Rex Barney

Rex Barney has written a book, "Thank Youuuu for 50 years in Baseball from Brooklyn to Baltimore," which is due in the bookstores Feb. 11.From his glory days with the Brooklyn Dodgers to his struggle to overcome illnesses, Barney, aka the voice of the Orioles, tells it all with the help of Eastern Shore writer Norman Macht.According to Barney's friend, Chuck McGeehan, "It's sure to be a best seller in Baltimore." The book will sell for $19.95.Barney's invited a group of people to a book-signing party at the Babe Ruth Museum on Feb. 6, the Babe's birthday.

The Orioles are searching for the voice of a new generation, and Oriole Park vibrated Saturday with the sounds of the 25 semifinalists who are hoping to become the full-time public address announcer for the team's 20th anniversary season at Camden Yards. The competition began with 670 hopefuls - some of whom produced their audition recordings at FanFest in the hope of replacing Dave McGowan, who stepped down in December after 14 seasons. The candidates who showed up on this wintry afternoon included a surprisingly diverse cross-section of the Orioles fan base and the local media.

Rex Barney's new book seems a written confirmation to himself: Yes, those dreams really did occur back there, didn't they? You really were a major league pitcher a thousand years ago, and your life consists of more than a series of "Thank youuus," doesn't it?Time being the great thief that it is -- and, among other things, it steals memory -- Barney's autobiography is a reminder to himself to stay enchanted by his own past: that overcast September afternoon at the Polo Grounds in 1948 when he no-hit the New York Giants; the sunlit summer when the world was young and he won 15 games for the Brooklyn Dodgers; that heart-stopping time he struck out the great DiMaggio in the World Series; and those friends of his whom America called Pee Wee and Jackie and Campy and Duke.

He loves you. You love him. So rejoice. Barney, the big purple dinosaur, is coming to Charm City for five live stage shows. The colossal reptile will be starring in Barney's Colorful World at 1st Mariner Arena tomorrow through Sunday. He'll, of course, be accompanied by pals Baby Bop and BJ. In the show, Barney and his friends travel the globe, discovering and exploring a rain forest, the beach, the Arctic and the sea. "We use our imagination to go all over this colorful world of ours," Barney said in a phone interview.

Rex Barney, the announcer at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, will emcee the annual Community Jubilee Day at the Carroll County Farm Museum from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday.The event honors Older Americans Month. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of senior citizen centers in the United States.About 1,000 people attend the annual event, said Dottie Freeman, Farm Museum spokeswoman.The Retiree String Band of North Carroll will perform at 10:30 a.m. and noon.The Old Line Statesmen Barbershop Chorus will sing at 11:30 a.m.Everyone will be invited to participate in a session of armchair aerobics at 11 a.m. or line dancing at 12:30 p.m.A tap dance demonstration will be staged at 1:30 p.m.Visitors may indulge in free bingo from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Prizes will be awarded.

One of the nicest people in baseball is Rex Barney, former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher, who is now the voice of the Orioles at Camden Yards. He's so nice that it's hard to believe they can find so many people willing to roast him on Feb. 5 at Martin's West.Barney will face a first-string lineup of celebrity roasters to raise money for the Amputee Association of Maryland. People like Orioles owner and honorary chair Peter Angelos, Roastmaster Chuck Thompson, Gov. William Donald Schaefer, Ernie Accorsi, Vince Bagli, Stan Charles, Tom Davis, Mike Flanagan, Scott Garceau, Tom Matte, Jon Miller, Johnny Oates, Frank Sliwka, Artie Donovan, Ted Venetoulis and a few surprises, are expected to join Rex that evening.

When the color guard and the choir took the field to lead the national anthem, the announcement went like this:When the Heavy Hitter Award winners and the Montgomery Ward honorary bat kids were introduced, the announcement went like this:And when Oakland Athletics starter Carlos Reyes was replaced in the fifth inning, the announcement went like this:The moment of silence traditionally invoked to remember the departed would simply not be long enough for...

You're welcome, Rex. And thank YOUUUU.That's what hundreds of Baltimoreans said to Rex Barney on Saturday at the Babe Ruth Museum, in what turned out to be a double-barreled treat for baseball lovers. To be sure, it was the museum's annual birthday celebration for Babe Ruth, the native son who went from the streets of Southwest Baltimore to baseball's Hall of Fame. But it was also a celebration of Rex Barney, the former big-league pitcher and current Orioles public-address announcer. As love fests go, this one was most predictable: Baltimore has embraced Rex Barney as it has few other sports figures.

Richard Harhai, a longtime Orioles fan from Damascus, always wanted to meet Rex Barney. Always wished to offer a greeting and extend his hand, "just to tell him what he meant to this community. Jon Miller is gone [to San Francisco], and now Rex has died. It will be different around here, starting today."The Orioles' first game without their public address announcer went off as scheduled, but with a completely different feel. Flags flew at half-staff. Barney's chair was empty. A long black cloth was draped over the counter behind it, where after the end of the fifth inning a plaque was unveiled that said "Rex 26 Thank Youuuu."

