home castin' (hom kas'-tin) noun. Describes the obviously biased and sometimes frighteningly irrational commentary provided by local broadcasters.

Usage example: Johnny Most was to home castin' what Gary Busey is to, well, everything crazy.

Word history: This term -- which was partially inspired / derived from home cookin' -- was coined last week by BadDave. We were watching a Bulls game and Chicago play-by-play man Neil Funk made a couple pretty funny comments (things along the lines of "Oh, now, that was a travel!), and BadDave finally turned to me and said, "Hooooome castin'." Just like that, a new WotD was born.

The late Johnny Most was the great grandpappy of home castin'. Back in the day, there was nothing quite like listening to Most lay absolute waste to a Celtics opponent. And in Most's eyes, the officials were included in the long list of "Celtics opponent." In fact, everybody not wearing green and white was The Enemy. Jack McCallum's book, Unfinished Business, has some great Johnny stories and describes how a bumpy cab ride or lousy room service on the road would cause him to vomit hate onto whomever his beloved Celtics were playing on a given night.

Here's some classic Most for you:




Tommy Heinsohn, himself a former Celtic turned Celtics broadcaster, followed in Most's footsteps. I've already covered Heinsohn's insanity -- If you're wondering whether Tommy would skin you alive, eat your insides, and then wear your skin as a tuxedo to his daugther's wedding, the answer is "yes" -- but here's some video:





Lest you think that the insanity is limited to Boston-based broadcasters, here's a mini-meltdown from Matt Bullard:


Another great Bullard moment: tea bags always make you feel better!

Since Neil Funk helped inspire this word, here's some video of him and Stacey King providing a nice little scouting report on Kwame Brown:


Home castin' isn't limited to the booth, either. Watch these Cleveland newscasters freak out after a LeBron James buzzer beater:


Update! Because Basketbawful reader JustinS brought him up, here's Portland's color guy, Mike Rice, screaming directly at an official to check the replay:


Here's another great Rice moment: "Turn down the commercials too, you asshole!"

Update! From Basketbawful reader Viscant: "My favorite homecasting of the year involves the Bucks broadcaster with an audible 'MISS IT!' and then begging the refs to check the replay. Good for a laugh."

Labels: home castin', Johnny Most, Tommy Heinsohn, Word of the Day

I just stumbled onto this awesome video of the late, great Boston Celtics broadcaster Johnny Most absolutely laying waste to the Detroit Pistons. My personal fave: "OH, THE YELLOW, GUTLESS WAY THEY DO THINGS HERE!" Barack Obama's first act as Leader of the Free World should be to pass a law which states that every dictionary in every country on this planet and any other from now until the end of time should have a picture of Most next to the word "homer." And if some foreign dictionary doesn't have the word "homer," it should be added along with a picture of Johnny. Anyway, here's the footage:


Most's hatred wasn't limited to the Pistons. He enjoyed railing on any and every Celtic opponent, particularly the Lakers: He called Kareem Abdul-Jabbar "Kareem Puff," referred to Magic as "Crybaby Johnson" and described Kurt Rambis as "something that had crawled out of a sewer." He also nicknamed Washington Bullets players Rick Mahorn and Jeff Ruland "McFilthy" and "McNasty" and dubbed Isiah Thomas "Little Lord Fauntleroy." Moreover, Most liked to project his feelings onto the Celtic coaches and players (Johnny often claimed that the always-calm K.C. Jones was "furious" over this or that call) while depicting standard fouls as "bloodbaths" or "vicious muggings." And people today complain about Tommy Heinsohn.

Here's some more Johnny. And a little more. And, for the sake of comparison, some Tommy.

Labels: Boston Celtics, homerism, Johnny Most, radio broadcasters, Tommy Heinsohn