Public address announcers almost always get the last word – unless someone else manages to take control of the microphone from them.
Lots of times, those words stick with the players they're describing well after the announcer has wished everyone a good night and safe drive home.
Former Batavia boys basketball player Ricky Clopton graduated in 2010, but still can't shake PA announcer Rudy Dubis' welcoming call to the "HOME OF THE BATTLIN' BULLDOGS!" from his memory. Then again, he wouldn't want to.
"There's nothing like that. There's nothing like that. It's just one of a kind," Clopton said. "I've been to a lot of a high school gyms and I'm sure you might not know who Rudy is if you're not from Batavia, but him and [former] coach [Jim] Roberts and guys like that, they were part of that great history and people Batavia was lucky to have."
Elsewhere in the Tri-Cities, St. Charles East announcer Neil Currie's eclectic style and "Special shout-outs" aren't lost on the players.
"We like it, because he does his own thing. Like 'For threee ... ' [where] he holds it a little long," said sophomore guard Cole Gentry of the Saints' boys team. "He's a good announcer. He sees us in the hallways, we talk. He's a nice guy."
– Kevin Druley, kdruley@shawmedia.com
