We’ve all shared the experience. The passing of a loved one or dear friend fills our thoughts and conjures up memories we’ve shared. It’s hard to let go.
For me, another one of those life-sadnesses occurred a few weeks ago, when good friend and colleague, Mike Fogarty, suited up for the team above. Mike could be identified in a variety of ways. He was a husband, a father, a sibling, a relative, a teacher, a coach, a referee, a real estate agent, a parishioner — but most certainly he was a friend.
He could be stoic, comical, serious, analytical, warm, and friendly — sometimes all in the same meeting. He had a deep faith and a kind heart, and loved to wrap himself up in a good book or carry on a spirited conversation, especially about education or his beloved sports.
My association with Mike began on the high school basketball court as opponents; he with St. Joe and me with South Williamsport. Little did we realize back then that we would become lifelong teammates for decades to follow.
There are probably some of you who didn’t know Mike personally but felt as if you did as a result of his many years of radio sports broadcasting, first with station WMPT and later what is now iHeart Media. In those long-gone WMPT days, Bill Byham, Mike, and I shared microphones, airing as many sporting events as the station would allow us to do. Out of it came close-knit friendships and a myriad of wonderful stories which could fill the pages of a good book; some of which couldn’t be shared here, but I’d like to relate a few.
For WMPT, we were teammates on the station’s basketball team, the “Double Dribblers,” which played games to help raise funds for charitable causes. Bill Byham, Chip Gamble, and I were the rebounders. Mike’s role? Of course, he was the shooter, a skill he learned from legendary coach Charlie Blackburn, and he cherished it.
I can recall one occasion when Mike and I were scheduled to broadcast a high school football game at Bucknell. Neither of us can be described as ‘technically astute,’ so we showed up very early to make sure the equipment was set up and ready to go. All was in readiness, and we called the game, thinking we had put together a good broadcast — only to learn later that a certain switch hadn’t been turned on, and we ended up describing a game that only the two of us heard. It didn’t get on the air.
There was another instance when the radio station wanted to do a high school wrestling match. Bill and I passed on the broadcast as we knew little about the terminology of the sport, but Mike said he was willing to do it. He had never done wrestling prior, but gave it his best shot. On the air, describing a takedown, he told the listeners the opponent had been taken down to the floor. An irate, devoted wrestling fan, listening to the game, called the radio station, telling them to tell that dumb broadcaster, “It’s the mat, not the floor!”
We shared many years together, radio broadcasting games at the Little League Baseball World Series, an event both of us truly loved. Mike was especially proud after one game we did when a listener told him he really enjoyed listening to the two of us on the radio because “it sounded like two friends just sitting down and enjoying a baseball game together.” Indeed, that’s what we were.
The last few years of Mike’s life were fraught with health challenges.
While Mike was living at Heritage Springs, members of the Bitburg, Germany, Little League team came to Williamsport to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their Little League World Series appearance. Mike had been the broadcast announcer of one of their games, and a team member’s parents had kept a taped copy. When Bitburg’s reunion was in the planning stages, one of the team members stumbled across the tape when cleaning out his parents’ house. He had the tape transferred to a digital form, and the childhood memories of the game were overwhelming.
Determined to meet the announcer who created those memories, he ended up contacting me to ask if I could arrange a meeting with Mike, so his Little League teammates could meet the announcer they had heard on the tape. That meeting was held, and the former Little Leaguers and the announcer enjoyed a wonderful time together. They played the recording for Mike to hear and joyfully rehashed that game played 50 years earlier. I’m not sure for whom that visit was more meaningful, those former Little Leaguers or Mike.
Together, we enjoyed many trips to a wide variety of sporting events, shared press boxes, and genuinely enjoyed each other’s company. Our last meeting was painful, but the memories with Mike will always remain joyful.
In baseball parlance, Mike has rounded third and headed home. The umpire in the sky has called him safe! There could be no other call to make.
