Its sad to think that there are those who only came to know Chick Hearn as a Laker announcer in the last few years. Even before the stroke last December, he clearly wasn't half the announcer he used to be, and anyone who pretends that he was still any good on the radio is lying. Back in my youth, only a few Laker games a year were televised, and I had the pleasure of listening to his broadcasts on a small transistor radio. His vivid, imaginative calls created images in the mind of a nine-year old boy that were indellible; long before I saw my first basketball game, I had a distinctive view as to what was going on at courtside, whether it was West "yo-yo-ing the ball up the court", or Goodrich putting an opponent "in the popcorn machine", or Wilt attempting a "finger roll" or a "slam dunk", thanks to Chick (and some of the phrases he invented).

UPDATE: Check out this tribute to Chick Hearn, with the passion and elegance I wish I could bring to the subject.