Will a Padres broadcaster join Jerry Coleman, as a Ford C. Frick award winner, in the Hall of Fame? Probably not because the Baseball Hall of Fame is relying on fans to vote via Facebook. The problem is the Padres don't have many fans and those they do have don't have Facebook. Furthermore Ted Leitner would probably have the best shot except that most Padres fans hate him. There's the rub.
Here's how it works. There will be two rounds of fan voting. That voting will last the better part of month. Then a 21 member electorate will chose the winner. It's all very complicated. If Leitner does make it this far he has Jerry Coleman on the inside as part of the electorate. Those years of sucking up to him will hopefully payoff. Or maybe Coleman wants to keep Leitner out so that he can have all the glory for himself. You never know with those two frenemies.
Here's a list of broadcasters who are eligible. Notice that Bob Chandler and Gustavo Lopez Moreno are no longer listed, even though they were eligible in 2008. I wonder if they need to be voted in by the Veteran's Committee or were just mistakenly left off. Who knows how theses things work?
UPDATE: Nevermind. Those guys were on the Qualified Retired Broadcasters list.
Here's eligible broadcasters with Padres ties.
JUAN ANGEL AVILA: 15 years (1998- ), all with the Padres as the team’s Spanish radio play-by-play and color announcer alongside longtime partner Eduardo Ortega…Prior to joining Padres served as sports director of Channel 33 Telemundo in Mexico from 1995-98…Announced the Caribbean series from 1993-95 and again in 2005-06…Also works closely with the Padres’ Public Relations department acting as a liaison to the Mexican and Spanish language media.
DICK ENBERG: 14 years (California Angels, 1968-78, 1985; NBC, 1982; Padres 2010- ), the last three with the Padres as their television play-by-play voice…One of the premier sportscasters from the past four decades, he made his name nationally with NBC-TV Sports…After a 25-year stint with NBC, joined CBS Sports in 2000…Over the years he has won 13 Emmy Awards, nine Sportscaster of the Year awards, and is the only person to win a national Emmy as a sportscaster, writer and producer…His versatility is demonstrated by his various play-by-play assignments over the years, which have included the World Series (one time), American and National League playoffs (three times), Super Bowl (eight times) and Wimbledon (19 times)…Began his fulltime sports casting career in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s, providing the radio-TV voice of the Angels, UCLA basketball and Los Angeles Rams football.
MARK GRANT: 16 years (1997- ), all with the San Diego Padres…Serves as a television color analyst…Spent eight seasons in the majors with six different teams, including four with the Padres (1987-90)…Posted a 22-32 lifetime record with an ERA of 4.31 in 233 big league games…Began his broadcasting career with KFMB Radio in 1994 as a sports anchor and talk show host.
TED LEITNER: 33 years, all with the Padres (1980- )…Has worked the last 32 years alongside Jerry Coleman in the broadcast booth…Previous play-by-play credits include the National Football League’s San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles, the National Basketball Association’s San Diego State University Aztecs football and basketball…In addition to his play-by-play, Leitner also served as sports director for KFMB-TV and hosted a popular morning talk show on KFMB Radio.
ANDY MASUR: 14 years (Cubs 1999-2006, Padres 2007- ), the last six with San Diego… Began baseball career with the Chicago Cubs as pre- and post-game host, as well as secondary play-by-play… Moved to Padres in 2007… Began career as a disc jockey in Peoria, Illinois… Has also called University of San Diego and Loyola University Chicago men’s basketball.
RICK MONDAY: 27 years (Padres, 1989-92; Dodgers, 1985-88, 1994- ), 23 with the Dodgers including the last 19…Began broadcasting career by calling play-by-play and hosting the pregame show for Dodger games…Nominated for an Emmy as host of the Dodgers' pregame show on KTTV's "Dodger Central" in 1988…Also a color commentator for CBS-TV at the College World Series championship game in 1988...A star at Arizona State University, led the Sun Devils to the 1965 College World Series Championship and earned All-America and College Player of the Year honors…19 seasons as a major league outfielder with Kansas City/Oakland, the Cubs and the Dodgers…Compiled a .264 career batting average with 241 home runs...In 1995 received the William A. Shea Distinguished Little League Graduate Award, which is given to a Major League Baseball player or individual who best exemplifies the spirit of the Little League Baseball program.
