Denny Matthews
This poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. )Find sources: "Denny Matthews" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2022) |
Denny Matthews | |
---|---|
Born | Play-by-play | November 14, 1942
Sport | Major League Baseball |
Dennis Matthews (born November 14, 1942
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.
Broadcast career
Matthews has broadcast for the Royals since their inception in 1969, when he was the sidekick to
In 1999, the Royals fired White and replaced him with the younger Ryan Lefebvre.[2] Despite a tremendous age difference, Matthews and Lefebvre integrated their styles well and their dry wit and rapport became popular with Royals fans.
In 2008, Matthews cut back on his broadcast schedule, traveling to fewer road games, turning many of those chores over to
Matthews' broadcasts and longevity have made him a popular figure in Kansas City. Baseball historian and statistician Bill James is among his fans, and has written:
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.[3][full citation needed]
Since the retirement of the Los Angeles Dodgers' longtime English-language announcer Vin Scully and Spanish-language broadcaster Jaime Jarrín (who called that team's games from 1950–2016 and 1959–2022 respectively), Matthews' tenure with the Royals is the longest continuous tenure with one team among active Major League Baseball announcers.[4] In January 2015, Matthews signed a contract extension to keep him calling Royals games through his and the team's 50th season in 2018.[5] He signed a new contract in 2018 and continues to call games as of the 2023 season.[6]
Awards
Matthews was inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame in 2004
Bibliography
- Denny Matthews, Fred White, and Matt Fulks (1999). Play by Play: 25 Years of Royals on Radio (ISBN 1-886110-78-6)
References
- ^ Smith, Curt. "Denny Matthews". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ Christopher, Jr., Hearne. "Hearne: 'Cancer' Ends Fred White's Time with Royals". kcconfidential.com. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ The Bill James Baseball Abstract, 1983
- ^ Kaneko, Gemma. "Who is the longest-tenured current broadcaster for every club?". mlb.com. MLB Advanced Media, LP. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ "Royals broadcaster Denny Matthews' new contract ties him to team through 50th season". The Kansas City Star. January 31, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
- ^ Pepper, Philip (28 September 2022). "Sportscasters who are turning 80 in 2022; Sports week in history; Nugget on Maury Wills who passed recently". sportsbroadcastjournal.com. Sports Broadcast Journal. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
- ^ "Members | Hall of Fame | Kansas City Royals".
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-11-28. Retrieved 2013-08-24.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Lifetime achievement (sic) last accessed February 23, 2007.
- ^ Royals announcer Matthews wins Ford C. Frick Award last accessed February 23, 2007.
External links
- Denny Matthews Ford C. Frick Award biography at the National Baseball Hall of Fame