Tom Cheek

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Tom Cheek bigraphy, stories - Baseball

Tom Cheek : biography

June 13, 1939 – October 9, 2005

Thomas F. Cheek (June 13, 1939 – October 9, 2005) was an American sportscaster. Perhaps best known as the "Voice of the Toronto Blue Jays", Cheek announced Major League Baseball games for the Toronto Blue Jays on radio from the team’s establishment in 1977 until his retirement in 2004, in which he had a 27-year streak of 4,306 consecutive games plus 41 post-season games called, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). December 5, 2006 which lasted from the first ever Blue Jays game on April 7, 1977 to June 3, 2004. Cheek was inducted to the Blue Jays Level of Excellence in 2005.

Cheek’s best-known call was perhaps his description of Joe Carter’s dramatic title-clinching home run in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series, when he said, "Touch ’em all, Joe! You’ll never hit a bigger home run in your life!" Los Angeles Times. October 11, 2005 He is also author of the book Road to Glory, which chronicled the first 16 years of Blue Jays baseball.

Cheek was selected as the recipient of the 2013 Ford C. Frick Award after being nominated as a finalist for the award every year since 2005.

Biography

Early life

Born and raised in the west side of Pensacola, Florida, Cheek, an avid sports fan, was introduced to his first tape recorder at the age of 14, which would lay the foundations for his future in broadcasting. From 1957 to 1960, he served in the U.S. Air Force where he was introduced to the Yankees broadcaster Red Barber. Following his discharge from the armed forces in 1960, Cheek attended the Cambridge School of Broadcasting in Boston for two years.Cheek, Tom. Road to Glory, Warwick Publishing, 1993. pp.7–30 ISBN 1-895629-16-0

Early broadcasting years

Cheek began his radio broadcasting career in Plattsburgh, New York as a Disc jockey on WEAV in 1962. He then moved to Burlington, Vermont where he worked for WDOT and was quickly promoted to corporate sales manager and sports director. He later moved from music to sports broadcasting when he moved to WJOY where his on-air sports work included baseball, basketball, football, and hockey for the University of Vermont. During this time, in 1968, he was almost hired to be the first broadcaster for the newly formed Atlanta Hawks of the NBA, only to lose out to Skip Caray.Cheek, Tom. Road to Glory, Warwick Publishing, 1993. pp.31–33 ISBN 1-895629-16-0

At the same time, the newly formed Montreal Expos were looking for a second announcer to complement their primary play-by-play man, Dave Van Horne. Burlington, being only 99 miles from Montreal, although traditionally a Boston Red Sox town, was warming up to the new expansion team. It was later decided that the Expos would go with a guest announcer format, and this is where Cheek would get his first broadcast experience of Major League Baseball, where he filled in occasionally from 1974 to 1976.Cheek, Tom. Road to Glory, Warwick Publishing, 1993. pp.34–37 ISBN 1-895629-16-0

Toronto Blue Jays

Beginning in 1977, Cheek became the first full-time announcer for the Toronto Blue Jays alongside his first broadcast partner, Early Wynn who remained with him through the end of 1980. Wynn was replaced by Jerry Howarth in 1981. For the next 23 years, "Tom and Jerry" would be the radio voices of the Blue Jays. Their partnership covered the rise of the Blue Jays through the 1980s, culminating with back to back World Series Championships in 1992 and 1993. The team was joined by color commentator Gary Matthews in 2000 and 2001.

Cheek, along with Howarth, were perhaps the most respected Toronto sports broadcasters of the era. Major League Baseball. October 9, 2005 Cheek’s Blue Jays broadcasts originated from Toronto’s CKFH "The Fan" 1430, a station that was founded by another legendary Toronto sports broadcaster, Foster Hewitt. For a brief period, his broadcast was heard on 1050 CHUM, but following the purchase of the Blue Jays by Rogers Communications, reverted to "The Fan", which had changed its callsign and frequency to CJCL 590 AM, also known as the FAN 590.