EDUARDO ORTEGA: 26 years (Padres, 1987-90, ’92- ; Giants, 1991), the last 21 in San Diego as the Spanish voice of the Padres on radio and television…The Tijuana native’s credentials include a stint calling Padres road games from 1987-90, a season as the voice of the San Francisco Giants in 1991, four years as play-by-play man for the Tijuana Potros of the Mexican Pacific League and the last 12 seasons as the lead play-by-play voice of the Padres…Since 1993 has broadcast the playoffs and World Series for various outlets including CBS Radio’s Hispanic Network and Cadena Latina, teaming with Ford Frick winners Jaime Jarrin and Felo Ramirez…In 2000, 2001 and 2002 he was chosen to broadcast the All-Star Game, bringing the action to millions of fans across Latin America….Since 1998 has handled the play-by-play for the worldwide telecast of the Caribbean World Series…Named Sports Ambassador of Tijuana by Major Jose Guadalupe Osuna Milam in November of 1998, and was honored at 1997 Sportscaster of the Year by the Sportswriters Association of Tijuana.
STEVE PHYSIOC: 27 years (Reds, 1983-87; Giants, 1987-88; ESPN, 1989-95; Padres, 1995; Angels, 1996-2009; TBS, 2010; Royals, 2012), returning to the radio and TV both in 2012 with the Royals…Spent 14 seasons as the television play-by-play voice of Angels baseball on FOX Sports Net and KCAL 9 from 1996-2009…Began major league play-by-play announcing career in 1983, broadcasting Cincinnati Bengals football and Cincinnati Reds baseball games until 1987…Served as the San Francisco Giants announcer from 1987-88, followed by work for ESPN (1989-95), announcing Major League Baseball, college basketball, baseball and Big Ten football…In 1995 announced San Diego Padres games and PAC-10 football games for FOX Sports West…Other experience includes, among other assignments, radio play-by-play for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors (1989-90), television play-by-play for Warriors games (1990-91) and the Vancouver Grizzlies during their inaugural season (1995-96) in the NBA.
MATT VASGERSIAN: 14 years (Brewers, 1997-2001; Padres, 2002-2008; MLB Network, 2009- ), the last four with MLB Network…Spent five seasons as the lead play-by-play man of the Milwaukee Brewers, then seven seasons as play-by-play voice of the Padres…Covered baseball and softball at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens…Has worked a wide variety of events, currently covering basketball play-by-play for the San Diego State Aztecs and his alma mater, the USC Trojans.
DAVE CAMPBELL: 26 years (Giants, 1978; Padres, 1979-89; Rockies, 1993-97; ESPN 1990-2008) and retired…Worked at ESPN as a television and radio broadcaster since 1990, serving both the play-by-play and analyst roles…He has also been a major part of ESPN’s postseason coverage…Entered the broadcast booth in 1978, when he left the dugout as a minor league manager to work on the San Francisco Giants radio network…Later shared the Padres’ microphone for 11 seasons with Jerry Coleman…Had a five-year stint on television with the Rockies…Played eight years (1967-74) in the big leagues with the Tigers, Padres, Cardinals and Astros as a utility infielder…Campbell’s first major league hit was a home run.
BOB CHANDLER: 32 years, all with San Diego (1972-2001) and retired…Had been a part of San Diego’s radio-TV broadcast team since 1972 until retirement in 2001…In addition to his broadcast work, he has also served as the Padres’ public relations director from 1978-83…The San Diego native, who graduated from San Diego State with a degree in Radio and Television, has also done such area sports as the NFL’s San Diego Chargers, the NBA’s San Diego Rockets, and San Diego State football and basketball…Began his career as a newsreel photographer.
GUSTAVO LOPEZ MORENO: 23 years, all with the San Diego Padres (1969-91), and retired…Brought Padres’ action to Spanish-speaking fans from the club’s inception in 1969 until 1991…His CBS Hispanic Network calls (1977-92) have been heard on the All-Star Game, nine League Championship Series, and on World Series broadcasts beamed to approximately 100 stations in the United States and Latin America…He also served as the general manager of XEXX Radio, which was the Padres’ flagship Spanish carrier, which had established a 25-station network throughout Mexico.
DUKE SNIDER: 17 years (Padres, 1969-71; Expos, 1973-86), mostly with the Montreal Expos…played 18 years in major leagues, mostly with the Dodgers…center fielder hit 407 career home runs, and twice hit four home runs in a World Series…retired in 1964, and elected to the Hall of Fame in 1980…from 1969-71, was radio-television broadcaster and batting coach for San Diego Padres…managed in minors in 1972, then joined Expos radio-television team in 1973…partnered with Dave Van Horne, he stayed with Expos through 1986 season, acting as part-time batting instructor in addition to announcing…Passed away Feb. 27, 2011.
MARIO ZAPIAIN THOMAS: 29 years (1969-97) and retired, all with Padres Spanish-speaking radio… Part of Padres’ Spanish broadcast team since the club’s inception in 1969…Also called action for the CBS Hispanic Radio Network on many post-season broadcasts which carried throughout Latin America…Was the longtime voice of the Mexicali Eagles of the winter Mexican League.