A boyhood batterymate of Gabby Hartnett, McNamara went from Fordham College to the Boston Braves in 1922 and won three games in a row, pitching 26 straight scoreless innings. Hit hard the next two years, he recorded his last ML victory in 1924.
Called “the greatest announcer we ever had,” by Red Barber, McNamee abandoned a professional singing career in favor of radio announcing in May 1923 and by October was broadcasting the World Series. McNamee teamed with Grantland Rice for the 1923 WS, the first to be broadcast in its entirety. His vivid play-by-play prompted a deluge of fan mail, and his voice graced the World Series for the next decade.