Monday, June 08, 2009

Condolences to Matt Underwood

There's a reason SportsTime Ohio Cleveland Indians play-by-play voice Matt Underwood has been off the air recently...and it's nothing he said.

OMW readers have been peppering our inbox with questions every time they see STO's Al Pawlowski filling in on the sports network's Indians game coverage.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes noted Friday that Underwood's mother has passed away.

The Ashland Times-Gazette has more on the death of 65 year-old Sophie Callas Underwood, who was - among other accomplishments - a partner in Ashland's Detrow and Underwood.

(And no, we don't know if the "Detrow" family is the same one of Wooster's Jon and Jeff, who started their radio careers at the stations now known as Dix country WQKT/104.5 and oldies WKVX/960. Jon Belmont now works for Associated Press Radio News, and Jeff Elliott is a morning star in San Diego. Both stations were WWST when the Detrow brothers were there.)

We've heard rumors that Matt was attending to a sick relative, but we didn't pursue them further, figuring it was a private, family matter.

But when a couple of readers asked us if Underwood was gone because of "what he said", we almost put something up...though even that brief absence wasn't related to an apparent accidental curse word. (And no, there's no FCC oversight in regard to STO, anyway, since it only airs on cable and satellite...)

Anyway, our sincere condolences to Matt Underwood...

3 comments:

Mike Golch said...

My best childhood friend Irv works for the Ashland Times-Gazette. if this is a relitive of Matt's my condolences go out to him.

Chris Johnston. said...

I had the honor of working at WRFD with Jeff Detrow when he went by the name Jeffrey P. Morgan on the station. He did mornings. I did Sunday morning church tapes. He was a great talent.

As for Matt Underwood, I'm truly sorry for your loss. Your mother sounds like a wonderful woman who not only was a geat mother but a great businesswoman also.

CP said...

You know, there are just some people who shouldn't leave us. That's the phrase I would use about Sophia Underwood. She was such a kind, dear soul. It basically because of her that I got my start in the TV business. Without her help to contact Matt, I have no clue as to what I would be doing these days. My deepest sympathies to her family.

Thank you Sophia. You will most definitely be missed.