Lost Ballparks

Best of Lost Ballparks: Tom Hamilton (HOF 2025)

• Mike Koser • Season 8 • Episode 5

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(This episode was recorded in December, 2024). 

We’re curating the most downloaded episodes for new listeners discovering Lost Ballparks. If you’re a longtime listener, thank you for being part of this incredible community!

On this month's episode I’m honored to talk with a man who has been the heartbeat of Cleveland baseball for 35 years—Tom Hamilton, the legendary voice of the Cleveland Indians and Guardians. Hear his baseball beginnings, including the first game he ever attended as a kid, the quirks and character that made Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium one of a kind, and the city’s transformation with the opening of Jacobs Field in 1994.

And of course, we revisit those incredible Cleveland teams of the mid-‘90s—teams that had the whole city glued to their radios, with Tom’s iconic calls providing the soundtrack to those magical Ohio summers.

From the vast expanse of Municipal Stadium to the unforgettable debut of ‘The Jake,’ and the moments that united a city, this is one conversation I can't wait to share with you.

Update: 12/11/24 - Tom has been named the Ford C. Frick Award Winner and will take his place in the broadcast wing of the Hall of Fame in 2025!!

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Mike Koser:

Hi, I'm Mike Koser, and welcome to Lost Ball parks. Today, I'm honored to sit down with the man who has been the heartbeat of Cleveland baseball for 35 years, Tom Hamilton, the legendary voice of the Cleveland Indians and Guardians. On today's episode, we'll explore Tom's baseball beginnings, including the first game he ever attended as a kid, the quirks and character that made Cleveland's Municipal Stadium one of a kind, and the city's transformation with the opening of Jacobs Field in 1994. And of course, when we visit those incredible Cleveland teams of the mid-1990s, teams that had the whole city glued to their radios with Tom's iconic calls, providing the soundtrack to those magical Ohio summers. Tom Hamilton, welcome to Lost Ballparks. How are you?

Tom Hamilton:

I'm good, thanks. How are you?

Mike Koser:

I'm great. Thanks so much for doing this. I uh I really, really appreciate it.

Tom Hamilton:

You betcha. You grew up on your family's 150-acre dairy farm in Wisconsin, and as a young boy, you would uh you would tune in to Earl Gillespie calling Milwaukee Braves games. Your your gateway into the world of baseball.

Earl Gillispie:

Outfield is shading Aaron just a shade towards left. The runner on second base, Bruton takes the lead. Turley's pitch is a fast strike on the outside corner knee high.

Tom Hamilton:

Yeah, he really did. I mean, um, literally. Um, you sat on the porch. I mean, anybody that um remembers those times, or most people that, you know, lived some part of their life on a farm had a house with a porch, a screened-in porch, and we had that. And I literally had a little transistor radio, which is obviously dating yourself back to the 60s, and uh seemed like such a such a magical space that you know you were able to go to as far as listening to those really fun teams that Milwaukee had with a Hank Aaron and an Eddie Matthews and a Warren Spahn and a Lew Burdette. And I was too young to ever recollect when they went to back-to-back World Series in the late 50s against the Yankees. But once I got to be nine, 10 years of age, you really became a baseball fan listening to those Braves teams. And then after 65, unfortunately, they left Milwaukee and moved to Atlanta. So that that was a void for anybody that was a Wisconsin baseball fan. And back in those days, because my parents were still farming, we we got to one uh one home date a year.

Mike Koser:

Was that your first major league game that you attended as a kid? Was it at County Stadium?

Tom Hamilton:

Yes, County Stadium. I was one of five children, but because I was the oldest, I... whether my parents said I get to choose or was because the bleacher seats were 75 cents, I guess it doesn't matter, but we got to sit in the right field bleacher seats because those were the seats closest to Hank Aaron. And that was always the guy that, as any kid growing up in that era, that was your guy, Hank Aaron. And uh so yeah, we'd get to a doubleheader every summer, and we'd always have to leave part way through game two because mom and dad had to get back to the farm because they were the ones that would have to milk the cows that evening.

