1.
Houston Astros
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The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros are members of the American League West division in Major League Baseball, the Astros have played their home games at Minute Maid Park since 2000. The Astros were established as the Houston Colt. 45s and entered the National League in 1962 with the expansion New York Mets. The current name—reflecting Houstons role as the center of the U. S. space program—was adopted three years later, when they moved into the Astrodome, the worlds first domed sports stadium. The Astros played in the NL from 1962 to 2012 and they played in the West division from 1969 to 1993, and the Central division from 1994 to 2012. The Astros have played in one World Series in 2005 against the Chicago White Sox, from 1888 until 1961, Houstons professional baseball club was the minor league Houston Buffaloes. Although expansion from the National League eventually brought an MLB team to Texas in 1962, Houston officials had been making efforts to do so for years prior. There were four men responsible for bringing Major League Baseball to Houston, George Kirksey and Craig Cullinan. They formed the Houston Sports Association as their vehicle for attaining a big league franchise for the city of Houston and they called the new league the Continental League. Wanting to protect potential new markets, both existing leagues chose to expand from eight teams to ten, however, plans eventually fell through for the Houston franchise after the Houston Buffaloes owner, Marty Marion, could not come to an agreement with the HSA to sell the team. To make matters worse, the Continental League as a whole folded in August 1960, however, on October 17,1960, the National League granted an expansion franchise to the Houston Sports Association in which their team could begin play in the 1962 season. Eventually, the Houston Sports Association succeeded in purchasing the Houston Buffaloes, at this point majority-owned by William Hopkins, the Buffs played one last minor league season as the top farm team of the Chicago Cubs in 1961 before being succeeded by the citys NL club. The new Houston team was named the Colt. 45s after a Name The Team contest was won by William Irving Neder, the Colt.45 was well known as the gun that won the west. The colors selected were blue and orange. The first team was formed mostly through a draft after the 1961 season. The Colt. 45s and their cousins, the New York Mets. Many of those associated with the Houston Buffaloes organization were allowed by the ownership to continue in the major league, Manager Harry Craft, who had joined Houston in 1961, remained in the same position for the team until the end of the 1964 season. General manager Spec Richardson also continued with the organization as business manager, similarly, the radio broadcasting team remained with the new Houston major league franchise
2.
Major League Baseball
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Major League Baseball is a professional baseball organization, the oldest of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. A total of 30 teams now play in the National League and American League, the NL and AL operated as separate legal entities from 1876 and 1901 respectively. After cooperating but remaining legally separate entities since 1903, the merged into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball in 2000. The organization also oversees Minor League Baseball, which comprises about 240 teams affiliated with the Major League clubs, with the World Baseball Softball Confederation, MLB manages the international World Baseball Classic tournament. Baseballs first professional team was founded in Cincinnati in 1869,30 years after Abner Doubleday supposedly invented the game of baseball, the first few decades of professional baseball were characterized by rivalries between leagues and by players who often jumped from one team or league to another. The period before 1920 in baseball was known as the dead-ball era, Baseball survived a conspiracy to fix the 1919 World Series, which came to be known as the Black Sox Scandal. The sport rose in popularity in the 1920s, and survived potential downturns during the Great Depression, shortly after the war, baseballs color barrier was broken by Jackie Robinson. The 1950s and 1960s were a time of expansion for the AL and NL, then new stadiums, Home runs dominated the game during the 1990s, and media reports began to discuss the use of anabolic steroids among Major League players in the mid-2000s. In 2006, an investigation produced the Mitchell Report, which implicated many players in the use of performance-enhancing substances, today, MLB is composed of thirty teams, twenty-nine in the United States and one in Canada. Baseball broadcasts are aired on television, radio, and the Internet throughout North America, MLB has the highest season attendance of any sports league in the world with more than 73 million spectators in 2015. MLB is governed by the Major League Baseball Constitution and this document has undergone several incarnations since 1875, with the most recent revisions being made in 2012. Under the direction of the Commissioner of Baseball, MLB hires and maintains the sports umpiring crews, and negotiates marketing, labor, MLB maintains a unique, controlling relationship over the sport, including most aspects of Minor League Baseball. This ruling has been weakened only slightly in subsequent years, the weakened ruling granted more stability to the owners of teams and has resulted in values increasing at double-digit rates. There were several challenges to MLBs primacy in the sport between the 1870s and the Federal League in 1916, the last attempt at a new league was the aborted Continental League in 1960. The chief executive of MLB is the commissioner, Rob Manfred, the chief operating officer is Tony Petitti. There are five other executives, president, chief officer, chief legal officer, chief financial officer. The multimedia branch of MLB, which is based in Manhattan, is MLB Advanced Media and this branch oversees MLB. com and each of the 30 teams websites. Its charter states that MLB Advanced Media holds editorial independence from the league, MLB Productions is a similarly structured wing of the league, focusing on video and traditional broadcast media
3.