Imagine the ballpark hot dog hawkers suddenly falling silent or the national anthem never being played again. Imagine Orioles games at Camden Yards forever without Rex Barney.The former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher who was the voice of Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards for 23 summers was found dead in his home in Baltimore yesterday morning. A native of Omaha, Neb., embraced by Baltimore fans for his congenial, small-town touch, Mr. Barney was 72 years old.Mr. Barney, who had spoken with friends on Monday evening, was found in his home near Memorial Stadium by an old friend who went to check on him after no one answered telephone calls, an Orioles spokesman said.

ON SUNDAY, the Baltimore Orioles inducted Hoyt Wilhelm into their Hall of Fame. Some of us still remember the day Wilhelm no-hit the New York Yankees. It was 1958. The day was overcast. Gus Triandos hit a home run. Billy Gardner, cheek bursting with chewing tobacco, caught the last out. Some of us remember the details because we were still kids back then. To watch a baseball game is to gain entrance to childhood for a few hours at a time. But the ballplayers are about to kill off a whole generation of the young at heart if they go through with their insane talk of a labor strike Aug. 30. What the players don't seem to understand is this: We have other things on our minds now. Not only football games, not only kids returning to school, and terrorist nightmare worries and the fate of our diminishing 401(k)

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Your new public address announcer is a 49-year-old man who arranges aircraft sales, has no formal voice training and has never met a professional baseball player.Here he is, the happiest man in Maryland, Dave McGowan."What a country, huh?"That's right, anything can happen. A man who describes himself as "a simple guy" gets plucked for one of the most visible jobs in Baltimore.Before yesterday, McGowan was a self-employed business owner in Huntingtown, Md., brokering aircraft sales, dabbling in commercial voice-overs and serving as an emcee for various events in Calvert County.

Less than three weeks before Opening Day, the Baltimore Orioles are still short one crucial team member.They could stick with the crafty veteran. Or bring the kid up from the Frederick Keys. Or take a flyer on a promising 50-year-old rookie who sells planes for a living.Or they could tap Stephanie McDermott.The 43-year-old secretary has a lilting voice and a dream. When the Orioles return from Florida to take the field against the New York Mets in a March 29 exhibition game, McDermott wants to sit above home plate, lean into a microphone and say:"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Oriole Park at Camden Yards."

The Orioles have begun the search for a new public-address announcer to succeed Rex Barney, who died at his home Aug. 11 after serving as the voice of Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards for 23 years.The Orioles are asking that anyone interested in applying should send an audition tape and resume to P.A. Auditions, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, 333 West Camden St., Baltimore, Md. 21201. All tapes must be postmarked by Jan. 9, 1998. Candidates with (( professional voice experience are preferred.

Not too many public address announcers have been honored with museum exhibits commemorating their careers. Then again, not too many were as revered as Rex Barney, the genial, longtime stadium voice of the Orioles, who died in August.Tomorrow, on what would have been Barney's 73rd birthday, the Babe Ruth Museum unveils its new tribute to the announcer: an exhibit that displays his microphone, binoculars and scorebook at a desk facing a huge, panoramic photo of Camden Yards, the same dazzling view Barney once enjoyed from his seat in the press box.A photo montage and five-minute videotape display highlights from his 27 years as stadium announcer, years when he entertained Orioles fans with his trademark sayings of: "Thank yewwww!"

Subscribers pay Blue Cross earningsIn the business article (Aug. 15) on Blue Cross/Blue Shield's 42 percent increase in second quarter earnings, Mark Chaney, chief financial officer, refers to ''modest increases in premiums."

Not too many public address announcers have been honored with museum exhibits commemorating their careers. Then again, not too many were as revered as Rex Barney, the genial, longtime stadium voice of the Orioles, who died in August.Tomorrow, on what would have been Barney's 73rd birthday, the Babe Ruth Museum unveils its new tribute to the announcer: an exhibit that displays his microphone, binoculars and scorebook at a desk facing a huge, panoramic photo of Camden Yards, the same dazzling view Barney once enjoyed from his seat in the press box.A photo montage and five-minute videotape display highlights from his 27 years as stadium announcer, years when he entertained Orioles fans with his trademark sayings of: "Thank yewwww!"

Statistics through ThursdayUps and downsThe arms -- UP -- Twenty consecutive games in the American League without allowing more than five runs. Unreal.Orioles round table -- UP -- Wednesday night's understated tribute to Rex Barney was nothing less than powerful. The microphone was left silent. His seat was left unfilled. Thank you.Consideration for fans -- DOWN -- The same folks who fill Camden Yards every night were allowed to stew (not to mention down concessions) for nearly an hour after the decision was made to bag Thursday night's game.

Rex was both king and prince among menI worked with Rex Barney 25 years ago, and considered him a friend. I suspect there are thousands who knew him less who felt the same way.He was one of those salt-of-the-earth guys who made friends with most everyone he touched, and he touched most everyone.I asked Rex once where he got his first name. He reminded me it was Latin for king, and said his mother declared that her son would be a king, so she gave him a king's name.Mrs. Barney was a prophet.