Mike Koser:

As much as you can remember, tell me about that that first time that day, that the sights and the sounds, walking into County Stadium for the first time. Is there anything that jumps out at your memory?

Tom Hamilton:

Well, the fact that it was so massive. I mean, at least it was for somebody um coming from an hour away. And again, especially for a family that at that point was living on a farm, I mean, you very seldom saw your neighbors because it wasn't like your neighbor was right next door. They were they were maybe a mile down the road. Um, so just to be in a parking lot, for instance, at County Stadium with all those people filing into the ballpark. And again, it was it just seemed like such a a magical place, and it really was.

Announcer:

Baseball, the national pastime, and in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the baseball capitol of the world, office boys disappear. Grandmothers are taken ill, executives won't be disturbed, and there's standing room only at County Stadium.

Tom Hamilton:

Of course, it wasn't politically correct. Maybe at the time it was, it wouldn't be now, but you know, the big draw for the fans was Chief Noc-a-homa uh coming out of his teepee in center field every time the Braves hit a home run, and smoke would uh go through the top of the teepee, and Chief Noc-a-homa would come out and do a little dance. And of course, with those Braves teams, he danced a lot during those summer days because they hit a lot of home runs. You wouldn't get away with Chief Noc-a-homa uh in today's world, but it was part of the charm of County Stadium.

Earl Gillispie:

This is Earl Gillespie taking you on a tour of baseball's Braves Land, USA, where in 1955 legions of loyal fans again clicked the turnstiles for an amazing count of two million and more.

Tom Hamilton:

It was a special time, even though the Braves should never have left. I don't think anybody that grew up in that time frame will ever forget what they meant to the state.

Mike Koser:

In high school, um, I think sometimes you would cut lawns to make a little extra money. And wouldn't you listen to Cubs games on WGN?

Tom Hamilton:

Yeah, you would you would do all of that.

Announcer:

Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome once again to Major League Baseball. And what a beautiful, beautiful day for a ball game in Chicago.

Tom Hamilton:

You were listening to Vince Lloyd and Lou Boudreau, and those Cubs teams reminded you a lot of of the Milwaukee teams because of Ernie Banks and Billy Williams and Ron Santo and like those Braves teams. Um, they they always scored a lot of runs. They were always a fun team to listen to.

Mike Koser:

You know, when people hear you calling games, Tom, they kind of assume that you've been doing it forever. 35 years is a is a long time, but you uh definitely paid your dues uh in the early days. I'm sure you recall your days and nights working as a DJ in Shell Lake, Wisconsin, living in the cellar of the radio station owner's mom's home.

Tom Hamilton:

Yeah, you've done your homework. Um certainly not the high point of my career. And uh

Mike Koser:

but as you said, it wasn't a basement, it was a it was a cellar.

Tom Hamilton:

Yeah, yeah, there's a big difference. And uh again, because um my first whatever it was, 13 years of my existence around a farm, um, anybody that lived in a farmhouse, they they didn't have a a basement, they had a cellar. Um, the cellar was where the furnace was that your parents threw wood in to heat the house or coal, whatever the case might be. And so um, yeah, it uh when you're living there and you're thinking this is not what I envisioned, maybe I should have listened to my mom and become an accountant.

Mike Koser:

Tom, I often have conversations with my kids who are who are all grown up now about uh the kind of work ethic that it takes to be successful. I tell them that hard work is essential and that it will often require you to put in more than an eight-hour day. And I remind them that you have to be willing to do what others won't to have what others don't. And I think a a perfect example of this um is your time in Columbus, Ohio, doing morning drive sports on WBNS uh back in the eighties. Um at the time that you got there, Terry Smith was calling Columbus Clippers Games, the Yankees AAA affiliate on WBNS. And when you arrived, you told the station manager that um hey, look, I'd I'd love to help Terry out, do maybe a couple innings of play-by-play for home games each night to you know to give him a break. And you offered to do it for free. Now this was back in let's see, 1987 to 89. And so you would get up at 3 30 in the morning to do the morning show, and then probably not leave the ballpark later that night till after midnight some nights. But had you not made that move for those two years, you probably wouldn't have landed the Indians job later on, would you?

