When I threw my support behind the Phillies, I referred to something that happened in this city fifteen years ago. It was fifteen years ago Saturday, to be precise.
Joe Carter came to the plate in the ninth inning of game six of the World Series. My Toronto Blue Jays led the series 3 games to 2, but trailed in the game 6-5. With Mitch Williams on the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies and Ricky Henderson and Paul Molitor on base, Joe hit a 2-2 pitch over the left field wall at SkyDome to give the Blue Jays their second World Series in a row.
I can't accurately describe how my brothers and I reacted to this moment. When that ball cleared the fence, the feeling was ecstatic. The joy was overwhelming and we all shed tears. Heck, just thinking about that moment is causing my eyes to swell.
Dammit, there's some strange salty substance seeping from my eyes as I type. That moment was sort of a double-edged sword. It was a tremendous moment of collective elation, but it raised the bar to a point we may never see again. How the hell do we top that? An overtime goal by a Maple Leaf to win the Stanley Cup perhaps? Not much else comes to mind.
Listen to this call again. It was broadcast 15-years ago and few people heard it live as we were all watching the game on television. If you want more Tom Cheek Blue Jays memories, go here.
Let's try this again. This will the fourth year in a row I've encouraged you to vote for Tom Cheek as a finalist for the Ford C. Frick Award. You can vote here at the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Here are previous entries I've written about Cheek's eligibility for the Ford C. Frick Award.
In that 2nd last entry, I went off after Denny Matthews won the award.
Removing my extremely biased perspective for a moment, Tom Cheek called Blue Jays games since day one, calling 4,306 of them in a row. During that time Toronto won two World Series championships and a few additional division pennants. Tom Cheek's no longer with us.
Dave Perkins wrote about this in today's Star, but I was thinking the exact same thing, I swear. If Tom Cheek had called games in the United States of America, he'd have won the Ford C. Frick award long ago. Of this I am certain. There's a definite bias against recognizing baseball achievements in this country and Tom Cheek is a victim.
And yes, I shall use this opportunity to remind you that I've archived all of Tom Cheek's Greatest Hits. Click over and remember the glory days of Blue Jays baseball. And don't forget to vote for Tom.
Former Toronto Blue Jays broadcaster Tom Cheek is back on the ballot for the 2008 Ford C. Frick Award, given annually by the Baseball Hall of Fame for excellence in baseball broadcasting. Cheek, who died at 66 from brain cancer in 2005, is among the 10 finalists for the honour. He called 4,306 consecutive games from 1977 to 2004.
I first lobbied for Tom to win this award in 2005 and then again in 2006. When he was beat out once more, I suggested it was an anti-Canadian bias at work. If Tom Cheek had called games in the United States of America, he'd have won the Ford C. Frick award long ago.
The winner of the Ford C. Frick award will be announced on February 19, 2008. If the weather outside has you feeling cold, warm up with Tom Cheek's greatest hits.
At this time of year I always get nostalgic for the days when Blue Jays baseball in late August actually meant something. There's an entire generation of ball fans growing up in this city who barely recall playoff baseball in Toronto. That's so sad.
When I get nostalgic about pennant races from yesteryear, I start thinking about Tom Cheek. I've written so much about Tom Cheek I've got an entire category in his honour. Tom Cheek and Jerry Howarth were the voices of Blue Jays baseball when I would listen to every game possible on the radio. In honour of Tom Cheek, I'd like to share his greatest hits with you all.
The First Home Run in Blue Jays History I was two years old when Doug Ault hit the first home run in franchise history on April 7, 1977, so I don't have a memory of the moment. You can relive the Jays debut in the CBC archives and hear Tom Cheek's call of Ault's first dinger below. "A tremendous shot."
Our First AL East Pennant I've got great memories of this fantastic day and I shared those memories in this entry. You never forget your first, whether it be home run, no-hitter, cycle, World Series or pennant. Here's Tom Cheek's call of that final out on October 5, 1985. "Bell is there... he's got it!"
