A Tribute: Our Favorite Terry Boers Memories
(CBS) Thursday afternoon brings a bittersweet moment for the 670 The Score family, with longtime host Terry Boers retiring after a final show. Boers is a Score original, having worked at the station since its inception on Jan. 2, 1992. Through the years, he brought insight, comedy and kindness to all, as well as derision toward bad sports thoughts.
With Boers leaving, we opened the floor for 670 teammates to share their favorite memories. Here are their thoughts, in words and also video.
Bruce Levine, 670 baseball beat writer:
"Terry was fearless in taking on icons. He always stood his ground and refused to be bullied by people in power positions. His battles with Mike Ditka helped establish him and The Score as being the place where you received an honest perspective of the Chicago sports landscape. Boers always made fun of himself and sports in general. He reminded people that sports were supposed to be fun. That said, he was unflappable when it came to tough subjects and giving his opinion. Twenty-five years as a voice in Chicago radio is a remarkable feat. It was done with the same intelligence and perspective that made Terry a great writer for many years."
Mike Esposito, 670 host and update anchor:
"My first ever Score shift was during the summer of 2005, doing updates for Boers and Bernstein. Ironically enough, I work almost always on weekends, so my Terry experiences are primarily as a listener. He's been a fixture in my life really since childhood, when I would devour the daily sports section in the newspaper and was introduced to his reporting and columns. Terry has been on The Score my entire adult life, and he's helped take me through a lot of changing times -- personally, professionally and culturally.
What I loved about Terry from the start was his humor, his ability to take things seriously and yet have a fun time doing it. The jokes, the lingo, the fun -- and yet at other times, the reporting, the questioning of guests, the serious, hard news discussions that he and Dan led about Penn State, after 9/11, etc. There have been more than a few times when I've had to pull over while driving because I was laughing so hard at the show. I'm going to miss that combination very much.
I think the B&B finale showed in a great way how much Terry has influenced Chicago sports fans. I have many, many conversations with people that include Terry-isms. I know I'm not alone. I also know that those who work closest with him love him to pieces. He's a good guy. That comes across on the air, and our listeners love him too. Look at how many people showed up at Real Time for the final show, I don't know that we've ever had more people at a Score event.
Hopefully we can still get a small dose of Terry from time to time as a guest. Maybe a column or that book he's been talking about. Most of all though, I wish him good health and thank him for a great run. Godspeed, Terry!"
Dan Pompei, Bears pregame host:
"When I think of Terry, I think of laughing when I was trying not to laugh. You know that feeling you used to get when you were sitting in the first row of class and you had the prankster in back of you? Or when you got the giggles in church? He always could get me going that way back in the press boxes at old Soldier Field, Comiskey Park and Wrigley Field. We sat next to one another and watched a lot of games together in the 1980s when we were teammates at the Sun-Times. Terry had a way of lighting up those press boxes. I appreciated the way he thought so fast and came up with so many witty observations. I remember thinking, 'This guy should have a radio show.' We stopped going to games together long ago, but he has continued to entertain me — and many of us — for decades. That, I guess, was his calling. And all of us are better for it."
Rachael Stob, 670 continuity director
"Terry is one of the greatest. From day one, he was always welcomed me with open arms. No matter how crummy the day, Terry's hug would always brighten my day. His compassion, humor and loyalty can't be matched. He will be greatly missed here at the station and all over Chicago. Love you, Terry!"
Chris Rongey, 670 host and update anchor
"Terry's contagious laugh will make you fall in love with him. That's how it happened for me. I knew I had the right idea about him after my dad died over the summer. Despite just having gone through recent, excruciating surgery, Terry -- while recovering in some hospital somewhere -- found the energy to reach out to tell me he was thinking about my family and me. I know he must've felt physically awful at the time, so I shouldn't have even been on his radar, but that's how truly kind he is. I'll never forget that."
Lin Brehmer, WXRT personality
"In 2003, Terry Boers joined me on 93XRT to cover the Chicago Cubs in the 2003 National League Championship Series. After the star-crossed Game 6, Terry came on the air and said, "I know what 'uh-oh' sounds like." Made me laugh. He was right. It was the uh-oh heard round the world.
"Terry didn't always make the best choices. He was responsible for the famous microwave popcorn ban at the bunker on Belmont. I think he was filling in on the morning show when he decided to have microwave popcorn. He must have set it for 30 minutes instead of 30 seconds because the popcorn went full on Vesuvius. Burned up real good. Smoke billowed out of the kitchen and set off the fire alarm in the hall near Mary Dixon's newsroom. It was so loud that Mary grabbed a tape dispenser and beat the alarm until it disintegrated and fell to the floor. That was awesome."