John And Suzyn Should Be The Hall Of Fame's First "National Voices" Frick Award Winner

I have no objections to any of the finalists for this year's crop of Current Major League Markets broadcasters--but there is one giant omission.  

Two, actually.

John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

Our favorite hometown team didn't make the cut.

What's worse is that "the three-year Frick Award election cycle" calls for next year's election to focus on National Voices (broadcasters whose contributions were realized on a national level) before 2021 awards the Broadcasting Beginnings category (early team voices and pioneers of baseball broadcasting).

That means the Current Major League Markets category won't be up again until 2022.

That's too damn long to wait, if you ask me.

Who among us can honestly say that John Sterling isn't a National Voice and, thus, eligible for consideration next year?  The same goes for Suzyn Waldman. 

I never lived anywhere closer to New York City than Binghamton but I have listened to Ma and Pa call games from sea to shining sea (gladly paying $19.99 a year).  I'm not the only one here who knows what it feels like to be alone on the road for work, away from your family.  That itch ain't being scratched by the local TV broadcast of [INSERT TEAM HERE].  But no matter where I was, I could tune in to John and Suzyn and I felt that much closer to home. 

Isn't that the definition of a National Voice?

And can you really think of John and Suzyn as indivdual nominees?  Forced to choose one without the other?

Neither can I.

The Hall tells us that the criteria for selection are "Commitment to excellence, quality of broadcasting abilities, reverence within the game, popularity with fans, and recognition by peers." 

John and Suz check every box. 

Readers of this page may recall my prior push to build a National Monument to John Sterling, which remains pending at this time.  I would link to it if I could figure out how.

But this is different.  It makes no sense to me that only one person may win the award each year, just like the three-year election cycle makes no sense to me.  Isn't there enough room in Cooperstown for all deserving broadcasters?

Isn't there a place in Cooperstown for John Sterling AND Suzyn Waldman?

I hereby call upon all good people to join me in urging the Board of Directors to add John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman to the 2020 National Voices ballot.  As a team.

Whatever your political stripes, all of us can support this ballot initiative in 2020.