It can be a little intimidating working next to someone who likes to shout out things like: "Flying chickens in the barnyard!" But it's getting easier for Billy McKinney.
In these long, gloomy days, when rain and darkness surround us, one can find comfort in familiar voices. Kevin Calabro is the voice of the Sonics, and McKinney is attempting to add some rhythm and flow to game broadcasts -- something that's been missing the past few seasons.
"It's kind of like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers," McKinney said yesterday from Detroit, where the Sonics finished a two-game road swing against the Timberwolves and Pistons.
"If you're a good dance partner, you learn to follow their lead. Kevin's so good, his delivery so smooth, at first it was a little intimidating. But we complement each other. We have the same kind of humor and musical interests, so we know each other's catch phrases."
Minnesota and Detroit are the franchises where McKinney, a Sonics executive vice president, cut his teeth as an NBA executive before joining Seattle in 1995. He did some broadcast work for the University of Minnesota, the Nuggets and Mavericks, and had an itch to do it again.
This season, partially as a way of reducing costs and stopping the revolving door of Sonics color analysts, McKinney dumped his duties scouting European and collegiate players to take a seat next to Calabro.