Laker Country

The Lakers have been radio broadcast on KLAC AM570 since our very first strains of purple and gold myopia in the late 60’s. As a native Glendalian, KLAC radio was the local radio station right down on Glendale Blvd. They had an old school DJ in the window spinning country tunes and crooning into a microphone the size of a Direct TV dish. It was a country station but 82 + nights a year it was the Laker station.

Laker nation was more like Laker County in those days. The Lakers had already lost five NBA finals to the Boston Celtics before Yard youth was able to embed basketball into our tortured legacy. Being an LA Ram fan had built up the required scar tissue before the Lakers were added. We were fully engaged for the back to back NBA Final upset losses in 1969 and 1970. The Lakers were heavily favored in both finals with three Hall of Famers, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Wilt in the starting lineup. West became the only NBA Finals MVP to play for the losing team in 1969.

The Lakers played at the Sports Arena and were rarely on TV and barely on radio. Chick Hearn put the mustard on our hot dog while we dribbled along in his cadence. Chick told the story each night with passion and emotion without being a homer. Radio and television broadcasting are completely different given the nature of the media. Chick was the only broadcaster who did the play by play on television and radio at the same time. He kept both audiences in awe.

Mornings after the games, it only took one Wichita lineman and an “I Walk the Line” to recall the hard court memories on these same airwaves eight hours earlier. KLAC was our local station that provided our portal to Chick. The Laker legacy improved through the exploits of Kareem, Magic, Big Game James and the rest against the freeway overpass of our memories. Along the ride, Chick called every single play on AM 570.

ESPN took over this year broadcasting the Laker games. Spiro Dedes and Mychal Thompson worked the broadcast at KLAC and have moved over to ESPN. It only a click up the dial and another chit whittled from the legacy of our youth. The Lakers will win the west regardless of which network broadcasts the games and we will listen. Kobe has the best supporting cast and the highest quotient of unbridled relent in the relentless skill set. He will never let Ron Artest listen to the voices in Artest’s head. He will be the voice in Andrew Bynum’s head. Kobe is and it will be.

Trojan Fan, calm down. You could have been the lead story. A bad day in the Cardinal and Gold is a lifetime in blue and gold. These historic defensive melt downs will end soon. Pete has two weeks to prepare for the Trojans next home game. The team will be angry and focused and playing their cross town rival at home which is never good for the cross town rival. Pete, if Rick Neuheisel is ever ahead of your team 48-21 with seven minutes left in the game, he will not go for two!