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Hall Of Fame Announces Ford C. Frick Award Finalists

“The winner of the Ford C. Frick Award will be announced Dec. 9, and honored during Hall of Fame Weekend in Cooperstown next July 24.”

Brandon Contes

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The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced their finalists for the 2021 Ford C. Frick Award. Given each year to a broadcaster for “major contributions to baseball,” the eight Ford C. Frick Award finalists are: Buddy Blattner, Joe Buck, Dave Campbell, Dizzy Dean, Don Drysdale, Ernesto Jerez, Al Michaels, and Dan Shulman.

  • Blattner – 26 seasons as a broadcaster, beginning while he was a player in the 1940s. Became widely known for his work alongside Dizzy Dean on national games for ABC and CBS from 1953-59.
  • Buck – 36 years behind the mic in Major League Baseball and still going strong. Buck has spent the last quarter-century with FOX, calling 19 World Series. Earlier this year, Buck was announced as the Pete Rozelle Award recipient, earning him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His father Jack Buck was the 1987 Frick winner. 
  • Campbell – Began his broadcast tenure in 1978, a few years after retiring from his playing career. Campbell worked as an announcer for the Giants, Padres and Rockies, also spending nearly two decades with ESPN.
  • Dean – A Hall of Fame pitching career preceded his 24 years as a broadcaster. Dean’s candid opinions and wit helped him become a popular personality behind the mic, notably spending 11 years with CBS for their Game of the Week telecast. 
  • Drysdale – Elected to Cooperstown in 1984 with 209 wins as a starting pitcher, his 23-year broadcasting career began in 1970. Drysdale called games for the Expos, Rangers, Angels, White Sox, and Dodgers, including six years alongside arguably the best broadcaster in baseball history, Vin Scully. 
  • Jerez – 26 years as a broadcaster and counting. Jerez joined ESPN Deportes in 1995 where he continues to call Sunday Night Baseball games for The Worldwide Leader.
  • Michaels – Prior to winning the Pete Rozelle Award in 2013, Michaels spent a quarter-century as a baseball broadcaster from 1971-1995. Michaels called seven World Series during his career for ABC, also serving as an announcer for the Reds and Giants.
  • Shulman – His impressive tenure as a Major League Baseball announcer included work for his hometown Blue Jays from 1995-2001, rejoining their coverage in 2016. Shulman also spent more than two decades with ESPN and served as the voice of Sunday Night Baseball from 2011-2017. 

The winner of the Ford C. Frick Award will be announced Dec. 9, and honored during Hall of Fame Weekend in Cooperstown next July 24. Ken Harrelson, the 2020 Frick winner will also be honored during next summer’s Hall of Fame weekend after this year’s ceremonies were canceled because of COVID-19.

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Erin Andrews Reveals Infertility Journey in Emotional ‘Today Show’ Interview

FOX reporter Erin Andrews sat down with ‘The Today Show’s’ Kristen Welker to discuss her journey, how Welker’s own journey inspired her, and more.

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Erin Andrews

FOX reporter Erin Andrews shared her story of infertility and surrogacy with NBC’s Today Show. Last summer, Andrews and her husband welcomed a baby boy via surrogate after trying for a decade to get pregnant via IVF, during which she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2016. Today, she sat down with Kristen Welker to discuss her journey, how Welker’s own journey inspired her, and more.

Andrews says Welker’s announcement on the Today Show made her think a baby could be possible. “I remember Kristin Welker’s announcement on your show,” Andrews said last year, “and I actually watched that the morning Mac was born, because that just hit me.”

When they finally sat down, Welker asked Andrews why her journey resonated with the sports reporter so much:

“Because I see myself in you. Kristen, the video of you moderating debates after you’re waiting on bad news or maybe you just received it, that’s me. I can tell you every stand-up I’ve done at a football game where I’ve gotten the news that it didn’t work. I’d be talking about Tom Brady going for this record and my record is that I still was failing…I would have chest pains every time I was waiting for the call if it worked, and I knew it wouldn’t work.

Erin Andrews on ‘Today’

Andrews knew surrogacy was the only path to having a child. Although her family’s first attempt failed, her second attempt was a success, and she got to hear her child’s heartbeat for the very first time. The pair discuss the complex emotions that come with surrogacy, saying that bonds with their child could be affected because they didn’t carry their child. However, Welker assured Andrews that those feelings go away once you can talk to your child.

Once her son was born in June, who Andrews called, “a miracle,” she then talks about her child glowingly, talking about how he is just like mom — vocal. “He’s all me,” she says.

Andrews supports Baby Quest, a non-profit that grants money to families in need of IVF or surrogacy to have a baby but don’t have the funds to pursue these expensive treatments. Both Andrews and Welker acknowledged how difficult and unattainable their journies are for some families — and Andrews even used the NFL’s “My Cleats, My Cause” initiative to raise awareness for her cause.

“People don’t need to feel embarrassed that they have a surrogate or are looking for other help,” Andrews said.

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Curt Menefee and Joel Klatt to be Lead Fox Sports UFL Broadcast Team

Curt Menefee, Joel Klatt, and Brock Huard will make up the first XFL on FOX announce team, while Kevin Kugler, Devin Gardner, and Jake Butt are the #2 team.

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FOX is ready for the United Football League (UFL) season and recently announced its broadcast lineup for the upcoming season. Curt Menefee returns to the booth alongside Joel Klatt to make up the primary UFL commentary team. Joining Menefee and Klatt from the sidelines will be former NFL and University of Washington QB Brock Huard.

Menefee and Klatt will call the season-opening matchup between the defending two-time USFL Champion Birmingham Stallions and the reigning XFL Champion Arlington Renegades on Saturday, Mar. 30 at 1 p.m. ET. The second team of Kevin Kugler and former Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner will call the second game of the day when the St. Louis Battlehawks take on the Michigan Panthers at 4:00 p.m. ET on FOX. Former Denver Broncos tight end Jake Butt will man the sidelines for that game.

Former NFL and USC QB Mark Sanchez was also mentioned in the FOX news release but details of his involvement were not made clear.

The UFL season kicks off on FOX this weekend and continues over on ESPN. Both networks will split coverage of the league all season long.

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CBS Sports Host James Brown To Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Sports Emmys

“I am incredibly humbled by this award. I know full well that it’s not as much about me as it is about all the people with whom…I worked over all these years.”

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James Brown
Courtesy: Mary Kouw, CBS

Longtime CBS Sports host James Brown will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 45th Sports Emmys. The awards show announced the news via its X account last night:

Brown is a three-time Sports Emmy winner for his work on CBS’ The NFL Today and previously FOX’s The NFL On FOX, and HBO’s Inside the NFL. Brown’s career spans more than 30 years and includes numerous accolades such as the Pete Rozelle Award from the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Uncommon Award from Tony Dungy.

He was named “Best Studio Host of the Decade” by Sports Illustrated in 2010 and was honored with the 2009 Dick Schaap Memorial Award for Media Excellence. In 1998 he was awarded the Golden Mic Award by the Black Broadcasters Alliance. Brown was elected into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2021.

“I am incredibly humbled by this award,” Brown said via the Sports Emmys. “I know full well that it’s not as much about me as it is about all the people with whom and for whom I worked over all these years. Thank God for the blessing!”

Sports media came together to honor Brown’s achievement:

Brown and other award recipients will be honored at the Sports Emmys award ceremony in May.

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