What we, as fans, should do to honor Bill King

by TDub on Oct 18, 2005 10:48 PM PDT Comment 12 comments

Bill King's voice is amongst my earliest childhood memories as a baseball and Oakland A's fan. I will miss him dearly.

I would like to suggest to my fellow A's fans here at Athletics Nation that we develop and drive a grassroots effort to nominate Bill King for the Ford C. Frick Award in the broadcaster wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

This link is to the November 1, 2004 press release by the National Baseball Hall of Fame announcing and detailing last year's voting:

http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/whats%5Fnew/press%5Freleases/2004/pr2004%5F11%5F01.htm

I think we can infer a few things:

They will announce the opening for nominations for the 2006 Ford C. Frick Award sometime in early November 2005, about 2-3 weeks away.
There is an internet voting component, where fans can vote once per day.
The top 3 recipients of fan voting will make the ballot
Lon Simmons received 105,000 fan votes in 2003 WITHOUT the help of an internet community like Athletics Nation.
Once Bill King is nominated, it is out of our hands and in the hands of Hall of Fame voters.
6. Bill King should already have been honored in this way.

I hope I'm not off-base here in suggesting this. I will keep an eye on the National Baseball Hall of Fame website and will post an update when voting opens.

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This is NOT out of line

and has been floated once or twice in other threads. This is a good, solid statement of what we can do to get done something that, I agree should already have happened. Please do post an update when the voting begins. And once it does, three words: Early And Often.

Bill may have shied (sp?) away from such adulation and national attention, but he has deserved a spot in the HOF for several years.

by StewFan on Oct 18, 2005 11:04 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I think it's entirely possible

He's been the voice of the A's for a very very long time. He isn't nearly the media darling that someone like Gammons, but Bill King found a way into the hearts of thousands - millions over the years even.

What makes a broadcaster truly great in my opinion is that when you remember a momentous sports moment, you remember they way THEY called it - through their eyes, words, and emotions. I've been an A's fan all my life, and every great A's moment that I can recall has his voice playing in my head.

by nycfan on Oct 18, 2005 11:15 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Let's Do This !!!

I hope that the AN community will get behind this effort 100%. It's a way that we can honor his name and to get Bill King the national recognition that is so deserving.

by TahoeDon on Oct 19, 2005 4:57 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

November!

I just spoke with the folks at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Fan voting to nominate broadcasters for the 2006 Ford C. Frick Award will begin on November 1, 2005.

The voting period will be for the duration of the month of November.

We have less than 2 weeks until it begins.

by TDub on Oct 19, 2005 8:46 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

THINK OUT OF THE BOX. HERE IS WHAT WE NEED TO DO:

After every amazing play ... over the public address system they blast a Bill King "HOLY TOLEDO!"

Yes, we hear his voice, his words, his excitement after a winning home run, an amazing strikeout with baseloaded, a defensive play that saves the game ... etc.

Some teams use fireworks. We simply push a button and out comes the everlasting, eternal voice of summer 'n sanity ... the majestic, much-loved voice of BILL KING.

"It's easier to stay in last place than it is to stay in first." ... Bill James

by Edwinwinwin on Oct 19, 2005 11:57 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

BAH!!

I think you would send to many people to tears if we did that! It is a great idea, but people should be crying from joy after a big play! But it is a very good idea!

"We play our best ball when we're goofing around and having a good time" ~Bobby Crosby

by BobbyCrosbysGirl on Oct 19, 2005 12:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

Here come the tears again.

"I like Band Camp. He hits things." ~ Kyli (9/24/05)

by AsGirl on Oct 19, 2005 2:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let's do it

Maybe we can get a link to the voting on the AN front page as a constant reminder to vote. Or post the link every day on the DLD.

"Don't be an ass!" --Bill King

by batgirl on Oct 19, 2005 12:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

We can do this

Everyone here at AN. We have spouses, siblings, friends, children (I know 14 is the youngest age for all star voting). Is it unethical, if you have more than 1 email addr, to vote each address? Get the word out. Many of you are on more than one board, use your voice there. This is not a unreachable goal.

while I'm GM, I'd get the black uniform tops back into the mix, make high socks mandatory and add a beer tap in the press box-Mychael Urban

by jb on Oct 19, 2005 1:33 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Okay. Here's another idea ...

Just as we put baseball greats on the outfield wall ... let's put HIS NAME right where the announcers' booth is so when we look up there we see a tribute to the greatest of them all ... BILL KING.

(I still like the idea of once in awhile piping into the ballpark his wondrous voice saying HOLY TOLEDO! Just as we don't cry everytime we hear Gehrig say he's the luckiest man on the face of the earth ... we'll cheer when we hear Bill's signature line ... forever._

"It's easier to stay in last place than it is to stay in first." ... Bill James

by Edwinwinwin on Oct 20, 2005 12:08 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't know about you...

...but I cry every time I hear Gehrig...

However, I would love to hear a "Holy Toledo!" after every A's home run.

Bill King "was a genius. Off the charts. The rest of us are just pretenders." ~ Ken Korach

by Poppy on Oct 20, 2005 6:40 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Putting Bill's name

on the broadcast booth might confuse people. "Wait, is it the 'Bill King broadcast booth' or the 'UPS broadcast booth'? Or does Archer-Norris have something to do with it?"

Sponsorships for everything but the pitching rubber: Lunacy, with VRRROOOOOM!!!

Nico

by Nico on Oct 20, 2005 8:25 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs