Baseball's Golden Voice Headed to Cooperstown

Every time the San Francisco Giants take the field, I tune in to the radio to hear someone give vivid, elegant, pitch-perfect descriptions of the action on the baseball diamond. I tune in to the radio to hear someone with an encyclopedic knowledge of baseball history, an undeniable passion for the game, a wonderful sense of humor, and an irresistibly jovial personality. I tune in to the radio to hear Jon Miller. Miller-----who works Giants games with Dave Flemming, Duane Kuiper, and Mike Krukow, a group that comprises the best broadcast team in baseball-----has been the Voice of the Giants since 1997, following his years with the Orioles, A's, Rangers, and Red Sox. And "The Big Kahuna", the nickname affectionately given to Miller by Mike Krukow, is unparallelled in his greatness. As a diehard Giants fan, it is a great honor and pleasure to listen to his dulcet tones on a nightly basis.

This Sunday in Cooperstown, Miller-----who is known nationally for his exemplary work alongside Joe Morgan and Orel Hershiser as the voice of ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, a position he has held for 21 years-----will be enshrined in Baseball's Hall of Fame. Miller is a class act and a consummate professional, and this honor could not be more well-deserved. Miller has a lot in common with fellow Hall of Fame broadcasters. He has Ernie Harwell's masterful storytelling ability and conversational style. He has Vin Scully's sense of humor. And it is only fitting that Miller is part of the Giants family, because he conjures memories of Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons, two great Giants broadcasters whom Miller listened to as a kid growing up in the Bay Area. However, Miller is also unique in his greatness. No broadcaster expresses a more refreshing display of honesty. During a Giants-Diamondbacks game in 2003, Miller was stunned by the unprecedented baserunning struggles of Ruben Rivera, which led him to famously exclaim: "That was the worst baserunning in the history of the game!". This type of sheer candor makes Miller such a relatable and endearing presence to the fans.

Needless to say, Miller has also been defined by his magnificent calls of baseball's signature moments. Giants fans will always fondly remember his superb calls of Kenny Lofton's pennant-winning base hit against the Cardinals in Game 5 of the 2002 NLCS, and of Barry Bonds' 756th home run. Jon Miller thrives on these historic moments. So as he gets ready to be inducted into Cooperstown this weekend, I would like to say the following: Thank you Jon for the extraordinary grace, class, charm, and intelligence that you bring to the game of baseball. Congratulations. You are the very best.