Dave Stieb's No-Hitter I was working at the CNE on this day, but that didn't stop me from sharing my memories of Sir David's no-hitter. You don't want to miss Tom Cheek's call of the first no-hitter in Blue Jays history from September 3, 1990. "He's done it! He's done it!"
The First World Series Championship I don't believe I've ever written about that fantastic night the Blue Jays clinched their first World Series title. It was quite the surreal night that was capped by Dave Winfield's clutch RBI and the sudden disappearance of my Canadian flag. Listen to Tom Cheek's historic call of Otis Nixon's bunt to Mike Timlin. "The Blue Jays win it!"
Joe Carter's 1993 World Series Ending Blast I've saved the best for last. This is, without a doubt, the best call of Tom Cheek's career. Here's an extensive write up about Joe's three run homer off Mitch Williams. You'll want to play this one over and over and over again. "Touch 'em all, Joe!"
If you want more Blue Jays memories, thoughts, observations and rants, check out my Toronto Blue Jays category page. Enjoy these audio gems I consider to be Tom Cheek's greatest hits.
Denny Matthews is the Ford C. Frick Award winner. Matthews is probably a fine broadcaster, covering the Kansas City Royals, but he's no Tom Cheek.
Removing my extremely biased perspective for a moment, Tom Cheek called Blue Jays games since day one, calling 4,306 of them in a row. During that time Toronto won two World Series championships and a few additional division pennants. Tom Cheek's no longer with us.
Dave Perkins wrote about this in today's Star, but I was thinking the exact same thing, I swear. If Tom Cheek had called games in the United States of America, he'd have won the Ford C. Frick award long ago. Of this I am certain. There's a definite bias against recognizing baseball achievements in this country and Tom Cheek is a victim.
Next fall I'll urge you all to vote for Tom once more, but I'm losing hope that he'll ever make it to Cooperstown. It's a Frick'n shame.
In my lifetime I've probably received hundreds of Christmas gifts, but there are a few I remember best. I never lobbied for an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle so what I got on Christmas morning was always a surprise. On one particular Christmas in the early to mid-eighties I received a little blue transistor radio.
It was freedom. The radio would go everywhere I went. I used to sleep with it. In the summers, I listened to 1430 CJCL which was carrying Blue Jays games called by Tom Cheek and Jerry Howarth. Other nights I would crawl the dial just to see what I would pick up. I'd start at one end and slowly make my way to the other side, stopping for a bit whenever I pulled in a station. I guess it was sort of a low tech scan. I'd do this for FM and then switch to AM. I loved that damn radio.
It's a love affair that has continued to this day. The primary reason I have an iRiver instead of an iPod is because the iRiver has a radio built in. I want my MP3, but I'm not ready to give up my radio entirely. In this day of MP3 players and satellite radio there's little room in a kid's life for a transistor radio. I'm just glad there was room in my life for one that Christmas morning.
In his column today, Toronto Star journalist Dave Perkins reminds us that voting is open for the Ford Frick Award at http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/. Despite the fact I stuffed the ballot box last year, Tom Cheek didn't make the Hall in 2005. I think this year will be different.
If you're a Tom Cheek fan as I am, get over there once a day and cast your vote for him. He was something special.
I've been sharing my memories of the Toronto Blue Jays, absorbed during the fanatical years of 1983-1993. I started by writing about the ten home run attack in September of 1987 and this time I'm tackling the clinching win in 1985.
I thought we were going to clinch on October 4th. With our magic number at 1 for the first time ever, we were tied with the Yankees and the Terminator Tom Henke was on the mound in the ninth. I was listening to the radio in my bedroom, clinging to every pitch called by Tom and Jerry. Butch Wynegar burned Henke for a home run with two out and our celebration was postponed a day.
October 5th was a Saturday and we were off to my Grandmother's house, just outside of Midland, Ontario. We listened to the first half of the game in the car and then watched the rest on television. By the end of the third inning we were up 4-0 and Doyle Alexander was on cruise control. Ernie Whitt, Lloyd Moseby and Willie Upshaw went deep, Alexander pitched a complete game 5-hitter and with two outs in the ninth at Exhibition Stadium, Ron Hassey was at the plate. In only my third year of die-hard devotion, we were about to enjoy our first taste of celebration. Hassey hit a fly ball that George Bell easily caught for the final out. I remember him down on his knees rejoicing, receiving a high five from Tony Fernandez. We had clinched the AL Eastern division pennant.
