Humor
by Kevin Cassidy from Texas
Whoooooooooa
Olivia!
Keith
Jackson, ABC's legendary college football play-by-play
broadcaster, has made the expression 'Whoooooooooa
Nellie!' a part of the American sports vernacular.
He uses the phrase to punctuate the game's most
exciting and dramatic plays. And even though
it sounds corny on paper, when Jackson delivers
it on-air it is the perfect audio accompaniment.
I
"borrowed" it years ago while playing
a hotly contested game of "Lion" with
my children, Max and Olivia. What started
out as a simple game designed solely to exhaust
the kids before bed time, turned into a bizarre
permutation of "chase," pillow fighting
and indoor football.
Each
time one of the children escaped my grasp or narrowly
made it back to the "safety base: I would
rise up - yes, I was on all fours - and roar,
"Whooooooooooooa Nellie!!!"
Now
being three and six respectively, Max and Olivia
have no idea who Keith Jackson is (at least that
is what I thought) but they do get a huge charge
out of "Whoooooooooa Nellie."
They squeal with laughter and beg, "Please
daddy, do 'Whoooooooooa Nellie' again one more
time pleeeeeeeeeeease!?!"
My
father, Paul, is the President of the television
division of a mid-sized communications company.
The company owns over a dozen stations, several
of which are ABC Affiliates. And so it is
that my parents attend the ABC Television Affiliates
meeting on an annual basis. For years it
was held at a hotel in Los Angeles - and was generally
speaking a very adult-oriented event. Lots
of strategy meetings, cocktail parties with the
network brass, and some rubbing elbows with the
network's stars.
But
the landscape changed once Disney bought ABC.
Since then, the "meeting" has added
a major element to the agenda: family fun.
The new location may have a bit to do with it,
Disney World in Orlando, Florida!
My
20 year-old sister Carolyn has been a regular
attendee, tagging along as the guest of my parents
for several years. This year, they offered
to take Olivia along with them.
We
arranged our annual family vacation in Palm Beach,
Florida so that my parents could meet us towards
the end of our trip. Carolyn had joined
us as well so it was easy for my parents to swoop
in and pick up "the girls." As
they headed up I-95 to the Magic Kingdom, we spent
one extra night in Palm Beach before returning
to Dallas.
Because
the meetings combine business (network programing
meetings, viewings of Fall shows, etc.) and pleasure,
occassionally there is an opportunity to meet
some of ABC's star broadcasters.
We
had been back in Dallas for about 24 hours when
the phone rang. An excited five year old voice
yelled out, "Whooooooooa Nellie!!!"
I
was caught completely off guard, and barely recognized
her voice, "Olivia is that you?" I asked.
"Yes
daddy, it's me. And guess what? I saw Heath
Jackson tonight!'
"Really?
Did you speak to him?"
In
her best valley-girl-with-an-attitude-voice, "Dad,
are you kidding? No way! (now giggling with delight)
'Whooooooooooa Nellie!' Can you believe
I saw him? Grandpa says he's the man that
says that. Is he right?"
"Yes
baby, he's right and by the way, it's Keith Jackson,
not Heath."
"Oh,
opps, ok. I guess it's good that I didn't
talk to him!"
"You
should have given him the 'ol Whoooooooa Nellie.'
He would have loved it."
"Well
daddy, if I see him again, I will."
"Okay
angel, you do that."
"I
have to go now daddy. Grandma says if I
don't get to sleep I can't go on the Pirates tomorrow."
"Okay
sweetie, sleep tight."
"I
will. I love you daddy."
"I
love you too angel."