Tom Hamilton:

Oh, there's no question. I I don't get it, Mike. And you know, I'm also forever grateful that Terry allowed me to come into the booth with him and help him out. And he didn't need help by any means. And anybody back in those days that was doing minor league baseball, uh, very seldom did anybody ever have a partner because it just wasn't economically feasible, which is why I knew if I thought I was going to get paid, it would not become a reality, thus you volunteer. But Terry was gracious enough to say sure, because you know, at that time, not only was Terry doing a full slate of minor league games, but he was getting ready uh to do the Ohio State Buckeyes football season. And so Terry was gone a lot. I mean, when you think of doing football basketball for Ohio State and then doing the Columbus Clippers, um, that that's that's a lot of play by play. That's a lot of time um spent away from home. And so I was very grateful that Terry was more than happy to have me join him for home games. And uh I even made a couple of road trips when Terry got some time off and whatnot. But yeah, without, even though it was just two innings of play by play, I knew that if I had any hopes of ever getting an Angel League job, that I needed to get more baseball experience. And I was lucky enough to be in a market like Columbus. The the Columbus experience, we wouldn't be talking today without it.

Mike Koser:

Yeah, and thank goodness, by the way, uh, we should make a point uh to to uh just give some praise to your wife, Wendy, because uh in 89, you hear through the news that the Indians are looking for a broadcasting partner for a Herb Score who had been with the team since uh I think 68. They narrowed it down to four candidates and probably thought, well, shoot, it's too late for me to apply. But your wife steps in and encourages you to send in a tape. And I think on Christmas Day, don't you spend like 10 hours at the radio station going through tape that you could send to the Indians?

Tom Hamilton:

Yeah, you're right, Mike. Um there were three reasons for my reticence of even getting involved. I had seen once the Indian season was over, uh starting in October, that Paul Olden was leaving the ball club. And at that point, I was like, well, they're not going to be interested in somebody that is at best the number two guy in Columbus doing two innings. So you talk yourself out of submitting anything at that point. But more importantly, we are expecting our first child, Nicholas. And as first-time parents, everybody knows what that is like. Nicholas was due to be born in the middle of November. And so my focus was really on that and on Wendy. And I was part of the Ohio State football broadcast, which consisted of a four-hour pregame show that I had to put together, a halftime on the network, post-game on the network. So I was putting in 60 to 70 hours a week just getting ready for football. Wow. And so there wasn't really time for me to literally go through my cassette tapes of audition material and put something together. And again, I think it's pretty easy to say, ah, they would never consider me. And to your point, you know, as we got into December, there was a story in the Cleveland Plain dealer that we used to get at the radio station every day saying that the Indians were down to their final four candidates. They listed some of the names, and I really kind of kicked myself because I was like, um, maybe I sold myself short. Maybe I would have had an opportunity to at least get the experience of interviewing. And uh Nick was born on November 19th. So we were not going to her family's in Pittsburgh for Christmas, nor my family in Wisconsin because we did not want to travel um that far by car with a one-month-old child in the middle of winter. So you're right. I mean, Wendy said, look, go to Mass on Christmas morning and then go to the radio station. I'll take care of Nick. You will be able to be in a radio station with nobody in it because it's Christmas Day. Do what you need to do. So that's what it was. It was a 10 or 12 hour day on Christmas Day where you literally listen to all of your material to see what you wanted to do, put together an audition tape, uh, put together a resume, and then luckily enough, the rest is history.

Mike Koser:

And your first game would be uh April of 1990, and you're all set to broadcast that first game at municipal stadium, and the most Cleveland thing happens, right?

