We're going to miss Geno and Jim Foley next year

Iconoclast Texan

Iconoclast Texan

250+ Posts
To me these 2 are the heart and soul of the Houston Rockets and have been the one constant throughout my entire life as a Rockets fan. I am 33 and remember listening to them call famous Ralph Sampson tip in to win the Western Conference back in 1986 over the Lakers. I was at camp listening on a transistor radio and EVERYONE I was with including those 2 calling the game went nuts. They are like a great broken pair of jeans and are such a joy to listen to compared to the douchery that is Mark Vandermeer and Milo Hamilton.

Geno is a passionate homer yet he still calls out the team when we suck. Jim Foley is an encyclopedia of basketball knowledge without the dorky and boring stories of Craig Way.

During the radio broadcasts of the games, they are playing clips from over the years. What I love about these 2 is how they respond like fans screaming at **** like when the clock did not start during the last possession of Game 1 of the 1994 WCF series with the Jazz.

Some of my favorites are:
1. Geno dropping an f-bomb and screaming so loud that he knocked off the feed during the last game of the season in which we got screwed by the refs on a D-Rob tip in in San Antonio back in 1993. That game cost us home court against Seattle and I truly believe if we had it (remember evey game was won by the home team) we would have beaten Phoenix and gone on to beat the Bulls in the Finals.

2. Kiss of Death.

3. The 1994 Game 7 Finals win.

I want to hear these 2 call another championship run and go out with a bang. Who else is with me?
 
I've been wanting to hear the call when TMac hit three at the end of the Spurs game when he scored 13 in 30 seconds or whatever it was. That was a great call.
 
Old Olajuwon days:

Backing it in, backing it in, backing it in, TWO AND A FOUL

Plus, how am I going to know how many times the other teamed travels and "they missed it"
 
They are fantastic for all of the reasons you mentioned. I'm going to greatly miss them. I typically watch the games at home, but you better believe the last few will have the radio feed on at the same time
 
The Link

I almost choked up and had a tear in my eye when I heard that. I love those guys. You can just hear the passion through that call. I think they should have a banner at Toyota Center honoring them.
 
I moved to Houston in 1996 and it wasn't long before I'd be going to sleep at night listening to Gene and Jim on many a winter night.

Don't forget Gene's call of Eddie Johnson's walkoff shot in Game 4 of the 97 playoffs vs. Utah.
 
and BTW, not to nitpick but that "clock did not start game" in 1994 was Game 4 vs. Utah.
 
It's sad. Two Houston sports franchises will be losing legends in the broadcast booth. First it was Milo Hamilton (I like Alan Ashby too) and now Peterson/Foley.

That's another reason why I was so devastated when I found out that Yao was out for the rest of the season. I wanted those two guys and Mutombo to go out in the sunset with a Rockets championship. Who knows... maybe it's still possible.
 
Not the same thing at all, Stat. Why do you think the Bulls were 1-5 against the Rockets during that span? Jordan sat out every game? They didn't want to win?

Or they matched up poorly with Houston and had no answer for Hakeem in the post?

Some people have mythologized Jordan to the point that they think he won a championship every single year he was in the league. He didn't.
 
To get this back on topic:

I haven't lived in Houston or listened to a Rockets broadcast for a long time, so I didn't know he was retiring. Really sad to hear that.

True story:

My second year at UT, we used to play drinking games to Gene Peterson broadcasts. You had to be pretty careful doing that, though, because some phrases come at you machine-gun style ("backin' it in, backin' it in, backin' it in" and "he traveled, they missed it.")

Our favorite was "Two and he's fooooouuullled" held out like a soccer announcer calling a goal.

So after half a season of this, when they played the spurs one night, we went down to San Antonio for the game. My buddies were mostly Mav and Spurs fans, but we all loved Gene. After the game, we went down and stood around the broadcast booth waiting to talk to him.

He thought we were just trying to meet Hakeem, so he came over to us and apologized, "Sorry, guys, I couldn't get him to come back out." My friend screams, "We all came to see you, Gene!" and we all started cheering for him.

He was really tickled and humbled. We picked up some loose papers from the floor and he autographed them. I still have the side of a popcorn box that says, "How sweet it it!" and his name. We told him about our drinking game and he got a kick out of that too.

As we were walking back up the stairs, I turned around and yelled, "Hey, Gene, how 'bout a 'two and he's fouled?'"

Everbody at the press table turned around and looked at him. He literally straightened his tie, took a big, deep breath, made fists with both hands and with a red face and eyes closed, he gave his signature phrase. The whole place cheered wildly for him.

Good times.
 
That sucks. I didn't know they were leaving. I go way back with the Rockets, i.e. Moses Malone era.

I spent many hours listening to him broadcast games.

Are the games broadcast on the internet? I'd like to hear one more from Geno.
 
I was a year younger than Geno's son, and on occasion he'd come to our high school basketball games. A really nice guy.

I agree with the banner idea. And I hope the Rox send them both out on a high note.
 
the Rockets-Bulls minus Jordan championship eyars arguement is ludicrous.

Hakeem Olajuwon was the best player in the NBA by far during those two years. trying to suppos eone thing or another is inane and pointless, as its not relaity. just liek when USC was handed the title of greatest ever before a certain Rose Bowl national title
 
My favorite Geno-and-Jim memory happened during the 1996 NBA Finals against the Celtics -- it was the close game that we won (game 3?).

My girlfried and I were in the car driving down Chimney Rock in Bellaire as the game wound down. We weren't doing anything illegal, but got pulled over. I think the cop saw us cheering and decided to pull us over so he could listen.

In any event, the cop leaned in and listened, then let us go once the game was over. It's the only time I ever remember swapping high fives with a cop during a traffic stop.
 
It is hard to imagine a radio broadcast of the Rockets without Gene Peterson. I love watching a game and listening to his call.

"Kenny Smith brings it up the court and passes it down to Dream. He's hacked, no call. Back out to Clyde. Oh come on, the Bulls are playing a zone. Clyde drops it in to Dream. Dream shake . . . dipsy-doodle . . . TWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! How SWWWWWWWWEEEEEETT it is!!

Jordan answers with a tomahawk slam from the free-throw line.
Gene: "Jordan lays it in for 2".
 
Horn89 thanks for sharing that story that was awesome. I grew up with those guys. I can remember going to sleep listening to those late west coast games.
 
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