Sports Phone set out to change the way scores and breaking news were consumed, and in turn ended up setting the tone for the up-to-the-second updates we take for granted today. Found among those who called the service home are some of the most well-known broadcasters, reporters, public address announcers, and other prominent media figures - as well as several who've been successful in Hollywood and the music industry. A veritable breeding ground for these now-polished professionals, the dial-up platform that once handled 50 million calls in a year churned out talent at a level likely not seen before or since.
Brought to you by media veterans Scott Orgera and Sports Phone alum Howie Karpin, 976-1313: How Sports Phone Launched Careers and Broke New Ground features never-before-told tales of triumph and tragedy, a mix of hilarity, inspiration, and regret from the broadcasting hopefuls and sports junkies that comprised the brains and voices behind the pioneering operation. If you were assembling an All-Star team of media personnel, you'd only have to look as far as Sports Phone's ranks.
As colorful as that cast of characters was, those who dialed 976-1313 regularly had their own yarns to spin. They form a tapestry of hardcore fans, award-winning actors, well-known comedians, impulsive gamblers, Broadway singers, and infamous mobsters, each with captivating stories told within these pages.
With 75 years of collective experience between them, Orgera and Karpin interviewed more than a hundred people en route to creating what is a must-read.
The esteemed list of interviewees includes Rich Ackerman, Joe Benigno, Steve Cangialosi, Chris Carrino, Ricky Cobb (Super 70s Sports), Gary Cohen, Linda Cohn, Ed Coleman, Chuck Cooperstein, Mark Cuban, Jack Curry, Gordon Damer, Frank "The Tank" Fleming, Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm), John Giannone, Don La Greca, Bill James, Brian Kilmeade, Denis McNamara, Sweeny Murti, Daniel Okrent (the founder of fantasy sports), Eddie Olczyk, Pat O'Keefe, Bob Papa, Howie Rose, Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo, Peter Schwartz, Dave Sims, Charlie Slowes, Leigh Steinberg (the real-life Jerry Maguire), Jeffrey Townes (DJ Jazzy Jeff), Mike "King Wally" Walczewski, Suzyn Waldman, and many more.
Much of what we see and hear today was started by Sports Phone, and this tome covers untapped historical territory from every angle, kicked off with a compelling foreword written by revered broadcaster Kenny Albert.
Featured between its covers are anecdotes involving Muhammad Ali, The Beatles, David Bowie, Joe Carter, Howard Cosell, Roger Daltrey, Joey Diaz, Roberto Duran, Julius Erving, Joe Frazier, Wayne Gretzky, Marvin Hagler, Hulk Hogan, Keith Hernandez, Brett Hull, Reggie Jackson, Mick Jagger, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Tommy Lasorda, Ronnie Lott, Billy Martin, Bob McAdoo, Burgess Meredith, Thurman Munson, Phil Rizzuto, Pete Rose, Bruno Sammartino, Bo Schembechler, Iron Sheik, Will Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Vanna White, and several others.
Also included is a chapter on the 1978-79 Boston College point-shaving scandal and the record-setting Lufthansa heist, the latter of which was immortalized in Martin Scorsese's blockbuster film, Goodfellas. At the center of the scheme to fix games were infamous mobsters Henry Hill (portrayed by Ray Liotta in the movie) and Jimmy "The Gent" Burke (Robert De Niro), as were a slew of calls to Sports Phone placed by multiple defendants. Behind-the-scenes insight from former federal prosecutor Ed McDonald (who played himself in one of the film's most iconic scenes) and ex-FBI Special Agent Ed Guevara (who arrested Hill) is provided, as are the actual phone records from the BC trial.
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