Kubek Gets ’09 Frick Award
Tony Kubek gets the 2009 Ford C. Frick Award – an honor bestowed on broadcasters by the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Now, let’s see if he shows up to take it. Via Harvey Araton back in July:
When I reached [Kubek] at his summer retreat on a lake front in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, he recalled an epiphany he had while working Yankee games for the MSG Network, on an off day traveling from Oakland to Anaheim during the 1994 season — which in August was shuttered by a players’ strike that forced the historic cancellation of the World Series.
“I had two years remaining on my contract with MSG at the time,” Kubek said. “But it struck me that day that I just didn’t want to be in or around baseball anymore. I remember that I called Bob Gutkowski, who was my boss, and I told him that I wasn’t going to finish the contract. He said, `Wait a minute, that’s pretty good money you’re going to walk away from,’ but I had made up my mind and that was it.
“Part of it was that I didn’t like what was happening in the game, or what was going to happen. But part of it was that I had been around baseball my whole life. Everyone around me had been in baseball. I decided I didn’t want to be in it anymore, to go home and spend time with my family. I said goodbye, and that was it. I haven’t seen a major league game since I retired, even on television. I’ve never seen Derek Jeter play, though I do recall seeing him work out when he was very young and still in the minor leagues.”
When I dropped other contemporary Yankee names into the conversation — Hideki Matsui, Jason Giambi, Chien-Ming Wang — Kubek said he was not familiar with them. He had no interest in the Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa home run chase of 1998 or the steroid scandals to follow.
I hope he decides to show up at Cooperstown on the big day. He earned it.
I hope he decides to show up at Cooperstown on the big day. He earned it.
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Same here. I am a bit surprised that he hasn’t seen a game since he retired.
I just hope that if he shows up, he doesn’t start ranting like some old codger that the game has passed by
Should be fun either way, I did enjoy his work on the broadcast side of things. I would love to hear him and Kaat do a game together; they seem to have similar styles and takes on things.
Over the years I think Tony became very full of himself. The game after all is entertainment, I hate the idea some sports broadcasters get that they are somehow serious journalists.
Tony can stay away from the game if he wants I could care less.