The ballot is HERE.
By clicking on the name of each nominee, there is a brief biography. Rattler Radio will pick a few of the announcers and going a bit more in depth about them.
Three nominees for today:
George Grande: He has been the TV announcer for the Cincinnati Reds since 1993 and was the anchor of the first SportsCenter on ESPN. Not just an announcer, he also is the emcee of the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and is on the board of directors for USA baseball. I thought about linking to the wikipedia entry for Grande, but it appears to have been edited by someone who is not a fan. So, no link.
Al Michaels: Why would an NFL announcer and the "Do You Believe in Miracles?" guy be up for this award? He was an announcer for both the Reds and the San Francisco Giants in the early 70's.
Also, back when ABC and NBC switched off World Series and League Championship broadcasts, Michaels was the lead voice for ABC. NBC had the World Series in even years and both LCSes in odd years. ABC had the World Series in odd years and LCSes in the even years. Among his post-season highlights Game Five of the Red Sox-Angels ALCS in 1986 and Game Six of the Royals-Cardinals World Series in 1985.
But, the most memorable baseball moment for Michaels was the 1989 World Series. Moments before Game Three in San Francisco the Loma Prieta earthquake hit. Do you remember Michaels giving updates on the situation from the TV truck?
He gets my vote just for appearing in the second season episode Run, Johnny, Run of Hawaii Five-O. He played lawyer Dave Bronstein. Also appearing in the episode was Christopher Walken. How did Michaels wind up on the show? According to the episode summary at TV.com:
Al Michaels appears in this episode. Michaels was a broadcaster for the Hawaii Islanders minor league baseball team at the time. He also called games for the University of Hawaii's football and basketball teams. He was named Hawaii Sportscaster of the Year in 1969.Jim Rooker: All you need to know about the former major League pitcher is this: Jim Rooker as a broadcaster is this:
On June 8, 1989, the Pirates scored ten runs in the top of the first inning at Philadelphia. Rooker stated on-air that "if we lose this game, I'll walk home." The Phillies rallied and won 15-11. He didn't walk home that day, but in October of 1989, Rooker from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. Billed as "Rook's Unintentional Walk" he raised over $40,000 for charity.
1 comment:
I hope Al Michaels wins it. I am a HUGE San Francisco Giants fan and hope that he gets his due. I definitely enjoy listening to him announce football now and think he's great!
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