Kojima Productions
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Kojima Productions Co. Ltd. is a Japanese video game development studio founded in 2005 by video game designer Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear series. The company was established as a subsidiary of Konami, located in Tokyo. The studio had just under 100 employees in 2005, but had grown to over 200 people for the development of Metal Gear Solid 4, in 2015, Kojima Productions temporarily disbanded following a company restructuring at Konami. In December 2015, Kojimas employment contract with Konami was officially terminated, the studio was formed on April 1,2005, after Konami merged several of its subsidiaries including Kojimas team at Konami Computer Entertainment Japan. Kojima stated the merger relieved him of business management and administrative burdens he had as KCEJs vice president, and that as head of Kojima Productions he could focus on creating games. He stated, To elaborate a little bit more, I am now in a position within Konami as one of the members of the board, and its true that I do have a responsibility, and also respect, within the company. However, when I say as a creator, I want to create new game. People still ask, will sell, will that be good. Nobody really understands whether it would be an instant hit or whatever, im not just talking about the top executives, but even the development staff. But that is my challenge, actually and they do not understand what they cannot see instantly, so they cant say thats a great idea straight away. Thats my challenge, and my satisfaction when I present to them, and if I get more boos about it - if they say, No. We dont know youre talking about. Then this is actually the fun part, the company completed and released Metal Gear Solid, HD Collection, a compilation of Metal Gear Solid 2,3 and Peace Walker. They also released Metal Gear Solid, Snake Eater 3D for the Nintendo 3DS as a port of the original game Metal Gear Solid 3, Snake Eater. In early 2014, they released Metal Gear Solid V, Ground Zeroes as a prologue to Metal Gear Solid V, The Phantom Pain, which was released in 2015. These actions led to speculation that Kojima was planning on leaving the company after the release of The Phantom Pain, on March 19, an anonymous employee reported to GameSpot that these changes were a result of conflicts between Kojima and Konami. A Konami spokesperson denied that Kojima was leaving the company, and stated that he would still be involved with Konami and the Metal Gear franchise. Kojima himself confirmed in a statement that he was still 100% involved in the completion of The Phantom Pain, MGS V voice actress Donna Burke claimed in a posting on Twitter that Kojima had actually been fired, although Konami denied these claims and Burke revoked her statement
4.
Al Helfer
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George Alvin Al Helfer was an American radio sportscaster. Nicknamed Mr. Radio Baseball, Helfer worked seven World Series, ten All-Star Games, and regular season broadcasts for several teams and he also did the broadcast of the Army–Navy Game during the 1940s and 1950s, and several Rose Bowl games. Helfer was born in Elrama, Pennsylvania and he started working on broadcasting recreations of baseball games in 1933 for Pittsburgh Pirates games. He joined Red Barber as the regular broadcast team of the Cincinnati Reds in 1935 and he left Cincinnati to join CBS in 1937, working a few baseball games and a lot of football games. Helfer was reunited with Barber on the Brooklyn Dodgers broadcasts in 1939 and they worked together until 1941, when Helfer joined the U. S. Navy during World War II. When he returned the Dodgers job was no longer available, so Helfer started doing Game of the Day broadcasts for Mutual and he was paired with Dizzy Dean on the networks broadcasts in the early 1950s, though the two men often argued and never got along. He did eventually rejoin the Dodgers for their last years in Brooklyn, calling their home game. He worked a number of teams after that, including the Houston Colt. 45s, Denver Broncos and his second wife was vaudeville performer Ramona, they married on 14 June 1944, and stayed together until her death in December 1972. The following June, he married Sacramento resident Margaret Grabbe, to whom he remained married until his death and he died, aged 63, in Sacramento, California. Major League Baseball All-Star Game World Series Catfish Hunters 1968 perfect game Excerpt from Baseballs 101 All-Time Best Announcers book Baseball Library bio The Golden Voices of Baseball book
5.
