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October 14, 2010

Dan Baker voices Phillies successes

By TOM WILLIAMS
Sports Columnist


Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt, Bob Boone, Pete Rose, Darren Daulton, Ryan Howard, Roy Halladay. Each one of them, and thousands more, has been introduced to Phillies fans by one voice – Dan Baker.

Since 1972, Baker has been the public address voice of both Veteran’s Stadium and Citizen’s Bank Park. He was there in 1980 and 2008 when the Phillies won World Series championships. He was there in 1983, 1993 and last year when they reached the series and lost. He was there for the 1976 and 1996 all star games. And he was there on April 29, 1975 with 5,477 fans.

“For a kid who grew up in Philly,” said Baker, “rooting for the Phillies, this has been the greatest part-time job in the world.”

When Baker was hired in 1971 by Bill Giles, he was told he was expected to be a support person. “You’re not the show,” said Giles, “just give them the information. Make it short and sweet.”

So Baker headed for the Big Apple to get a feel for the job from the guy who was the definition of “short and sweet” – the Yankees’ Bob Sheppard, who died this year after 58 years as the voice of Yankee Stadium. Sheppard was nicknamed “The Voice of God” by Reggie Jackson. The Yankees wear a patch on their uniforms as a tribute to him, much like the Phillies did for Harry Kalas and are doing this year for Robin Roberts.

“I went up to New York and observed him,” said Baker. “He was very gracious. I watched everything he did, how he approached each announcement. He had a great reputation and it was well-deserved. He was a real professional, one of the most professional people I’ve ever met.”

Sheppard, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday next week, died in July. That left Baker as the active major league baseball public address announcer with the longest tenure.

Baker has also been the public address voice of the Eagles since 1985. He was the play-by-play voice of Big Five basketball on the radio and later became the Big Five’s executive director and was inducted into its Hall of Fame. He will work his sixth Army-Navy game in December.

“The World Series were great thrills,” he said, “and the all star games. But I also had a chance to introduce two Presidents of the United States – Gerald Ford and George W. Bush.”

Baker also remembers one time when he made a mistake with an introduction. “It was in the 1970s and Willie Montanez was coming to bat against the Giants,” he said. “I opened the mike and said, ‘now batting, number 27, the first baseman, Willie McCovey’. I guess I was thinking about the Giants or just had a brain freeze. Willie just froze outside the batter’s box and stared up at me. The next day on the field before the game I walked past Willie and he said, ‘Montanez, Montanez’. I apologized and he gave me a hug and laughed.”

In addition to his duties behind the microphones at Citizen’s Bank Park and Lincoln Financial Field, Baker co-hosts a weekly radio show with Greg Luzinski called “The Bull Session” from Chickie’s & Pete’s in Philly on WBCB Radio.

Baker, whose daughter, Courtney, works for a CBS-TV affiliate in Illinois, spent part of last weekend relaxing at his son’s vacation home in North Wildwood. “We had dinner at Woody’s,” he said, “and walked along the ocean. It was great. My family always came down to the Jersey Shore when I was growing up. And we continue that to this day. I love it.”

He also loves what has happened to the Phillies.

“This might be the best Phillies team of all-time,” he said. “The everyday players are very good. Maybe there was a group of everyday players that were better. But they didn’t have the trio of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels at the front of their rotation. And the bullpen has been solid, too. Those three pitchers are all signed for at least two or three years, so there is good reason to believe that this success will continue.”

The Phils open at Citizen’s Bank Park on Saturday night against the San Francisco Giants, trying to become the first National League team to win three straight pennants since the St. Louis Cardinals in 1942-44. And, of course, those Cardinals didn’t have to win any post-season games to capture their pennants.

When Andres Torres steps in against Halladay to begin the National League Championship Series on Saturday, it will be Dan Baker who gets things started by introducing him.

“Working with the Phillies has been something very, very special,” he said. “It has been my privilege to be just a small part of all this.”


Read more of Tom Williams' columns