Tom Cheek

Tom Cheek
File:Tomcheek.JPG Tom Cheek's plaque at Dunedin Stadium, Florida
Born	June 13, 1939 Pensacola, Florida
Died	October 9, 2005(2005-10-09) (aged 66) Oldsmar, Florida
Alma mater	Cambridge School of Broadcasting
Occupation	Toronto Blue Jays radio sportscaster
Spouse	Shirley Cheek

Thomas F. Cheek (June 13, 1939 - October 9, 2005) was an American sportscaster.

Tom, best known as the "Voice of the Blue Jays", announced Major League Baseball games for the Toronto Blue Jays on radio from the team's establishment in 1977 until his retirement in 2004, in which he had a 27-year consecutive game streak of 4,306 consecutive games plus 41 post-season games called, which lasted from the first ever Blue Jays game in 1977 to June 3, 2004. Cheek was inducted to the Blue Jays Level of Excellence in 2005 and has since then been nominated numerous times for the Ford C. Frick Award.

Cheek's best-known call was perhaps his description of Joe Carter's dramatic title-clinching home run in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series, when he said, "Touch 'em all, Joe! You'll never hit a bigger home run in your life!" He is also author of the book Road to Glory, which chronicled the first 16 years of Blue Jays baseball.

Biography

Early life

Born and raied in the west side of Pensacola, Florida, Cheek, an avid sports fan, was introduced to his first tape recorder at the age of 14, which would lay the foundations for his future in broadcasting. From 1957 to 1960, he served in the US Air Force where he was introduced to the Yankees broadcaster Red Barber. Following his discharge from the armed forces in 1960, Cheek attended the Cambridge School of Broadcasting in Boston, Massachusetts for two years from which his broadcasting years would start from.

Early Broadcasting years

Cheek began his radio broadcasting career in Plattsburgh, New York as a Disc jockey on WEAV in 1962. He then moved to Burlington, Vermont where he worked for WDOT and was quickly promoted to corporate sales manager and sports director. He later moved from music to sports broadcasting when he moved to WJOY where his on-air sports work included baseball, basketball, football, and hockey for the University of Vermont. During this time, in 1968, he was almost hired to be the first broadcaster for the newly formed Atlanta Hawks of the NBA, only to lose out to Skip Caray.

At the same time, the newly formed Montreal Expos were looking for a second announcer to compliment their primary play-by-play man, Dave Van Horne. Burlington, being only 99 miles from Montreal, although traditionally a Boston Red Sox town, were warming up to the new expansion team. It was later decided that the Expos would go with a guest announcer format, and this is where Cheek would get his first broadcast experience of Major League Baseball, where he filled in occasionally until 1976.

Toronto Blue Jays

Beginning in 1977, Cheek became the first full-time announcer for the Toronto Blue Jays alongside his first broadcast partner, Early Wynn who remained with him through the end of 1980. Wynn was replaced by Jerry Howarth in 1981. For the next 23 years, "Tom and Jerry" would be the radio voice of the Blue Jays. Their partnership covered the rise of the Blue Jays through the 1980s, culminating with back to back World Series Championships in 1992 and 1993. The team was joined by color commentator Gary Matthews in 2000 and 2001.

Cheek, along with Howarth, were perhaps the most respected Toronto sports broadcaster of the era. Cheek's Blue Jays broadcasts originated from Toronto's CKFH "The Fan" 1430, a station that was founded by another legendary Toronto sports broadcaster, Foster Hewitt. For a brief period, his broadcast was heard on 1050 CHUM, but following the purchase of the Blue Jays by Rogers Communications, reverted back to "The Fan", which had changed its callsign and frequency to CJCL 590 AM, also known as the FAN 590.

Cheek called many memorable moments in Blue Jays history, including many firsts; the Blue Jays ALCS-clinching game in 1985 and both the final outs of the 1992 and 1993 World Series, the latter which spawned his famous "Touch 'em all, Joe" quote, when Joe Carter clinched the World Series on a walk-off home run, only the second to happen in World Series history.

