Multiple roads in Marshall County closed due to high water. More news. Rain showers causing some flooding throughout Michiana. Joseph County. ISP investigating death of inmate at St. Joseph County Jail. View more. Local News View more Trick or treat times for Halloween 41m ago. Twitter suspends Indiana Rep. Known for decades as a brilliantly creative director but equally hard-nosed broadcasting businessman, he was taken aback when talking about the death of Swede Savage. He was killed in one of the most violent one-car crashes in Indy history.
Even four decades later, Ohlmeyer became emotional when talking about his friend. For those uninitiated in the ways of sports television production, such feelings are not standard operating procedure. The sports TV compound is an ever-mobile place of business, settling nowhere for more than a few days and zigzagging between different types of sporting events.
Because of the annual long term residency in Speedway, Indiana it is, after all, the "Month of May" , and because of the longevity of the ABC-Indy relationship, the sense of both place and importance is heightened. You have to figure out where the towels are. But once you get settled, once you become family, it really is a special place to be. That's a great feeling. But that feeling comes with responsibility. A recognition of the duty that comes with being caretakers of an iconic place and race.
It's the carrying of torch that was lit in , the year the Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened. That would be big enough all on its own. But for a sports broadcaster, doing justice to the list of those who came before feels every bit as heavy as the Borg-Warner Trophy. Again, the producer unknowingly echoed the praises of his old team, who, to every man and woman, steers the conversation of ABC and Indy away from tech specs and TV jargon, driving right back to talk about the honor of the obligation.
And the start of that race signifies the start of summer. As David Letterman starts to tell the story, he shakes his head in disbelief, even now, 43 years after his lone stint as a pit reporter for ABC.
It was , the first year that the was being aired on the same day as the race. Schenkel was the host, with McKay and Stewart in the booth. On pit road were Economaki, Jackson and Bill Flemming, all sports broadcasting icons. Joining them was a local reporter, hired primarily for his knowledge of the race -- and because he was cheap labor. And -- and I was thinking to myself, 'Oh God, don't come anywhere near me, please God, don't let him come anywhere near me' So, bless his heart, he walks right over to me and I'm thinking, 'He doesn't know that I don't know what I'm doing.
On the telecast, you can see Andretti walk over the fence as the reporter leans over to ask, "Mario, what happened?! That's no particular problem. Then he walks away as the just-turnedyear old Letterman says, "Thank you very much, Mario Andretti And again the next day when he was dropped off at the wrong entrance to the track and had to walk two and a half miles in his navy ABC Sports blazer to the catcalls of drunk infield fans.
And again when McKay accidentally called him "Chris Economaki" during the telecast though he did later correct himself. Because it was the first real indication that maybe I could make something -- out of my life. And it was all happenstance, it was all dumb luck, and mostly I owe it to Mario Andretti, because it was nothing I initiated. It was like catching a foul ball at a baseball game. You know, what are the chances of that?
But I was on cloud nine for the rest of the summer, because I thought, 'Oh my gosh, I've been on network television. A lot of people saw it, but nobody knows it was me, but by God, I knew it was me. By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Spanish La Liga View team list. Filed under:. Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. Don't miss out on another incredible edition of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
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