National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY. January 20, 2020. 01202020 Cooperstown Kc15

On Wednesday, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced the ten finalists for the 2023 Ford C. Frick Award honoring excellence in baseball broadcasting.

The ten finalists are, in alphabetical order:

  • Dave Campbell
  • Joe Castiglione
  • Gary Cohen
  • Jacques Doucet
  • Tom Hamilton
  • Jerry Howarth
  • Pat Hughes
  • Ernie Johnson Sr.
  • Duane Kuiper
  • Steve Stone

Most of these broadcasters are still active, including Castiglione, Cohen, Doucet, Hamilton, Hughes, Kuiper, and Stone.

This is the first of four straight years honoring “local and national voices whose broadcast careers have extended into, or began following, the advent of the Wild Card in 1994.”

In case you’re curious about who put the ballot together and who is voting on it, here’s the blurb about that from the Hall.

The 2023 Frick Award ballot was created by a subcommittee of the voting electorate that included past Frick honorees Marty BrennamanKen Harrelson and Eric Nadel, and broadcast historians David J. Halberstam and Curt Smith.

Final voting for the 2023 Frick Award will be conducted by an electorate comprised of the 12 living Frick Award recipients and three broadcast historians/columnists, including past Frick honorees BrennamanBob CostasHarrelsonJaime JarrínTony KubekDenny MatthewsTim McCarverAl MichaelsJon MillerNadelBob Uecker and Dave Van Horne, and historians/columnists Halberstam (historian), Barry Horn (formerly of the Dallas Morning News), and Smith (historian).

Campbell was a finalist two years ago when Al Michaels won, while Castiglione, Doucet, Hamilton, and Hughes were all nominated three years ago when Hawk Harrelson won. Cohen, Doucet, and Hughes were finalists when Bill King won the 2017 award.

It’s impossible to predict who will win, but these are all worthy candidates.

[Baseball Hall of Fame]

About Joe Lucia

I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.