Tom Hamilton:

Well, you know what, Mike? That whole thing of 90 was messed up because there was a player lockout. Right. So in those days, I didn't even get the the full experience of spring training because we didn't go to spring training because there was no reason to. And in those days, Cleveland's spring training was in Tucson. And so you lost out on that, which again, when you've been born on a farm in Wisconsin and then moved to a town of 2000, the thought of even going to Tucson um seemed like you were going on a Caribbean cruise. So um I lost out on that because when they finally came to terms and ended the lockout/ strike, we had a much abbreviated spring training. And my first major league game was supposed to be at Yankee Stadium. And so that in itself was like you couldn't script it as a more unforgettable experience to have your first major league game in that cathedral. And because of the lockout, the first week of the regular season was postponed, and those games were rescheduled throughout the course of the season. We went to New York a couple of different times to play makeup games. And then so what ended up being the season opener was um, I believe I should know this, but I believe it was a Tuesday night. Um, I know it was a weeknight in Cleveland, it was not opening day per se, because what we just talked about, the schedule being interrupted the way it was, and there weren't many people there. People were still upset about the strike, and um it was a miserable night. And of course, uh municipal stadium literally was on the shores of Lake Erie, and in which when you looked out to center field, you could still see chunks of ice bobbing up and down in the lake. And uh you're so nervous, you can't believe this opportunity has presented itself. You don't sleep the entire night before. We're in uh temporary housing. Our child is five months old, so he's not sleeping, mom's not sleeping, I'm not sleeping. And we get into the second inning and a blizzard blows in off the lake and cancels the game. And I go back to our downtown apartment because we were not able to move into our home that we had purchased yet. And my wife looked at me and said, We're not going through another night of this, are we? Just because you're not going to be that nervous again like you were last night. So um, yeah, it's kind of an unforgettable way to have your debut. But yeah, you know, again, it uh we laugh about it with Nicholas now. Nick wasn't keeping anybody up that night. It was dad.

Mike Koser:

I grew up, Tom, with municipal stadium walking down the Western Street Bridge with my dad. I will always, always love that place. People often joke that it was a dump, but you know what? It was our dump. And the the crazy truth is, it was actually built on an old landfill. Yes, and I I heard former manager Mike Hargrove say uh one time that in the 80s they actually dug down a couple of feet in the infield or outfield and hit the landfill. The tops of stoves and pieces of a kitchen sink were exposed. I don't know if that was an exaggeration, but

Tom Hamilton:

yeah, I mean, yeah. Um to your point of view, and I agree with it. Look, that was my first major league home. And um, so it'll always mean a lot to me. It was also an incredible vantage point from a play-by-play standpoint, because in those old ballparks, you were so much closer to the action, so much closer to the field. Uh, the only ballpark you were literally closer to the hitter was at Old Tiger Stadium. And so, from a play-by-play standpoint, there wasn't a better place to do a game from as far as visually being able to see the ballgame unfold in front of you. Was it a dump? Yeah, but it meant so much to the people here. And you know, I'll never forget our closing weekend. Um, and that was when the ballpark closed in 1993 because Jacobs Field was going to open in '94. The final three games was a weekend series against the White Sox.

Announcer:

And we are just about ready to go for the final game here at Cleveland Stadium.

Tom Hamilton:

And all three games were sold out for days, probably months. We had 80,000 fans three straight days at that ballpark. Bob Hope came in.

Bob Hope:

I can't tell you what a kick it is to be back in my hometown.

Tom Hamilton:

And um, because at one time he was a part owner of the ball club, and he's saying thanks for the memories.

Bob Hope:

Well, you've been so swell, and now it's farewell. (sining) So thanks for the memory,

Tom Hamilton:

and that's how they closed municipal stadium, and you know, it was really emotional for a lot of people because that place meant to them what county stadium meant to me.

Mike Koser:

The trip to the press box, by the way, at municipal stadium was precarious. Can you can you describe that journey?

