Lots of players go on to become announcers and play-by-play guys after their playing days are done. Some like Joe Garagiola, Tony Kubek, Bob Uecker and Tim McCarver eventually make their way to the Hall of Fame on their announcing merits as opposed to their playing prowess. Today I am showing nine cards of announcers, analysts and broadcasters.
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1986 CBS Radio Sports #NNO Ernie Harwell (Harwell spent 42 of his 55 broadcasting years calling play-by-play for the Detroit Tigers. He was rewarded with the Ford C. Frick Award in 1981 along with enshrinement into the Hall. This card is unrecognized by Beckett but was one of a five-card set that was distributed to CBS radio network stations in 1986, one of which I worked at.)
1989 Pacific Legends II #209 Jack Brickhouse ANN (Brickhouse was a longtime announcer in Chicago covering games for both the Cubs and White Sox as well as the Bears and Bulls. Brickhouse collapsed and fell ill while preparing for the funeral of fellow broadcaster Harry Caray in 1998 and died later in that same year.)
1993 Cardtoons #62 Harry Scaray (This cartoon card of Harry Scaray is obviously Harry Caray. Caray spent 25 years in St. Louis doing games for the Browns and Cardinals before spending a year with the A's then another 27 years in Chicago covering White Sox and then Cubs games. He was known for his big glasses, calls of "Holy Cow!", wielding a fishing net to catch foul balls and is credited with the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch.)
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2001 Reds Kahn #30 Marty Brennaman ANN/Joe Nuxhall ANN (Brennaman was sometimes controversial in his comments as the long-time voice of the Cincinnati Reds. He called Hank Aaron's record-tying 714th home run in his first game as a Reds broadcaster. Nuxhall was a former Reds pitcher who is probably best known as the youngest player to ever appear in a Major League game when he pitched for the Reds in 1944 at the age of fifteen. This card is also unrecognized by Beckett and probably came in a package of Kahn's sandwich meat.)
2003 SP Legendary Cuts Etched in Time 175 #ME Mel Allen (Allen was known as "the Voice of the Yankees" broadcasting their games for parts of four decades until he was unceremoniously fired by the team. He would then go on to be the first host of "This Week in Baseball". This cool card actually features a wood inlay on it and is serial numbered to 175.)
2004 National Pastime National Treasures Gold #9 Peter Gammons/88 (Peter Gammons is a sports writer, media personality and musician who has contributed as an analyst for ESPN on their Baseball Tonight, SportsCenter and Sunday Night Baseball programs.)
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2012 Panini Cooperstown Voices of Summer #4 Jack Buck (Best known for his work broadcasting St. Louis Cardinals games, Buck has been recognized by the Baseball, Pro Football, Radio and St. Louis Cardinals Halls of Fame. I should mention his reading of his For America poem at Busch Stadium just prior to the Cardinals first game following the 9/11 attacks. His son, Joe, has picked up his microphone and carries on the broadcasting tradition.)
2013 Panini Cooperstown Green Crystal #65 Vin Scully (Scully is arguably the most-loved broadcaster of all time having done games for the Dodgers for 67 seasons. He had a comfortable and relaxing delivery.)
2017 Topps MLB Network #MLBN28 Heidi Watney UPD (I first became aware of Watney when she was working as a sideline reporter for NESN during Red Sox games. She has since moved on and up through the ranks and is now the host of Quick Pitch for the MLB Network. She was the first runner-up in the 2002 Miss California USA pageant and is the only broadcaster depicted here who is not in the Hall of Fame.)
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1986 CBS Radio Sports #NNO Ernie Harwell (Harwell spent 42 of his 55 broadcasting years calling play-by-play for the Detroit Tigers. He was rewarded with the Ford C. Frick Award in 1981 along with enshrinement into the Hall. This card is unrecognized by Beckett but was one of a five-card set that was distributed to CBS radio network stations in 1986, one of which I worked at.)
1989 Pacific Legends II #209 Jack Brickhouse ANN (Brickhouse was a longtime announcer in Chicago covering games for both the Cubs and White Sox as well as the Bears and Bulls. Brickhouse collapsed and fell ill while preparing for the funeral of fellow broadcaster Harry Caray in 1998 and died later in that same year.)
1993 Cardtoons #62 Harry Scaray (This cartoon card of Harry Scaray is obviously Harry Caray. Caray spent 25 years in St. Louis doing games for the Browns and Cardinals before spending a year with the A's then another 27 years in Chicago covering White Sox and then Cubs games. He was known for his big glasses, calls of "Holy Cow!", wielding a fishing net to catch foul balls and is credited with the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch.)
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2001 Reds Kahn #30 Marty Brennaman ANN/Joe Nuxhall ANN (Brennaman was sometimes controversial in his comments as the long-time voice of the Cincinnati Reds. He called Hank Aaron's record-tying 714th home run in his first game as a Reds broadcaster. Nuxhall was a former Reds pitcher who is probably best known as the youngest player to ever appear in a Major League game when he pitched for the Reds in 1944 at the age of fifteen. This card is also unrecognized by Beckett and probably came in a package of Kahn's sandwich meat.)
2003 SP Legendary Cuts Etched in Time 175 #ME Mel Allen (Allen was known as "the Voice of the Yankees" broadcasting their games for parts of four decades until he was unceremoniously fired by the team. He would then go on to be the first host of "This Week in Baseball". This cool card actually features a wood inlay on it and is serial numbered to 175.)
2004 National Pastime National Treasures Gold #9 Peter Gammons/88 (Peter Gammons is a sports writer, media personality and musician who has contributed as an analyst for ESPN on their Baseball Tonight, SportsCenter and Sunday Night Baseball programs.)
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2012 Panini Cooperstown Voices of Summer #4 Jack Buck (Best known for his work broadcasting St. Louis Cardinals games, Buck has been recognized by the Baseball, Pro Football, Radio and St. Louis Cardinals Halls of Fame. I should mention his reading of his For America poem at Busch Stadium just prior to the Cardinals first game following the 9/11 attacks. His son, Joe, has picked up his microphone and carries on the broadcasting tradition.)
2013 Panini Cooperstown Green Crystal #65 Vin Scully (Scully is arguably the most-loved broadcaster of all time having done games for the Dodgers for 67 seasons. He had a comfortable and relaxing delivery.)
2017 Topps MLB Network #MLBN28 Heidi Watney UPD (I first became aware of Watney when she was working as a sideline reporter for NESN during Red Sox games. She has since moved on and up through the ranks and is now the host of Quick Pitch for the MLB Network. She was the first runner-up in the 2002 Miss California USA pageant and is the only broadcaster depicted here who is not in the Hall of Fame.)
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