actually considered inductees of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, their names are added to a plaque in the “Scribes and Mikemen” exhibit in the Library of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Who was Ford Frick?
eventually the NL President. In 1951, he became the Commissioner of baseball and many believe he made the controversial decision to place an asterisk next to Roger Maris’ record 61 homeruns in the 1961 season. However, Frick decided that "some distinctive mark," not necessarily an asterisk, should accompany any record set with the benefit of a longer season. Those records are marked with an annotation that states: (162- game schedule). Maris established the record in the new 162 game season. The following is a list of the Ford C. Frick award winners: Mel Allen Red Barber Russ Hodges 1978 Mel Allen-along with Red Barber, became the first recipient of the Ford C.Frick award. Was only 26 years old when he joined the New York Yankees. Known as “The Voice of the Yankees,” Allen broadcast Yankees games from 1939 through 1964. Was the longtime voice of the weekly highlight show This Week in Baseball. Red Barber- Logged 33 years as a major league broadcaster. Barber began his career in 1934 with the Cincinnati Reds. His career took him to Cincinnati (five years), Brooklyn (15 years) and New York with the Yankees (13 years). His folksy style made him popular with fans and included such colloquialisms as “in the catbird seat,” and “pea patch.” 1979 Bob Elson-Elson’s broadcasting career covered over 40 years of Chicago Baseball. Behind the mic for nine All-Star Games and 12 World Series he was credited for conducting the first on- field interview (Connie Mack in 1931). Elson announced for the Cubs, White Sox and Oakland A’s. 1980 Russ Hodges- Hodges broadcast for the Reds, Cubs and Senators before joining Mel Allen on Yankees broadcasts. In 1949 he was hired by the Giants and followed the team west when they moved to San Francisco. Hodges is responsible for one of the most memorable home run calls in baseball history. His call of Bobby Thomson’s game winning homer in the 1951 playoffs remains one of the most replayed calls in history. 1981 Ernie Harwell-Well known as the “Voice of the Tigers,” Harwell began his major league broadcasting career in 1948 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He also worked with the New York Giants and Baltimore Orioles before landing in Detroit in 1960. Harwell’s career spanned an incredible 55 seasons, 42 with the Tigers. His essay “Baseball-A Game for All America,” is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Library. **The last broadcasts of Ernie Harwell (NPR) 1982 Vin Scully-Began his career with the Dodgers in 1950 in Brooklyn teaming up with Red Barber. When the Dodgers moved west to Los Angeles, Scully followed. His 55 years with the Dodgers (47 in Los Angeles) is the longest tenure of any broadcaster with a single club in professional sports history. On July 6th, 2000, the American Sportscasters Association named him the No. 1 sportscaster of the 20th century. **Vin Scully retrospective (LosAngelesDodgers.com) **Scully is last link to glory days of radio (USA Today) 1983 Jack Brickhouse- Was at the mic when the White Sox beat the Cubs 4-1 on April 16th, 1948. It was the first baseball telecast in Chicago history. Brickhouse began his career at the age of 18 in Peoria, IL. Aside from broadcasting Cubs and White Sox games, he also broadcast Chicago Bears football for 21 years. Through the years, he broadcast over 5000 games for Chicago fans. **A tribute to Jack Brickhouse (WGNTV.com) Curt Gowdy Ernie Harwell Jack Buck 1984 Curt Gowdy- Began his big league career in 1949 with the New York Yankees, joining Mel Allen. He joined the Red Sox in 1951 as Boston’s lead voice and stayed there until 1965. He then left Boston to join NBC and was baseball’s lone national voice from 1966 to 1975. Is a three time National Sportscaster of the Year. **An interview with Curt Gowdy (American Sportscaster, 2000) **Sportscaster Gowdy dies at 86 (Boston.com 2006) 1985 Eli “Buck” Canel-A legend in Spanish broadcasting, Canel called the action in 42 World Series beginning in 1937. Born in Buenos Aires, he broadcast Yankees home games in Spanish until 1972. Canel worked as a reporter for the Associated Press in Latin America for seven years before making a move to New York City. 1986 Bob Prince-Nicknamed “The Gunner” for his rapid fire delivery, Prince’s affiliation spanned five decades with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Prince was in the Pirates booth from 1948 through 1975 and became know for his brash humor and colorful colloquialisms. 