Holy Cow! Cub Fans May Not Like This

The late Harry Caray’s public persona was that of a lovable character. But fellow baseball announcer Milo Hamilton paints a different picture in his soon-to-be-released autobiography, “Making Airwaves: 60 Years at Milo’s Microphone.”

Hamilton, who in 1992 won the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford Frick Award and has been with the Houston Astros since 1985, worked with Caray -- first with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1954 and from 1982 to ’84 with the Chicago Cubs. Hamilton wrote:

“Being around Caray, day after day, was a real challenge. Harry’s handling of people was poor, to say the least. It didn’t matter if he was dealing with the starting pitcher, traveling secretary, the public relations person or an usher.

“He treated everyone the same way. In short, he was a miserable human being.”

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Trivia time: Caray, who died Feb. 18, 1998, after a series of strokes, was an announcer with the Cardinals from 1945 to ’69 and with the Cubs from 1982 to ’97. He also was an announcer for two other major league teams. Name them.

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A direct shot: Possibly Hamilton’s harshest words for Caray come on Page 103 of his book.

Referring to a statue of Caray outside Wrigley Field, Hamilton wrote, “I see that statue every time the Astros visit Wrigley Field as our bus pulls up to the park. I say to myself, ‘I gotta go get some peanuts and feed the pigeons so they’ll fly over the statue all day long.’ ”

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No time for pleasantries: Of a dinner meeting Hamilton and Caray had before their first season together with the Cubs, Hamilton wrote: “Caray opened the conversation rather straightforwardly, saying, ‘Well, kid, if I were you, I’d leave town.’ So much for ‘How’s the family?’ ”

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Lots of possibilities: With Chicago considering a bid for the 2016 Olympics, Mike Downey of the Chicago Tribune wrote that NBC already is debating whether to call it “Chicago,” “Chitown,” “Chiturin,” Chicagorino,” or “Chicagolympia.”

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Good suggestion: “Wayne Gretzky and his wife really need to talk more,” wrote Greg Cote of the Miami Herald. “They say communication is good for a marriage. I believe most of us would know if our wives placed at least $500,000 in illegal bets during the past several weeks.”

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But will he skate? “You don’t think Gretzky is serious about fighting the gambling allegations swirling around him?” asked Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times. “Rumor has it he already has a Dream Team defense in place: Robert Shapiro, Alan Dershowitz and Marty McSorley.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1975, Julius Erving of the New York Nets scored 63 points in a 176-166 four-overtime loss to the San Diego Conquistadors. The 342 points set an ABA record.

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Trivia answer: The Oakland Athletics in 1970 and the Chicago White Sox from 1971 to ’81.

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And finally: “All we had to worry about when Gerald Ford was in the White House,” says former Times sportswriter Rich Roberts, “was somebody getting hit with a golf ball.”

Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.