I think it is pretty simple. Joe Starkey, as much as anyone likes or dislikes his presentation, has been a loyal announcer forever. He was never good, but he was ours. We would be ahead of teams in the late 80s and they would start their comebacks and his vibe became negative---"here we go again". It was in his tone. It made you mad because what you wanted to hear was "dig in your heels" Bears. He has definitely gotten worse, but still is a lovable old guy.

I think he has to be sat down with some sort of an intermediate accommodation that honors him to the hilt, but at the same time phases him out rather quickly. I mean, I'm 77 too, and I want no license for my age. He is long past the retirement age and has to be measured to a standard. But respectfully so. So let's have a party and a parting of the way for Joe.

Saw this movie as a kid and never forgot my takeaway which was: Why don't you retire with some grace you Jacka$$.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_One_(1969_film)

bearister said:

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Saw this movie as a kid and never forgot my takeaway which was: Why don't you retire with some grace you Jacka$$.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_One_(1969_film)

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I had always deemed Mac Davis ("North Dallas Forty") and Scott Bakula ("Unnecessary Roughness") as the Gold Medalist and Silver Medalist, respectively, in the Least Believable Pro or College QB Olympics, but that picture of Heston suggests I may have overlooked an obvious contender.

Yogi Bear said:

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Definitely a contender in the HS WR/former HS WR category.

bearister said:

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Saw this movie as a kid and never forgot my takeaway which was: Why don't you retire with some grace you Jacka$$.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_One_(1969_film)

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I also recall seeing that movie as a 14 year-old at The Oaks on Solano - Charlton Heston was the old QB. Years later, I was reminded of him when Ken "The Snake" Stabler was just hanging on with the Saints. A skinny old guy on his knees after getting hammered by a defensive lineman. On another note, Jessica Walter played Heston's wife - and a couple of years later played the bi-polar love interest of Clint Eastwood (and Oakland Tech grad) in Play Misty For Me. Now that was a great movie!

85Bear said:

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SFCityBear said:

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(I do think that Starkey could greatly benefit by having a spotter it can't be that Cal is too cheap to pay one, because they ought to be able to find a student willing to do it. But then again, maybe Starkey refuses to use a spotter.)

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I do seem to recall in past years' radio broadcasts, as Joe was signing off, he'd go through his acknowledgments (producer, etc.) and one of the people he'd list is the spotter. I vaguely remember the spotter also had the surname of Starkey, so I assumed it was someone related to Joe. I don't know if he still uses a spotter or not as I haven't listened to the radio broadcasts in recent years.

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Joe's spotter has always been his son, although I haven't listened recently. Of course, there is one, regardless of who it is. There's also a statistician, FWIW.

SFCity:
My sense is that those who use age as an issue may be doing so in a mistaken belief that it is kinder than saying that they've always felt that Joe was "less than excellent."

I also think that there is a difference between Starkey and Grosscup. For one thing, although Lee has been around for a long time, his allegiance is still with Utah. As he's gotten older, he's reached the point of abandoning discussing Cal almost entirely in favor of reminiscing. That's not exactly what Cal fans tune into the broadcast for. Starkey's devotion to Cal compensates for his shortcomings as a play-by-play announcer, at least in the eyes of some listeners.

Oaks theater still vacant. Saw The a Pink Panther Movies there. Probably will become apartments.

oskidunker said:

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Oaks theater still vacant. Saw The a Pink Panther Movies there. Probably will become apartments.

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sorry to hear about the Oaks.
When I was at Cal a group of us would pile into some roommate's car and take a trip from campus to the Oaks. After the movie we would descend on the famous ice cream shop (so famous I can't remember its name) and order "the sink" the lagest banana split you can imagine. Think: a laundry wash basin sized bowl full of ice cream banana and other fruit. Everything reasonably priced. A very "cheap date" for college kids on a tight budget.

GivemTheAxe said:

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oskidunker said:

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Oaks theater still vacant. Saw The a Pink Panther Movies there. Probably will become apartments.

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sorry to hear about the Oaks.
When I was at Cal a group of us would pile into some roommate's car and take a trip from campus to the Oaks. After the movie we would descend on the famous ice cream shop (so famous I can't remember its name) and order "the sink" the lagest banana split you can imagine. Think: a laundry wash basin sized bowl full of ice cream banana and other fruit. Everything reasonably priced. A very "cheap date" for college kids on a tight budget.

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McCullum's Kitchen Sink.

The best thing about the Oaks and Albany theaters was that there were plenty of liquor stores on Solano Avenue so that you could have a few brews while standing in line for a popular movie. I remember my Senior year seeing The Taxi Driver on a school night at the Albany. That movie was a bit radical for 1976. I walked out of that movie with a warped soul and thinking Bobby D was The Man.

bearister said:

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Saw this movie as a kid and never forgot my takeaway which was: Why don't you retire with some grace you Jacka$$.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_One_(1969_film)

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I saw that movie poster hanging up in Hollywood because it was released in summer 1969!

