We Support Rene’ Cardenas
for the
2015 Ford C. Frick Award
The Ford C Frick Award for 2015 could go next year to the man who broadcast the first Spanish-language baseball games in big league history back in 1958 for the Los Angeles Dodgers. His name is Rene’ Cardenas, the same man who took over the Spanish-language Play-By-Play broadcasting for the Houston Colt .45’s/Astros in their first 1962 season. The Nicaraguan-native later worked for the Texas Rangers before returning to the Astros in 2007. At age 84/85, depending upon the actuality of his poorly recorded birth year, makes Cardenas and Dick Enberg the only two living candidates for this next Frick Award by the Baseball Hall of Fame at the Summer of 2015 Cooperstown induction ceremony.
Over the years, Rene’ Cardenas has been a landmark trailblazer for extending the sounds of major league baseball to millions in the Spanish-speaking world that otherwise would have missed the thrill of how it feels to follow the action of big league ball as it unfolds to the ear, play-by-play. It wold be impossible to calculate how many extra fans were attracted to baseball because of Rene – or to really know how many Spanish-speaking athletes were encouraged to the pursuit of MLB careers because of the fire they felt from his words over the airways. His leadership and participation with the Astros in spreading the Spanish-language voice of the game to Central and South America only amplifies the possible reach of his influence upon others who only speak Spanish.
The Ford C Frick Award for Broadcasting is determined each year by a vote among the living survivors chosen for the honor in previous years. Cardenas ought to get support from Houston’s two previous Frick winners, Milo Hamilton (1992) and Gene Elston (2006). He may also get some electoral help from the great Vin Scully (1982) of the Dodgers, His problem comes from the fact that he’s up against a deceased list of famous men who are on the ballot this year. The downside for dead men candidates is that they don’t draw crowds to Cooperstown nor do they make memorable or witty acceptance speeches.
The two living and eight deceased nominees for the 2015 Ford C. Frick Award are: Richie Ashburn, Billy Berroa, Rene’ Cardenas, Dizzy Dean, Dick Enberg, Ernie Johnson, Sr., Ralph Kiner, Ned Martin, Joe Nuxhall, and Jack Quinlan.
Rene’ Cardenas was a previously unsuccessful candidate for “The Frick” in 2011 and 2012, but he was inducted into the “Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum” Hall of Fame in 2002. And The Pecan Park Eagle strongly believes that his trailblazing influence as the pioneer and ongoing strong influence of play-by-play broadcasting to the Spanish-speaking world sets him apart and above all other candidates this year, no matter how famous they were as players or longevity broadcasters.
Do You Want to Help Rene’ Cardenas? If you know any of the previous Ford C. Frick winners, or even if you don’t, and you wish to support Rene’ Cardenas for the honor, find a way to send the voters an e-mail or old-fashioned letter of support for Rene’ prior to the December 2014 vote they will be taking on next year’s choice. A list of all previous winners, dead and alive, is available at the following links (We do not have their contact info, but if you get it, please post it below as a comment on this post):
http://baseballhall.org/awards/ford-c-frick
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_C._Frick_Award
Have a nice weekend, everybody!
The Pecan Park Eagle 
October 4, 2014 at 6:42 pm |
2007! IS he still working Bill?
October 5, 2014 at 7:02 pm |
Mark – According to Greg Lucas, Rene’ Cardenas no longer broadcasts, but he has been continuing to cover the Astros for a local Spanish-language newspaper for quite some time. Greg says he saw Rene’ in the press box all the time when he (Lucas) was still working for FOX.