BY CLAYTON RICHER – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
The voice of the Toronto Blue Jays finally got the respect he has long deserved. Tom Cheek was finally awarded the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence. The legacy of Tom Cheek will forever be immortalized in the place he long deserved to be, in Cooperstown.
Tom Cheek was in the broadcast booth for the inception of the Toronto Blue Jays on that blistery cold day in 1977 which began an illustrious string of 4,306 consecutive games.
Paul Beeston was quoted as saying this in regards to Tom Cheek which sums up the influence and respect that the former announcer garnered.
“Tom Cheek was the constant. He was a model of consistency, professionalism and excellence. He was the voice of summer, professional but passionate with a tone we could trust and embrace. Tom Cheek has provided the soundtrack for many of the important moments in this team’s history, with his choice of words and intonation always perfectly suited for the occasion.”
Tom Cheek was not only the voice of Toronto but the voice of a nation and will be forever remembered for his call of the famous Joe Carter World Series home run in 1993 off Mitch Williams of the Philadelphia Phillies.
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The play by play still rings in my head as if it were yesterday: “Touch ’em all, Joe! You’ll never hit a bigger home run in your life!”
The soothing sound of Tom Cheek during the bottom of the ninth inning of that Game 6 can be heard in its illustrious entirety on Sound Cloud by clicking here.
Please do yourself a favour and read Mike Wilner’s tribute to Tom Cheek where he recounts many stories and personal experiences with Tom. Wilner was instrumental in the “Vote for Tom” campaign.
It’s a great day for the family of the late Tom Cheek knowing that Tom will be forever remembered in the broadcasters wing of the most treasured baseball museum on earth… Cooperstown.
Congratulations Tom Cheek, you deserve it.
Clayton Richer is a baseball writer for Baseball Hot Corner, his interviews and blogs can be found daily at www.baseballhotcorner.com as well you can also follow him on twitter MLBHotCorner
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