For the past few months, Quentin Tarantino has been turning areas of Los Angeles and, specifically, Hollywood back into th e summer 1969 for his Charles Manson movie.

So he's been hanging up vintage posters. They've been going all out, spending a lot of money.

This is what Hollywood Blvd looks like right now, as I'm typing (courtesy of Vintage Los Angeles):






This was a few months ago:





This was Westwood last week. That's Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate:











I took these photos in July.

Of all these 1969 movies, I've gotta say my favorite is The Alienist.

Sorry for the off topic diversion.

I'll bring it back on topic:

Popular movies released in 1969:




https://www.imdb.com/search/title
https://www.imdb.com/search/title?year=1969&title_type=feature&

Perfect time for Joe to hang em up. But I think he'd want a whole season farewell tour...or die in the saddle.

No real bad wishes for Joe just wish he had some self awareness and grace. You know leave em wanting more. If not on "top" then before it gets weird. No one at Cal will forget him. He has the call.

bearister said:

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Ms. Walters was never a beauty but always a handsome woman. Maybe it is for that reason she has aged incredibly well. At 77 years old she is still recognizable as the actress we knew 40 years ago because she chose not to allow an unethical plastic surgeon to transform her into an unrecognizable monster with a generic fish pout:

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I had no idea who she was until you posted her pic. She's great on Arrested Development and Archer.

HearstMining said:

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bearister said:

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Saw this movie as a kid and never forgot my takeaway which was: Why don't you retire with some grace you Jacka$$.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_One_(1969_film)

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I also recall seeing that movie as a 14 year-old at The Oaks on Solano - Charlton Heston was the old QB. Years later, I was reminded of him when Ken "The Snake" Stabler was just hanging on with the Saints. A skinny old guy on his knees after getting hammered by a defensive lineman. On another note, Jessica Walter played Heston's wife - and a couple of years later played the bi-polar love interest of Clint Eastwood (and Oakland Tech grad) in Play Misty For Me. Now that was a great movie!

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I saw 30% of play misty a few months ago. I have to remember to watch the rest.

I recall her being in a Grand Prix.

Since movie fans have hijacked this thread, here goes: I saw an obituary today that reminded me of a movie my dad took me to as a kid.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/22/norway-mourns-hero-joachim-ronneberg-sabotaged-nazis-nuclear-heavy-water?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

philbert said:

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I had no idea who she was until you posted her pic. She's great on Arrested Development and Archer.

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Since we are way the He'll OT, and discussing movie theaters, is the Grand Lake still around in Oakland? When I was a senior at Cal, I lived in an apartment near the Oakland Rose Garden. In the 80s, they still had a guy who played the organ before main features.

Yup it was renovated in the 90s, I think. Still has the organ.

SoFlaBear said:

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Since we are way the He'll OT, and discussing movie theaters, is the Grand Lake still around in Oakland? When I was a senior at Cal, I lived in an apartment near the Oakland Rose Garden. In the 80s, they still had a guy who played the organ before main features.

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OdontoBear66 said:

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I think it is pretty simple. Joe Starkey, as much as anyone likes or dislikes his presentation, has been a loyal announcer forever. He was never good, but he was ours. We would be ahead of teams in the late 80s and they would start their comebacks and his vibe became negative---"here we go again". It was in his tone. It made you mad because what you wanted to hear was "dig in your heels" Bears. He has definitely gotten worse, but still is a lovable old guy.

I think he has to be sat down with some sort of an intermediate accommodation that honors him to the hilt, but at the same time phases him out rather quickly. I mean, I'm 77 too, and I want no license for my age. He is long past the retirement age and has to be measured to a standard. But respectfully so. So let's have a party and a parting of the way for Joe.

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The guy is still alive, you know. There is no such thing as "retirement age" anymore. You quit working when you can afford to and you want to. If one of those two conditions aren't in place, you keep on punching the clock.

CalBarn said:

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Who needs the stress of a horrible play-by-play broadcast that drives you crazy?

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But it goes so well with our annual collapse when we start conference play.

philbert said:

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I switched stations during the postgame show when the Cupper started reminiscing about one of his old teams. Truly bad radio.

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Someone needs to tell him that he's talking on a Cal broadcast, not Utah.

Bear19 said:

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OdontoBear66 said:

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I think it is pretty simple. Joe Starkey, as much as anyone likes or dislikes his presentation, has been a loyal announcer forever. He was never good, but he was ours. We would be ahead of teams in the late 80s and they would start their comebacks and his vibe became negative---"here we go again". It was in his tone. It made you mad because what you wanted to hear was "dig in your heels" Bears. He has definitely gotten worse, but still is a lovable old guy.

