Digital Sports Desk

While We’re Young (Ideas) | On Howie Schwab

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – I first met Howie Schwab in September of 1977, long before he would become the ESPN cult hero, nicknamed Stump the Schwab – a must-watch TV show that aired from July 8, 2004 to September 29, 2006. Schwab was a classmate at St. John’s University in New York and from that very first day when freshman orientation at the Queens campus of St. John’s called for the playing of Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop,”from the Rumours album, Howie Schwab was a friend while being an encyclopedia in the “Never Stop” world of college and pro sports.

With the guidance from upper classmen Frank Racaniello and Bill Rodriguez, the two sports editors of the student newspaper, The Torch, we all tried to find our niche in the sports industry. Whether it be as writers, researchers, CBS Sports loggers, sports information directors, we tried and sought out opportunities. Schwab and StanGoldstein (one-time front office man for the New York Knicks and guru of all things Bruce Springsteen). Schwab and Goldstein split the St J men’s basketball beat and did a terrific job. (I had the baseball beat which included a 1980 College World Series team).

Goldstein told a story for all on Facebook: “Funny story,” Stan began, “at the height of ‘Stump the Schwab.’ Howie and I went to a San Francisco Giants-Red Sox game at Fenway Park. I felt like I was at the game with Bruce Springsteen. Everyone recognized Howie and wanted a picture and an autograph. Howie made sure to accommodate everyone. I felt like I had to be his security guard. We went to Legal Seafood for dinner and there was a line. They recognized Howie and seated us immediately. People kept coming up to the table to get Howie’s autograph. It was something.”

Kindness, hard work, treating others with respect and volunteerism was key. Everyone in our class, at the encouragement of the late St. John’s Athletic Administration Dean Bernie Beglane, volunteered to help at any and all New York area sporting events. Schwab, as knowledgeable as anyone in the Felt Forum (a part of New York’s Madison Square Garden), helped out at the NBA Draft by running the draft cards from the team tables up to Matt Winick of NBA Operations seated up on the dais. Let’s just say, Ralph Sampson (No. 1 in ‘83), Steve Stepanovich (No. 2 in ‘83) Hakeem Olajuwon (No. 1 in ‘84), Sam Bowie (No. 2 in ‘84), Michael Jordan (No. 3 in ‘84), Patrick Ewing (No. 1 in ‘85) and even St. John’s own Chris Mullin (No. 7 in ‘85) would not have made it to the NBA if they didn’t go through Howie and his work on the trading floor that is the NBA Draft, handing the official card from team to league so the players could be selected.

Schwab was the head of research for ESPN and settled into Bristol, Connecticut for much of his career, feeding nuggets of information to the on-air talent, making them and ESPN look better and smarter everyday. He was particularly close with the great Dick Vitale and they both settled in Florida as the sunset on their ESPN careers, each fighting health issues.

The praise from his fellow ESPNers was amazing: “So sad to learn of the passing of my loyal dedicated buddy ⁦Howie Schwab,” wrote Vitale, who had Schwab as part of his own internal team after Schwab was let go from ESPN in a massive corporate cutback years ago. “He was recently at my home,“ Vitale wrote, “(and) had various health issues but was feeling good when he visited.May he please RIP.”

“Honored to have been one of the many handed a bit of research, often on a card, from the great Howie Schwab,” said Mike Tirico. “So glad the audience eventually got to see his brilliance and personality on tv. An original and one of the best you could ever meet. He made so many of us better. Holding his family and friends in our hearts,” concluded the classy Tirico who now anchors for NBC Sports.

Doug Gottlieb, who was a basketball analyst for ESPN before branching off to his own sports world, wrote: “My second day at ESPN, fall of 2003, I met Howie Schwab,” remembered Gottlieb. “I was walking into Building 4 and a fairly frumpy man stopped me, (and said) “Doug Gottlieb, 943 assists 7th all time – played at Notre Dame and Oklahoma State, lost to Duke in ‘98, Auburn in ‘99 & Florida in ‘00. A great passer who couldn’t shoot … Howie Schwab, nice to meet you.”

