Buried among the sports headlines this morning was the death of former Loyola and White Sox announcer Red Rush, who passed on to the Field of Dreams Sunday at 81.

Rush was primarily known in Chicago for going ballistic when Loyola won the NCAA championship in 1963.

I remember him doing White Sox games with the great Bob Elson in my most formative years as a Sox fan.  Picture, if you will, an eight year-old tuning in a Sox game on WMAQ (now the score) and falling asleep to the White Sox (with Elson, that wasn't too hard).  The one Red Rush line I will never forget is the time White Sox right fielder Buddy Bradford went to the wall in right at Commiskey Park (the real one) to make a catch.  Rush said "Commander, if Buddy Bradford any farther for that one he would have needed a ticket."  That was a funny line when I was eight and I never forgot it.

Rush went on to Oakland and eventually the Cardinals where he was very unpopular for some reason and left after only a year. 

One of the things Chicagoans have to be proud of is their legacy of unbelievable sportscasters.  Jack Brickhouse, Lloyd Petitt, Vince Lloyd, Jim Durham, Joe McConnell, Elson and Rush are just a few of the names from the past that most younger fans never heard of (which is really sad for Brickhouse, because to me, he'll always be the voice of the Cubs.)  Other names like Bert Wilson and Jack Quinlin resonate with seniors and were guys who were on the air before even my time.

And yes, although I can't stand him, you can't complete this list without a passing mention of hall of famer Milo Hamilton.

If you are not familiar with these guys, Google them and find some audio.  It will be well worth it.