By James Anderson

In the broadcasting profession, it is not uncommon to find the different styles of broadcasting exceeded only by the inflated egos that also permeate the profession. So, it became all the more interesting when researching the relationships between three broadcasters whose paths crossed through the Houston Astros organization. Larry Dierker, Dewayne Staats, and Gene Elston were the broadcasting team of the very first Houston Astros division winning team in 1980. In June of 2005, the team and the broadcasters reunited to celebrate the 25th anniversary of that 1980 division winning team.

The fact that both Larry Dierker and Dewayne Staats learned much of the trade working with Astros veteran broadcaster Gene Elston doesn't begin to tell the whole story of the relationship between the three of them. A strong professional respect to this day among the three is a given. The strong and close relationship between Larry Dierker and Dewayne Staats is a relationship more akin to a family brotherly relationship.

And, speaking of Dewayne Staats, after joining the Astros in 1977 he teamed with Gene and eventually moved on in 1984 to join the Chicago Cubs broadcasting crew, and still later became the lead play-by-play voice of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays where he still resides. Dewayne began his baseball broadcasting career in 1973 with the Oklahoma City 89'ers, and he was also the lead play-by-play announcer for the New York Yankees carried by the MSG-TV network from 1990-94. He also spent 3 years with ESPN calling games in several different sports including Major League Baseball and NCAA football, baseball, and basketball.

Staats began his career for WSIE radio as a student at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, eventually earning the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year honors in 1987. Dewayne received an Emmy nomination while working as Sports Director for KPLR-TV in St. Louis from 1975-76. I doubt there are many baseball broadcasters today who have an Emmy nomination to their credit and accomplishing this before stepping behind a mic to call a Major League Baseball game!

Larry Dierker, on the other hand, took a different route to the broadcast booth, having begun his career in the Astros organization as a young phenom pitcher at the ripe young age of 18 years old and later working in the Astros front office after retiring from baseball in 1977. Larry would leave his name etched in the Astros record books before hanging them up as a Major League pitcher. Among the notables accomplished by Larry was being the first 20 game winner in Astros franchise history and also holding the franchise record for most complete games. Larry left the Astros in 1976 as the career leader in virtually every pitching department.

Early in his career, before arm trouble began to take it's toll, Larry was considered by many in baseball as more promising and talented than another young phenom pitcher for the New York Mets, Tom Seaver. As many in those early days of Larry's career noted including myself, he showed the poise of one many years beyond his young age while on the mound and being the youngest player on a Colt .45's team that included some of the most colorful players in team history, and including possibly the most colorful of all Dick "Turk" Farrell. Larry seemed to have no problem becoming part of this group of so-called "misfits" that were the 1964 Colt .45's as some alluded and still later seemingly becoming the unofficial team spokesmen as it were by authoring songs sung on the team bus giving an early indication of another of Larry's untapped future talents—writer and author. Gene Elston shares the following about some of Larry's songs that team members sung on the team bus—many of them pointed in the direction of then current Astros manager at the time, Harry "The Hat" Walker.

Gene tells the story as follows:
"Harry'd been around a long time and knew how to take a lot of grief, which was good, because the players gave him plenty. Pitcher Larry Dierker rode Walker night and day. Harry would sit at the front of the team bus with his hat over his face as the players near the back of the bus, led by Larry's writing and song verses. Almost all went back to Walker."

One went like this:
"Now Harry Walker is the one who manages the crew.
He doesn't like it when we drink and fight and smoke and screw.
But when we win our games each day.
What the hell can Harry say!
It makes a fellow proud to be an Astro (too)!"

As Gene mentioned, "I never asked Harry if he liked the thought or tune." Larry would eventually join the broadcast duo of Staats and Elston in 1979.

Gene Elston's resume speaks for itself. 25 years as the lead play-by-play voice of the Houston Astros and a career that spans nearly 60 years with 43 of those years in Major League Baseball. But, it is a career with interesting twists and turns.

Gene chose to get into broadcasting mainly because it was a field that interested him—it was that simple. Growing up in Fort Dodge, Iowa there was little on the small radio station there that would influence him towards his career in broadcasting. The only games that the smallish station could pick up was out of the Des Moines radio station that was presenting game re-creations of Chicago Cubs games called by one Ronald "Dutch" Reagan, who eventually took his place in history on January 20, 1981 as the 40th President of the United States.

As for any influence from his family, Gene stated, "My parents wanted me to go to college but I wasn't too keen on the idea at the time." Gene played football, basketball, and a little baseball in high school, but continuing his career in either of these sports did not interest him at all, and being the son of a grocery store owner and tavern owner it didn't appear to be anything in that period of his life that would point to a long and distinguished professional career in broadcasting. He would try his hand at college at the desire of his parents by attending Beloit College in Wisconsin but ironically failed the speech course that he took.

