There is never a shortage of colorful tales when it comes to covering American sports events and local broadcaster Randy Kerdoon has seen it all during the 35-plus years he’s been in the business.
He is now heard on KNX 1070 News Radio giving sports updates twice an hour each weekday morning through early afternoon.
Kerdoon will share memories from his career when he serves as master of ceremonies for the Burbank Historical Society’s third annual fundraiser beginning at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Story Tavern.
A Valley Boy, Kerdoon graduated from El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills before venturing up north to earn his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He worked at smaller radio markets in Pismo Beach, Bishop, Reno, Nev., and Salt Lake City, Utah, before returning to Los Angeles in 1989.
During a hockey game in Flint, Mich., the Eagles were trailing and then-coach Wayne Thomas was growing more and more frustrated with officials’ calls on the ice, he said.
“It finally got to the point where he picked up a stick, held it by the blade edge, put on some sunglasses and walked onto the ice as if he were a blind man with a cane making his way down the street. Officials pointed him in the direction of the locker room — right before they tossed him from the game.”
Kerdoon worked at KFWB and KTTV Fox 11 before coming to KNX in 2003. He also anchored for Fox Sports Net’s “Final Score” show, Time Warner Cable’s High School Rewind and filled in at KCBS, KCAL in 2006.
“What’s the most fun for me is not just the ups and downs of local teams, it’s the strange — the quirky stuff — that just happens,” he said.
One recent week alone, the odd stories he’s covered included a soccer player biting another on the field, Dodger announcer Vin Scully telling the touching story of Cardinals Manager Mike Matheny, and how bird poop helped him (Matheny) find his true love and the sad Sterling-Clippers saga “which gets stranger as it moves along,” he added.
Kerdoon has received 10 Golden Mike Awards for his radio reporting and an Emmy while he was at Fox 11.
He’ll have more tales to tell when he attends the Burbank Historical Society’s fundraiser at Story Tavern, which now occupies the historic building at 150 S. San Fernando Blvd., that once housed Story Hardware, owned by Burbank’s first mayor Thomas Story, at the time of the city’s incorporation in 1911.
The society holds the annual fundraiser on July 11 because that is the date the city was incorporated.
At last year’s event, the society raised about $4,000, said President Sue Baldaseroni. The funds went to pay for the buses to bring Burbank schoolchildren to the museum for tours during the school year as well as maintaining and restoring some of the very old articles of clothing on display.
This year the funds will go to creating a new interactive display for children. Baldaseroni said the society members are at the beginning stage of choosing from several ideas. One project the society is working on is a wall mural depicting Burbank’s history from the beginning to now. It is due to open next year, she said.
Those volunteering on the third annual fundraiser with Baldaseroni are her husband, Don Baldaseroni, Penny Rivera, Betty Penrod and Mike Dennis.
Some of the recent additions the society has made to the museum are the Debbie Reynolds memorabilia exhibit, the U.S. Veterans display has been redone and a new exhibit showing the old technology — telephones and typewriters.
Tickets for the fundraiser are $25 and include dinner and two drink tickets. The restaurant is known for its long list of beer, wine, ciders, craft cocktails and liquors. Guests will be seated in the Tavern’s Game Room so they can play games while they have dinner and bid on silent auction items. For reservations, call (818) 841-6333.
