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OT: Chick-isms

Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 4:27 am
by snaquille oatmeal
I was bored so I went to wikipedia and found these chick-isms. I can actually hear Chicks voice when I read most of them.




Chick-isms
The particular phrases that Chick used during his broadcasts were labeled "Chickisms". Many are staples of basketball. When a book of his memoirs was published in 2004, it included an audio CD with the calls as well as a Chick Hearn Rap-Around rap song created with the samples.

20 foot lay-up: A jump shot by Jamaal Wilkes

Air-ball: A shot that draws nothing but air.

(He sent that one back) Air-mail Special!: A strongly-blocked shot, often sent high into the stands.

Bloooows the layup! : Missed a very easy layup.

Boo-birds: Fans who boo their own team when they play badly.

(He did the) bunny hop in the pea patch: He was called for traveling.

(You could) call it with Braille: An easy call for an official, e.g. a blatant foul.

(He got) caught with his hand in the cookie jar: A reaching foul.

(The) Charity Stripe: The free-throw line.

(He's got 'em) covered like the rug on your floor: Really good one-on-one defense.

(They) couldn't beat the Sisters of Mercy: The team is getting beat badly.

(They) couldn't throw a pea into the ocean: The team's shooting is really awful.

(It'll) count if it goes ...: A player that is fouled in the act of shooting. It go-o-o-oes! (if the shot is successful)

(That shot) didn't draw iron: A shot which misses the rim, but hits the backboard. Sometimes, would add but it drew a lot of flies

Dime store score: A 10 to 5 score

Dribble-drive: A player drives the basket while dribbling.

Finger roll: A shot where the ball rolls off the shooter's fingers.

(He) fly-swatted (that one): A shot blocked with force and authority.

Football score: A score resembling one often seen in a football game (e.g., 21 to 14).

(He threw up a) frozen rope: A shot with a very flat trajectory.

(We're) high above the western sideline: Chick's perch at the Forum, from which he called his word's eye views of the game.

Hippity-hops the dribble: A player dribbling the ball does a little hop step.

I'll bet you an ice-cream: Hearn and Keith Erickson (his one-time color commentator) often bet ice creams on the outcome of a shot or game.

(He's got) ice-water in his veins: When a player hits a clutch free-throw.

(It's) First and ten: Multiple players are sprawled on the floor after a physical play or diving for the ball.

(It's) garbage time: The (often sloppily-played) remainder of the game (after it

Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 4:56 am
by Italianhanger
i miss these

Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 5:00 am
by kno
Still cant believe the man created half of our current basketball lingo.

RIP to the best.

RIP to CHick.

Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 5:54 am
by Sedale Threatt
^ Amazing, isn't it? What a quick and creative wit he had.

Being a non-resident, I never got to hear Chick in his prime. I only caught the back end via satellite TV, when he used to mispronounce "Medvedenko" 15 different ways in any given game. I would have loved to have heard him in his prime.

Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 6:02 am
by tnayrbrocks
truly an amazing human being
will be remembered for a long long time

rip chick hearn

Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 7:55 am
by Minhee
Awwww I mistt Chick soooooo much. I can hear his voice broadcasting a game, his catchphrases are still very much on my mind. The games has never been the same ever since he left us =(.

Miss you Mr. Microphone.

Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 8:43 am
by Rox_Nix_Nox
Funny, I was watching the Lakers-suns Christmas game and mike breen at some point during the game said "no harm, no foul". Some seconds passed then jeff van gundy said "nice" as if he'd never heard of the phrase or had no idea of the man who created it. Thing that annoyed me was that at that second breen could have said "well of course the phrase made famous by the great lakers announcer Chick Hearn" but he said nothing.

So yeah some announcers should mention Chick when they use some of his phrases. Of course not the most used like finger-roll or airball but the "hand in the cookie jar" or "mustard off the hotdog"

Just my 2 cents

Long live Chick

Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 7:51 pm
by Mos Def
Great stuff, thanks for that Snaq.

Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 8:59 pm
by hermes
good stuff snaq

RIP chick hearn

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 1:46 am
by El Hardee
Being that St. John was Chicks favorite college team, I wondered why he always was so high on Artest, and then bam Artest shows he has all world talent. Chick could always spot a gem right away. RIP Chick.

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 4:14 am
by Kobe_for_3
that was great! Thanks Snaq!

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 5:24 am
by ShowtimeFan
I miss Chick, but I am lucky to have heard him in nearly every game since Magic came aboard..

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 9:50 am
by Mr. Sun
RIP Chick.

Best play-by-play BB announcer there ever was, period. Chick educated you on the game either through the radio or TV.

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 4:14 pm
by TommyTheCat
nice post snaq.

there will never be another like him.

Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 5:35 pm
by SashAlex
Nice vocabulary !

Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:04 am
by DEEP3CL
Great post snaq ! That man was the best bed time story teller I ever had. I use to go to bed with a mini radio under my pillow listing to Chick.

Did you guys know that the Jello's jiggle'in came from James Worthys mom, she suggested that Chick add it to the whole refrigerator bit so he did and it stuck.

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:48 pm
by pooteeweet
One my favorite Chickisms---King Kong on a ladder couldn't have caught that. When an alley-oop or any pass is thrown too high.

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:21 pm
by 8'sReverse
Stu doesn't get real fancy, but he uses alot of these...

Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:48 am
by LAKESHOW
the funniest part used to be the pregame phone calls he used to take. one of the funniest went like this:

chick: yes caller, are you there.

caller: yeah, hellooo, hellooo

chick: yeah, your on air.

caller: chick, your the maaan!!

chick: ok, do you have a question.

caller: hey chick, how come the phil jackson doesnt put in that one guy, hes an awesome ball player.

chick: which guy? what position does he play?

caller: you know, hes a big game player, but doesnt see the floor. forward or center position.

chick: john salley?

caller: no. i know him, its not him. he wears glasses or goggles.

chick: horace grant?

caller: no, not him, he sits on the bench next to phil.

chick: KURT RAMBIS?!?

caller: yeah yeah, thats him!

chick: do you know hes a coach, he aint even playing anymore!

chick hangs up the phone and says, . . . we're goin to commercial.

Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:01 am
by theFRANCHISE
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dbDTWmhlgds

^ found this funny clip of mychal thompson shooting freethrows and chick doing commentary....

one of my favorite chick-ism's

"that shot had two chances of going in, slim and none and slim just left the building."