By Mark Langill
If he can’t pitch in his “home” ballpark in Cincinnati, at least Reds rookie pitcher John Lamb can make his Major League debut tonight in the stadium his grandfather worked as the iconic public address announcer from 1962-82.
John Ramsey’s booming voice (you can hear it in these 1978 World Series introductions) was well known by Southern California sports fans because he seemed to work every event in town – Dodgers, Lakers, Kings, Angels, Rams and USC football. Ramsey joined the Dodgers in 1958 when the team played at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
The New Hampshire native graduated from USC in 1954 and later obtained a Master’s degree in Business. Ramsey was also the first Super Bowl public address announcer when the Packers and Chiefs played at the Coliseum in 1967, although the game was billed “The First AFL-NFL Championship Game” at the time. Ramsey passed away at age 62 in 1990.
Lamb graduated from Laguna Hills High and was originally selected by Kansas City in the fifth round of the 2008 draft. A veteran of Tommy John surgery, Lamb came to the Reds in the recent Johnny Cueto trade.
Michael Green
What a wonderful story. And what a wonderful PA announcer John Ramsey was.