The dean of delight for many of us who interacted with ESPN is Dan Patrick who hosts the best sports talk show in the business. Patrick opened his show, stating: “Before we get started, I want to say goodbye to a lifelong friend who just passed away over the weekend, Howie Schwab,” Patrick said emotionally. “I’ve known Howie for probably over 30 years … Howie was sports Google before sports Google. Google would have Googled Howie Schwab. He’s the smartest guy that I ever met when it comes to sports knowledge, trivia, information.

“When I first started at SportsCenter, I was lucky to have Howie Schwab there, because he made us all better,” Patrick continued. “He loved the bottom line, and that is getting the information from wherever he is finding it, to you while you’re still on the air.”

Patrick concluded his tribute by calling Schwab, “A generous, wonderful person.”

And that’s where I can pick it right up.

Aside from out mutual love, understanding and misery following St. John’s basketball, Howie was such a great guy that he honestly took pride – not in his own successes, but of others. We often spoke about the NBA, Chris Mullin and I always asked about his parents (who sat adjacent to us in the St. John’s basketball season ticket layout).

Howie’s Dad passed away a couple years back, but his Mom is still doing well and had the saddest of assignments for a parent in burying a son. The service for Schwab, held in Baldwin, Long Island – his hometown – was dignified and very well attended. Plenty of his peers spoke so fondly of him and the many memories he’s left behind, especially in “Stump the Schwab,” the great ESPN show that was once anchored by the late, great Stuart Scott. (Note: Link above for an archive of the service).

My personal memory of Howie is from a message left on my (private) home number answering machine, the one dominated by political calls, robo calls, and messages from our town weather/flood/storm notification system.”

“Terry,” he said, not identifying himself and knowing that I would know his voice. “I have a crazy situation and I know you’re a “Marriott guy.” I bought a time share in Aruba and there’s no way we can use it. The bad news, it starts later this week.

“All you have to do if fly down to Aruba, and I’ll take care of everything else. It’s all paid for and I’d love for you to use it for a little break.”

Surely, Howie had called others before leaving that wonderful, kind, thoughtful message for me, and I was thrilled to call him back to thank him for the offer, which so sadly, we could not take advantage of at the time.

It was, however, Howie Schwab in all his glory – trying to help others while never asking for a thing back.

Howie was not a text message guy. He was not an email guy, unless he was forwarding good information. He was a “call you on your home phone number” kind of guy and that’s what I loved about him.”

Go Johnnies. For Howie.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Another all-time great passed this week, in NHL broadcaster The NHL sent out a statement from Commissioner Gary Bettman which said it all, “Bob Cole’s voice was the iconic and incomparable soundtrack of ice hockey across Canada for more than 50 years,” said Bettman. “From countless winter Saturday nights on Hockey Night in Canada to the 1972 Summit Series to multiple Olympic Games to dozens of Stanley Cup Finals, his distinctive, infectious play-by-play made every game he called sound bigger.

“Over a legendary career that began in local radio in his beloved home province of Newfoundland and inevitably went national beginning in 1969, Bob transcended generations by sharing his obvious passion for our game and his stunning talent for conveying hockey’s excitement and majesty with both eloquence and enthusiasm.

“The National Hockey League mourns the passing of one of the true greats of our game, who long ago joined his idol Foster Hewitt in the pantheon of hockey broadcasters. We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends and the millions across Canada for whom the sound of Bob Cole’s voice was the sound of hockey.”

To this columnist, there are only six other non-playing ice hockey people held on a such a high pedestal and they are:

Roger Doucet (1919-1981) – (link)

“The Big Whistle,” Bill Chadwick (1915-2009) – (link)

Bill Torrey (1934-2018) – (link)

Al Arbour (1932-2015) – (link)

Frank J. Zamboni (1901-1988) – (link)

And, thankfully and importantly – still with us at age 77 – Mike “Doc” Emrick, the voice of hockey to the fans of the USA (link).