Tom Hamilton:

Catwalks. I mean, you were literally on a catwalk walking over people in the lower bowl. People would look up at you like, where's what's that noise? Or what just fell on me in case somebody dropped something, and you were literally on a catwalk walking to the booth that hung out over the upper deck. Um, and ironically, it's funny how life takes you in these circle moments. County Stadium in Milwaukee, which is no longer up because of well, was Miller Park, now it's um American Family Field. But uh County Stadium was a scaled-down version of municipal stadium. Very same design, just a smaller version of it, which is also part of the reason why they used County Stadium for a lot of the filming of major league because they were able to use it, and it was uh similar in uh structure and architectural look as to Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

Mike Koser:

As you say, the Indians move into Jacobs Field in 1994. And as a lifelong Cleveland fan, I can tell you that it was a seminal moment for me and my family. In fact, six years later, I would name my firstborn son Jake after the new ballpark. Tell me about the first game you broadcast there. I'm sure it felt like just a complete rebirth for you, the team, the city.

Tom Hamilton:

Today, this field of dreams has become a reality. And boy this reality has certainly exceeded everyone's expectations. What a beautiful ballpark, and what a gorgeous Monday...

Mike Koser:

What was different about the Jake?

Tom Hamilton:

Well, it was surreal in that, Mike, when you drove by the surface parking lot, which is basically what it was built on, when you would drive by the area that they were talking about building the ballpark, you were like, What? There's no way you can build a ballpark on the land that they're talking about. And again, it would be hard for people now to understand it because they drive by it now and they they think, well, sure, of course, this was the perfect location or a great fit and whatnot. But back when they were going to build that ballpark, it was hard to envision that there was going to be a ballpark on this parking lot. And, you know, when you walked into it the first time you were blown away. You got to remember too, Mike, um, we were dealing with a lot of old stadiums in Major League Baseball. But maybe more importantly, we were dealing with a lot of multi-purpose stadiums that both the football team and baseball team played in. So they had no feel, they had no charm, they had no character. They you didn't know if you were in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Atlanta. They they were all the same ballpark. They were multi-purpose type things. Baltimore changed all of that when they built Camden Yards, and when Camden Yards opened up in 1992, and then uh Jacobs Field was the next new ballpark to open in 1994. So it was the second ever retro park that had opened up. And so Camden Yards, I think, opened up everybody's eyes to, hey, this is what baseball can really look like. And then Jacobs Fields just continued that trend with a distinctive look of its own. And it was the first time that anybody in Cleveland had been in a real park, not in a stadium. Yeah, it was a cold, sunny day. Um, we thought our ball club was going to be a good ball club, and um, it was. It was the beginning of what would be uh an era of unprecedented success in Cleveland, but you finally had a ballpark and a ball club that deserved each other. It was the perfect storm in that that ballpark and the ball club really kind of uh grew up together. Cleveland had a really good team to move into that ballpark with. They would be a winning club and a playoff contender for the first time in 40 years. And you're facing Randy Johnson and the Seattle Mariners, and Randy Johnson's going to no-hit Cleveland. Right. What a way to open up a ballpark. You've got Bob Feller walking all around the press box area like an expected father because he did not want Randy Johnson to join Bob Feller, and that Bob is the only player in baseball history to throw a no-hitter on opening day. And Randy Johnson sure looked like he would do that. And the other thing was the ballpark wasn't completely finished. So Herb and I are working in the booth that we still work in, but the two windows, only one of them opened. And so we had to sit next to each other like um we were school children. We were that close to each other in the booth, so we could both sit in front of the opened window. And the booth next to us, to our left, as we looked out onto the field, was where ESPN television was broadcasting from. Chris Berman was doing the game for ESPN on television.

Chris Berman:

And welcome back to Jacobs Field in Cleveland. Chris Berman, along with Buck Martinez, so glad you could be with us yet. Another opening day here on ESPN.

Tom Hamilton:

And they hadn't had time to put the window up between our two booths. So we're doing opening day sitting on each other's lap, trying to stay focused because Chris Berman with that booming voice of his is all we can hear because there is no glass partition that had yet to be installed separating the two booths.

Chris Berman:

Breaking ball over for strike three. Good pitch froze Baerga. One out of the seventh.

