At the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Florida on Monday, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced their 2018 media award winners; the longtime face of NBC Sports Bob Costas was named the broadcasting Ford C. Frick Award winner, and longtime Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal reporter, covering the Cleveland Indians, Sheldon Ocker was named the writers J.G. Taylor Spink Award.
Bob Costas wins 2018 Ford C. Frick Award
Costas, who since 2009 has duties with MLB Network, including hosting an interview program called Studio 42 with Bob Costas, started his association with baseball broadcasting in earnest with his hiring at NBC in the early 1980s. With his play-by-play tenure starting in 1982, and going on through 2000 as a regular broadcaster, as well as the pre and post-game desk host duties. Back in February, Costas had announced the attention to scale back his duties with many of the NBC Sports properties. He has been the face of the network’s sports coverage for the better part of four decades. Costas, a 23-time Sports Emmy Award Winner, is also a recipient of the National Basketball Hall of Fame’s Curt Gowdy Media (Electronic) Award.
Sheldon Ocker wins J.G. Taylor Spink Award
Ocker spent 33 years on the Indians beat for the Beacon Journal. This followed 13 years with the paper’s sports department. Upon his retirement following the 2013 season, he was one of the longest-tenured writers in the business. Ocker also represented the Indians for decades in pieces for national publications The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated. He was also known for rarely missing a game. Ocker was also a two-time (1997 and 2000) winner of the Ohio Sports Writer of The Year Award from the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He is the third Cleveland area Spink Award winner (Gordon Cobbledick in 1977 and Hal Lebovitz in 1999).
Both Costas and Ocker will be honored at a special ceremony on Saturday, July 29th, in advance of the induction ceremony itself on Sunday, July 30th in Cooperstown, New York.
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NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 25: Bob Costas speaks onstage during the 32nd Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner To Benefit The Miami Project/Buoniconti Fund To Cure Paralysis at New York Hilton Midtown on September 25, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Thos Robinson/Getty Images for The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis )
