Last month, I received the
humbling letter from a Cubs
radio listener who wanted me two
wish his dad a happy father's
day dear, Mr Hughes.
My dad is a lifelong Cubs fan
and he raised his four sons to
be as well.
He used too record.
You're broadcast on a cassette
tape for us.
Two fall asleep to as the
broadcaster generally, it's bad
for rating's when part of your
audience is snoozing.
But thank you too, Jane Forbes
Clark and the entire state half
here at the Hall of Fame.
Thanks to Tom Ricketts and the
Chicago Cubs organization for
all of your support and being
here and congratulations to the
other honorees this weekend,
John Lowe is a brilliant
baseball writer and a longtime
friend to Carl Erskine for his
buck O Neil lifetime achievement
award and to the newest Hall of
Fame ball players, the true
stars of this weekend, Fred
mcgriff and Scott Rolen.
It is my extreme pleasure to be
with U today.
A in this magical baseball
village.
I am delighted, proud and
excited, but mainly I am
grateful because while the Ford
C Frick award is a cherished and
coveted individual honor there
is simply no way eye ever could
have gotten here by myself.
My family is here.
My sweet wife of 36 years',
Trish is the very best friend I
have ever had in my life and a
tremendous mother.
Two are two daughters, Janelle
and Amber.
I love all three of you very
much.
Amber came all the way in from
Colorado gonna read.
I so thanks sweetie for being
here.
I really wish my parents were
still alive.
Virgil and Merry Margaret, they
were kind and gentle.
Both were educators.
Mom was an elementary school
teacher.
Dad was a college professor.
They stressed reading and
learning and getting good grades
in school, but they also
encouraged athletic competition
as well.
My older brothers, John is
another person who is no longer
with us.
He had a very, very difficult
life but in college at San Jose
State University, John, more
than anyone else got me started
in broadcasting.
My younger brother Chuck is here
all the way from San Jose.
I love your brother and members
of my wife's family are in
attendance.
Brothers Roger and Marvin
Anderson and their families.
Thanks to all of you for being
here receiving the col from the
hall was one of the life's best
ever experiences.
So sublime, it's almost
incomprehensible baseball Hall
of Fame.
President Josh Randle called Mee
last December.
I was at home with Trish also in
my living room where migrate
partner on Cubs Radio.
Ron Coomer Odyssey, Chicago
broadcasting executives, Rachel
Williamson and Mitch Rosen and
the Chicago Cubs, President of
Business Operations Crane.
Kenney Crane was thoughtful
enough to hire a video crew to
record the moment for posterity.
The phone rang and Josh
Luis Robert says, Pat,
congratulations on being named
the Ford C Frick Award winner
for 2023.
He said more, but I did not hear
another word.
My head's started spinning with
joy and emotion and I truly wish
that ev'ry baseball announcer
could experience that thrill
within a moment or two.
I see to text phone, a text
message on the phone from the
great Bob Costas.
Congrats bat richly deserved.
Welcome to the club and the C
and the word club was
capitalized as well.
It should be.
I have loved baseball forever.
Like millions of kids all over
the world.
I dreamed of being a big league
ballplayer someday.
I did experience the childhood
euphoria of playing on multiple
championship teams.
I was a decent athlete but never
great.
And at about the age of 17, I
realised playing pro ball was
not going to happen for me, but
still eye wanted to make a
living somehow in sports.
That was my eye passion,
professional sports' in
particular may be coaching,
possibly umpiring or refereeing.
Two things I did to help put
myself through college by the
way.
And my older brothers, John was
taking a broadcasting classes
and dabbling in play by play and
he encouraged me to do the same.
My plate by play had a very
unusual beginning at the end of
my modest athletic career.
I am playing college basketball
or more accurately sitting on
the bench most of the time, one
game out of sheer boredom, I
just started doing play by play
of my own team during the game,
Jung pull up foul line jumper.
Good.
Again.
He's got Then Spartans by six
and then I stopped, I didn't
want to be annoying.
And one of my teammates said,
Pat, you're not that bad.