There was no mighty sportscaster to influence Gene's style or desire for radio or for broadcasting. He wrote a letter to the management of the local radio station in Fort Dodge asking for a job and after interviewing for a position was hired, and the rest is history. Gene Elston's broadcasting style and skill was influenced more by listening to Frank Sinatra than by tuning into the current broadcasters of the day. According to Gene, Sinatra's breath control and ability to carry a tune with that skilled voice was more of an influence on him than anyone broadcasting sports at the time.

His first chance at real big time broadcasting came in 1942 prior to entering the Navy when the local high school was opening a new sports complex. The Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox were asked to come to town to play an exhibition game and Gene was asked to broadcast the game over the local Fort Dodge radio station. How well did it come off? As Gene noted, "The station received a single phone call asking where did he broadcast that game? From the bleachers?" One may debate if that first broadcast was a success or a failure but one thing was certain, it was definitely a start. Interestingly, when Gene began his Major League broadcasting career, it was with the Chicago Cubs. Gene of course would make his niche as the "Voice of the Houston Colt .45's/Astros" and eventually was given the title from fans as simply "The Voice" for being the first and original voice of the Houston franchise for the next 25 years and as one of the most beloved by fans of the Houston Astros.

Bringing in Dewayne Staats to work with Elston was no coincidence. As a young teenager living in St. Louis, Dewayne listened to and admired the broadcasting skill of Gene Elston. When the Astros would make road trips to St. Louis, a young Dewayne Staats was at the ballpark waiting to speak to Mr. Elston, or if Dewayne was tied up with other duties, his girlfriend and later wife to be Dee would be there waiting to speak to Gene Elston for Dewayne. As Gene facetiously puts it, "The two of them hounded me constantly so I eventually had to hire Dewayne to quieten them both down!" This was the beginning of a life long relationship and respect between the two that is still there to this day. As Dewayne puts it, "I'm likely the only real Gene Elston protégé out there today," saying it with admiration for his former broadcast partner and teacher.

When Larry Dierker joined the Astros broadcast team as color analyst in 1979, Elston remarked that Larry was pretty rough around the edges to say the least, but his desire to learn and to broaden his own path and style impressed Gene enough that he and Dierker teamed up as play-by-play duo until Gene's departure from the team in 1986. In fact, Larry eventually polished his skill as a color man to an almost uncanny timing while teaming with Gene. For instance, in game 1 of the 1986 NLCS with the New York Mets, Astros first baseman Glenn Davis homered off Mets ace pitcher Dwight Gooden, giving the Astros the lead. Elston commented that the power hitting Davis had been in a home run hitting slump against the Mets and had just hit his first home run of the year against New York. With the crowd noise at fever pitch, Larry immediately comments with the following,"...he picked a good spot for it!" Perfectly punctuating a great moment and doing so with only a few but well timed words. I still remember that call.

If one were to ask Larry Dierker about his former broadcast partner Dewayne Staats, he will tell you succinctly that here's a man who is honest, loyal, and a great friend. Ask Dewayne Staats about Larry Dierker and one will get the same response about Dierker. Even though Larry and Dewayne have not worked together since Dewayne's departure from the Astros in 1984, both he and Larry remain very close and stay in contact with one another almost daily. It is a relationship that goes beyond professional respect.

Larry and Dewayne both give much credit for their success in the broadcast profession to Gene Elston and when Gene was once asked by a fan whom he would consider the ideal future broadcast team for the Astros, Gene's reply was; "It would be a real gas if it be my two choices—Dewayne Staats and Larry Dierker."

Relationships such as these are rare in professional broadcasting. In fact they're pretty much rare in any profession!

Back to the 1980 division winning team reunion, Dewayne Staats took time off from his broadcast duties in Tampa Bay to join his former partners in the 25th anniversary celebration at Minute Maid Park in Houston. A photo of the three together arm-in-arm succinctly epitomized the respectful professional bond between Larry and Gene and the personal friendship bond between Larry, Dewayne and Gene.

Reflecting on Gene's commentary on whom he would consider the ideal future broadcast team for the Astros, I put my vote in for the team of Gene Elston, Larry Dierker, and Dewayne Staats. Not only would one not go wrong with the solid broadcast expertise and astute professionalism that the three would bring to the broadcast booth, but it would also be a reflection of what true friendship and loyalty is all about.

Thanks goes to Gene Elston for his valuable input and assistance on this article.