Mickey Herskowitz
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Mickey Herskowitz was born as Milton Leon Herskowitz on April 4,1933, in Houston, Texas to Herbert S. and Sarah Rheva Herskowitz, perhaps most notable as the former ghost writer to George W. Bush. He has written more than 30 books and has worked on autobiographies with several athletes and he also was a sportswriter and columnist for the Houston Post and the Houston Chronicle. Herskowitzs father was born to Czech parents in Illinois, who relocated to El Paso and his mother was born in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, but had also lived in Matamoras, Mexico before relocating to Texas, where she met and married Herbert in 1930. He had a sister named Phyllis Florence Herskowitz. He asked Herskowitz to ghostwrite it for him, after agreeing to write The Camera Never Blinks with Dan Rather, other projects were delayed because of the pressure to finish the Rather book. Herskowitz held many meetings with the then-Texas Governor George W, the contract that both parties signed ensured the proceeds would be split between the two. The publisher of the book was William Morrow and Company, Herskowitz was given unprecedented access to Bush, met him around 20 times to discuss the project. Work on the began in May 1999, and within two months Herskowitz had completed all chapters, and submitted ten. Herskowitz was replaced after Bushs handlers decided that the candidates views, Herskowitz once said of his former employer, He thought of himself as a superior, more modern politician than his father and Jim Baker. He told me, ‘ could have done anything, if I had that political capital, I would have taken Iraq. In response to Astroturf replacing the grass inside the Astrodome, Herskowitz commented, Now Houston has the only ballpark in the major leagues with its own built-in. In 1972, Herskowitz covered the tragedy at the Munich Olympics and he was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997, and was the 3rd annual recipient of the Jimmy Wynn Toy Cannon Award in 2006, for community service. He was known for his occasional series Letters from Lefty about a mythical southpaw pitcher for the lowly Houston Colt. 45s and he was hapless, only getting through an inning by the miraculous fielding plays of his team or simply pure luck. Leftys style of writing was self-effacing and his ability backed it up, the best of these columns were compiled into a book that was popular locally in Houston. Herskowitz covered the first game in 1962 played by the Colt. 45s, who later became the Houston Astros
6.
Harry Kalas
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Harold Norbert Kalas was an American sportscaster, best known for his Ford C. Frick Award-winning role as lead announcer for Major League Baseballs Philadelphia Phillies. Kalas was also identified with the National Football League, serving as a voice-over narrator for NFL Films productions. Kalas collapsed in the Washington Nationals broadcast booth on April 13,2009, about an hour before a Phillies game was scheduled to begin against the Nationals, and died soon afterward. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Kalas graduated from Naperville High School in 1954, upon graduation, he was immediately drafted into the United States Army and stationed in Hawaii. After his discharge in 1961, Kalas began calling minor-league baseball games for the Hawaii Islanders, Kalas had three sons, Todd, Brad, and Kane. Todd Kalas was a Phillies broadcaster, worked as a pregame/postgame–show host, Kalas made his major-league debut in 1965 with the Houston Astros, replacing Al Helfer and working alongside Gene Elston and Loel Passe. He called the first game at Houstons Astrodome, on April 12,1965 and he was hired by the Phillies in 1971 to succeed Bill Campbell, and was the master of ceremonies at the 1971 opening of Veterans Stadium. After the retirement of By Saam, Kalas was paired with Andy Musser, during his Phillies career, he called six no-hit games, six National League Championship Series, and three World Series. However, due to MLB rules at the time, he could not call the 1980 World Series, as local broadcasters were not allowed to call due to contract conflicts with MLB, NBC. Public outcry caused MLB to change its policies the following year, Kalas also called the first game at Veterans Stadium, the last game at Veterans Stadium, and the first game at Citizens Bank Park. Kalas was sidelined for a few days in late July 2008 to treat a detached retina, on April 8,2009, the Phillies honored Kalas by having him throw out the first pitch before a game against the Atlanta Braves. Kalass pitch was part of the ceremony in which the Phillies received their 2008 World Series championship rings. The ceremony would be part of Kalass last home game, on May 15,2009, during a series in Washington, the Phillies visited the White House and were congratulated by President Barack Obama for their 2008 World Series championship. The visit had been postponed from April 14, due to Kalass death the preceding day, the President mentioned Kalas, his voice, his love for the Phillies, and his legacy. This was the second of two tributes to Kalas in Washington, on April 21, eight days after Kalass death, then-U. S. Congressman Joe Sestak paid tribute to Kalas in the House of Representatives, at the time, Sestak represented Pennsylvanias 7th congressional district, where Kalas resided. Kalas and Ashburn became beloved figures in Philadelphia, and also became best friends and they worked together for 27 seasons until Ashburns death on September 9,1997 of a heart attack in his sleep in a New York City hotel room after broadcasting a Phillies/Mets game at Shea Stadium
7.
