Membership Spotlight for November

For the first time, the Baseball Hall of Fame is allowing the fans to pick the winner of the 2004 Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcasting. 

For the first time, the Baseball Hall of Fame is allowing the fans to pick the winner of the 2004 Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcasting. 
SABR member Denny Matthews, the voice of the the Kansas City Royals for 35 years, is among the 150 nominees for the Ford C. Frick Award.  He was also recently named to the Royals Hall of Fame and will be inducted in August of 2004. 

Other SABR members nominated for the award include Joe Castiglione, Bob Chandler, Larry Dierker, Gene Elston, John Gordon, George Grande, Hank Greenwald, Chris Welsh and Merle Harmon.  Long-time SABR member Ken Coleman, who recently passed away, is also nominated. 

Ernie Harwell, a SABR member for 18 years, won the award in 1981.

The Jack Graney Chapter of SABR in Cleveland, Ohio was dismayed to learn that their namesake had been left off the list.   Graney was the first major league player to step behind the microphone and announce major league baseball games.  According to chapter members, he was also a master at recreating games from the teletype having a 21 year career as the Cleveland Indians’ radio announcer.  He is considered by many the most popular Tribe broadcaster of all time. Following a protest to the Hall of Fame, Jack Graney’s name has been added to the ballot.

The Ford C. Frick Award is presented annually at the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Each award recipient (not to be confused with an inductee) is presented with a calligraphy of the award during the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and is recognized in the “Scribes & Mikemen” exhibit in the Library of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Click here to cast your vote.

 



Originally published: November 10, 2003. Last Updated: November 10, 2003.