RIP: Jerry Girard

NYSportsJournalists.com will fondly recall Girard as the naturally funny, schtick-free sports anchor at WPIX in NYC.

He died of cancer yesterday at age 75. RIP to someone who always made staying up til 10:50 worthwhile.

 

RIP, a favorite from a different time.

 

He's a guy who got more out of silent, knowing looks than anybody this side of Johnny Carson.

I enjoyed his work.

 

Let's go to the videotape. Ooops. Wrong guy.

 

Best sports anchor in the city by far.

He was great. Hilarious yet great.

 

My friend was real close to Jerry and the first time I met him was at his mother's funeral. Another friend was a Packers fan and they've just lost a playoff game. Jerry walked up somberly, but as he got reached a group of us, he chuckled softly in Emil the Packers fan ear and whispered, "Fucking Packers," and walked away.

He was the only New York broadcaster in that era that came close to Marv Albert for me. RIP Jerry.

 

I remember one PIX news broadcast, a story right before sports about how historians believed Mozart had been poisoned. So in the next segment, Girard has Yankees highlights, a clip of Detroit's Larry Herndon screwing up a fly ball.

"He must have been thinking about how Mozart died," Girard said.

That's been the go-to comment among my friends ever since.

Stay tuned for The Honeymooners right after news, Jerry.

 

I think it was the 82 Series, the Yankee wives were complaining about the location of their seats behind first, should have been behind third, yada.

So Gerard reports it.

Silent stare.

"I heard one wife say she wanted seats between 2nd and 3rd"

 

He was my favorite when I was a kid.
RIP Jerry.

 

J. Girard was great in "Talladega Nights." RIP.

 

Jerry was best. Always did something to make you laugh. Had a caustic wit.

Made it a must to tune in to ch 11 at 10:50 - then away we go for a half hr of the Honeymooners at 11

 

No ill will and I wish peace to his family, but I was not a fan of Jerry Girard.

I think he just sat in the studio, read stuff, would make what today we would call a snarky comment. Never went out and interviewed anybody, never seemed to do any special stories, and if Channel 11 had fired him, I don't think he would have been hired by any other station in New York for anything more than a weekend gig. He did highlights of the Yankees after you had already seen the game. The best you could get from Girard was a wisecrack and they would be funny sometimes, but there was very little insight.

I hope that doesn't sound cruel, but that's the way I feel.