Blaha's Magic

[Bosanac]

Wrestling with an inconsistent season, and as we wind down to the all-star break, we also are celebrating George Blaha's 40 years with the Pistons. So to lighten our Pistons related stress here is a snippet into Blaha's basketball world with this little interview. Nothing eye popping, just an appreciation of a legend of basketball, not simply Pistons basketball.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/the-game-according-to-george-blaha-211049845.html

[DocRI]

Great stuff. Thank you for sharing!

[BadMofoPimp]

I remember Blaha as a kid in the early 80's going back to Tripucka days. I thought he was old and ancient back then. But, he was such a diehard fan throughout all his years. He couldn't help praising love on all Pistons players he was such a homer. I bet he would have jumped the stands to punch out Artest!

[zeebneeb]

#1 thing most people don't know/realize about blaha is that he is actually a pretty tall dude. When I met him about 20 years ago I was shocked as I imagined (even back then)he would be a short frail old man.

Nope.

[bballnmike]

I remember Blaha as a kid in the early 80's going back to Tripucka days. I thought he was old and ancient back then. But, he was such a diehard fan throughout all his years. He couldn't help praising love on all Pistons players he was such a homer. I bet he would have jumped the stands to punch out Artest!

He's definitely a huge fan, but I wouldn't call him a homer, at least not in the biased sense. Definitely can be a little extra optimistic sometimes, but that's probably part of his job to keep people tuned in. He gives opponents credit and is usually very fair about agreeing/disagreeing with a call. Compared to other team's announcers who will literally call the opponent "the bad guys" or think their team can do no wrong. Blaha will obviously get super excited for the Pistons, which is great.

We're lucky to have him. Always cool to me, to be watching bad boys highlights/classic games and hearing him making the same calls he does today.

[MotownMadness]

Pistons royalty

[BadMofoPimp]

I remember Blaha as a kid in the early 80's going back to Tripucka days. I thought he was old and ancient back then. But, he was such a diehard fan throughout all his years. He couldn't help praising love on all Pistons players he was such a homer. I bet he would have jumped the stands to punch out Artest!

He's definitely a huge fan, but I wouldn't call him a homer, at least not in the biased sense. Definitely can be a little extra optimistic sometimes, but that's probably part of his job to keep people tuned in. He gives opponents credit and is usually very fair about agreeing/disagreeing with a call. Compared to other team's announcers who will literally call the opponent "the bad guys" or think their team can do no wrong. Blaha will obviously get super excited for the Pistons, which is great.

We're lucky to have him. Always cool to me, to be watching bad boys highlights/classic games and hearing him making the same calls he does today.

I don't know the true definition of a Homer, but back in the day when Blaha was praising a player you almost feel he was in tears he gushed about them so much.

[bballnmike]

I remember Blaha as a kid in the early 80's going back to Tripucka days. I thought he was old and ancient back then. But, he was such a diehard fan throughout all his years. He couldn't help praising love on all Pistons players he was such a homer. I bet he would have jumped the stands to punch out Artest!

He's definitely a huge fan, but I wouldn't call him a homer, at least not in the biased sense. Definitely can be a little extra optimistic sometimes, but that's probably part of his job to keep people tuned in. He gives opponents credit and is usually very fair about agreeing/disagreeing with a call. Compared to other team's announcers who will literally call the opponent "the bad guys" or think their team can do no wrong. Blaha will obviously get super excited for the Pistons, which is great.

We're lucky to have him. Always cool to me, to be watching bad boys highlights/classic games and hearing him making the same calls he does today.

I don't know the true definition of a Homer, but back in the day when Blaha was praising a player you almost feel he was in tears he gushed about them so much.

Yeah probably just depends how you define it, I'd agree he praises our players and is a huge fan. I think he doesn't let that affect how he calls a game though, which is a good distinction.

Article actually says.

The second thing is, despite all his years with the Pistons, Blaha is not a classic homer. He is known throughout the NBA for playing it about as down the middle as a team-specific broadcaster can. His style is a three-pronged testament to his love of the game, his preparation about opposing teams, coaches and players, and his appreciation for their abilities.

“I believe it’s my job to describe the game as it is,” Blaha said. “I know that 80 to 90 percent of the people who listen are mostly concerned with the Pistons. So you don’t want to miss a beat on the Pistons.

“You also have to let people know about the opposition. There is a reason someone scores 30 and he’s not wearing a Piston jersey.

[DBC10]

A living legend for sure. It's insane how long he's been doing this too, with such jovial energy to boot.

[hoophabit]

I've told this story before, but people come and go on these boards and it bears telling. Some time ago, when I lived in the country, I watched the NBA on the old large satellite dish. This was pre-encryption, and the games were the "back feeds" from teams on the road. I'd have the Piston announcing team for road games and the visiting team for home games. The revealing thing was the arena feed stayed live when they broke for commercials. You'd get a real picture of what these guys were like in unguarded conversations and in dealing with staff. Blaha is a true gentleman.