Tony Kubek

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Tony Kubek
Tony Kubek - New York Yankees.jpg
Kubek, circa 1964–65
Shortstop
Born: (1935-10-12) October 12, 1935 (age 89)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 20, 1957, for the New York Yankees
Last MLB appearance
October 3, 1965, for the New York Yankees

NBC Sports, CTV and TSN

Upon his retirement, Kubek became a color commentator on NBC's Saturday Game of the Week telecasts, teaming with play-by-play announcer Jim Simpson on the network's backup games from 1966 to 1968 and then joining Curt Gowdy to form the lead crew in 1969. He spent 24 years at NBC, teaming with such announcers as Simpson, Gowdy (whom Kubek later called his favorite partner), Joe Garagiola, and Bob Costas. Kubek could be considered baseball's first network baseball analyst as contrasted with a color commentator, similar to Tim McCarver and Jim Kaat later.

In addition to the weekly in-season games, Kubek worked 11 World Series (1969–1976, 1978, 1980 and 1982) for NBC, as well as 14 American League Championship Series (1969–1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, and 1989), and 10 All-Star Games (1969–1975, 1977, 1979, and 1981). [6]

He also worked local telecasts for the Toronto Blue Jays on The Sports Network and CTV from their inaugural season of 1977 through 1989. The Toronto Star stated Kubek "educated a whole generation of Canadian baseball fans without being condescending or simplistic." [6]

During the winter, Kubek would go hunting, coach junior high basketball, and wait for baseball to resume.[ citation needed ]

Personality

As a sportscaster, Kubek was known for his outspokenness. While calling the 1972 American League Championship Series, Kubek said that Oakland's Bert Campaneris throwing his bat at Detroit's Lerrin LaGrow (who had just knocked Campaneris down with a low, inside pitch) was justified, on the grounds that any pitch aimed squarely at a batter's legs could endanger his career. Angered by Kubek's comments, executives from Detroit's Chrysler Corporation, which sponsored NBC's telecasts, phoned then-Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn, who, in turn, called the network about the matter. [7]

On April 8, 1974, when Hank Aaron hit his record-breaking 715th career home run, Kubek, who was calling the game with Curt Gowdy and Joe Garagiola, criticized Bowie Kuhn on air for failing to be in attendance at Atlanta on that historic night. Kuhn later argued he had a prior engagement he could not break. [8]

In the 10th inning of Game 3 of the 1975 World Series, Cincinnati's César Gerónimo reached first base. Then, Boston catcher Carlton Fisk threw Ed Armbrister's bunt into center field. Kubek, on the NBC telecast, immediately charged that Armbrister interfered (with the attempted forceout), though home plate umpire Larry Barnett did not agree. After Joe Morgan drove in the game-winning run for the Reds in a 6–5 victory, Barnett blamed Kubek and Gowdy for inciting death threats against him. Later, Kubek got 1,000 letters dubbing him a Boston stooge.

In 1978, Kubek had said of New York Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner that "He's got an expensive toy. Baseball's tough enough without an owner harassing you." In a Sports Illustrated article published May 27, 1991, on the Yankees' bad season, he would go on to criticize Steinbrenner once again by saying, "George's legacy is not the World Series winners of '77 and '78 or having the best record of any team in the '80s, his legacy is these past five seasons—teams with worse and worse records culminating in last year's last-place finish." Kubek also added, "George talked a lot about tradition, but it was all phony, it was just him trying to be part of the tradition. You can't manufacture tradition in a plastic way. You have to have a certain class to go with it."

With Bob Costas

The team of Kubek and Bob Costas (backing up [9] Vin Scully and Joe Garagiola and later, Tom Seaver) proved to be a formidable pair. Costas was praised by fans for both his reverence and irreverence while Kubek was praised for his technical approach and historical perspective. One of the pair's most memorable broadcasts was the "(Ryne) Sandberg Game" (between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago's Wrigley Field) on June 23, 1984. In the ninth inning, the Cubs, trailing 9–8, faced the premier relief pitcher of the time, Bruce Sutter. Sandberg, then not known for his power, slugged a home run to left field against the Cardinals' ace closer. Despite this dramatic act, the Cardinals scored two runs in the top of the tenth. Sandberg came up again in the tenth inning, facing a determined Sutter with one man on base. Sandberg then shocked the national audience by hitting a second home run, even farther into the left field bleachers, to tie the game again. The Cubs went on to win in the 11th inning. [10] When Sandberg hit that second home run, Costas said, "Do you believe it?!" The Cardinals' Willie McGee also hit for the cycle in the same game. [11]

Kubek and Costas, who had worked together since 1983 (calling four American League Championship Series: 1983, 1985, 1987, and 1989), called the final edition (the 981st overall) of NBC's Game of the Week, which aired on September 30, 1989. That game featured the Toronto Blue Jays (Kubek was the broadcaster, from 1977 to 1989 for the Blue Jays) beating the Baltimore Orioles 4–3 to clinch the AL East title at SkyDome.