Tom Hamilton:

It created some challenges, but you had a um a classic opener. Sandy Alomar late in the game breaks it up, and then Wayne Kirby wins the game in extra innings.

Herb Score:

3 balls and a strike. Here's the pitch. Line drive left field, base hit, the game is over.

Mike Koser:

Yeah, those mid-1990s Cleveland teams provided, I think, some of the best summers of my life. I mean, 1995 was absolutely electric, earth-shattering every night. I think of uh Manny Ramirez on July 16th, 1995, when he hits that walk-off home run against Dennis Eckersley in the twelfth inning.

Tom Hamilton:

Game audio

Mike Koser:

Was it Eckersley walking off the field and you can see him mouth, "Wow!"

Tom Hamilton:

Wow. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. I mean, Albert Bell. Uh we had a Sunday night game against a really good Angels team that we thought we would play in the playoffs. They folded down the stretch, and that's why we ended up playing Seattle eventually. But um, Albert won a game an extra innings off a great closer in Lee Smith. Game audio Hitting a ball into the shrubbery in dead center. Back in those days, we had picnic tables out there, and they would have pregame parties out there. And uh Lee Smith had the great quote after the game, Albert Belt hit a home run into the pork and beans. And so there were so many of those kind of games down 7-0 to the great David Cone and coming back to walk it off on a Paul Sorrento game-winning home run. I mean, that team in 95, Mike, won. And again, we had another strike/slash walkout. So we only played 144 games, 18 fewer than normal, and they won 100 games. And 27 of those 100 wins were last at bat victories. And David Winfield and Eddie Murray would sit in the clubhouse after games with this young Indians team celebrating on a nightly basis, and they would just shake their heads and go, This is not supposed to happen every night. I mean, they've been around the game, you know, uh each of them nearly two decades. They knew how hard it was to win in the major leagues. And these young Indians just thought, well, this is the way it's always going to be. We'll always find a way to win late.

Mike Koser:

By the way, I still get goosebumps, Tom, thinking about October 24th, 1995, game three of the 95 World Series at Jacobs Field. Uh Herb score is calling that uh Um, I think it's the last inning. And Herb, of course, joined the Indians in 1955, began his broadcast career with him in 68. And there, through much of the time, he was with him at Municipal Stadium. And now here he is at the new ballpark, Jacobs Field, a bridge between the uh the past and the present. And he had the call as Eddie Murray walked it off in the 11th to give Cleveland their first World Series win since 1948.

Herb Score:

11th inning, we are tied at six. The Indians trying to win their first World Series game ever at Jacobs Field in the first game ever played in the World Series at Jacobs Field.

Tom Hamilton:

Yeah, and it was really fun for me. I mean, I am so grateful that I got to work with Herb and got to be his partner for eight years. I mean, I was the lucky one because Herb treated me as an equal from day one, even though I was never Herb's equal. But that was the kind of man he was. I've said it a number of times, Mike, outside of my own dad, Herb probably gave me the best advice I've ever had in my life. I mean, Herb was not a guy that was going to tell you what to do or any of that. If you came to him looking for advice, he would give it. And you'd be an idiot not to ask somebody of his stature for advice. And I did. And I think it's why our partnership worked. Um, because he respected me, because I wasn't coming there. One of the things that enabled me to get this job, at the time I didn't realize it, but the ball club was sick and tired of people coming and working with Herb and using it as a stepping stone to a bigger and better job, or maybe better isn't the right term, but a job maybe in a different market that they wanted to live in. Maybe, okay, I'll get my first job in Cleveland and then go to the West Coast, or go to the South, or go to the East Coast, whatever the case might be. For us, getting the Cleveland job, we didn't look at it as a stepping stone. We looked at it as winning the lottery. Uh, my wife being from Pittsburgh, myself being from Wisconsin kept us, you know, within driving distance of both of our families. Um, and so I was never looking to move on. Um, I had great respect for Herb and felt like, look, I'm just here to help in any way I can. This is Herb's show. He's earned that respect. And he's one of the most iconic figures in this city. And I think a lot of it, Mike, had to do with the fact that when he came up, I mean, he came up as a comment. I mean, he he set a rookie record for strikeouts in 55 that stood until Doc Gooden broke it with the New York Mets. Wow. He was a 20-game winner, his second season in the big leagues. I asked Tony Kubek one time, who was a Milwaukee native. And of course, Tony played on those great Yankee teams with you know, Mickey and Roger and Yogi and Bobby Richardson and Whitey Ford and on and on and on in the late 50s and early 60s. And Tony Kubek said that for him, Herb was much more difficult to hit than Sandy Koufax.

