He wasn't born here, he didn't play here, yet he became a legend here. That was the magic of Rex Barney. He was more than just a public-address announcer or a radio talk-show host. He was part of the fabric, part of the family, part of the grand Baltimore baseball experience. He became an institution by being a nice guy.
You gotta have heart, and Rex had one of the biggest, even when the rest of his body was crumbling around him. He'd sign autographs from his seat in the press box. He'd bring boxes of Berger cookies to his young radio producers. He'd console losing managers, struggling players, whoever needed him, whenever they wanted.
And so it was that future Hall of Famer Cal Ripken said last night, "When you think of Orioles tradition, Orioles baseball, Rex Barney's name is right there." Rex Barney, from Omaha, Neb., and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Rex Barney, who died at 72 yesterday, leaving his adopted hometown broken-hearted.
You could say that Barney achieved his fame through the force of his personality, but there was nothing forceful about him. His voice, his presence, his entire manner evoked a kinder, gentler era. An era this town still longs for, when civility was a common virtue, and saying "Thank You" was no big deal.
"It was the way he did the announcing," said former Orioles manager Johnny Oates, now with the Texas Rangers. "You could tell he loved Orioles baseball. But he always had time to talk to people. He never became bigger than the game. He was humble. He enjoyed talking baseball.
"I think the fans liked that. They liked professional people who don't give the impression that they're better because of what they do. That was Rex. He was just good old Rex Barney. It didn't matter if he was talking to the president of the United States or a fan on the street. He treated them all the same."
Good old Rex Barney. Jim Palmer said seeing him was like slipping into an old, comfortable pair of shoes. Someone recently asked Palmer how long Barney had been the Orioles' PA announcer. Rather than say, "23 years," Palmer responded, "Forever."
Good old Rex Barney. One night he sneezed into the mike at Memorial Stadium. Everywhere he went in Baltimore the next day, people told him, "God Bless You." Among current PA announcers, perhaps only the Yankees' Bob Sheppard and Minnesota's Bob Casey are held in such reverence.
