Chisox73
12-06-2005, 10:43 PM
King among Frick Award finalists
Late A's announcer among top 10
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20051107&content_id=1265430&vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak
OAKLAND -- Thanks to his legions of fans, longtime A's play-by-play man Bill King, who died from complications after hip surgery in late October, is one of 10 finalists for the National Baseball Hall of Fame's annual Ford C. Frick Award.
Presented at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony every year since 1978, the Frick Award recognizes excellence in broadcasting. King was one of the three men voted onto the list of finalists via online fan balloting during November, and he was the leading vote-getter by a huge margin, drawing 25,380 to 17,091 for Dave Neihaus (Mariners) and 15,002 for Jacques Doucet (Expos).
"That's awesome. Just fantastic," said Ken Korach, King's partner on A's radio over the past 10 seasons. "And it's really great that the fans got him in. I hope this is Bill's year, but if it's someone else's year, at least he's in the mix now. The fans should feel really good about that."
The other seven finalists -- Tom Cheek (Blue Jays), Gene Elston (Astros), Ken Coleman (Red Sox/Indians), Graham McNamee (no club affiliation), Denny Matthews (Royals), Dizzy Dean (Cardinals) and Tony Kubek (Yankees) -- were determined by a Hall of Fame staff research team.
Now that the finalists have been named, the voting falls to the Hall of Fame's Frick electorate, which consists of 20 members, including 2005 winner Jerry Coleman and the other 13 living Frick Award winners: Marty Brennaman, Herb Carneal, Joe Garagiola, Curt Gowdy, Ernie Harwell, Jaime Jarrin, Milo Hamilton, Harry Kalas, Felo Ramirez, Vin Scully, Lon Simmons, Bob Uecker and Bob Wolff. Six historians and veteran media members are also part of the electorate, including Bob Costas (NBC), Barry Horn (Dallas Morning News), Stan Isaacs (formerly of New York Newsday), Ted Patterson (historian), Curt Smith (historian) and Larry Stewart (Los Angeles Times).
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. Paper ballots will be cast by voting members in January and the final results will be announced at the Hall of Fame's Web site in February.
Each voter will cast ballots for three candidates, and the broadcaster with the most support will be honored July 30, 2006, at the annual induction ceremony in Cooperstown.
King, who lived on a boat in Sausalito, Calif., during his time as the voice of the A's and was a noted lover of the arts and fine wine, also called games for the NFL's Oakland Raiders and the NBA's Golden State Warriors during a four-decade run as the unofficial voice of Bay Area professional sports.
"I think the depth of his experience added a picture to his broadcasts," Korach said at a memorial service for King in November. "He made a tremendous connection with our fans... Players came and went, but Bill was the A's."
This year's balloting process marked the third time fans had the opportunity to be a part of selecting the final ballot for the award, after changes to the voting process implemented by the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors to the voting process in 2003. In 2004, more than 65,000 voters participated in the online vote, with 105,000 participating in 2003.
Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Late A's announcer among top 10
By Mychael Urban / MLB.com http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20051107&content_id=1265430&vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak
OAKLAND -- Thanks to his legions of fans, longtime A's play-by-play man Bill King, who died from complications after hip surgery in late October, is one of 10 finalists for the National Baseball Hall of Fame's annual Ford C. Frick Award.
Presented at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony every year since 1978, the Frick Award recognizes excellence in broadcasting. King was one of the three men voted onto the list of finalists via online fan balloting during November, and he was the leading vote-getter by a huge margin, drawing 25,380 to 17,091 for Dave Neihaus (Mariners) and 15,002 for Jacques Doucet (Expos).
"That's awesome. Just fantastic," said Ken Korach, King's partner on A's radio over the past 10 seasons. "And it's really great that the fans got him in. I hope this is Bill's year, but if it's someone else's year, at least he's in the mix now. The fans should feel really good about that."
The other seven finalists -- Tom Cheek (Blue Jays), Gene Elston (Astros), Ken Coleman (Red Sox/Indians), Graham McNamee (no club affiliation), Denny Matthews (Royals), Dizzy Dean (Cardinals) and Tony Kubek (Yankees) -- were determined by a Hall of Fame staff research team.
Now that the finalists have been named, the voting falls to the Hall of Fame's Frick electorate, which consists of 20 members, including 2005 winner Jerry Coleman and the other 13 living Frick Award winners: Marty Brennaman, Herb Carneal, Joe Garagiola, Curt Gowdy, Ernie Harwell, Jaime Jarrin, Milo Hamilton, Harry Kalas, Felo Ramirez, Vin Scully, Lon Simmons, Bob Uecker and Bob Wolff. Six historians and veteran media members are also part of the electorate, including Bob Costas (NBC), Barry Horn (Dallas Morning News), Stan Isaacs (formerly of New York Newsday), Ted Patterson (historian), Curt Smith (historian) and Larry Stewart (Los Angeles Times).
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. Paper ballots will be cast by voting members in January and the final results will be announced at the Hall of Fame's Web site in February.
Each voter will cast ballots for three candidates, and the broadcaster with the most support will be honored July 30, 2006, at the annual induction ceremony in Cooperstown.
King, who lived on a boat in Sausalito, Calif., during his time as the voice of the A's and was a noted lover of the arts and fine wine, also called games for the NFL's Oakland Raiders and the NBA's Golden State Warriors during a four-decade run as the unofficial voice of Bay Area professional sports.
"I think the depth of his experience added a picture to his broadcasts," Korach said at a memorial service for King in November. "He made a tremendous connection with our fans... Players came and went, but Bill was the A's."
This year's balloting process marked the third time fans had the opportunity to be a part of selecting the final ballot for the award, after changes to the voting process implemented by the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors to the voting process in 2003. In 2004, more than 65,000 voters participated in the online vote, with 105,000 participating in 2003.
Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.