E1788 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks September 23, 1998 Army Engineer Battalions at Ft. Belvoir, VA; ernment. Azerbaijan has received over $130 done most of his work in a non-visual me- Fort Campbell, KY; and Fort. Benning, GA. He million in United States humanitarian aid since dium, he is instantly recognizable behind his was also with the 5th Special Forces Group at 1992, and will continue to do so; however, it distinctive handlebar mustache and beard. Fort Campbell where he served as Group En- is essential that we maintain Section 907 as a King’s voice is not the traditional baritone of those born-to-be-broadcasters. His stac- gineer. In addition to these assignments to matter of United States foreign policy in the cato delivery and ability to summon an evoc- troop units, Colonel Davis has served as a region. ative description for the big moments trig- Project Officer in the Pentagon and was a The Government of Azerbaijan has re- ger memory, emotion and goose bumps. U.S. Exchange Officer to the Australian stricted the transport of food, fuel, medicine, Like in 1970 when he called a game-winning School of Military Engineering in Sydney. He and other essential supplies to Armenia and 51-yard field goal by George Blanda against also participated in Operation Desert Shield Nagorno-Karabagh. Even after the devastating Cleveland and declared Blanda had just been and Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia earthquakes in 1994, Azerbaijan failed to take elected ‘‘King of the World.’’ Or in 1977 when and Kuwait and in Operations Restore Hope any measures aimed at easing these block- King called ‘‘The Ghost to the Post,’’ Dave and Continue Hope in Somalia. He also took ades. Section 907 has not even stopped Casper’s touchdown catch that gave the Raiders a playoff win in Baltimore. Or his part in the Hurricane Andrew Relief Oper- United States oil companies from sharing in 1978 call of the ‘‘Holy Roller’’ game-winning ations in Florida. the wealth of Azerbaijan oil resources. fumble recovery in San Diego, when he inter- Colonel Davis is the recipient of numerous The decision to lift Section 907 is left in the preted an official ordering coach John Mad- commendations and decorations including the hands of the Government of Azerbaijan. When den to ‘‘get his big butt out of here.’’ Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Serv- they begin to take the necessary steps toward King’s calls of the Warriors’ 1975 NBA ice Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, lifting their destructive blockades of Armenia championship sweep of the Washington Bul- and the Southwest Asia Service Medal with and Nagorno-Karabagh, then and only then lets and the A’s 1989 World Series sweep of three campaign stars. He has also earned the should the repeal of Section 907 be consid- the Giants remain etched in the minds of lis- Parachutist and Air Assault Badges. ered. teners. As does his signature call ‘‘Holy To- ledo’’ each time he sees something that I especially want to thank Colonel Davis for f needs extra emphasis. his tremendous assistance with the Santa Ana IN HONOR OF THE KING OF ‘‘It is always nice when people have good Mainstem flood control project including the responses to you—it’s a lot better than the Seven Oaks Dam and San Timoteo elements. SPORTS BROADCASTING alternative,’’ King said. ‘You don’t want This effort, which is nearing completion, will them saying, ‘‘Get that idiot off the air’ ’’ result in flood protection for millions of citizens HON. GEORGE MILLER Beyond that, King is reluctant to dig deep- and billions of dollars of personal property in OF CALIFORNIA ly into the reasons for his success and lon- gevity. He has been working for a half-cen- San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange Coun- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ties in California. tury, having called his first minor-league Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me and our Wednesday, September 23, 1998 baseball game in Peoria, Ill., in 1948 at age 19. Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, as colleagues in recognizing the talents and re- ‘‘I am not a terribly introspective person,’’ markable skills of Colonel Davis as he pre- the baseball season comes to an end with all King said. ‘‘I don’t do a lot of examining pares to take on the position of Chief of Staff of its excitement of the homerun derby and about why this or why that or why I feel this of Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. I would the incredible performance of the New York way or that way.’’ also like to express our appreciation to his Yankees, we in the San Francisco Bay Area SMALL-TOWN SIMPLICITY wife Barbara and their two children, Kimberly have something else to celebrate and that is King is a man of simple ideals—the only Anne and John. For his many years of service the remarkable career of sports announcer Bill evidence of his small-town Illinois upbring- and dedication, I believe it is only appropriate King who has been the voice of the Oakland ing—eclectic interests and a limitless pas- that the House recognize Colonel Davis today. A's, The Oakland Raiders, and the Golden sion for painting a visual picture. f State Warriors. ‘‘I love being on the air, I really do,’’ King Bill King has been calling games for forty said. ‘‘I am a verbal person. I get a tactile FOREIGN OPERATIONS, EXPORT years and providing so many days of enjoy- feeling on my tongue. To not be able to ver- FINANCING, AND RELATED PRO- ment for the fans. His calls are a major part balize is almost crippling to me. Some people GRAMS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, of the legends of American sports broadcast- would probably say ‘I know, you never 1999 ing. stop.’ ’’ King shows no sign of stopping. He contin- Mr. Speaker, I have had the privilege the SPEECH OF ues to work full-time at a time when popular past few years to spend time with Bill King in Bay Area contemporaries like Lon Simmons HON. CHARLES E. SCHUMER social settings. It is a wonderful evening to ex- and Hank Greenwald have cut back or re- OF NEW YORK perience and enjoy his stories, his understand- tired altogether. King just signed a new IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ing of sports in America, as his desire to talk three-year contract with the A’s that keeps sports, art, history and politics. him as the team’s radio voice through the Thursday, September 17, 1998 Recently, the San Francisco Examiner ran 2001 season. He keeps working simply because, he says, The House in Committee of the Whole an article celebrating Bill King's Career in the ‘‘There’s no reason not to. I like what I’m House on the State of the Union had under San Francisco Bay Area. I would like to share doing. I get paid well for doing it and I can’t consideration the bill (H.R. 4569) making ap- it with my colleagues. The article follows: think of anything that would be more desir- propriations for foreign operations, export fi- able at this point.’’ nancing, and related programs for the fiscal [From the San Francisco Examiner, Aug. 23, year ending September 30, 1999, and for other 1998] He admits there no longer is time to do purposes: BILL KING HAS BEEN THE DISTINCTIVE VOICE some of the things he loves, like sailing and OF BAY AREA SPORTS FOR 40 YEARS traveling to places that don’t have a baseball Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Chairman, I rise today diamond within 50 miles. The commute to (By Michelle Smith) to join my colleagues in strong support of the ballpark from Sausalito sometimes takes maintaining Section 907 of the Freedom Sup- Bill King came to the Bay Area 40 years twice as long as it used to, and the prepara- port Act in the Foreign Operations Appropria- ago, without a beard or a legacy. Both have tion—which has been a source of equal parts long since been firmly established. tions for Fiscal Year 1999. Section 907 was pride and obsession for King—is not nearly King, however, does not do legacy, the as straight-forward as it used to be, given enacted in 1992 in response to Azerbaijan's il- same way he doesn’t do shoes and socks, legal blockades of Armenia and Nagorno- the vast amounts of information now avail- fancy cars or pants in the booth on a hot able. Karabagh, and it remains a vital tool in United summer day. King estimates he spends three hours a day States policy towards the Caucasus. He chooses to let his career speak for preparing for a broadcast. ‘‘I can’t imagine Section 907 does not prohibit humanitarian itself, and so it does. what it would be like to be on the computer. aid, democracy building assistance, commer- In his years as the radio play-by-play voice I won’t do it.’’ cial assistance to United States businesses, or of the A’s, Warriors and Raiders, King has been the consummate messenger. UNIQUE PHONE SYSTEM non-proliferation and disarmament assistance He has delivered some of the most memo- For many years in the 1960’s, when King to Azerbaijan. It merely restricts direct govern- rable moments in local sports history with a was doing both Warriors and Raiders games, ment to government economic and military as- style and conviction that earned him univer- he did not have a telephone in his home. A sistance to a regime known for their human sal respect among his peers. And King’s iden- select few knew how to reach him on a down- rights abuses and corruption within the gov- tity is so strong that even though he has stairs neighbor’s number. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1789 ‘‘I had this boat hook and I’d lower it ‘‘His latest concoction is this thing they and current Fox-TV analyst John Madden. down, he’d put the phone on the hook and I’d make up for him at the ballpark and it has ‘‘Those are things that stay with you all pull it upstairs,’’ King said. ‘‘To let us know onions, tomatoes, salsa and nacho cheese your life, the Clarence Davis catch against if there was a call, he’d bang on the ceiling.’’ sauce over popcorn,’’ said A’s broadcast part- Miami, the San Diego call Anyone who has King still refuses to put an answering ma- ner Ken Korach. ‘‘It’s like he eats whatever ever been a Raider fan will always associate chine in his office and would never consider pops into his head.’’ Bill as the voice of the Raiders.’’ carrying a cellular phone. His scaled-down ‘‘Bill is unique,’’ said Franklin Mieuli, the Given that many NFL and NBA games mentality applies to transportation as well. former Warriors owner. were not televised in the 1960s and 1970s, King owns two cars, a 1983 Firebird and a Mieuli was so enamored with his play-by- King was more than the voice of the game, 1980 Mercury four-door, both of which per- play man that he went to bat for King when he was its mind and body as well. KTVU–TV refused to put him on camera be- form the minimal function of getting him to ‘‘Nobody has even been able to rise to an cause of his beard, paid fines to the league and from the ballpark with no regard to exciting moment and bring the excitement for King when he criticized officials on the style. into the sound of their voice like Bill,’’ said air, and answered the telephone calls when If King prefers to keep things simple, one Giants announcer Jon Miller, an East Bay King uttered a profanity during a 1968 game would never know from his varied pursuits. native. ‘‘It’s not just shouting, it’s the theat- that is recalled by those in the know as He is a devout patron of the arts, a frequent rical flair that he brings to it. Sometimes in attendee at the opera, ballet and symphony. ‘‘NBA Mother’s Day.’’ King came to the Bay Area in 1958, hired an exciting moment, I find myself trying to He is a talented painter and a lover of all by KSFO radio to be a fill-in baseball broad- do Bill.’’ things nautical. He still owns a sailboat and caster for Lon Simmons and Russ Hodges has sailed around the world, taking open-sea LONG-LASTING IMPACT when the Giants and 49ers seasons began to trips to Hawaii, Canada and up and down the To this day, every Warriors broadcaster overlap. West Coast. In the 1960s King lived on the finds himself compared to King, who hasn’t boat with his companion of the last 39 years, CAUGHT WITH HIS PANTS DOWN done an NBA game in 15 years. Nancy Stephens. ‘‘Chub Feeney owned the Giants at that Greg Papa called Warriors games on the ‘‘Bill has a wonderful mind, and he is inter- point,’’ said Simmons, who was King’s part- radio for nearly a decade. ‘‘I would be at a ested in so many things,’’ Stephens said. ner for 15 years with the A’s. ‘‘He was from gas station or something and I would tell ‘‘When he gets interested in something he New York, very much a suit-and-tie person. people what I did and they’d say, ‘Oh, Bill pursues it and he learns it thoroughly. When The first time Bill walked into the broadcast King does that,’ ’’ Papa said. ‘‘His power over we first met, he wasn’t well-versed in classi- booth and took off his pants to do a broad- this market is immense.’’ cal music, and I was. Before I knew it, he cast, I think Chub almost had a heart at- Raiders fans clamored for King’s return knew way more than I did. tack.’’ when the team moved from Los Angeles back To clarify, King only takes off his pants on SELF-TAUGHT MAN to Oakland three years ago. King passed be- hot days, and only after he’s removed his King traveled to the Soviet Union in the cause he enjoyed the free time his baseball- shoes and socks first. only schedule allowed. He quit as the Raiders late 1970s after teaching himself to read, ‘‘In any weather, I don’t like shoes and voice in 1992 after a falling out with the write and speak Russian, mostly on long socks,’’ King said ‘‘But in hot and humid Southern California company that held the flights during trips with the Warriors and weather, I don’t like sitting at a ballgame team’s radio rights. Raiders. This thirst for self-taught knowl- and then getting up after three hours and edge is either ironic or appropriate for a man feeling like I’ve just taken a shower in my ‘‘It was very flattering,’’ King said. ‘‘But in who did not go to college, choosing instead pants. So from the time I’ve been doing my mind, once I did baseball alone, I to begin his broadcasting career. minor-league baseball, when I would work wouldn’t think of doing another sport, and King’s culinary tastes are legendary. He solo, I operated in my skivvies. Now in Texas that was the operative reason there.’’ will concede only that he likes ‘‘things that or Baltimore, I always have a pair of trunks King is so happy with his schedule he has people might consider unusual.’’ with me.’’ set no retirement date. King has been known to dip entire pats of King’s voice defined the golden eras of both Said King, ‘‘It depends on whether I like butter into a tub of popcorn during a game, the Warriors and Raiders. King called War- what I’m doing, and whether I think—and and eat raw onions in the booth during the riors games from 1962–83 and Raiders games I’m a fairly harsh personal critic—I’m still stifling days of summer. His morning favor- from 1966–92. good at it, and whether people think I’m still ite is peanut butter and chopped onions on ‘‘It gives me chills when I hear some of good at it, because that’s the most impor- warm tortillas. those old calls,’’ said former Raiders coach tant thing.’’