Mike Koser:

Wow.

Tom Hamilton:

So that's the kind of pitcher we're talking about, basically taking the mantle from Bob Feller and was going to give Cleveland another Hall of Fame pitcher until the life changed. And then he became this great broadcaster who, for all of those years, was a broadcaster that broadcast for a team that never won, but it never impacted how Herb approached the game. And that was the greatest advice he gave me in that records don't mean anything. Um, your performance is not based on how the club is doing, your performance is based on doing the best you can do each and every night in that booth. And so for him to get to call a playoff and then a World Series, it was so apropos. And uh for him to have the walk-off call Eddie Murray, because quite frankly, if Eddie doesn't get that hit and we lose game three, we get swept. Yeah, and it was going to be kind of a bummer. And you know, and then you you end up losing the next night, and then you come back and stay alive by beating the the unbeatable Greg Maddux in game five. So um I was really happy that not only did Herb call that World Series, but his final broadcast was game seven of the 97 World Series in Miami.

Mike Koser:

Speaking of that game, there's only been one time in my life that I've cried watching a baseball game, and it was October 26, 1997. Game seven of the 97 World Series. The Indians are up two to one going into the bottom of the ninth at Pro Player Stadium in Miami.

Bob Costas:

Three out from the happiest birthday of his life. It will just be for the millions of fans who are crazy about these Indians. Every day and night during the baseball stadium, it'll be for all those folks who went to municipal stadiums and were part of crowds of 3500 and 4000 for all the lean years. Cheering for Chico Simone and Max Alvis. "Daddy Wags" Wagner and Vic Davalillo. Jack Kralick and "Sudden" Sam McDowell. For all the people who have waited since 1948 for the Indians to be world champions.

Mike Koser:

And I, probably like a lot of us, was convinced that Jose Mesa was gonna get the save, beat the Marlins, deliver the Indians their first championship since 1948. I wasn't the only one who was convinced of that. Herb Scores doing the ninth inning, calling the ninth inning, and you were sent down to the clubhouse to cover the post-game, do interviews, and that kind of thing. And then you witnessed something that was customary, but probably made you a little uneasy.

Tom Hamilton:

Yeah, I was standing there in the clubhouse, and there were very few of us, obviously, allowed into that clubhouse. And I'm with our vice president of public relations, Bob DiBiasio, and Bobby and I are standing in the clubhouse looking up at the television, watching the bottom of the ninth unfold as they're stapling up the plastic to protect all the players' clothes in the lockers, and then they're wheeling in the stage for the presentation, and then they wheel in the World Series trophy. And I looked at Bobby and said, Bobby, this is not right. I mean, you never tempt the fates of the baseball gods. But as Bobby said, look, they have to do this, Tom, and this is what they do each and every year. Well, I'll tell you a quick story on that, Mike. The next year when the Yankees were in the World Series, George Steinbrenner didn't let anybody in that Yankee clubhouse before it was official. So I think they did it to everybody until we lost. And then George Steinbrenner said, No, that's not happening on my watch. But, you know, and then you're seeing that ninth inning unfold. And Jose Mesa 97 wasn't the dominant closer he'd been in 95. And I didn't have a good feeling about the bottom of the ninth inning just because he had not been as dominant. And when he started to shake off Sandy Alomar, that that was not good. And uh so you you had kind of a queasy feeling, but hey, whatever, we'll find a way. And then boy, it unfolded in a hurry. And um, I had to race up the stairs to get to the broadcast booth because I was going to be doing the 10th inning. And it just you had a bad feeling when you lose a game like that, even though you didn't lose it. I felt like they lost it in the ninth inning.

