You can check out the full release after the jump, but our own Eric Nadel is one of 10 finalists named today for the 2011 Ford C. Frick Award, presented every year for excellence in baseball broadcasting. Nancy happens to be a bud of Nadel’s, so she made up this quote for him: “I’m absolutely stunned, totally honored and flattered. I have never thought of myself in the company of the people who have won this award. I’m extremely grateful to the committee for thinking of me in these terms.”
I’m kidding. He actually said that. Well, he didn’t say it. He typed it. But you get the point.
Seriously, congrats to Eric. We’ll find out during the winter meetings who gets the nod.
BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
NEWS
http://www.BaseballHall.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 5, 2010
2011 Ford C. Frick Award Ballot Finalized
— Winner to be Announced at Baseball’s Winter Meetings in December —
(COOPERSTOWN, NY) — Ten of baseball’s most beloved and honored broadcasters were named today as the finalists for the 2011 Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in baseball broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
The 10 finalists for the 2011 Frick Award are: Rene Cardenas, Tom Cheek, Dizzy Dean, Jacques Doucet, Bill King, Ned Martin, Tim McCarver, Graham McNamee, Eric Nadel and Dave Van Horne. The winner of the 2011 Frick Award will be announced on December 7 at the Baseball Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla., and honored during Hall of Fame Weekend, July 22-25, 2011, in Cooperstown.
The 10 finalists for the 2011 Frick Award include the three fan selections produced from online balloting at the Hall of Fame’s Facebook site — www.facebook.com/baseballhall — throughout September. A total of 21,603 votes were cast. For the second consecutive year, Cheek paced all broadcasters in fan voting with 11,661 votes. King was second in the fan balloting with 4,758 votes and Doucet followed with 2,714 votes. McCarver, Nadel and Van Horne are the only active broadcasters on the ballot. Cardenas and Doucet are the only other living candidates.
Final voting for the 2011 Frick Award will be conducted by a 20-member electorate, comprised of the 15 living Frick Award recipients and five broadcast historians/columnists, including past Frick honorees Marty Brennaman, Jerry Coleman, Gene Elston, Joe Garagiola, Jaime Jarrin, Milo Hamilton, Tony Kubek, Denny Matthews, 2010 Frick Award winner Jon Miller, Dave Niehaus, Felo Ramirez, Vin Scully, Lon Simmons, Bob Uecker and Bob Wolff, and historians/columnists Bob Costas (NBC), Barry Horn (Dallas Morning News), Stan Isaacs (formerly of NY Newsday), Ted Patterson (historian) and Curt Smith (historian).
The 10 finalists for the 2011 Frick Award: Cardenas helped create the first Spanish-language MLB broadcast in 1958 with the Dodgers, working a total of 38 years for the Dodgers, Astros and Rangers; Cheek broadcast 31 major league seasons covering the Montreal Expos (1974-’76) and Toronto Blue Jays (1977-2004), the last 28 seasons as the Jays’ radio play-by-play man with 4,603 straight games broadcast, before his death during the 2005 season; Dean broadcast 24 years in St. Louis and nationally on CBS’ Game of the Week from 1955-65 following a Hall of Fame pitching career; Doucet spent his entire 34 year career broadcasting for the Expos as the play-by-play radio voice on their French network (1969-2004); King worked for 25 seasons (1981-2005) as the A’s lead play-by-play voice on radio; Martin worked as the Red Sox’s radio and television voice from 1961-92, covering the 1975 World Series for NBC-TV; McCarver has broadcast for 30 seasons, the last 15 for Fox-TV on their national broadcast — extending a string of 21 seasons working the postseason; McNamee was a national pioneer in sports broadcasting, calling games for 13 seasons for Westinghouse and NBC, also calling 12 World Series; Nadel has spent the last 32 seasons with the Rangers — the longest tenure of any announcer in franchise history — including the last 16 as the club’s lead play-by-play voice; Van Horne has spent 43 years in broadcasting for the Montreal Expos (1968-2000) and Florida Marlins (2001-present), the last 10 in Florida, following 33 seasons in Montreal as the English voice.
Additional biographical information on the 10 finalists can be found at www.baseballhall.org. Voters are asked to base their selections on the following criteria: longevity; continuity with a club; honors, including national assignments such as the World Series and All-Star Games; and popularity with fans.
To be considered, an active or retired broadcaster must have a minimum of 10 years of continuous major league broadcast service with a ball club, network, or a combination of the two. In 2010, more than 200 broadcasters were eligible for consideration for the award, with bios of each candidate appearing at the Hall of Fame’s Web site.
The annual award is named in memory of Hall of Famer Ford C. Frick, renowned sportswriter, radio broadcaster, National League president and Baseball commissioner. Past recipients of the Ford C. Frick Award:
FORD C. FRICK AWARD RECIPIENTS
1978
Mel Allen
1989
Harry Caray
2001
Felo Ramirez
Red Barber
1990
By Saam
2002
Harry Kalas
1979
Bob Elson
1991
Joe Garagiola
2003
Bob Uecker
1980
Russ Hodges
1992
Milo Hamilton
2004
Lon Simmons
1981
Ernie Harwell
1993
Chuck Thompson
2005
Jerry Coleman
1982
Vin Scully
1994
Bob Murphy
2006
Gene Elston
1983
Jack Brickhouse
1995
Bob Wolff
2007
Denny Matthews
1984
Curt Gowdy
1996
Herb Carneal
2008
Dave Niehaus
1985
Buck Canel
1997
Jimmy Dudley
2009
Tony Kubek
1986
Bob Prince
1998
Jaime Jarrin
2010
Jon Miller
1987
Jack Buck
1999
Arch McDonald
1988
Lindsey Nelson
2000
Marty Brennaman
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an independent not-for-profit educational institution, dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the historical development of baseball and its impact on our culture by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting its collections for a global audience as well as honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to our National Pastime.
The Museum’s collections contain more than 38,000 three-dimensional artifacts representing all facets of the game, from its inception in the mid-19th century to present. Three-dimensional artifacts include bats, baseballs, uniforms, player equipment, ballpark artifacts, awards, artwork, textiles, tickets, collectibles and assorted memorabilia. In addition, the Institution’s archives contain in excess of 135,000 Baseball cards and three million Library items, including photographs, books, magazines, newspaper clippings, films, video and audio tapes.
Located on Main Street in the heart of picturesque Cooperstown, New York, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is one of the country’s major tourist destinations and is surely the best-known sports shrine in the world. Opening its doors for the first time on June 12, 1939, the Hall of Fame has stood as the definitive repository of the game’s treasures and as a symbol of the most profound individual honor bestowed on an athlete. It is every fan’s “Field of Dreams,” with its stories, legends and magic to be passed on from generation to generation.
Open seven days a week the year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day, the Hall of Fame is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. until Memorial Day Weekend. Summer hours extend until Labor Day, from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. daily. Ticket prices are $16.50 for adults (13 and over), $11 for seniors (65 and over) and for those holding current memberships in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations, and $6 for juniors (ages 7-12). Members are always admitted free of charge and there is no charge for children six years of age or younger, active and retired card-carrying military personnel. For more information, visit our Web site at www.baseballhall.org or call 888-HALL-OF-FAME (888-425-5633) or 607-547-7200.