I carved up the next day's Star to add to my scrap book. Here's the Exhibition scoreboard following the 5-1 win, George Bell's celebration after the catch and the cover of the sports section declaring us "The Champs". I was elated. Kansas City was up next, but we had the big bats and starting pitching behind Alexander, Dave Stieb, Jim Clancy and young Jimmy Key. Up three to one in the ALCS, I was dreaming of a World Series championship. Here's "The Drive of '85" section reminding us there's "only 1 to go". What happened next is another story for another time.
Although I didn't hear it live, here's Tom Cheek's call of that Hassey fly out to Bell on October 5, 1985. For this eleven year old, it was a defining moment, and assurance that my commitment to these birds of summer would be rewarded.
So far, so good for our Blue Jays. The newbies came through and Roy Halladay pitched another gem as we beat the Twinkies 6-3 in front of 50,449 at the ballpark fomerly known as SkyDome.
All was perfect, but something was missing. For the first time in the history of the franchise, Tom Cheek was not in the booth to call a Jays opener. I tuned into the radio broadcast prior to the game to hear Jerry Howarth talk about his former partner and when I heard about Tom's wife Shirley making it to the booth but not being able to step inside, I almost lost it. Cheek called 4,306 consecutive regular-season games, plus 41 more in the postseason, and passed away last season. Here he is calling Joe Carter's World Series winning homer. Here are some other entries I've written about the man over the years.
The Ford C. Frick Award is an award bestowed annually by the Baseball Hall of Fame to a broadcaster for "major contributions to baseball." This year, our very own Tom Cheek is on the ballot.
Visit the 2006 Ford C. Frick Award Nominee Voting page between now and November 30 to cast your vote for Tom. Be advised that only one ballot per person, per day, will be accepted.
I don't want to let the 2005 baseball season end without paying tribute to The Drive of '85. Twenty years ago, our Blue Jays won their first divisional pennant and got their first taste of post-season play. Can you believe that was twenty years ago?
In 1983, my first full season as a die hard Jays fan, we had a good young team that made some noise in the American League East. In 1984 the Detroit Tigers got off to a torrid start and practically buried all others in the East but the Jays clawed back to make it interesting, only finishing four games back. Then it was 1985 and our turn to shine. The Toronto Star, my primary source for sports news as a ten and eleven year old, referred to it as The Drive of '85. It was a magical season.
When I went through a couple of old boxes on the weekend, I found a few memories stashed away. Between my stamp collection and old Maple Leafs programs were a series of newspaper clippings from The Drive of '85...
Off And Flying! - From the Toronto Star following our win in Game 1 of the ALCS against Kansas City
Only 1 To Go! - From the Toronto Star following our win in Game 4 of the ALCS putting us ahead 3 games to 1
I still can't believe that was twenty years ago. I remember that entire season as if it was last year. We were one win away from the World Series before the Royals beat us three straight to win it in seven. George Brett found an extra gear and the rest is history.
The earthquake that hit South Asia on Saturday may kill 35,000 people. As horribly as I feel for these victims, I haven't shed a single tear for them. Taryn has.
I didn't cry for the victims of the recent natural disasters in Louisiana or Southeast Asia either. It's not that I didn't care about their plight, it's just the casualties were so many and I felt so removed I was unable to conjure up the necessary emotions to produce tears. Last night, Taryn asked me why I couldn't shed a tear for a possible 35,000 people who may die in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan when I cried after learning of Tom Cheek's death. I also cried when writing Thinking About Tom and listening to his final broadcast. How could I, a man who very rarely cries, weep for a broadcaster I've never met and not for massive death tolls across the globe? It's a fair question, and I chalk it up to natural emotional defense mechanisms.
