KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Denny Matthews figured he was a longshot to get the job broadcasting games for the expansion Kansas City Royals.
asserted
he → figure → Royals
It was 1969, and he was fresh out of Illinois Wesleyan, where when not in class he had played football and baseball, and listened to Cubs and Cardinals games over the radio.
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he → play → radio
Matthews had called some high school games, but when he applied for the Royals job almost on a lark, his big league experience consisted of a demo tape he’d made of a couple innings at Busch Stadium.
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he → call → Stadium
But the pool of applicants kept getting whittled down, from hundreds to dozens to just one.
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pool → whittle → one
So it was that a 26-year-old Matthews found himself in the broadcast booth at old Municipal Stadium, some 57 years ago, alongside the late Buddy Blattner, describing the action as the Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 in 12 innings.
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Royals → find → innings
On Friday night, Matthews will describe the action for the 8,000th time when the Royals play the Cleveland Guardians.
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Royals → describe → Guardians
The 83-year-old Matthews is one of only four broadcasters in major league history to be with the same team for at least 50 seasons, and only the Dodgers’ Vin Scully (67) and Jaime Jarrin (64) have done it longer.
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Scully → do → it
Over his 58 seasons, touching base in seven different decades, Matthews has called seven division titles, four pennants and World Series titles in 1985 and 2015.
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Matthews → touch → 1985
The names of exactly 1,058 different players to wear a Royals uniform have tumbled out of his raspy-yet-somehow melodic voice.
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names → wear → voice
And to think: Matthews never thought he’d get the job.
“I did have the advantage when I was growing up of listening to some really, really good broadcasters out of Chicago and St. Louis,” he recalled.
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he → think → Chicago
“I would lay in front of the radio — I was 10, 11, 12 years old — and I had my baseball cards, and I just lay there.
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I → lay → cards
“You never think you’re going to be a broadcasters when you’re 10 years old.
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you → think → ?
You want to play.
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You → want → ?
But I didn’t know at the time, listening to those guys all those summer nights, I was getting a college education in how to broadcast baseball, and I didn’t have to pay tuition.
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I → know → tuition
I didn’t have to do homework.
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I → have → homework
But I was still getting a great education.
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I → get → education
Even after Matthews was hired by longtime Royals owner Ewing Kauffman, it was never his intent to stay.
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it → hire → Kauffman
His dream was to move to Chicago or St. Louis, and call games for one of the two clubs that had such a profound impact on him as a youth.
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that → move → youth
Yet when those opportunities came along — and they did, more than once — the tug of what had become home was too strong.
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what → come → ?
“I went to Ewing Kauffman, and I sat down,” Matthews said.
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Matthews → go → Kauffman
“I was still a little intimidated by Mr. K, but he told me, he said, ‘I’ll tell you what, young man.
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I → intimidate → me
You’re going to have decisions to make as you work your way through this business.’
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you → go → business
And he said, ‘You have to weigh them carefully, and then you’ll make a decision.
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you → say → decision
But I want to tell you one thing.’
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I → want → thing
He said, ‘We like the way you do games, and you can stay as long as you want.’
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you → say → games
And I said, ‘Wow.
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I → say → ?
So that’s pretty strong.’
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that → ’ → ?
There was never a reason to move, even when teams in New York came calling.
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teams → be → York
“If you’re unhappy in your job,” Matthews said, “you’re probably looking to move.
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you → ’re → job
So, as the game went through changes large and small, Matthews’ voice over the airwaves remained a Kansas City constant.
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voice → go → airwaves
He was there to describe the first games in the career of a scrappy third baseman named George Brett, and the last.
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He → describe → baseman
He was there when labor stoppages turned fans away, and there to welcome them back.
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stoppages → turn → them
When the pandemic hit in 2020, and few people were allowed inside the ballpark, Matthews was still behind the mic, calling games from his suburban Kansas City home.
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Matthews → hit → home
Asked the secret to his longevity, Matthews replied: “Luck.”
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Matthews → ask → Luck
“Good health,” he added.
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he → add → ?
“I mean, there’s a lot to that.
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I → mean → that
And again, be comfortable, as they say, in your own skin, and I’ve always been comfortable out here, because of the people.
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I → say → people
The historical context of a Hall of Fame career
Matthews was bestowed the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence in 2007, and he was honored alongside Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn during the induction ceremony at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.
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he → bestow → Cooperstown
Ripken played 3,001 games during his career.
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Ripken → play → career
Gwynn played 2,440 of them.
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Gwynn → play → them
…and 16 more, not listed.
The Aporia
