A plaque remaining from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.

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Entry from November 10, 2013
“Turn your sets off there” (an insurmountable lead)

Warner Wolf, a sports broadcaster who did a sports roundup on CBS television local news in New York City in the 1980s, often said, “Turn you sets off there!” The catchphrase means that one team has an insurmountable lead and the game is essentially over; one can turn off the television or radio set because the game is not in doubt.
 
“Turn your sets off there folks” has been cited in print since at least 1987. It’s not known when Wolf first said it.
 
   
Wikipedia: Warner Wolf
Warner William Wolf (born November 11, 1937) is an American television and radio sports broadcaster, perhaps best known as a local news sports anchor in Washington, D.C. and New York City, and for his catchphrase “Let’s go to the videotape!”
 
Google News Archive
29 April 1987, Wilton (CT) Bulletin, “Baseball: Warriors Win Fair” by Tim Murphy, SportsWeek, pg. 1A, col. 3:
Then, Cuneo took out his driver and teed off on Trumbull’s first of four pitchers. His triple knocked in Pelletiere and catcher Bruce Gregor. Turn your sets off there folks. Trumbull never even came close.
 
3 November 1989, The Daily Northwestern (Norhwestern University), “Football Friday” by Victor Chi and Michael Kates, pg. 19, col. 4:
You can turn your sets off at the half—but with Minnesota, we’d tune back in for the final two minutes. It could get exciting.
   
ScarletReport.com
Rutgers Lays Egg in Papa John’s
Rutgers running back Brian Leonard vaults over the tackle attempt of Louisville’s Brandon Sharp

By Matei
Posted Nov 12, 2005
(...)
And as Warner Wolf would say so casually for so many years, “Turn your sets off there folks.”
 
Twitter
Samuel Chamberlain
‏@SChamberlainFOX
In the words of Warner Wolf, you can turn your sets off now. #Pats
8:45 PM - 14 Jan 12
   
The Musings and Prophecies of Metstradamus
THE BUZZ
Written by Metstradamus on Saturday, 20 April 2013 05:07.
(...)
The game was over then and there.
 
(Okay, that’s a play on Warner Wolf’s “turn your sets off there”. But that’s clichè, because you and I both know that the game is never over when you have to give the bullpen six or 15 outs to play with. But Scott Rice and Robert Allen Parnell both went 1-2-3 and then, the worrying was over.)

Posted by Barry Popik
New York CitySports/Games • Sunday, November 10, 2013 • Permalink


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