Tag / Ford C. Frick Award

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The Hall Comes Calling

Cubs radio play-by-play man Pat Hughes was awarded the 2023 Ford C. Frick Award yesterday, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.  Hughes, who joined the Cubs booth in 1996, will have spent 28 of his 41 seasons as a broadcaster for the Cubs after starting his career with the Twins in 1983 followed by a twelve-season run with the Brewers.

Hughes joined the Cubs booth in 1996, joining long time color commentator, and Cub legend, Ron Santo.  The chemistry between the two grew to the point where their broadcasts came to be known as “The Pat and Ron Show”.  Following Santo’s death in 2010, Hughes has worked alongside former Cubs Keith Moreland and Ron Coomer.

Along the way, Hughes has called many memorable moments, including eight no-hitters, the 25-inning contest between the White Sox and the Brewers which remains the longest game in American League history, Kerry Wood’s 20-strikeout game in 1998, Mark McGwire’s record-breaking 62nd home run in 1998, and, of course, the final out clinching the Cubs 2016 World Series title.

Hughes, 67, is the sixth announcer with ties to Chicago to earn the honor, following Ken Harrelson, Milo Hamilton, Harry Caray, Jack Brickhouse, and Bob Elson.

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52 Books in 52 Weeks – 2020 Edition

A new year is once again upon us, and it is time to start the second decade with the goal to read an average of a book a week for the entire year, totaling 52 books in 52 weeks.

In year one, I only managed to finish 8 books.  Year two doubled that total.  Year three used a few graphic novels to improve once again, finishing with 24.  Year four was the first where I dropped from the year before, only finishing 18 books, which was well short of the ultimate goal.  Year five, I bounced back to finish with 23 books.  Year six, I had my best year since starting this challenge, not to mention my best reading year ever, finishing with 31 books.  In year seven, I matched that high point in total books, though far surpassing it in total pages read thanks to reading the entire Harry Potter series.  Three years ago, I dropped back down to 28.  Two years ago, I finished with my lowest total since 2014, finishing with only 22 books. Last year, I managed to up my total back to 28.

I’m going to give it another go this year.  I’ve got plenty of new books stocked up in the Kindle app on my iPad, not to mention one or two birthday and Christmas presents, so I’ve got a good pile to start with.  As a reminder, the rules I am using are:

  • You can count a book as read as long as you have completed the book in 2020 and at least 50% of that reading takes place in 2020
  • Any book counts as long as you’re not embarrassed to count it.
  • Poetry collections do indeed count.
  • Re-reading a book is okay as long as it isn’t done this year. (Reading Twilight twice in 2010 only counts as 1 read)
  • Audiobooks also count.

My first book of the year looks like it will be an autobiography of 2020 Ford C. Frick Award winner Ken Harrelson.  All told, 2020 should be another good year.

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You Can Put Him In The Hall, Yes!

Former White Sox broadcaster Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, who retired following the 2018 season, was awarded the 2020 Ford C. Frick Award yesterday, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.  Harrelson spent 33 of his 42 seasons as a broadcaster for the White Sox, starting in 1982, with a brief interruption caused by his inadvised turn as the teams General Manager in 1986.  He returned to the broadcast booth in 1989, where he stayed until retiring last fall.

Harrelson’s broadcasting career began in 1975, following the end of his playing career and a short foray into professional golf.  He, along with Don Drysdale, joined the White Sox booth in 1982, replacing Harry Caray, who had clashed with the team’s new ownership group.  He returned to the south side in 1989, alongside former Sox player Tom Paciorek. In 2000, he was joined in the booth by another former White Sox outfielder, Darrin Jackson.  2009 saw his final broadcast partner, Steve Stone, join the team.  A five-time Emmy Award winner, Harrelson’s trademark calls of “You can put it on the board…Yes!” and “Mercy!” became the nightly soundtrack for multiple generations of White Sox fans, including a young Jason Benetti, who would grow up to replace him with the White Sox.

Harrelson, 78, is the fifth announcer with ties to Chicago to earn the honor, following Milo Hamilton, Harry Caray, Jack Brickhouse, and Bob Elson.  Two other finalists for next year’s award also have strong ties to the city: current Cub radio announcer Pat Hughes and former Cub announcer Dewayne Staats.