Behind the Mic: Hammy on storytelling, Frick Award and big moments

This story was excerpted from Anthony Castrovince’s Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here and subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Hi again, everybody. Anthony Castrovince with you, and we are underway at the corner of South Ballpark Way and West Festival Way … Hmm. Unfortunately, my greeting from Goodyear Ballpark doesn’t have quite the same zest as Tom Hamilton’s greeting from Progressive Field. But in my final duty as your temporary Guardians guide, before our new beat reporter takes over, it was an honor to spend some time with Hammy to discuss his approach as the voice of the Guards and his upcoming honor as the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award winner.

MLB.com: It’s Spring Training for you, too, and I like watching you work the room and really make an effort to get to know everybody up and down the roster. Can you take me through that process?

Hammy: You don’t want to just talk to the guys that are the stars because I think that’s unfair to everybody. Anybody that’s in that locker room, I have great respect for, because I wish I could have played like they did. So they’ve earned that. And if you don’t enjoy meeting people and hearing some of their stories, then it’s probably time to retire. They all have unique stories, and I just want to get to know them so that, someday, when they are in Cleveland, hopefully, they remember you, and you’ve started to build some trust.

MLB.com: In your job, there’s play-by-play, of course, but there’s also storytelling, nuance and analysis. How do you describe your job?

Hammy: I know it’s trite to say “painting the picture,” which is how it was described to me when I was going to school, but you truly are the eyes of the listener. So, first and foremost, you better never forget the fundamentals, and that is, what the hell’s going on. You know, where was the ball hit? How was it hit? How hard, how deep, whatever the case might be. You want your listener to not ask, “What happened?” And then the rest of it, I think, just comes with experience. You try to impart some personality so that it’s not robotic. You know, that’s why it’s always about having a great partner. I’ve had great partners from the time I started with Herbie [Herb Score] until now, working with Rosey [Jim Rosenhaus] and every guy in between. And those are the guys that make it work. You’re two guys at a bar, having a beer, talking about a baseball game.

MLB.com: After all these years, do you still get anxious when a big moment presents itself?

Hammy: Yeah. I think you always hope that the right words come and you’re on top of the call. When I’ve done football and basketball, you can usually kind of see when moments are building and whatnot. The one thing that makes baseball unique is it comes out of nowhere, usually when you least expect it. So you just hope that you’re ready for that moment, and I think that comes down to experience. Sometimes, you do it better than other times. Many times, you hear a call back that you did, and you go, “Ugh, I could have done that better.” But as Herbie used to say to me, “Once it’s out of your mouth, it’s too late.”

MLB.com: What about when two players fight in the middle of the field, and suddenly you’re calling a boxing match?

Hammy: I was very fortunate and was lucky from the standpoint that I had a good view. Because the play was so bang-bang, I didn’t take the time to look down at my scorebook and write in double, RBI, whatever you do in your scorebook. It was such a close call at second that I kept watching. So, it escalated quickly. Had I looked down for even a second, I would have missed it. So, you also have to get lucky.

MLB.com: You were doing games long before it became such a slow crawl, but what was the adjustment like for you when the game got crisper again with the pitch clock?

Hammy: The best broadcast is when you go in with all this preparation and all of these nuggets — or what you think are nuggets — and then you leave the booth and you never used one of them. Because it means it was a great game, and you didn’t need to add to it. It makes for a better broadcast, and I think it also gives you less opportunity to put your foot in your mouth because there is less time to fill.

MLB.com: OK, let’s talk about the Hall of Fame. I know you well enough to know you have a healthy amount of humility. But once you are on that ballot, I’m sure you’re thinking, “Boy, that would be nice.” So where were you at mentally going into this vote?

Hammy: You don’t want it to come across as false modesty, but that was the fourth time for me and every time, you’re stunned when you get nominated because there are so many people more worthy and so many broadcasters out there that maybe haven’t been nominated that should have been. I don’t know why I have been. I have nothing to do with it. I never expected to get that phone call because, you know, the other times, Hawk [Ken Harrelson] got in, Pat Hughes got in, Joe Castiglione got in, and you were like, “Well, of course they got in. They should have been in long ago.” I’ve never felt that way about myself.

So, same with this list. I looked at it and felt like I did the other three times. “There’s no way.” So, I never expected the phone call. Do you think about it? Sure, you do. But it didn’t engulf my life. I mean, there are way more important things in life — your family and health and everything else. So I was as flabbergasted as you could be when that call came from Cooperstown.

MLB.com: What was going on that day?

Hammy: They tell you, “Look, the only person that gets a phone call that day is the person that got in. If you’re one of the nine that didn’t, we won’t call you.” So we’re getting ready for Christmas, with the kids coming home and whatnot, and it’s 11 o’clock, and we’re finally done with whatever we were doing, and my wife [Wendy] is like, “Hey, I’ve got a luncheon at noon with a girlfriend.” I said, “Go. I’m going to go downstairs and work out. We’re not getting a phone call. It’s 11 o’clock. We would have heard a long time ago if we were getting in.” And at 11:40, I’m on the elliptical and the phone rang, and I was so caught off guard.

MLB.com: We’ve talked before about your Minor League days and how you and Wendy are in it together, and I’m sure there were many moments where she was probably thinking, “What have I gotten myself into?” So it must have been special to share that announcement with her.

Hammy: [Chokes up]

MLB.com: Sorry to go Oprah on you.

Hammy [teary-eyed]: I’m such a weenie. But she was there when I got the call in January of 1990, offering me the job. Without her, I don’t get here. She’s the one that said, on Christmas morning, when Nicholas was a 1-year-old, “Go to the radio station, put your tape together, and apply for that job in Cleveland.” So, as you know, when you’re in baseball, if we don’t have incredible wives or even better mothers, we can’t chase our dreams. So, without her support, none of this happens. So it was a full-circle moment to tell her that news. It was fun. And she didn’t go to lunch.

MLB.com: We were just talking about your preparation. That’s part of what makes you great at what you do. So, how are you preparing for what’s ahead with the speech and everything else?

Hammy: I keep pushing it off. You’re just trying to get plans finalized, and there’s a lot more to it than I think we envisioned or knew about. You’ve got family coming in from all over the country. It’s kind of like planning your wedding again. So the speech is the thing that keeps you up at night. They want it to be in that 10- to 15-minute range. You could thank people for 10 solid minutes and still miss somebody. But at the end of the day, you know, one minute after you’ve done the speech, nobody even remembers what was said. So, I guess you work yourself up for no reason.

MLB.com: We just lost Bob Uecker, and, to many people, he was the Milwaukee Brewers. He was the person most identified with that franchise. And whether you want to admit it or not, that’s what you are in Cleveland. How long do you want to do this?

Hammy: I wish I could say, “Oh, well, you know, I’ll work until I want to quit,” but that’s entirely up to them. But I’m not ready [to retire] yet. I can’t wait for this season to begin. For the 25 years I did Big Ten basketball, I was doing 25-35 basketball games a year in the winter. So when you got to Spring Training, you were already tired. Now that I gave up the basketball because we need to spend more time with our kids and grandkids, I think you’re really recharged and ready to go. As soon as I’m here in Spring Training and don’t want to go into the clubhouse and meet people, I’ll know it’s time. I’m at that age [70] where you truly are grateful for every day that you still have a chance to do this and still be healthy. And so I’d like to continue it.