Podcasts History Mississippi Moments Podcast MSM 476 Walter "Red" Barber - Sittin' in the Catbird Seat

MSM 476 Walter "Red" Barber - Sittin' in the Catbird Seat

Published: March 28, 2016, 2:44 p.m.

\xa0\xa0 Baseball broadcasting legend Walter \u201cRed\u201d Barber was born in Columbus, Mississippi, in 1908. In this episode, he recalls his humble beginnings and taking his family to see the beautiful homes there after becoming successful.

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\xa0\xa0 Barber began working at the campus radio station while in college as a way to earn extra money.\xa0 He soon realized he wanted a career in sportscasting. Barber was just starting out when he met fellow Mississippian, Dizzy Dean. He shares his memories of the famous pitcher. As a play-by-play sportscaster, Barber was driven to be the best.\xa0 He claims learning about each man on the team before the game allowed him to \u201ctalk with his eyes.\u201d

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\xa0 \xa0In a 40 year career calling games for the Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees, Barber was famous for his colorful vocabulary and distinctive catch-phrases like "Sittin' in the catbird seat," "Walkin' in the tall cotton,\u201d and "Slicker than boiled okra.\u201d In a podcast extra, he discusses the inspiration for a couple of the more famous ones.

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