Sportsnet's Jamie Campbell pays tribute to former legendary Toronto Blue Jays broadcaster
Photo credit: Jamie Campbell - https://x.com/SNETCampbell
Toronto Blue Jays broadcaster Jamie Campbell never forgets a friends birthday. Just ask Jerry Howarth who turned 80 today.
For many Toronto Blue Jays fans, hearing Howarth's name immediately brings back his iconic home run call: «And there she goes!»
It was one of the most recognizable phrases in Canadian baseball broadcasting.
Howarth also began every broadcast with a warm and welcoming greeting: «Hello, friends.»
Over time, listeners truly felt like that's what they were friends tuning in to hear a familiar voice call the game.
His steady delivery and comforting presence became part of the daily rhythm of baseball season.
Whether the Blue Jays were playing a thrilling contest or suffering through a tough loss, Howarth's voice reminded fans that there would always be another game tomorrow.
Jamie Campbell caught up with the longtime broadcaster on Thursday morning in Toronto, sharing a coffee with Howarth to celebrate the milestone birthday.
He also paid tribute on social media, posting a photo of the two together along with a birthday message honouring his colleague and friend.
Happy 80th to Blue Jays broadcasting giant Jerry Howarth. Great to catch up over morning coffee.
Howarth a Toronto broadcasting pioneer, part of the golden age of Blue Jays baseball
Howarth's path to Toronto began in California's Bay Area, where he grew up before beginning his broadcasting career in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. He called games in Tacoma and Salt Lake City before eventually making his way north to join the Blue Jays.
By the time Howarth arrived, Tom Cheek was already firmly established as the team's lead play-by-play voice, a position he had held since the franchise's snowy inaugural game in 1977.
Cheek originally worked alongside Hall of Fame pitcher Early Wynn as the colour commentator.
When it came time to change the broadcast booth, however, the Blue Jays made an unconventional choice.
Instead of pairing a play-by-play announcer with a former player, the team opted for two seasoned broadcasters.
Howarth joined the crew and began calling several innings during each game.
His first full season with the club came in 1982, a year when the Blue Jays began showing signs of becoming a competitive team.
Bobby Cox was hired as manager that season, and many of the players who would lead Toronto to its first playoff appearance in 1985 were already on the roster.
As the decade progressed, baseball fever swept through Toronto.
Whether fans were in a taxi, relaxing at a cottage dock, or visiting family on the weekend, the Blue Jays broadcast was often playing in the background.
By the time Toronto won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993, the voices of Cheek and Howarth had become inseparable from the team's success.
After Cheek's passing in 2005, Howarth stepped into the lead role in the broadcast booth, later working alongside current broadcaster Joe Siddall.
If the Blue Jays' first golden era will always be remembered for Cheek's legendary call - «Touch 'em all, Joe!» - the team's second resurgence, including the dramatic return to the playoffs in 2015, the unforgettable bat-flip game, and Edwin Encarnación's walk-off Wild Card homer, will forever echo in Howarth's voice.
Do you think the Blue Jays should put Jerry Howarth's name on the level of excellence?
Tell us what you think in the poll below.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 12|84 ANSWERS Sportsnet's Jamie Campbell pays tribute to former legendary Toronto Blue Jays broadcaster Do you think the Toronto Blue Jays should put Jerry Howarth's name on the level of excellence? | ||
| Yes | 77 | 91.7 % |
| No | 7 | 8.3 % |
| List of polls | ||