If I were to personally feel the pain for 35,000 victims, I'd break down. It would be impossible to persevere and live life if every sad event and every crisis or catastrophe affected me in that manner. A number like 35,000 is so large our natural defense mechanisms simply can't digest it on such a level. They are 35,000 people I didn't know and the sadness I feel in my heart doesn't touch the nerve that may actually result in tears.
I mentioned I rarely cry, and this is true. Looking back over the past five years I remember having tears in my eyes exactly six times. Watching images of people jumping out of the World Trade Center following 9/11, watching a documentary about a man who saved hundreds of children during the Holocaust, watching "Big Fish" and previously mentioned moments revolving around Tom Cheek. Specifically when he called that half inning on April 4, when I recently spent some time thinking about those glorious summers listening to his comforting voice and Sunday when I learned he was gone. Taryn will cry following a sentimental Hallmark ad on television. I won'tcan't don't.
We all have buttons that when pressed result in either tears of joy or sadness. I am so aware as to where these buttons are, I know exactly what thoughts to avoid if I don't want to cry. I know what scenes in which movies strike this nerve and what memories or thoughts hit this button. I am in mad love with my two kids, and watching their arrival into this world was absolutely thrilling, but I was way too excited to cry. If I want to cry, I could conjure up the necessary emotion by re-reading this entry. As a matter of self perseverance, I can't feel those emotions for the 35,000 victims of the earthquake in South Asia.
Checking my referral log I see many of you are here with the same heavy heart I carry. Tom Cheek has passed on and we're all looking to relive those glorious memories he provided.
There's no debate as to which call was his definitive masterpiece. It was the bottom of the ninth inning at Skydome, game six of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies. Mitch Williams is on the mound, Joe Carter is at the plate, there are two on and the Jays trail by one. Without further adieu, enjoy Tom Cheek's definitive moment...
Touch 'Em All Joe - Tom Cheek Please right-click your mouse and select "Save Link As..." or "Save Target As..." so you can download it to your PC and relive this awesome memory over and over and over again. Nobody did it better.
Tom Cheek was 66. He was the beloved broadcaster who became the voice of baseball in Canada and called an incredible 4,306 consecutive Blue Jays games from Bill Singer's first pitch on April 7, 1977 until last June 3, when he skipped a game in Oakland because of his father's death.
I understand this page is highly ranked for many Google searches regarding Tom. He meant a great deal to so many of us and already I see a multitude of hits from people seeking more information about the voice of Blue Jays baseball and his extraordinary career in broadcasting. Over the past couple of years I've spent a great deal of time thinking about what he meant to me and why he was so special. Please take some time to read the following nine entries which nicely surmise the tremendous effect his voice had on my life.
The excitement surrounding the pennant races in Major League Baseball this season has me thinking back to the good ol' days when our Toronto Blue Jays were perrenial contenders. For two October's in the early 90s they ruled these parts stealing our hearts with back-to-back World Series Championships. I lived and died with the Jays and that meant spending hours and hours with the soothing voice of Tom Cheek.
In 1983 I heard a Blue Jays radio broadcast at a cottage way up north and I was instantly hooked. The voices calling the game were Tom Cheek and Jerry Howarth and they painted a romantic picture starring a young, up and coming team that was playing through five years of expansion pains. Tom Cheek, I would later learn, called the first Jays game on April 7, 1977 and didn't miss a single one until June 3, 2004 when he missed two games to attend his father's funeral. That was 4,306 consecutive regular season games and 41 post-season games, but Cheek wasn't about quantity. He was is all about quality. He combines a tremendous knowledge for the game with brilliant broadcasting instincts and a classy yet folksy demeanor. Jerry Howarth had the signature calls like "hooking...hooking..." and "there she goes..." but Cheek was Blue Jays baseball. He was my teacher, explaining the finer details such as when to hit and run and when to gamble by stretching a double into a triple. In Game 6 of the 1993 World Series, he called the biggest play in Blue Jays history with "Touch 'em all Joe! You'll never hit a bigger home run in your life!" All a Jays fan has to do is close his or her eyes and hear Tom Cheek say that line and a smile is guaranteed.
