Joe Starkey, the narrator, begins his tribute to the Cal-Stanford, 1982 game by acknowledging the practically unwinnable stance of the Bears, "And now, the bears in a seemingly impossible situation. " (191). He builds and illusion around the facts of the game as he analyzes the field and the play of the ball. Implying that the unlikelihood that the Bears will win, "It 's unlikely that Ford can get the ball and get out of bounds far enough upfield," (191) Starkey postpones his conclusion until after the drop of the ball. His intention, after all, is to inform about the current state of the game. This outpouring of emotion from the narrator conveys a calming tone that reassures the audience that he shares their skeptical, but hopeful morale. Much like the seconds of the play, Starkey 's analysis and commentary fall right in line, "Alright here we go with the kickoff." (191)
One Mississippi, "Harmon will probably try to squib it--and he does." (191) Two Mississippi, "Ball comes loose. The bears have to get out of bounds." (191) Three Mississippi, "Rogers along the sideline, another one," (191) each second a new variable changes the play, engaging the radio audience in the narrator 's suave unification of oral analysis.
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I will include a video clip later on. You can see in the video how the crowd is going absolutely mad over the touchdown made by the Bears. The crowd quiets for a moment as the flags fall to the turf. Everyone is waiting to see if the penalty is against Stanford or the Bears. The flag belongs to Stanford, and the crowd goes insane.
Starkey flatters the game, bringing together the analysis of the beginning and seeing events through to the end of the greatly idolized 1982 football game. He portrays, and praises, the players very vividly. In a realistic and literate way, he draws you in and makes you feel like you 're sitting in the outbox watching the game play out