1987 Jack Buck- Joined the Cardinals in 1954, sharing duties with Harry Caray. He worked with Caray for fifteen years and eventually landed the lead role in 1969. His best known moment was in 1987 when he called Kirk Gibson’s dramatic home run off Dennis Eckersley in Game One of the World Series: “I don’t believe what I just saw.” Buck also broadcast the Super Bowl in 1970 and 1978 through 1984. **Jack Buck Timeline (St.Louistoday.com) 1988 Lindsey Nelson- In 1962, Nelson accepted a job with the expansion New York Mets and became their lead announcer for 19 seasons. Following his time with the Mets, Nelson broadcast for the Giants from 1979 to 1981. He was also the voice of Notre Dame football from 1967 through 1979. Know for his colorful sport coats, he reportedly once owned 335 of them. 1989 Harry Caray-With a career covering 53 years in the big leagues, Harry Caray broadcast over 8,300 games. He began his big league career in 1945 with the St. Louis Cardinals. After his dismissal in 1969, Caray moved to the west coast for one season to broadcast A’s games. He returned to the Midwest, working for the White Sox from 1971 to 1981 before jumping to the Cubs in 1982. His fame reached new levels in Chicago broadcasting to a national audience on WGN. 1990 Byrum Saam- The voice of Philadelphia baseball for over 40 years, Saam broadcast more losing seasons than any other announcer. Saam’s teams recorded 19 last place finishes and 11 times they lost 100 or more games. He was at the mic for over 6500 major league games and called 13 no-hitters. 1991 Joe Garagiola-Following his retirement as a player, Garagiola jumped to the booth and forged an impressive broadcasting career. He began with the Cardinals in 1955. In 1961 he moved to the network side and worked NBC’s “Major League Baseball” telecasts. His NBC work included All Star games, the World Series and the Game of the Week throughout the 1960’s. In 1965 he replaced Mel Allen on Yankees broadcasts. Joe Garagiola Still Winning (AmericanProfile.com 2007) 1992 Milo Hamilton-Broadcasting major league baseball for over 40 years, Hamilton’s stops include St. Louis, Chicago, Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Houston. Hamilton was at the mic for Hank Aaron’s 715th homerun and has called seven no-hitters. His last 21 seasons have all been spent with the Houston Astros. **Q&A with Milo Hamilton (American Sportscasters Association 2004) 1993 Chuck Thompson- Thompson broadcast in seven decades with four major league clubs and was best known as the voice of the Baltimore Orioles. Was first hired fulltime to broadcast Phillies and Athletics games in 1947 in Philadelphia. For nearly 30 years he announced almost every Orioles game with the exception of days he worked NBC’s game of the week. Thompson was a big- band singer before his broadcasting days. **Chuck Thompson-"A beautiful Voice" (WashingtonPost.com) 1994 Bob Murphy- Murphy’s first major league chance came in 1954 when he joined the Red Sox crew, teaming with Curt Gowdy. Murphy had formed a friendship with Gowdy when each called minor league games in Oklahoma. He left Boston for Baltimore briefly before landing in New York with the Mets in 1962. In New York he was at the mic for the Mets World Series teams in 1969 and 1986. With the Mets he teamed with Ralph Kiner and Lindsey Nelson 1995 Bob Wolff- Logged 19 seasons as a major league broadcaster. His career started in 1947 with the Washington Senators. He remained with the Senators until 1960 when he followed the team to Minnesota. After one season with the Twins, Wolff left for a job with NBC. In 1956, he called the final innings of Don Larsen’s perfect game in the World Series. **Bob Wolff, Calling it as he sees it (Washington Post 2005) Herb Carneal Jaime Jarrin Chuck Thompson 1996 Herb Carneal- Carneal’s major league career began in 1954 when he handled play-by-play duties for both the Phillies and A’s in Philadelphia. Carneal jumped the Orioles in 1957 and worked with Ernie Harwell for five seasons before he moved to the Twins radio booth in 1962. He has remained the voice of Twins baseball for over four decades. 