Johnny Most Celebrates 31st Year as Celtics' Broadcaster

1983-84 Boston Celtics
Record: 11-5
11/29/1983

According to the nearest dictionary I could grab, Johnny Most certainly qualifies as a Boston institution. Webster's Third New International says that an institution is "something or someone well established in some customary relationship." It also tells us that an institution is also "a custom that is usually widely tolerated or sanctioned and that in some degree contributes to group welfare." The welfare in this case, of course, is that of the average Boston Celtics fan.

Say this about Johnny Most: even if one happens not to appreciate fully John's unique interpretation of particular game events, one must admit that the only thing worse than having John to disagree with is not having John to disagree with. In the course of his 31 years as Celtics' broadcaster, Johnny Most has done a rare thing. He has made himself totally synonymous with the ballclub. Totally. Macauley, Cousy, Sharman, Loscutoff, Heinsohn, Russell, the Joneses, Sanders, Havlicek, Nelson, Siegfried, Howell, Cowens, White, Chaney, Silas and many other notables have come and gone, but Johnny Most is still here, as enthusiastic as he's ever been.

Johnny Most has contributed to the group welfare of New England sports fans, all right. The sound of That Voice has come to represent not only the Celtics themselves, but the NBA. Through Johnny the Celtics' listeners have been introduced to a cast of characters that make the NBA what it is. What would a season be without Johnny railing about "Hysterical Harry," the PA man in Philadelphia? "Hysterical Harry" is, of course, the estimable Dave Zinkoff, and he is as much an institution in Philadelphia as Johnny is in Boston.

But they're both part of the same culture. And how about the "leather lung" who used to irritate Johnny so in Phoenix? When Johnny Most broadcasts, the listener gets more than just the play-by-play of a basketball game. The sad part about John's ever growing preoccupation with truth and justice (i.e. Celtics' wins and losses) is that modern listeners don't know exactly how good an announcer Johnny is capable of being. John has come to view each Celtics' game as a morality play. It is strictly the Good Guys vs. the Bad Guys when the Celtics play anybody and, believe me, it wasn't always quite this extreme with John. There was a time when he gave more credit to opponents than he is inclined to today, and it would be refreshing if he would recapture that tone more often.

The Johnny Most on nightly display circa 1965 was a brilliant play-by-play man who identified matchups, called out switches and analyzed the game expertly as he went along. He then embellished the call with his Celtics' passion. That Johnny Most didn't need to apologize to Chick Hearn, Bill King or anyone else when it came to describing the action. Somewhere along the way his Celtics' feeling overtook his basic announcer's stance, and it must be said that too often these days John is dangerously close to caricature.

You know what would be a tonic? Get John in a neutral situation. Let him get a shot at some 76ers-Bucks, or Lakers-Spurs games for a national network audience. New listeners would need a while to become accustomed to the voice, but after a while they would appreciate the wisdom of a man who had been to Minneapolis, Fort Wayne, Rochester,Syracuse and other ports of call from the NBA's early days. Old listeners would be pleasantly surprised at how skillful John Most really is. Above all, Johnny Most is a very knowledgeable basketball man.

There will be a dinner tonight at the Park Plaza to honor Johnny Most. The emcee will be Tom Heinsohn - an excellent choice. All proceeds will go to the Massachusetts Special Olympics - another excellent choice. Such a public tribute is entirely appropriate, because Johnny Most has been a vital part of this town's sporting fabric for three decades. And sometime in the future the Celtics should recognize Johnny's impact in the only logical manner. Johnny Most's microphone should join the retired numbers hanging from the rafters.

Be honest. Try to think of the Celtics without Johnny Most. It's truly unimaginable.