The Pecan Park Eagle

Buffalo Stadium 1953, Houston, Texas; KPRC-TV, CHANNEL 2
Had Been Covering Houston Buffs Baseball Since Their 1st Year on the Air in 1949 as KLEE-TV.

Thank you, Larry Hajduk, for sending me several photographic reminders the other day of that early precious time in my Houston Baseball Memory Book. Channel Two was the first and only TV station in Houston from 1949 forward, but they were soon joined by KGUL-TV (11) in Galveston and KTRK-TV (13) in the 1950s. Channel 11, of course, eventually moved to Houston and reorganized itself as KHOU-TV.

Unfortunately, one of those memories was quite shocking and forever sad.

Here’s a link to a brief column I wrote nine years ago on early televised Houston baseball and the time a man actually committed suicide by a self-inflicted fatal gunshot wound to the head, almost completely on camera, back on June 11, 1950. My dad and I were there that night, sitting only about twelve rows back from where this desperate act took place. We saw none of it, but we heard all of it. The sound and startle reflex we all had from the shot still rings home the whole upsetting memory for me. And yes. I used the same photo then that I’m using today. The picture of the camera man is pretty accurate to where he was situated that same night in reality, right next to the small table they set up with a mike for solo broadcaster Dick Gottlieb.

When the man standing next to the camera man shot himself in the head, the camera guy is said to have reflexively wheeled around and caught him in time for viewers at home to see some of the man’s body slumping to the ground. What a sad night it was.

Here’s the other article link: Suicide at Buff Stadium

Finally, what are the “Then and Now Bottom Line Differences Between Watching Baseball on TV at Home or at the Ballpark in 1950 and 2018?”

In 1950, watching baseball at home on TV made you want to go to the ballpark where you could much better see what’s happening. ~ In 2018, watching baseball at the ballpark makes you want to go home and watch baseball on HD, multi-camera angle perspective TV where you can much better see what’s happening.

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A Peek at the AL Batting Average Race 

Through Games of Wed., 9/12/18: 

BATTING AVERAGE

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AL WEST SCORES, 

LAST TWO DAYS

(1) Thru Tue., 9/11/18:

Houston 5 – Detroit 4.

Oakland 3 – Baltimore 2.

San Diego 2 – Seattle 1.

LA Angels 1 – Texas 0.

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(2) Thru Wed., 9/12/18:

Houston 5 – Detroit 4.

Oakland 10 – Baltimore 0.

San Diego 5 – Seattle 4. 

LA Angels 8 – Texas 1.

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AL WEST STANDINGS

Morning of Thur., 9/13/18

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SCHEDULE BALANCE FOR

HOU, OAK & SEA:

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Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

Tags: Early Buffs TV & Today's Stats

This entry was posted on September 13, 2018 at 4:08 pm and is filed under Baseball, culture, History. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.