INFORMAL POLL: This wasn’t a poll conducted by Quinnipiac and it won’t be reported by MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki, but a Digital Sports Desk poll of favorite Boston Red Sox players is heavy on retired players or those who’ve moved along and very short on the current crew.

The poll is conducted on a short walk from the Fenway T Station to the ballpark. Every single Red Sox uniform is noted, and the results show a love for the past and not so much love of the present. Here are the results:

1. David Ortiz
2. Mookie Betts
3. Yaz
4. Xander Bogaerts
5. Dustin Pedroia
6. Chris Sale (with the replicas purchased before they were on Sale)
7. Rafael Devers*
8. Jarren Duran*
9. Enrique “Kiki” Hernandez
10. Brayan Bello*

* for current roster player

COLLEGE PROPS: According to the D-1 Ticker, the New York State Gaming Commission’s Chairman Brian O’Dwyer went on record with NCAA President Charlie Baker as they both endorsed a nationwide ban on prop bets on college athletes. O’Dwyer wrote: “With the commencement of legal sports wagering in our state, the New York State Gaming Commission made a policy determination to prohibit individual athletic-based proposition betting within any collegiate event, as we shared the same desire to insulate student-athletes from potential harassment regarding their performance. We are pleased that many states have followed our lead and have since adopted such a similar restriction. As regulators of the largest sports betting market in the United States, we continue to believe the prohibition of college proposition betting on student-athletes is appropriate. New York State appreciates your efforts to help implement this important protective measure nationwide.” … The obvious issue was well documented within the case of the NBA banning x Porter for life for his gambling activities. He was investigated and proved to have meddled with prop bet lines on his own game, asking out and pretending to be injured in order to stay under the prop bet line.

NUGGETS AND TIDBITS: The 2024 Hall of Fame Awards Presentation will paint Cooperstown with a decidedly historic shade of red during Hall of Fame Weekend, as in Red Sox.

Boston Red Sox radio voice Joe Castiglione will be presented with the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasters and the 2004 World Series champion Red Sox will be recognized on the 20th anniversary of their historic victory at the July 20 Awards Presentation, which will be held at the Glimmerglass Festival, located just north of the Village of Cooperstown.

The special tribute is scheduled to include Castiglione, as well as appearances by Hall of Famers Pedro Martínez and David Ortiz, two Sox heroes of that reverse-the-curse Red Sox team. The late Gerry Fraley will be honored with the BBWAA Career Excellence Award for writers at the event, which takes place in the Alice Busch Opera Theater. A limited number of tickets for the public are now available for the Awards Presentation at baseballhall.org/hofwknd.

Castiglione, who has called Red Sox games on the radio for a record 41 seasons, was selected as the 2024 recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Castiglione is the longest tenured broadcaster in Red Sox history and has called historic moments that have included both of Roger Clemens’ 20-strikeout games and four no-hitters as well as the Red Sox’s four World Series titles in a 15-year span from 2004-2018.

Fraley formed relationships with players, coaches, scouts, executives, and umpires that made him one of the most trusted voices in the industry. Fraley, who died in 2019 at the age of 64, covered the Phillies, Braves and Rangers and was a pioneer in the advent of daily notebooks as part of beat coverage. Longtime columnist for the Southern California News Group, Mark Whicker, will speak on behalf of Fraley at the Awards Presentation.

Hall of Fame Weekend will feature the 2024 Induction Ceremony when Adrian Beltré, Todd Helton, Jim Leyland and Joe Mauer will be inducted as the Class of 2024 on Sunday, July 21, on the grounds of Cooperstown’s Clark Sports Center. The 2024 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be broadcast live exclusively on MLB Network and more than 50 Hall of Famers are expected to return for Hall of Fame Weekend, with the full list of returnees to be announced in early July, to honor the Class of 2024.