When the subject came up of NBC losing the rights to televising Major League Baseball for the first time since 1946, Kubek said, "I can't believe it!" The final broadcast for Kubek and Costas as a team was Game 5 of the 1989 American League Championship Series (October 8), also at SkyDome, where the Oakland Athletics won to advance to the World Series. [12]

MSG Network and retirement

When NBC lost its baseball TV rights to CBS after the 1989 season, Kubek left the national scene, joining the Yankees' local cable-TV announcing team (which earned Kubek US$525,000 a year).[ citation needed ]

Kubek spent five years calling games for the Yankees (1990–1994) on the MSG Network with Dewayne Staats, where he earned fans and critics' respect for his honesty. After 1994, Kubek effectively quit broadcasting. [13] He explained his sudden retirement from sportscasting by saying:

I hate what the game's become—the greed, the nastiness. You can be married to baseball, give your heart to it, but when it starts taking over your soul, it's time to say 'whoa'.

Kubek added, "I want to go home and spend more time with my family. They deserve it more than anyone. I don't need that ego stuff. I feel sorry for those who do." In a 2008 New York Times article, Kubek claimed not to have seen a major league game since his retirement from broadcasting. [14]

Kubek lives in Appleton, Wisconsin, and is a supporter of the Fox Valley Lutheran High School and its baseball team. [15] The National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame on June 20, 2019, named its inaugural Excellence in Media Award the Tony Kubek Award and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN was honored.

Ford C. Frick Award

On December 22, 2008, Tony Kubek was named the recipient of the 2009 Ford C. Frick Award, an honor bestowed on broadcasters by the Baseball Hall of Fame. [16]

Kubek was selected for the honor by a committee of 15 prior Frick Award winners and five broadcast historians and columnists. [17] He became the first Frick Award winner whose broadcast career was solely in television, and the first to have called games for a Canadian team, the Toronto Blue Jays, from 1977 to 1989. [16]

In that regard he was named to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, in St. Marys, Ontario, in the Class of 2016.

Politics

Kubek is a Democrat. In 1976, he declined to go to South Carolina to campaign for former teammate Bobby Richardson, a Republican, who lost a close race for the U.S. House of Representatives to incumbent Democrat Kenneth Holland by a 51% to 48% margin. [18]

See also

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On June 23, 1984, the Chicago Cubs took on the St. Louis Cardinals in a Major League Baseball contest that saw Willie McGee hit for the cycle, but Ryne Sandberg hit two home runs—in the ninth and tenth innings—to propel the Cubs to a 12–11 victory. The Cubs overcame deficits of 7–1, 9–3, and 11–9 as Sandberg hit a pair of game-tying home runs in late-inning action, both off ex-Cubs ace Bruce Sutter. NBC play-by-play announcer Bob Costas, who called the game with Tony Kubek, is remembered for saying "Do you believe it?!" when Sandberg hit the second home run. The game is known as The Sandberg Game.

References

  1. ↑ Most sources have cited 1936 as Kubek's year of birth, but his Topps 1957 baseball card (visible here Archived October 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine ) shows his year of birth as 1935 which shows that Tony C Kubek was born on October 12, 1935
  2. ↑ Maglie, Sal (October 14, 1957). "Braves' New World". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Tony Kubek « National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame and Museum". Archived from the original on August 15, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
  4. ↑ McDonald, James. "Lou Maguolo". sabr.org. Society of American Baseball Research (SABR). Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Harold Friend. "How Did Tony Kubek Break His Neck?". Bleacher Report . Retrieved December 25, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Wancho, Joseph. "Tony Kubek". sabr.org. SABR. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  7. ↑ Smith, Curt (1992). Voices of the Game . New York: Fireside. p.  433. ISBN   0-671-73848-8.
  8. ↑ Anderson, Dave (May 4, 2006). "Controversy and the Commissioner Followed Aaron, Too". The New York Times.
  9. ↑ "History of #1 analyst demotions". Classic Sports TV and Media. February 18, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  10. ↑ The Top 20 Cub HR Of All Time—No. 4 Ryne Sandberg 6/23/1984—Bleed Cubbie Blue Archived 2012-03-20 at the Wayback Machine .
  11. ↑ Woodley, Christopher. "June 23, 1984: The Ryne Sandberg Game". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report, Inc. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Coming to you from WKEN". forums.recordonline.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2009. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  13. ↑ Sandomir, Richard (September 20, 1994). "TV SPORTS; Kubek Goes Home, With the Last Word". The New York Times.
  14. ↑ Araton, Harvey (July 22, 2008). "Kubek's New Life". The New York Times.
  15. ↑ Proeber, Sarah. "News & Media". Wels.net. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
  16. 1 2 "Kubek Named 2009 Ford C. Frick Winner" (Press release). National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. December 9, 2008. Archived from the original on December 12, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
  17. ↑ "Record set for online fan votes; winner to be announced Dec. 9" (Press release). National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. October 6, 2008. Archived from the original on October 8, 2008. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
  18. ↑ Halberstam, David (1995). October 1964. Random House Digital, Inc. pp. 366–67. ISBN   0-449-98367-6.
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Major League Baseball on NBC
1969 – 1982 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Lead color commentator,
Major League Baseball Game of the Week
1969 – 1982 		Succeeded by
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Major League Baseball Game of the Week
1983 – 1989 		Succeeded by
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