Arch McDonald

From SoSH

Arch Linn McDonald (May 23, 1901 - October 16, 1960) was the longtime voice of the original Washington Senators and the first radio voice of the New York Yankees and New York Giants.

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Broadcasting Biography

McDonald was born in Arkansas. His broadcasting career began in the minor leagues with the Chattanooga Lookouts, Washington's Class A affiliate. Senators owner Clark Griffith brought McDonald up to Washington in 1934. He broadcast the home opener on WJSV, but Griffith feared that fans would not attend home games if they were available on the radio, so the rest of McDonald's work that season consisted of recreations of road games via Western Union telegraph.

The New York teams -- the Brooklyn Dodgers, Yankees, and Giants -- were the last three to give in to the new concept of radio broadcasting. While Dodgers president Larry MacPhail took Red Barber with him to Brooklyn from Cincinnati, the Giants and Yankees tabbed McDonald to call their home games, as the teams were rarely at home at the same time, while blacking out their road games. While in New York, McDonald made a lasting contribution to baseball lore: he dubbed Joe DiMaggio "the Yankee Clipper." Short of that, McDonald's time in New York was not successful, as New Yorkers found him too low-key. McDonald returned to Washington after one season, opening the door for Mel Allen to become the Voice of the Yankees.

McDonald remained with the Senators until 1956, typically paired with younger broadcasters like Bob Wolff and Russ Hodges. He was dismissed before the 1957 season, supposedly in a dispute with the Senators' sponsor, National Bohemian Beer. He continued working as a broadcaster for University of Maryland football and the Washington Redskins. He suffered a heart attack in 1960, but defied doctors' orders, insisting he was going to live the way he always had. Shortly thereafter, he suffered a second heart attack while on a train bound for New York. He died at the age of 59.

In 1999, McDonald received the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

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