WJR 760 AM 2337 utc 2 Sep 2022

[Ct Yankee]

Good reception surprisingly, only 15 minutes past sunset here, still light in Detroit.  About 550 miles west.

2337 Surprised to receive first bits of transmission of WMU/Mich St football game,7-3 Mich State in first.

[East Troy Don]

Growing up in Milwaukee as a kid back in the early 60's I could pull in WJR most nites listening to Ernie Harwell, one of the most iconic play-by-play announcers in baseball history:

As Broadcaster
Atlanta Crackers (1943, 1948)
Brooklyn Dodgers (1948–1949)
New York Giants (1950–1953)
Baltimore Orioles (1954–1959)
Detroit Tigers (1960–1991, 1993–2002)
California Angels (1992)

[pinto vortando]

Ernie Harwell began his Detroit Tiger broadcast years at then flagship station WKMH AM 1310 in 1960.
In 1963, WKMH changed format and became legendary rocker WKNR "Keener 13".  In 1964, 50kw WJR became the
Tigers flagship station and remained so until 2001 with Harwell doing the play by play. 

[Ct Yankee]

While I listened to Harwell in the 60's and 70's from a distance, I think my favorite year listening to him was '84 when the Tigers got off to the remarkable 35-5 start and rolled the Padres in the Series.

[Pigmeat]

WJR blasts in here from dusk to nearly 10 A.M. during the fall and winter months and doesn't do bad the rest of the year.

[East Troy Don]

And the 1968 Tigers who had the dubious honor of having to face Bob Gibson (13 shutouts, 28 complete games and a 1.12 ERA - a record he still holds today)  and, the meanest SOB to ever take the mound, in the World Series 3 times.
RIP Bob, God knows you've earned it.

[Pigmeat]

Didn't the Tigers have a 30 game winner in '68? Who was that fella, the last of his kind, Denny something or other?

That high mound really made the difference for those big armed pitchers. Complete games for them, just like Gawd intended. That was the first year we had a color TV. I was planted in front of it for that Series, getting a healthy dose of radiation.

[Ct Yankee]

Three side notes to the Series:

1) Had any of the Series games been played at night, the radio coverage of being able to hear both teams' flagship over the largest region of the country might have been achieved. (KMOX and WJR)

2) For Christmas 1968, Santa brought me the post World Series edition of Strat-O-Matic.  This Yankee fan can still name the '68 Tigers starting nine.

3) Lolich also started three in that Series (2,5,7) and won them all - including the last over the vaunted Gibson. However, I am grateful to the 30 game winner who grooved Mantle's 535 homer, which tied Foxx, that year .

[Pigmeat]

You could have drove across the midwest and never missed a minute. Those powerhouse MW's really carry out there even in the daytime.

The thing I remember about that era of baseball was how difficult it was for a manager to pull a pitcher. The pitchers took it as a personal insult. There were some intense arguments on the mound that usually ended with the manager going back to the dugout, leaving the pitcher to sink or swim. Now the manager walks out, says a couple of words and motions to the bullpen, three or four times a game. 

[East Troy Don]

Denny McClain on 31 in 1968 and 24 more wins in '69. He then totaled 13 wins and 27 losses 1970 /1971 and folded his big league tent after the 1972 season.  Go figure