This isn't my first entry celebrating Tom Cheek and what his role in the broadcast booth has meant to me. Every night, summer after summer for over a decade was spent either watching the Jays or listening to Tom Cheek and Jerry Howarth. They were my eyes. Here are previous entries about the great Tom Cheek:
Tom isn't doing very well these days. His condition has deteriorated and some say he's in his final days. On April 4th I heard Tom call parts of the Jays' season opener, keeping alive a streak of 28 consecutive home openers he's called. I remember getting misty eyed when he exclaimed "How about that!" following Orlando Hudson's home run. Vernon Wells was next to the plate and promptly hit another out, putting the Jays ahead for good. It was as if the players knew Tom was calling that half inning, his last half inning.
I'm thinking about Tom today. I'm remembering the good times with a smile before shedding a tear at the thought I may never hear him again. I already miss him like crazy.
It was like a scene out of a movie, only it was very, very real. I was listening to the radio call of the Blue Jays opener against the Devil Rays when the Rays came to bat in the third. Joining Jerry Howarth and the rookie in the booth was a very familiar voice. It was Tom Cheek.
His voice was a little off and he was slightly shaky, but that tone was there. That baseball sensibility and love of the game was evident in every syllable uttered, every sentence strung together. In the top of the fourth, with the Blue Jays at bat, the emotional storybook moment occurred.
Against all odds, Tom Cheek took over the booth and began calling the game. The Jays had gone nine up and nine down up to this point, but with Cheek in control less than two weeks after very serious brain surgery, you knew something magically was going to happen. Right on queue, Frank Catalanotto hit a double for the Jays first base runner. Then, with Cheek still at the helm, Orlando Hudson went deep. "How about that!" was Cheek's reaction as Vernon Wells came to the plate. What did Wells do? He clobbered a homer deep to left. The Jays were in the lead for good.
The last voice I expected to hear on the radio today was that of Tom Cheek. His body is weakened but his love of baseball is strong. His role behind the microphone was minimal but for that half inning in the fourth he was back and the Jays were in charge.
I've got my Freeplay Ranger tuned to The Fan 590 right now. It's something I've done hundreds and hundreds of times in my life. I'm listening to Blue Jays baseball on the radio.
There's a gaping, unfillable hole in this broadcast. The voice of Tom Cheek is noticeably absent. Sadly, Tom's brain tumour requires very serious surgery this coming Wednesday and he's busy fighting that battle we all hope he'll win. The broadcast booth once again lacks his awesome presence.
I've written about Tom Cheek many times. You can read these entries here, here, here, here, here and here. His calls of Blue Jays games are so awesome they're partly responsible for my life-long love affair with the sport of baseball. He and his partner Jerry Howarth are the voices of Blue Jays baseball and when one is missing there's an gaping, unfillable hole.
Get better soon Tom. You're greatly missed. I and thousands and thousands of Jays fans will be praying for ya.
I'm pissed. I just learned that Paul Godfrey fired long time public address announcer Murray Eldon.
I've never attended a Blue Jays game without hearing Eldon's sweet voice announcing the batters. If I close my eyes I can still hear his signature deliveries for Damaso Garcia, Willie Upshaw, Alfredo Griffin, Tony Fernandez and Jesse Barfield. In the 90s, you knew you were home when he announced Roberto Alomar, Paul Molitor and John Olerud. As much as Tom Cheek and Jerry Howarth represent the sound of Blue Jays baseball on the radio, Eldon is the sound of Blue Jays baseball at the old Exhibition Stadium and Skydome. Now, he's been told his services are no longer required.
First, they took the "blue" out of the Blue Jays by redesigning the uniform so there's no sign of the word "Toronto", no maple leaf and no "blue". Then, they renamed Skydome, another sure sign that they care very little for the history of this franchise. And now, they've done away with their excellent public address announcer of 27 years to move in a different direction. I'm sure the new voice will be edgy and hip and awful.
We need Murray Eldon now more than ever. We need to retain a semblance of our glorious past, years when we were annual contenders, winning pennants and filling the dome. We must not alienate the die hard fans, those who have loved Blue Jays baseball for years.
