", Helfer worked six World Series, ten All-Star Games, and regular season broadcasts for several teams and the Mutual network...
to call several Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
games on New York station WOR-TV, helping to fill that city's void of National League baseball following the departure of the Dodgers and Giants to the West Coast.
PA announcer
Rex Barney was the PAPublic address
A public address system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, amplifier and loudspeakers, used to reinforce a sound source, e.g., a person giving a speech, a DJ playing prerecorded music, and distributing the sound throughout a venue or building.Simple PA systems are often used in...
announcer for 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...
from 1974 until his death in 1997. He was famous for often using the phrase "Give that fan a contract!" when a fan snared a foul ball
Foul ball
In baseball, a foul ball is a batted ball that:* Settles on foul territory between home and first base or between home and third base, or* Bounds past first or third base on or over foul territory, or...
on the fly. This was an expansion on the old radio and TV announcers' comment, "Sign him up!" He would also announce after every game, "Thank youuuuu."
Barney's famous "Thank youuuuu" were the last words to come over the PA system at Memorial Stadium after the Orioles' last game there on October 6, 1991. Barney was in the hospital at the time, and the message was recorded from there and played over the PA system to end the Orioles' tenancy. Barney also served as the Baltimore Colts
History of the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
PA announcer from 1969-1983.
Barney co-authored (with Norman L. Macht) two books about his life in baseball, "Rex Barney's Thank Youuuu for 50 Years of Baseball" and "Orioles Memories: 1969-1994." He had become famous as an announcer, but to the end of his life, Barney always regretted his failure to last as a major league pitcher:
Believe me, there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about what I could and should have been. It still hurts.
- Barney in 1992
Rex Barney died on August 12, 1997. In tribute to him, the Orioles game that day was held without a public address announcer.http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/chronology/1997AUGUST.stm
External links
- Rex Barney at Find a GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...