Holy Toledo: Lessons From Bill King, Renaissance Man of the Mic
Bill King, longtime voice of the Oakland A’s, Golden State Warriors and Oakland (and Los Angeles) Raiders, was a beloved figure in California for decades, celebrated for his passion and precision in calling a game and for his colorful life away from sports, an utterly original figure who lives on today in the hearts and memories of countless fans. Bill was also one of the most influential broadcasters of all time, an inspiration to legions of his fellow broadcasters who looked up to him. In Holy Toledo, Ken Korach, longtime voice of the A’s and Bill’s partner for ten seasons until King’s death in 2005, brings Bill to life on the page. A half-century ago, Ken Korach was a kid in Los Angeles, spinning the night dial to tune in Warriors basketball games from faraway San Francisco for one reason: He just had to hear Bill. Now he tells the remarkable story of King the legendary baseball, basketball and football broadcaster, the student of Russian literature, the passionate sailor, the fan of eating anything and everything from gourmet to onions and peanut butter, the remarkable painter. Korach draws on a lifetime of listening to and learning from King – as well as extensive research, including more than fifty interviews with King’s family members, colleagues, friends and associates – to create this rich portrait. Holy Toledo features a moving foreword by Hall of Fame broadcaster Jon Miller, previously of ESPN, and a brilliant cover by Mark Ulriksen, internationally recognized for his New Yorker magazine covers, that captures King’s flair and personality.
Ken Korach is one of the best known voices in California sports broadcasting, with a career that dates back to 1980. He joined the Oakland A’s broadcast team in 1996, paired with Bill King, and became the voice of the A’s in 2006 after King’s death. Korach has also been a broadcaster for the Chicago White Sox, San Jose State University, UNLV and Sonoma State University. The National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Assn. named him 2013 California Sportscaster of the Year. In 2003 in he was inducted into the Nevada Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Korach graduated from UC Santa Barbara.
Jon Miller is the longtime radio voice of the San Francisco Giants. A veteran of more than forty years in broadcasting, including twenty-one seasons doing play by play on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, Miller was honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame as the 2010 Ford C. Frick award winner for excellence in baseball broadcasting. He lives in San Francisco.
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