Denny Matthews
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| Denny Matthews | |
| Born | November 14, 1942 Bloomington, Illinois, USA |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Sportscaster |
| Website www.kansascityroyals.com |
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Denny Matthews (born November 14, 1942) is an American sportscaster, best known as the radio play-by-play voice of Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals since their inception in 1969. He currently shares those radio duties with Bob Davis, among others.
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[edit] Early history
Matthews grew up in Bloomington, Illinois, and attended Illinois Wesleyan University, where he played baseball and football, and belonged to the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He worked for local radio and television stations in Peoria and St. Louis before his hiring by the Royals. Matthews also called baseball events for the national CBS Radio Network in the 1980s.
[edit] Broadcast career
Denny has broadcast the Royals since their inception in 1969. The original broadcast team for the Royals was Matthews and Bud Blattner. From the 1974 season to 1998 – a stretch that includes the best seasons in the Royals' history – Matthews was paired with Fred White. In 1999, the two also teamed up to write a book called Play by Play: 25 Years of Royals on Radio, which recounts anecdotes from those seasons. In 1999, the Royals fired White and replaced him with the younger Ryan Lefebvre. Despite a tremendous age difference, Matthews and Lefebvre integrated their styles well and their dry wit and rapport became popular with Royals fans.
Matthews' broadcasts and longevity have made him a popular figure in Kansas City. Baseball historian and statistician Bill James is among his fans.
| “ | His voice has a pleasant timbre which suggests a cheerful occasion. His inflection varies naturally so it's neither falsely enthusiastic nor boring. He has a dry, understated humor that drifts through much of his audience undetected. One cannot learn these things at a microphone; they are given. | ” |
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- — Bill James
[edit] Awards
On February 23, 2007 Baseball Hall of Fame Veterans Committee announced that Matthews would receive its Ford C. Frick Award on July 29, 2007.[1] [2]
[edit] Bibliography
- Denny Matthews, Fred White, and Matt Fulks (1999). Play by Play: 25 Years of Royals on Radio (ISBN 1-886110-78-6)
[edit] References
- ^ Lifetime achievement (sic) last accessed February 23, 2007.
- ^ Royals announcer Matthews wins Ford C. Frick Award last accessed February 23, 2007.
[edit] External links
Baseball Hall of Fame page* [1]
| Preceded by None |
Voice of the Royals 1969 – Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Gene Elston |
Ford C. Frick Award 2007 |
Succeeded by Dave Niehaus |
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Denny Matthews |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | The Voice of the Kansas City Royals |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | radio play-by-play voice of Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 14, 1942 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bloomington, Illinois, United States of America |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
