Honor well deserved far over due

AS a kid growing up, you have your favorite players you idolize, and in my case, it was broadcasters too. From the age of five, its all Ive ever wanted to do.

For me, there was Verne Lundquist, Vin Scully, Curt Gowdy, Dick Enberg, and Keith Jackson. They were all network guys that always had the good games so you saw them a lot. You knew Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier would have the Redskins and Cowboys, yes kids, that's beforee John Madden came along. You knew Charlie Jones would likely have the 4pm AFC west offering which always seemingly came from Denver or Oakland in those days.

But for any kid growing up its your local announcers who really make the biggest impact because you usually heard them every night. Before there was SUPER TV, HTS, and if you were lucky a game of the week, you counted on your local radio guy to give you the story. How spoiled we were in the Baltimore-Washington area growing up. We got a free clinic every night.

The Bullets had Frank Herzog, the Redskins, ah...Frank Herzog! The Orioles Chuck Thompson and Bill O'Donnell. The Colts had ahhhh Chuck Thompson and Vince Bagli. There was a fledgling hockey team whose fortunes for years weren't that good. In fact they were 8-67-5 in their first season. It took them 35 tries to beat Montreal. The one thing that was great all those years? Ron Weber.

His opening was the same. Stating how many games it was in team history and welcome to the fastest team sport, I'm Ron Weber with Capitals Hockey. I get goose bumps typing it because I can still hear it. Listening to some highlights that have poppped up as a result of his announcement of being inducted into the hockey Hall of Fame, it's border line tears of joy. The greatest goal in Capitals history scored but Dale Hunter. The nine-goal outburst against Edmonton in 84, or something as simple as the Caps clinching their first playoff berth in 83 and what joy it must have been for him after all the seasons of building the franchise had been doing.

What joy and angst it must have been for Weber, parted from the job much too early in 1997 by then Capitals Management, to hold on to the news for a month. He found out a month ago but had to wait for the formal press release on Monday.

It was a true joy growing up to listen to him, when I was old enough to get into the press box to meet him, and now its certainly pleasure to crack a smile knowing that one of Washington most under appreciated broadcasting treasures is now finally being recognized.

Short Circuits: Stephen Strasburg makes his Washington Nationals debut on June 8 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The team itself is still hanging around in the National League East and this could be a fun summer at the Ball Park if they can hang in there. Kudos to my colleague Craig Heist of WTOP who provided this nugget. The Nats last year were 14-31 at one point. So were this years Orioles. There is hope Baltimore fans...Just wait til next year.

I like the Ravens getting Shayne Graham, at 32 he can still kick. The Redskins should try to get O.J. Otagwe who was just bladed by the Rams. He can help a thin position at Free Safety.

UPCOMING BROADCASTS: Doing updates 5:30-12 tonight on WJFK 106.7 in Washington, hosting with Joe Miller Thursday night 6:30-10 on 105.7 in Baltimore, Updates 7-9 onWJFK Friday morning and then back again 5:30-12. Hosting Saturday with Joe Miller 12-3 Sunday on 105.7 with a World Cup preview in the 2pm hour.