Terry Foster: Al Ackerman Barked And Told You Why The News Was Important

By Terry Foster
The Family Deal

I was petrified. I was a youngster inside the Lindell A.C. moments before meeting broadcaster Al Ackerman. For me this was like meeting the president of the United States. However, I was afraid the guy was going to be mean to me and rip me like he did a number of athletes.

There are a handful of Detroit broadcasters that were bombastic and bigger than life. Bill Bonds and Ackerman were two of those guys. Ackerman died earlier this week at the age of 90 as a broadcast legend.

My fears were eased immediately. Ackerman was the nicest guy to me. But he was not that way with Detroit's athletes, coaches and general managers. Mike Valenti is a choir boy compared to Ackerman. The man brought fire every day if you did not play or coach up to his expectations.

He often called Tigers General Manager Jim Campbell cheap and he was right. He got into it with Pistons coach Dick Vitale and everybody else that sat in that chair.
He did not give you the news, Ackerman barked and told you why the news was important during smart ass snippets and commentary. He made predictions before anybody else. Some of his interviews were bombastic such as the one with Vitale which was filled with profanity.

And Ackerman did things nobody should do on the air. He kissed Tigers catcher Lance Parrish on the cheek after he won the 1984 World Series. One of his faults is he interrupted people during interviews because he believed he was bigger than the story.

Our job is not to hog the news, it is to tell you the news.

Still Ackerman is a legend in this town and is one of the most memorable sports broadcasters in this town.

He also coined the phrase "Bless you Boys" which became the rallying cry for the 1984 Detroit Tigers World Series championship. However, the phrase began as a sarcastic salute after an earlier Tigers team broke a long losing streak.

Can there be another Al Ackerman in Detroit sports?

No. He or she would not survive. We like our sports sugar coated and enjoy when broadcasters soft peddle what is happening in the local sports world. We like guys that tell us that the Lions are going to win the Super Bowl this year or that the Pistons will top Golden State in the NBA Finals.

Ackerman was at times unprofessional, but he got his point across. He just would not survive in today's world.

Ackerman is in the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. He should also be in the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

(Foster can be reached at Terry.Foster@cbsdetroit.com. Twitter: TerryFoster971.)