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Saturday, December 10, 2016

A Season of Legends: Lindle Castle and Sid Scott

The summer before my senior year in high school, I was confronted with a choice: sit on a bleacher beside a legendary broadcster or sit on a bleacher beside a legendary coach. While that might seem like a hard decision to you, radio was in my blood. I had just gotten my Radiotelephone Third Class license with Broadcast Endorsement on August 4, 1976. I knew that my destiny wasn't to play for the Kentucky Wildcats or star in the NBA. It was to be a radio disc jockey. I was, after all, born into it. I explained to the coach that my heart was in radio. 40 years later, it still is.

I was blessed to have grown up in an era that included both Lindle Castle and Sid Scott. Before starring at Morehead State University, Castle had started on a University of Kentucky freshman team that included future NBA hall of famers, Cliff Hagan and Frank Ramsey, and future NBAer, Lou Tsioropoulos. A few short years later, Scott made a name for himself as one of the all-time great pivot players at Clinton County High School.

When I was born in November of 1959, both were just beginning their careers. Lindle Castle began coaching at Clinton County at the start of the 1957-58 season. Sid Scott began doing play-play-play at the start of the 1958-59 season. This is the environment I grew up around. I would sit on the stage in the old gym and watch the coach, while up in the balcony the broadcaster did the play-by-play.

I was there the night Coach Castle went out on the floor to speak to a refree, who informed coach that he was going to give him a technical foul for every step it took to get back to the bench. I watched as two players picked him up and carried him to the bench.

I was there the night referee Wilson Sears stopped the game and ordered Sid to move up a few bleachers away from court because of something Sid said to him. I was there the night Sid, who was mayor, ordered a city police officer to arrest referee Phil Burkeen if we lost the game. Thankfully, we won.

I was there the night coach accidentally broke Sid's little finger. He had come to our booth to bang his fist on the desk. I saw him coming and leaned back with my clipboard. Sid didn't see him coming. The pencil he was holding disappeared in the air. I was able to turn Sid's microphone down so listeners didn't hear what he said when he screamed.

By the time I had grown into my early teens, both Castle and Scott were starting to achieve their legendary status. Life was great.

And, we know that all good things must come to an end. Things we enjoy, things we find comforting, things we love, things we embrace; even a legendary basketball coach and a legendary radio broadcaster.

"To everything there is a season..."

I spent a good long season enjoying those two. I wanted it to last my entire lifetime, but God had other plans.

Sometimes when one chapter closes, it really closes. Lindle Castle died 50 weeks after Sid Scott died.

"Legends"

Meanwhile, back at CCHS, the first one has his name on the gym and the second one has his name on the floor.

WE ARE BULLDOGS!



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