In December (2014) when I heard the news Dick Enberg would be honored in Cooperstown, I was so happy for him. I emailed to congratulate him saying also that we needed to do that lunch we talked about since my position at Channel 4 had ended after the 2011 season. We set a time for breakfast — easier for me than lunch, so I could drop Lily at a friend’s and pick her before nap time! We had a lovely time catching up on life, broadcasting, and parenting (and for him, grandparenting.) We shared stories of meeting those we have admired, and the concept of not only paying it forward but being ready to do “good” when someone has done a good deed for you. I wasn’t taking notes, but I was impressed by how easy it was to talk with him with no cameras rolling, no agenda, just conversation over coffee.
Our breakfast came within days of my agreement with Channel 4 San Diego to do the One on One Legends special series. Knowing spring training and travel was coming up soon, I had to schedule a sit-down before he would be too busy. He was quite accommodating, allowing me to plan our interview at his home the next week. I had been there a decade before for our non-sports show Forefront, and we sat in the the media room surrounded by his many awards and pictures from his career. It’s like a mini-museum of decades of sports history.
Photographer/Editor Dan Roper and I were back together again for One on One, as he was behind the camera again that day. Dick Enberg is a pro’s pro, understanding the needs of a production, and being patient for the set-up and interview session. Dick is grateful for the honor of being recognized by the Hall of Fame and humble in having his story shared. We are so happy to share it with fans and viewers and congratulate him on his legendary career and place in Cooperstown.
Show summary: Dick Enberg’s vast experience — broadcasting some of the greatest moments in sports — places him at the top of his game in more ways than one. He is a gentleman and a scholar; a sports fan and a father. Now, he is also a Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster named the 2015 Ford C. Frick award for excellence in broadcasting.
On the special series One on One with Jane Mitchell featuring the Legends, Dick Enberg shares his reaction to the game’s highest honor for a broadcaster, and revisits his stellar career scrapbook to tell his story. In his 6th year as the Padres broadcaster, how has he adjusted after returning to the game? The “Professor” gives an update on his mental “library.”