The Streak

Tom Cheek's name on the Blue Jays Level of Excellence.

Cheek announced every single Blue Jays game from the first game on April 7, 1977 until June 3, 2004, when he took two games off following the death of his father - a streak of 4,306 consecutive regular season games and 41 postseason games. During the 2004 season, the Jays raised a banner to SkyDome's (now the Rogers Centre) "Level of Excellence" bearing his name and, in place of a jersey number, 4,306 - his streak of straight regular-season broadcasts, an incredible feat.

Other Broadcasting activities

Outside of his Blue Jays broadcasts, Cheek was also a member of the broadcast team for ABC Sports at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid and the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.

Illness and death

Following his father's funeral, Cheek quickly returned to the booth, but was shortly thereafter forced to take further time off after undergoing surgery on June 12, 2004 to remove a brain tumor. Cheek was able to call some Blue Jays home games at the end of the 2004 season after his surgery, but he was replaced on the road by various guest announcers.

It seemed Cheek had recovered and would call the Jays games in 2005. But the cancer returned and he had treatment at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital and at the Toronto Western Hospital. Cheek did sit in with new commentator Warren Sawkiw and Howarth to call an inning of the Blue Jays' 2005 opening game, played in Tampa Bay.

Cheek died at age 66 in Oldsmar, Florida, and was buried in Clearwater, Florida on October 14, 2005 with his wife Shirley, three children and seven grandchildren present.

Personal Life

Cheek married his wife, Shirley, of Hemmingford, Quebec in 1959. They had three children, Jeff, Shirley, and Tom and seven grandchildren at the time of his death. While in the Toronto area, he made his home in Burlington, Ontario along with Clearwater, Florida during the winter.

Awards and Honors

Cheek was inducted into the Blue Jays Level of Excellence in 2005 with the number "4306" next to his name, signifying his streak. The Canadian Sports Hall of Fame established the "Tom Cheek Media Leadership Award" shortly before his death, for "playing a key role in promoting Canadian sports." Cheek was awarded the first award. During the 2006 season, the Blue Jays wore a white circular badge with the letters TC and a microphone in black beside the letters on their sleeve, in tribute to Cheek.

For six straight years (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010), Cheek was named among the ten finalists for the Ford C. Frick Award by the Baseball Hall of Fame. The award is presented each year, during the Hall of Fame's induction ceremonies, to a broadcaster for "major contributions to baseball."

Memorable Calls

• On October 2, 1991, Cheek described the Blue Jays' win of the AL East this way:

Roberto Alomar has stolen his fifty-third base. A fly ball will win it now. Joe Carter at the plate. The winning run--the American League championship--ninety feet away. The pitch--a swing--and a base hit! And the Blue Jays are the champs! The Blue Jays are the champs of the American League East!

• On October 24, 1992 Cheek called the Blue Jays' first World Series championship

Timlin to the belt... Pitch on the way... And there's a bunted ball, first base side, Timlin to Carter and the Blue Jays win it! The Blue Jays win it! The Blue Jays are World Series Champions!

• On October 23, 1993, Cheek called the Jays' back-to-back World Series championship with his famous call:

Joe has had his moments. Trying to lay off that ball, low to the outside part of the plate, he just went after one. Two balls and two strikes on him. Here's the pitch on the way, a swing and a belt! Left field! Way back! BLUE JAYS WIN IT! The Blue Jays are World Series Champions as Joe Carter hits a three run home run in the ninth inning and the Blue Jays have repeated as World Series! Touch em' all Joe! You'll never hit a bigger home run in your life!

Bibliography

• Cheek, Tom (1993). Road to Glory: An Insider's Look at 16 Years of Blue Jays Baseball. Los Angeles: Warwick. ISBN 1895629160. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

External links

• Tom Cheek a finalist for Hall of Fame
• (MP3 download of Tom Cheek calling Carter's home run)