Giants promoting Kuiper for HOF's Frick Award
LOS ANGELES -- The Giants have launched a campaign urging fans to vote broadcaster Duane Kuiper onto the Ford C. Frick Award ballot.
Fans can vote once per day at facebook.com/baseballhall. Balloting ends Sept. 30.
"Given the Hall of Fame's criteria, I cannot think of another candidate who better represents this era of baseball broadcasting than Duane Kuiper," said Giants president and CEO Larry Baer in a release. "Duane has been at the top of his craft for nearly 30 years. He and his partner Mike Krukow -- along with the rest of our Emmy award-winning broadcast team -- have brought Giants baseball into our fans' homes. Duane has been the Giants link to our fans for so many memorable and historic moments -- from Barry Bonds' 756th home run, Randy Johnson's 300th win, Matt Cain's perfect game, playoff games and two World Series championships." The team's broadcast partners, CSN Bay Area and KNBR, are participating in the push on behalf of Kuiper, 63. He has remained a fixture on Giants broadcasts since 1987, with the exception of a one-year stint in Colorado in 1993.
"Duane Kuiper is an ambassador to the game of baseball," said Krukow. "He excites those that listen to him talk about the game he loves, and through him, his listening audience falls in love with the game as well. When you listen to him, you understand completely that there is no other place in the world that he would rather be and there is no other place in the world that you would rather be as well."
The 20-member Frick Award Committee will vote in November from a final ballot of 10 names, which will be announced in early October. The 2014 winner will be revealed during baseball's Winter Meetings, slated for Dec. 10 and 11 in Orlando, Fla.
Three Giants broadcasters have been honored with the Frick Award, given by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: Russ Hodges (honored in 1980), Lon Simmons (2004) and Jon Miller (2010). Lindsay Nelson, who spent three seasons with the Giants (1979-81), also is a Frick honoree.