May 20, 2008 7:18 pm US/Eastern
Eddie Spaghetti! The Story Behind Mike Lange-isms
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
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Penguins radio announcer Mike Lange explains his famous sayings.
KDKA
Look out Loretta because Elvis has just left the building and he may be looking for Eddie Spaghetti!
Penguins Radio Announcer Mike Lange has spent years tossing around those crazy sayings during games, but where does he get that stuff?
When Lange first started in the hockey business, he knew he wanted to be different and use some flair, so he decided to employ catch phrases to enhance his call.
" 'Great balls of fire' was the first one that I actually used in Pittsburgh. And then it kind of built. I got a couple of others - 'Look out Loretta,' a friend of a friend had said that and ... it caught my ear and it just made me say, 'You know what? That might work,' and I started using that and then it built," Lange said.
Lange-ism: "Oh, buy Sam a drink and get his dog one too!" "One day I walked into a restaurant-bar in the South Hills and I heard a guy and I was just sitting there eating a sandwich and I heard him across the way come in and say, 'Hey, Jimmy buy Sam a drink and get his dog one too,' " Lange recalled.
Those trademark calls are part of the lore of the Penguin franchise. Before Mario Lemieux arrived in Pittsburgh, Mike Lange was as important to the organization as any of their players. He was the reason to tune in no matter how badly the team played.
Lange-isms: "And ladies and gentlemen the kitchen is closed!" "Donna needs a doughnut!" Before he knew it, he was getting new ideas everywhere he went.
"People send them and they used to have a shoe box that I kept all the phrases in and now with the computer I'm able to put them on the computer and I have a long list still of under consideration," he said.
Lange-ism: "And you can get in the fast lane Grandma - the bingo game is ready to roll!" "That just has magic to it when you say it and I became a favorite of the grandmas," Lange said.
He loved to add a few new ones every year, but he was always looking for that one special call of finality for an overtime game. Eventually he found the one he was looking for.
Lange-ism: "And ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has just left the building!" Pompeani: "How do you know which one you'll use in a particular occasion? Overtime goal for example. How many of those have you had in your career?"
Lange: "Well, overtime's a little bit different because you need an exclamation point and ... really interesting, I kind of reserve that more for 'Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has just left the building,' now exclusively because it is an end of the game.
"I went into a place to try and get something to eat and the lady very distinctly said to me, 'The kitchen is closed!' I said, 'Wow. There's the end, that's it, you can't eat any more, you haven't got a prayer.' I said, 'That's finality baby!'
"So now I'll use, 'The kitchen is closed when ... the game is over - that's it," he said.
After Stanley Cup No. 1, Lange was already thinking ahead to a repeat, and if they could go back to back, he had the perfect call:
"Oh Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley get me the brandy!" "I knew I was going to do that one. I spent a little time trying to be a little different for that goal call," Lange said. "I just had this vision of Lord Stanley sitting in his parlor and you know watching the game on television and I just said to him, 'Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley, get me the brandy.' It was time to celebrate because they were there. And I could just see him going, 'Yes sir, I think it's time.' "
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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