To fully appreciate the event, you need a long, detailed setup.
The play-by-play booth at the old Busch stadium was just to the right of home plate. There were two levels in the booth, with a narrow stairway leading to the lower lever where the announcers sat.
On that level, you would find (left to right) the broadcast engineer, Mike Shannon, Jack Buck and Bob Starr.
Bob was the funniest man I have ever known. He’d come into the newsroom and have us all howling. His work on Jack Carney’s show was among the finest comedy I ever heard on KMOX. His timing, nuances and inflection were perfect.
But on this particular day, he didn’t set out to be funny.
Buck and Starr would take turns doing play-by-play with Shannon adding color. When not doing play-by-play, the announcers would wander up the steps and out into the main area of the press box to grab a bite to eat, get a drink or kibbutz with other members of the media. This would leave one of the four seats open for the numerous guests who would appear on the air.
The announcing area was nothing fancy. It was nothing more than a counter with microphones and earphones – the single cup kind one could hold up to the ear. These were necessary because, with the announcers facing forward toward the field, it was difficult to hear what the others were saying. That’s what proved to be Starr’s undoing.
Bob Starr, a rather portly sort of person, had taken leave of his seat in the booth. He was replaced by an attractive young lady who was a representative of the Master Bakers’ Association. Her mission was to tell Jack Buck and the massive Cardinals’ radio audience about the group’s coming promotions, and she brought a gift. Since she had been named “Miss Cheescake” by the association, she left a large cheesecake right there next to Bob Starr’s microphone.
Her interview went smoothly and she was making her way up the narrow stairs just as Starr was returning. Ever the gentleman, he turned to give her plenty of room, and then walked down the stairs to slide into his chair.
Perhaps there was crowd noise. Maybe it was simply the sound of the sliding chair.
We’ll never know for sure.
But something kept Bob Starr from hearing the question posed by Jack Buck.
Thousands of radio listeners heard it, and they heard Starr’s answer too.
Buck: “Did you see Miss Cheesecake there?”
Starr: “Yep. Looks good enough to eat.”
There was a pause…a very slight, almost imperceptible pause. Then Buck slipped right back into the play-by-play mode. I can’t say the same for Shannon.
As I said, I know this happened. I’ve heard the tape several times, but inexplicably, the master tape disappeared from KMOX before I got the chance to dub it.
Its fate, as they say, remains a mystery.
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