By Tim (FD)
There’s nothing better than attending a big game at the Garden. The intensity of the crowd, the Jumbotron’s dramatic opening, being able to hear the obscenities coming from KG’s mouth.
Still, whenever I’m there I always feel like something is missing. Last Sunday, when I was at the Celtics-Lakers game, I realized what that something was. A Celtics game is just not the same without the unmistakable voice of Tommy Heinsohn.
For me, and indeed for every Celtic fan under the age of 30 , we’ve known nothing but Tommy’s raspy moans accompanying each Celtics game. Love him or hate him, he’s an undeniable part of being a Celtic’s fan. I’ve probably heard Tommy’s voice just as much as I’ve heard my own father’s voice over the years.
If you’re looking for objectivity, insight, consistency, and overall quality announcing, Tommy’s not your guy. His blatantly biased and often offensive commentary makes him more like a drunken uncle with a microphone than an NBA analyst. But that’s why I love him.
Tommy has – quite literally - been a life-long Celtic. Playing from 1956-1965, broadcasting from 1966-1969, coaching from 1970-1978, and broadcasting again from 1981-present. As Tommy’s age is beginning to limit his ability to make road trips, I’m starting to realize how different it’s going to be when he is no longer announcing games. The games will never be the same, and he will be missed.
So in order to honor him, I decided to put together a list of the "Top Ten Tommy Heinsohn Quotes." I obviously don’t remember everything he has ever said, so the list is neither perfect nor complete. I
If you have a couple classic Tommy quotes, as I’m sure you guys do, please add them in the comments section.
10. "Oh this kid’s gonna be good." (Often bestowed prematurely on any Celtics rookie. In this case, I remember Tommy talking about Orien Greene. Who?)
9. "Bing, Bang, Boom, Barros!"
8. "At least it wasn’t his chopstick finger." (Said after Yao Ming injured his finger.)
7. "Terrible call! Ohhh I gotta see this one again! Okay... He was moving."
6. "This kid Danny Fortson reminds me of a kid named Kevin McHale."
5. "He was in da circle!"
4. "He’s a young referee… and I HOPE HE DOESN’T GET MUCH OLDER.”
3. "Brad Miller is a SLIMEBALL!"
2. "I LOVE WALTER!”
1. Any part of this tirade from a Celtics/Suns game in 2007. It included such memorable lines as -
- "They're gonna call it a hard foul. They're gonna call it a hard foul!"
- "This is getting ridiculous!"
- "He walked!"
- "Kenny Mauer better go home to his wife...because nobody here loves him."