I think he has to be sat down with some sort of an intermediate accommodation that honors him to the hilt, but at the same time phases him out rather quickly. I mean, I'm 77 too, and I want no license for my age. He is long past the retirement age and has to be measured to a standard. But respectfully so. So let's have a party and a parting of the way for Joe.

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The guy is still alive, you know. There is no such thing as "retirement age" anymore. You quit working when you can afford to and you want to. If one of those two conditions aren't in place, you keep on punching the clock.

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That's all well and good, but no matter how long "you" want to hang on then your job performance needs continual evaluation. If it is up to snuff, fine. If not, then I guess you are asked to walk into the sunset. I believe it is that time. Still love his loyalty, but time is up. This ain't Vin Scully folks.

bearister said:

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Since movie fans have hijacked this thread, here goes: I saw an obituary today that reminded me of a movie my dad took me to as a kid.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/22/norway-mourns-hero-joachim-ronneberg-sabotaged-nazis-nuclear-heavy-water?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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That was a good (not great) movie.
But the true story behind that movie was much more edge-of-your-seat exciting.

If you are interested read"Winter Fortress-the Epic Mission to Sabotage Hitler's Atomic Bomb".
It really brings out the long term efforts to destroy the Nazi controlled nuclear facility. Its many near misses and partial successes which were quickly repaired by a the Nazi's and its final success.
Equally interesting were the many Norwegian heroes civilian and military alike who gave their lives in the long term effort.
It is a very uplifting and exciting read.

As for theaters, I highly recommend the Cerrito on San Pablo in El Cerrito--they serve full on food (pizza, burgers, salads, tacos, etc.), have tables in front of the seats, and serve beer and wine. Speaking of that, there's a full bar adjacent to the Shattuck Cinema and you can bring drinks into the theaters. Who says society isn't progressing?

The last thing I want to do is Eat and drink alcohol while trying to watch a movie.

SFCityBear said:

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With Cal's football and basketball teams often being as bad as they are, I think we should count ourselves lucky to have radio broadcasts of Cal games available at all any more, especially on a major radio network station. So I'll be pleased that I can still turn on my radio and hear Cal games on the radio, and I will bear with Starkey and Cupper, until they leave, and not cry about it one bit.

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Almost every major university's radio broadcasts are carried via Tune-In (a readily available app that can be accessed by phones, tablets, laptops, and home computers). I think being on a major network station hasn't mattered in 10 or more years. Ideally, a university should get it's broadcast sports into a branded (i.e. ESPN, CBS Sports Radio) sports/talk station.

Another Bear said:

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...Still has the organ.

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Is this a redirection of a hijacked thread back to Starkey?

Since I phones don't work in memorial stadium unless you have att, kgo is very relevant, if you want to hear the game

SoFlaBear said:

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SFCityBear said:

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With Cal's football and basketball teams often being as bad as they are, I think we should count ourselves lucky to have radio broadcasts of Cal games available at all any more, especially on a major radio network station. So I'll be pleased that I can still turn on my radio and hear Cal games on the radio, and I will bear with Starkey and Cupper, until they leave, and not cry about it one bit.

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Almost every major university's radio broadcasts are carried via Tune-In (a readily available app that can be accessed by phones, tablets, laptops, and home computers). I think being on a major network station hasn't mattered in 10 or more years. Ideally, a university should get it's broadcast sports into a branded (i.e. ESPN, CBS Sports Radio) sports/talk station.

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Almost every major university's radio broadcasts are carried via Tune-In (a readily available app that can be accessed by phones, tablets, laptops, and home computers). I think being on a major network station hasn't mattered in 10 or more years. Ideally, a university should get it's broadcast sports into a branded (i.e. ESPN, CBS Sports Radio) sports/talk station.

Thanks for the info. A few days ago, my cell phone broke down. Screen went blank. Done. Now I need a new cell phone. This morning as usual, my computer has been operating between very slow and frozen, while I'm using Firefox to access the BI. Internet Explore has gone so far as make it impossible to post on BI or even access Cal Bears.com. I'm not phone or computer-savvy enough to be able to fix these problems. So today, color me mad.

And, I'm an old radio guy. One of my first toys was a Crosley AM radio, which I used to hide under the sheets at night so my parents would not hear me listening to the Lone Ranger and the Cisco Kid. One night I fell asleep and the heat from the tubes melted the plastic cabinet and I woke up with the smell of smoke. I built short wave radios as a kid, and I've been a ham radio operator forever. I understand radios. On my AM radios, I can dial in KGO and Cal games blindfolded. When my radios break down, unlike my phone and PC, I can fix them with a new part from my stock and a soldering iron. I would give my ham station call letters for verification, but I'm afraid with the current climate, some Kaziinski (spelling?) copycat who doesn't like my take on Cal sports would look up my address and put a package in my mailbox and try and blow me up.

So to heck with apps, bots, phones, and PCs. I'll stick with my radios, all of which work (at the moment, anyway).