With the Cardinals-Cubs series unfolding this weekend at Wrigley Field, the excellent 鈥淏aseball Voices鈥 audio series that Chicago broadcaster Pat Hughes has assembled to honor Hall of Fame announcers in the sport comes to mind.
He has produced 17 baseball-themed CDs, that is presented annually to a person selected for 鈥渃ommitment to excellence, quality of broadcasting abilities, reverence within the game, popularity with fans and recognition by peers.鈥
The series has a , with episodes on Harry Caray, Jack Buck and Bob Costas included as well as one about Milo Hamilton, who had a brief stint in town. There also is an installment on Bob Uecker, who never was a 狐狸视频 broadcaster but played on the Cardinals鈥 World Series-winning team in 1964 before becoming an iconic Milwaukee ball caller who developed a huge national presence in entertainment as well as baseball circles.
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What makes the CDs excel is that they are much more than mere highlight reels of the broadcasters鈥 key calls. They also tell the life story of each subject 鈥 good and bad. Plus, calls of other sports can be heard as extensive homework has been done in the production process.
But the 鈥淰oices鈥 have been silent since 2019, when Hughes released a two-disc set on Costas. That was the year before COVID-19 gripped the world.
鈥淭he pandemic put a little bit of a thorn in the project,鈥 Hughes said when he recently was in town to call a Cubs-Cards series.
But there is a bigger underlying reason for the hiatus: 鈥淭he change in the way (people), especially young people, buy their audio,鈥 he said.
鈥淭hey no longer buy CDs or cassettes 鈥 I own both still. And I still enjoy them. They are into the iPods, iPads, and I don鈥檛 know exactly how to produce something in that manner. But that鈥檚 not holding me back. If I want to do one, I will. I just haven鈥檛 done one in a few years. I鈥檝e been very busy. Life is good.鈥
Life is so good for Hughes that last year he joined the list of Frick winners and had his moment in Cooperstown.
He said he doesn鈥檛 have a person specifically in mind if he resumes the series.
鈥淚t鈥檚 called the 鈥楬all of Fame series,鈥 so if a man is a Hall of Famer, that would include him as a possibility,鈥 Hughes said.
What about himself?
鈥淚鈥檝e had a lot of people say, 鈥榃hen are you going to put one out on yourself?鈥欌 Hughes said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not my style.鈥
But he might consider helping if someone else would want to produce one.
鈥淭hat would be their business,鈥 he said.
Hughes鈥 voice also often is heard on commercials for Big Time Bats, a company that produces high-end decorative baseball bats to commemorate key moments in the sport.
But those outside ventures primarily are offseason endeavors.
鈥淚 kind of lose track of a lot of this stuff during the season,鈥 Hughes said. 鈥... Right now, I鈥檓 still wrapped up in traveling and preparing and performing each day at a big league ballgame. It鈥檚 very tough, getting to be older; it鈥檚 getting more difficult. I鈥檓 69 and I鈥檓 still going to pump out 145 games this year. So I鈥檝e got my hands full, but I do enjoy the 鈥楤aseball Voices.鈥欌
He has been calling Cubs games for nearly three decades as part of a big league broadcasting career that began in 1983 with the Twins and also includes a stint with the Brewers.
鈥淚 have great support, I enjoy it,鈥 Hughes said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great market, and I鈥檝e been there 29 years. I certainly want to go 30. Beyond that, I鈥檓 not sure. ... I don鈥檛 need a long-term deal.鈥
Legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully called games until retiring at age 88.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 see myself doing that ... but maybe I will,鈥 Hughes said. 鈥淲ho knows?鈥