I already miss Eldon, but I have 27 years of memories to get me through many a future summer. Now batting for your Toronto Blue Jays, #1, Murray Eldon.
Inhale deeply, close your eyes and listen closely. Can you hear it? I hear wind rustling between long blades of grass while the crack of the bat echoes in the background. There's the sound of ball on leather and a crowd erupting in cheer following a two-bagger for the home team. And then, there's one of my favourite sounds in the world. The sound of Tom Cheek and Jerry Howarth calling Blue Jays baseball.
A smile creeps upon my face when I think about turning on my radio and hearing those two describing a ball game. Their tones have been bringing me baseball for as long as I can remember. A glance at the Spring Training schedule reveals the Jays battle the Minnesota Twins tomorrow in Fort Myer to begin their Grapefruit schedule. Soon the season will start afresh with a clean slate. We're tied in first and right with the Yankees and Red Sox. It's a time of optimism and hope. It's time for Tom and Jerry.
Rogers Sportsnet's play-by-play and analyst tandem took a sad hit last October when John Cerutti passed away and yesterday they announced Rob Foulds won't be back either. That means we'll have an entirely new duo calling Jay games on the television next year.
To me, the ideal team is rather obvious. They've been working together for as long as I can remember and nobody calls a better game. I often turn the sound down on my television just to hear them. They represent all that is glorious about Blue Jays baseball and hearing their voices harkens one back to the good ol' days. I'm speaking, of course, about Tom Cheek and Jerry Howarth.
The only downside to this is that putting Tom and Jerry on Sportsnet would take them off the radio. That's why I think this is the one time simulcasting the same call on both mediums makes sense. Nobody calls a game as well as these two do.
When I threw my support behind the Phillies, I referred to something that happened in this city fifteen years ago. It was fifteen years ago Saturday, to be precise.
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Let's try this again. This will the fourth year in a row I've encouraged you to vote for Tom Cheek as a finalist for the Ford C. Frick Award. You can 
Former Toronto Blue Jays broadcaster Tom Cheek is back on the ballot for the 2008 Ford C. Frick Award, given annually by the Baseball Hall of Fame for excellence in baseball broadcasting. Cheek, who died at 66 from brain cancer in 2005, is among the 10 finalists for the honour. He called 4,306 consecutive games from 1977 to 2004.
At this time of year I always get nostalgic for the days when Blue Jays baseball in late August actually meant something. There's an entire generation of ball fans growing up in this city who barely recall playoff baseball in Toronto. That's so sad.
In my lifetime I've probably received hundreds of Christmas gifts, but there are a few I remember best. I never lobbied for an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle so what I got on Christmas morning was always a surprise. On one particular Christmas in the early to mid-eighties I received a little blue transistor radio.
I've been sharing my memories of the Toronto Blue Jays, absorbed during the fanatical years of 1983-1993. I started by writing about 
So far, so good for our Blue Jays. The newbies came through and Roy Halladay pitched another gem as we beat the Twinkies 6-3 in front of 50,449 at the ballpark fomerly known as SkyDome.
The Ford C. Frick Award is an award bestowed annually by the Baseball Hall of Fame to a broadcaster for "major contributions to baseball." This year, 
I don't want to let the 2005 baseball season end without paying tribute to The Drive of '85. Twenty years ago, our Blue Jays won their first divisional pennant and got their first taste of post-season play. Can you believe that was twenty years ago?
The earthquake that hit South Asia on Saturday may kill 35,000 people. As horribly as I feel for these victims, I haven't shed a single tear for them. 
Checking my referral log I see many of you are here with the same heavy heart I carry. 
Tom Cheek was 66. He was the beloved broadcaster who became the voice of baseball in Canada and called an incredible 4,306 consecutive Blue Jays games from Bill Singer's first pitch on April 7, 1977 until last June 3, when he skipped a game in Oakland because of his father's death.
It was like a scene out of a movie, only it was very, very real. I was listening to the radio call of the Blue Jays opener against the Devil Rays when the Rays came to bat in the third. Joining Jerry Howarth and the rookie in the booth was a very familiar voice. It was Tom Cheek.