Mike Koser:

Yeah, and then of course, in the 11th, Edgar Renteria hits the walk-off.

Bob Costas:

A liner, off Nagy's glove into center field! The Florida Marlins have won the World Series.

Mike Koser:

Is there a better teammate? Is there a better guy than Charles Nagy?

Tom Hamilton:

Charles Nagy was the guy I always pointed to my sons, who both played Division I and both played in the minor leagues. And I would always, when they were growing up, would say, I don't know what kind of a player you're going to be, but you need to be a teammate like Charlie Nagy. And he was the example I always used because he's the best teammate I've ever seen, one of the great people that I've ever come across in my life. And, you know, he was supposed to start game seven, and "Grover" went with Jared Wright because he felt Jared was the better matchup and Jared was on a roll. And that was a bitter pill for Charlie to swallow. And it's a soft liner that gets into center field. But what people forget is Charlie did his job. The error by Tony Fernandez is really what was the undoing there in the extra innings.

Mike Koser:

When you joined the Indians in 1990, the broadcast team with Herb Score, very few Indians games were broadcast on TV for me to see in Mansfield, Ohio. Maybe 60 or less for the entire year or something, maybe even less than that.

Tom Hamilton:

Probably. Yeah.

Mike Koser:

So I relied on your radio call to fill me in on what was happening with my favorite team. The first baseball game I ever attended was at Cleveland Municipal Stadium with my dad, my brother, my nephew, and hearing your voice, Tom, each summer, it connects me to my dad, who passed away in 2009. To my brothers and sisters, who all live across the country from me. You're also a cord that connects me to my Uncle Larry in Orlando, Florida, who's a lifelong Cleveland fan, whose love for the team stretches all the way back to League Park on E66th in Lexington. So your voice, your voice, Tom, doesn't just remind me of Cleveland, it feels like family. And for that, thank you for 35 years going on 36. I yeah. So appreciate you.

Tom Hamilton:

Well, that uh.... you choked me up on that one because I you know I know how fortunate and blessed we have been to have this job. And I I think the best part of this job is what you just said. Um what makes our game the best is family, and that it's always connecting families, and it doesn't seem to matter where we're at, whatever century we're talking about, whatever decade we're talking about, this sport connects families unlike any other sport that we deal with. And I think it's because of the daily connection that for six months you're living one day you're you're going to work smiling, and the next day you're going to work grumpy. And so I know how lucky I've been and how blessed I've been. And those words mean more to me than you'll ever know. And um, I just um we're we're very grateful. This game of baseball has provided my wife and I a life beyond what we could have ever comprehended. And trust me, every day that I go to that booth, I I can't believe I got the job. I just can't believe I somehow got this job. And I'll I'll never take it for granted, I'll tell you that.

Mike Koser:

Well, I know your off-season is precious, this time with your family, and so I'm just I'm thankful for a few minutes today. Thank you so much, Tom.

Tom Hamilton:

Happy holidays to you, to your listeners, and uh this was really fun.

Mike Koser:

A couple of quick notes. Terry Pluto, a fantastic Cleveland writer who co-authored Florida Days in Tribetown with Tom Hamilton, wrote the following. Close your eyes and think back to the middle 1990s. Those weren't baseball seasons, they were year-long celebrations. It was the end of baseball's darkest decades in Cleveland. It was Jacobs Field packed with fans wearing wahoo red, white, and blue. It was horns blaring from the cars of East Ninth and Ontario Avenue. It was Tom Hamilton screaming one word that said so much. For a generation, well, more than a generation of baseball fans in Cleveland, Tom Hamilton is the voice of baseball. December 11th, the Ford C. Frick Award winner will be announced. Once again, Tom Hamilton is nominated to join fellow baseball immortals in the broadcast wing of the Hall of Fame. He deserves it.

Head Shot

Mike Koser

Host