1997 Jimmy Dudley- Was the voice of the Cleveland Indians from 1948 through 1967. His first year with the Tribe, Cleveland won the American League Pennant and the World Series. Following his stint with the Indians, Dudley spent one season in 1969 with the Seattle Pilots, and eventually closed his career with the Pacific Coast League’s Tucson Toros. 1998 Jaime Jarrin- While Vin Scully is synonymous with Dodgers Baseball among English speaking fans, the same can be said for Jarrin among Spanish speaking fans. The Spanish language voice of the Dodgers since 1973, he has called the action in 16 World Series. In 1970, he became the first Latin American to win the Golden Mike Award, presented by the Southern California Radio and Television News Association. 1999 Arch McDonald- McDonald spent 22 seasons broadcasting for the Washington Senators. He was credited for giving Joe Dimaggio the nickname “The Yankee Clipper.” Between stints with the Senators, McDonald accepted a job with the Yankees, working with a young and up and coming announcer named Mel Allen. He also broadcast Washington Redskins football games. 2000 Marty Brennaman- Succeeded Al Michaels as the voice of the Cincinnati Reds in 1974 when he was selected from over 200 applicants. He has been named Ohio Sportscaster of the Year 12 times. Brennaman was at the mic for Hank Aaron’s record tying 714th homerun, Pete Rose’s 4,192nd hit and Ken Griffey Jr’s 500th career homerun. 2001 Rafael “Felo” Ramirez- Has been the voice of professional baseball in Puerto Rico and Venezuela for over 30 years. Since 1949, he has broadcast over 40 Caribbean World Series since 1949. Ramirez has been the Spanish voice of the Florida Marlins since 1993. He was at the mic for Roberto Clemente’s 3000th hit and Hank Aaron’s 715th homerun. Harry Kalas Lon Simmons Marty Brennaman 2002 Harry Kalas- Kalas was an original member of the Houston Astros broadcast team and worked in Houston from 1965 to 1970. In 1971 he moved to Philadelphia and has since called over 5000 Phillies games. Honored 17 times as the Pennsylvania Sportscaster of the Year, Kalas’ voice has become synonymous with NFL films. He has also broadcast Notre Dame football. **Kalas, one of the great voices of summer (ESPN 2002) 2003 Bob Uecker- After six seasons as a player in the big leagues, Uecker joined the Brewers broadcast team in 1971.He has broadcast the World Series, All Star Game and ABC’s “Monday Night Baseball.” His comedy also landed him on the “Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson more than 100 times. 2004 Lon Simmons- Simmons was an original voice of the Giants after they moved west. He called games in the Bay area for 41 years with Oakland and San Francisco. Simmons worked with Russ Hodges for 13 years before briefly retiring in 1973. Three years later he returned to the big leagues with the Giants and later joined the A’s working with Bill King. Simmons was at the mic for Willie Mays 600th home run. 2005 Jerry Coleman- Coleman made his broadcast debut in 1960 after nine seasons in the big leagues as a player. He was a Marine pilot during WWII and Korea and received two distinguished flying crosses, earning the title of lieutenant colonel. After working for CBS, Coleman joined the Yankees broadcast team in 1963. He remained with the Yankees until 1970 when he moved to Southern California. In 1972 he became the voice of the Padres before leaving the booth to manage for one season. **'Oh Doctor!' Jerry Coleman honored-(USA Today 2005) 2006 Gene Elston- Most of Elston's 47 year career was spent as a radio announcer for the Houston Astros. Inducted in the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame, Elston began his major league announcing career as the Chicago Cubs number two radio man before joining Houston in 1962 as their lead announcer. Elston called 11 no- hitters as well as Eddie Mathews' 500th home run. He also broadcast for CBS Radio's Game of the Week. 2007 Denny Matthews-Matthews has broadcast for the Royals in five decades without interruption. He was originally the Royals number 2 announcer working with Bud Blattner. Matthews was hired in 1969 and took over the lead role following the 1975 season. The veteran announcer also worked for CBS Radio during the 1982 and 1985 World Series. |
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Gene Elston makes his acceptance speech after winning the 2006 Ford Frick Award. Bob Uecker won the Ford Fick Award in 2003 |
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