Keep that going.
So you could say that in my eye
play by play by play career, the
first listening audience
consisted of the other
benchwarmers on my college team
, sort of an inglorious
beginning.
But then they really did make a
dedicated commitment.
Two play by play announcing on
the campus radio station K SJS.
I called every game I could,
football, basketball, baseball,
interview, show sports wrap ups.
Then I would listen to my own
tapes, critiquing myself harshly
eliminating forever things I
didnt like hearing and
developing things that sounded
ok.
And then I began listening with
a different here to establish
professional announcers trying
to gain, to gain insights and
ideas.
And I have been favourably
influenced and inspired by many
of my broadcasting predecessors
, including among others, Russ
Hodges, Lon Simmons and Bilking
the Bay Area.
Voices of my childhood John
Facenda, the masterful narrator
of NFL films, Vin Scully Al
Michaels and Marty Brennaman,
Bob Costas, Harry Carrie and
John Miller.
Bob Bucher and Al mcguire
macguire.
By the way, also taught me how
to hitchhike as I was climbing
the sportscasting ladder, I was
hired by and worked for some
great people, including among
others in 1979 Jim Rice singer
in San Jose, California.
1980 won Jon Petrie in Columbus
, Ohio.
1983 Billy Robertson Vise
President Minnesota Twins in
1984 Bill Haig.
Milwaukee Brewers VP.
All of them treated me with
friendship and respect in
Milwaukee.
I was a radio partner with Bob
Bucher for 12 seasons last
December.
When I got the call from
Cooperstown, Bob was among the
first to text me.
Congratulations.
I called him right back.
I said, Bob, I am sure eye
learned Moore baseballs from you
than any other person.
He replied, I probably should
have learnt the game myself
before I tried teaching it to
you.
Thanks to Bob and two Bud Selig
, who is the Brewers owner for
most of the time.
I was in Milwaukee in the autumn
of 1995.
I was chosen to be the new radio
play by play man for the Chicago
Cubs.
A big transition going from
small market Milwaukee to major
market Chicago.
My knew partner would be Cubs
legend, Ron Santo Ronnie would
become a, would become a very
important person in my life
thoughtfully.
He called me the night before
our first Cactus League
broadcast he said, Pat.
I know you're nervous.
Don't be, you do the play by
play.
You're going to be fine.
I'll do the color.
We're going to have fun.
Okay.
I'll see you tomorrow as he
spoke those words, it might
sound corny, but I could
literally feel the tension leave
my body.
I felt very relaxed and ready to
go to work the next day on Cubs
radio and the next day in the
very first half inning, Ron
Santo and I clicked immediately
after the third out.
He stands up smiling and shakes
my hand and the look on his face
said, oh boy, this is going to
be great.
And I, I thought, man, if he
gets this excited over a Cactus
lead game waiting till we get
into a pennant race.
But it was a special time and
Ronnie and I shared a unique
chemistry that became known as
the Pat and Ron Show.
We spent 15 years together and
did plenty of laughing and
around Ronnie.
That was not a big deal because
he was one of the funniest
people I have ever known just
buy being himself.
He could be variously a backseat
driver, a fashion cop, a food
cop and a championship chop
buster.
Now, I never New Ron sent a war
a toupee a hairpiece until one
night I found out Cubs are
playing the Mets at Old Shea
Stadium in New York.
A cold April evening in the
visiting radio booth.
Right above our heads was this
old fashioned electric heater.
The kind of glowed a bright
orange when you turned it on,
Ronnie and I stand for the
national anthem halfway through
the song.
I smell something burning.
Then I hear something's sizzling
, liked bacon on a stove.
Then eye here Santos a shoot.
I turned to look at him.
Ron Santos hairpiece is on fire.
A blue flame is shooting out the
top of his head.
Smoke is everywhere.
Eye didn't panic.
I kept my Kuhl sort of, I took a
glass of water and splashed it
on his head and then he said,
shoot a few more times.
Now, Ron's Santa was a handsome
man but also kind of vain about
his appearance.
His first thought was, how does
it look?
I lied.
I said it doesn't look that bad
to me.
It actually looks like a gall
for maybe Phil Mickelson had
taken a pitching wedge and
whacked one right off the top of
his noggin.
There was a divot in the top of
Santo's head.
How does it look?
We both thought it was very
fitting that the name of a Mets
starting pitcher that night was
Al Leiter.
But Ronnie and Harry Carey both
went out of there way to welcome
me to Chicago.
Way back when and I will forever
be grateful.
Harry also gave me some good
practical advice about our
profession.
He said, Pat, when you become a
baseball announcer, you don't
just sign up for the winning
games and the exciting seasons,
you sign up for everything.
Pretty good advice after the
2013 season, Ron Coomer, join me
on Cubs radio.
I'd say I've been pretty lucky
guys named Ron as announcing
partners.
The 10 years' with Ron Coomer
have been wonderful.
He is simply one of the best
people I've ever known in my
life.
A total team player, a Chicago
native, lifelong Cubs fan.
He played for the Cubs.
He's insightful, he's smart.
He's funny.
He explains the game in a way
that is easy for the audience to
understand great sense of
humour.
And by the way, we've got to
cover a World championship
season for the Cubs together.
As long as I am doing radio play
by play for the Cubs, I wanna
have Ron Coomer right next to
me.
Thank you to all the other
people who have worked with and
share the microphone with over
the years.
Currently, the talented Zack
Zeidman is the third man in our
Cubs radio booth.
Zack is a joy to work with other
third man on Cubs radio have
included Andy Mazer, Corey
Province now a prominent
announcer with the Minnesota
Twins, Judge Sirat, the radio
play by play, man of the NHL
Boston Bruins and Mark Brody.
And I've also enjoyed many on
the tier moments with guys like
Bruce Levine and Len KASPER,
among others.
I've worked with some of the
best engineers in the country.
And productions, people
including Kent Sommerfeldt in
Milwaukee and in Chicago, Matt
Bolts, Dave Miska and Paul's
Arang.
And on the production side, Todd
Manly and Stephen Leventhal.
Thanks to all of you in Chicago.
We work for great people.
A team owners, Tom Ricketts and
siblings, Laura Todd and Pete.
They want the Cubs to win as
passionately as the ball players
do you and they give us total
freedom as broadcasters to just
do our thing.
Thanks to the Ricketts family
and a very special.
Thank you to Crane Kenney, the
Cub's President of Business
Operations, Crane had everything
to do with putting me in the
Cubs Hall of Fame last year and
he was certainly instrumental in
the events that lead to me being
in Cooperstown here today.
Crane.
Thank you for everything.
I would like to also acknowledge
the Marquee Sports Network and
their leadership team of Mike
mccarthy and Mike Santini.
They've been magnanimous enough.
Two include me in some of their
programming over the years.
Thanks to Mike and Mike and in
41 years of big league baseball
play by play, I've worked with
dozens of programming directors
and station management types.
The current executive producer
of Cubs radio, Mitch Rosen is
simply the best I have ever
worked with.
Thank you, Mitch.
And in closing, I have a note,
two Cubs fans.
If I was writing the letter, it
might read what an extraordinary
group of people you are.
I want to thank you so much for
your unbelievable passion for
this ball club and your support
of me.
When I got the call from
Cooperstown's last December, I
truly think there was some cub
fans who were just as happy as I
was with the news.
You make me feel like I'm a part
of your family.
You invite me to special events
, like graduations, bar mitzvahs
and birthdays.
And I absolutely loved those
games at Wrigley Field, those
close ball games where you fans
are not just part of the
ballpark atmosphere.
U become part of the ball game
itself and you play a
significant role in a dramatic
Cubs victory in that happens 4
to 5 times minimum, every single
season as a broadcaster, I feed
off of your energy.
Let me just say it has been my
extreme privilege to be won of
your announcers for these past
three decades.
And before mai career ends, I
hope I get at least one more
chance to se something like the
Chicago Cubs win the World
Series.
Thank you.