For those involved in the years-long fight, seeing former Astros broadcaster Gene Elston elected as the 2006 Ford Frick recipient must have felt like planting a flag on the crown of Everest.
The effort to honor Mr. Elston for his outstanding service to the Astros organization certainly must have seemed like a class-five climb to those in the core group of believers: Lots of exhausting work, followed by damaging setbacks when they thought they were near the pinnacle, then finally, ultimate victory.
The online ballot presented this year brings no great struggle with it, brings no great injustice that needs to be righted, but still, it sure seems like a good idea if we would all vote for Bill Brown.
Brownie's 2007 season will be his 21st for Houston, and his career thus neatly dovetails with Elston's.
Brown had previously worked in the Reds organization when he took over television play-by-play duties from Jerry Trupiano in 1987. Since then, he has worked with color partners as diverse as Bill Worrell, Larry Dierker, Alan Ashby and Jim Deshaies, in each case meshing seamlessly with characters sometimes more flamboyant, but never more knowledgeable.
He is also the only broadcaster I've heard who makes a habit of pronouncing Carlo$ Beltrán's last name correctly. . . .
Might Brown still be a little young to receive his Ford Frick? Perhaps. But the fan-based nomination process allows us fans to punch his name once a day for the duration of the month of November, and seems to me, we should do that, see what happens. Certainly Brown's mellifluous and elegant style would not be out of place in the Broadcaster's Wing should we manage to get him elected.