A couple of longtime Utah sports icons continue to deliver.
A week ago, Salt Lake Bees radio voice Steve Klauke surpassed ‘Hot’ Rod Hundley for calling the most games with a single team in the state.
Hundley called 2,641 Utah Jazz games.
Klauke passed him last Saturday, and has just kept right on chewing up the innings. He called the franchise’s first game on April 9, 1994, missing just nine games in 18-plus years.
In true baseball fashion, they had Steve throw out the first pitch and lead the crowd in singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh-inning stretch.
Then there’s Karl Malone.
The Mailman, legendary NBA Hall of Famer with the Jazz, joined KALL-AM 700 on Wednesday.
He will host forward “Through My Eyes”, a weekly two hour radio show based on things the way Karl sees them.
Can’t wait.
Also, former Weber State receiver Tim Toone received some pub earlier in the week as a former Mr. Irrelevant from the 2010 NFL draft.
A new Mr. Irrelevant will be selected on Sunday.
Toone hopes to be significantly relevant in 2012 as one of Peyton Manning’s receivers in Denver.
Local ties
Several athletes with Top of Utah ties highlight the Utah State Athletic Hall of Fame honorees.
The dinner and induction ceremony for the Hall of Fame’s 10th class will be Sept. 8 at the Riverwoods Conference Center in Logan.
The group includes track and field standout James Parker and football star Emmett White.
Parker, the most decorated student-athlete in USU history with nine All-America honors in the hammer throw, prepped at Northridge High.
White prepped at Ben Lomond High.
The others are wrestler Alfred Castro, quarterback Eric Hipple, basketball star Brian Jackson, pole vaulter Shae Jones-Bair, receiver James Murphy, and softball standout Kristie Skoglund.
Revved up
It’s a big weekend for motor sports in Utah this week, as the AMA Supercross series hits Rice-Eccles Stadium today, and the Utah Grand Prix and related motorcycle races will run at Miller Motorsports Park today and Sunday.
Tidbits
The Weber State hockey club this week named Joe Pfleegor to be the Wildcats’ head coach for the 2012-13 season. ... One of the hottest rodeo stars from Utah is Fancy Pants, a gelding out of the Bar T Rodeo in Chester. It won top saddle bronc horse at the Wrangler NFR in Las Vegas in December, then won the same award at the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma last month. ...
The Utah Grizzlies donated $141,333.77 in cash, tickets and merchandise to local non-profit organizations during the 2011-2012 season as they worked with over 200 groups. In addition, the team’s mascot Grizzbee made over 100 appearances in the community, including 48 at local schools. ...
Also, Harmons co-owners Bob and Randy Harmon, presented a check for $222,653 to Special Olympics Utah earlier this week. The money was raised through donations and root beer float sales in March. ...
Due to the Jazz-Spurs NBA playoff game next Saturday, the Utah Blaze-Spokane Shock game has been changed to a Friday contest. For details, visit www.utblaze.com.
Chris J. Miller is sports editor for the Standard-Examiner. He can be reached at 801-625-4261 or cmiller@standard.net.
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