Bob Prince
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Prince was one of the most distinct and popular voices in sports broadcast history, known for his gravel voice, unabashed style and clever nicknames and phrases, which came to be known as Gunnerisms. His unique manner influenced a number of broadcasters after him, including Pittsburgh Penguins voice Mike Lange, Prince called Pirates games from 1948 to 1975, including the World Series championship years of 1960 and 1971. Nationally, Prince broadcast the 1960,1966, and 1971 World Series and he also broadcast at different times for other Pittsburgh-area sports teams, including Steelers football and Penguins hockey. Prince was born in Los Angeles and his father was a former West Point football player and a career military man. An Army brat, he attended many schools before graduating from Schenley High School in Pittsburgh, an athlete himself, he lettered in swimming at the University of Pittsburgh. Prince worked for radio station WJAS, then landed a sports show on KDKA-TV, Prince joined Rosey Rowswell in the Pirates broadcast booth as a commentator in 1948, and he was promoted to the top spot shortly after Rowswells death in February 1955. He also broadcast Pittsburgh Steelers and Penn State football in the 1950s, as a result of his distinct voice, knowledge of baseball, and high-profile persona, Prince was very popular among Pirates supporters. Prince was a fixture on team broadcasts for three decades on KDKA-AM, a clear channel station that could be heard throughout the eastern United States after sundown. A regular smoker and social drinker, the fun-loving Prince jumped from the floor of the Chase Hotel in St. Louis into a swimming pool in 1957. It was Woods who first referred to Prince as The Gunner, some say this was because of his staccato, rapid-fire style, others claim it was the result of an incident with a jealous, gun-toting husband. To be sure, no one bled black and gold like Prince did before or since, invariably, when his Buccos were trailing in the late innings by two runs, hed say, We need a bloop and a blast. If calling for three runs, he would say, We need a bleeder, a bloop and a blast. His partisanship slipped over into Woods style as well, and by the mid-60s, The Possum would be announcing the presence of pinch-hitter Jesse Gonder with, Prince was more of a rooter than a homer, in that he always showed respect to opponents and the game alike. Like the vast majority of broadcasters of his time, he rarely second-guessed players or managers and he was especially close friends with Milwaukee Braves pitchers Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette. In 1966, Prince popularized a good-luck charm known as the Green Weenie, never underestimate the power of the Green Weenie, he liked to assure listeners. At the height of the popularity in 1966, Prince often punctuated the last out of a Bucs victory by exclaiming. The pins shape and color is derived from the pickle shaped pins distributed to schoolchildren when they toured the H. J. Heinz Company factory in Pittsburgh. By late season, with the Pirates in a pennant race with the Dodgers and Giants
8.
Dewayne Staats
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Dewayne Staats is a sports broadcaster who has been the television play-by-play commentator for the Tampa Bay Rays since they began play in 1998. He is currently teamed with color commentator Brian Anderson, Staats has been a broadcaster for several teams over his 30+ year career. Staats was born in Advance, Missouri and moved at some point in his youth to Wood River, Illinois, Staats regularly listened to the St. Louis Cardinals baseball broadcasts, featuring Harry Caray and Jack Buck. He graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 1975 with a degree in Mass Communications, Staats began announcing professional baseball with the Oklahoma City 89ers while still a student at SIUE. After graduation, he was director at KPLR-TV in St. Louis, then he worked for the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees. Staats first wife, Dee, died in 2005 after a battle with cancer. He has since remarried to the former Carla Berry and he has two daughters, Stephanie and Alexandra, from his first marriage. Stephanie is married to former MLB relief pitcher Dan Wheeler, Staats has three grandchildren, Gabriel, Zachary, and little Evie. With the Cubs, Staats called the first MLB night game in Wrigley Field history with Steve Stone on August 8,1988, although the game was canceled due to rain. Staats celebrated his 30th season as a Major League Baseball announcer in 2006, among the several no-hitters Staats has announced were Nolan Ryans record fifth on September 26,1981 and one-handed pitcher Jim Abbotts September 13,1993 no-no for the Yankees. Staats announced college football and college basketball games during his tenure at ESPN, only three players have hit a home run for their 3000th hit, Jeter, Boggs, and Alex Rodriguez. Staats announced each one except for A-Rods, as a promotion in 2006, dual talking bobblehead dolls of Staats and Joe Magrane were given away at a home game against the Seattle Mariners. The Dewayne Staats Award for Broadcast Journalism was established in 2008 by the Mass Communications Department at SIUE and this award recognizes a student who exhibits Staats’s passion for sports, and who demonstrates the writing, announcing and analytical skills needed to excel in the field of Sports Journalism. He was named recipient of the SIUE Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award in 1987 and he became a member of the SIUE Alumni Hall of Fame in 2006 and of the SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012. Staats has been nominated for the Ford C. Frick Award, the path to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Staats and his broadcast team have won multiple local Emmy awards from the Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
