More memories and what to expect; The Super Bowl will be a week from Sunday!

It’s too bad that Fox will use Kevin Burkhardt on the Super Bowl. Burkhardt isn’t bad at all, but the network but should have hired Al Michaels.

Meanwhile, at the start of his network career late last summer, Tom Brady needed to feel comfy. The two didn’t share much meat during the season. Burkhardt and Brady, a team I’m eager to see how how they communicate between one another. They’re beginning to  mesh.

All that said, I’m not convinced that Brady wants to do this for a career. Like Michael Jordan, Brady has a greater aspiration and yearning than others.

**********

Frank Schwab prepares his readers for the Super Bowl telecast on Sunday February 2nd,  carried by Fox. 

Tom Brady has participated in 17% of the Super Bowls ever played. It’s accurate to say nobody knows what ‘s it’s like to be engaged in a Bowl better than Brady, who set the record with 10 championship game appearances as a player.

For Brady, it’s his 11th Super Bowl and his his first on network TV. For Brady, in his first season as Fox’ highly paid No. 1 color analyst, he will be in the booth for Super Bowl LIX when Kansas City faces Philadelphia for the second time in three years. Tom has been the star in some of the most tense, memorable and watched Super Bowls ever. (1968 KNBR Radio Promotes its A’s broadcasts)

That one is as a player, not as a rookie announcer with roughly 120 million people watching and critiquing his analysis.

Fox has the Super Bowl this year in New Orleans.

**********

In 2024, CBS had it with Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson and others. It registered a 120.25 rating. Folks will watch on many venues, mostly over the air, streaming, on PCs, air flights, cruses and more. Now, the Super Bowl can be seen pretty much around the world. 

**********

The first Super Bowl in 1967 was aired on both CBS and NBC.

**********

NBC, Curt Gowdy, Paul Christman and Charlie Jones on color.

CBS, Ray Scott, Jack Whitaker, split the play-by-play, and Frank Gifford on color.

The LA Coliseum hosted the first Bowl. CBS radio had Jack Drees and Tom Hedrick and NBC had Jim Simpson and George Ratterman n over national radio. CBS did a 26.7% and NBC 24.4%.

**********

The A’s under the ownership of Charles Finley 

Tom Hedrick was part of the first national broadcast team on CBS Radio with Jack Drees. At this point to my recollection, he and Monte Moore trace their roots through Kansas City. Hedrick was a mentor to Kevin Harlan.

Under Finley though, there was broadcast chaos. Moore was assigned partners like Bob Elson, Harry Caray, and Al Helfer, all three HOFers. Monte broke in Jon Miller in Oakland in 1974. It wasn’t a great launch. Miller was fired after one season by Finley for no specific reason. Miller eventually became exceptional with Boston, Baltimore, Texas, San Francisco and ESPN’s Sunday Night Football.

The 19th century philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche said “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” Moore suffered through an emotional rollercoaster working for Finley. Once he settled in Oakland, Monte was saddled at different points with unusual characters, a showy Red Rush who bounced around and an unpredictable veteran Harry Caray, Al Helfer and Bob Elson.