Fred Hoey
Encyclopedia
Fred Hoey was a major league baseball broadcaster. Hoey called games for the Boston Braves
from 1925–38 and Boston Red Sox
from 1927-38.
Hoey was born in Boston, but raised in Saxonville, Massachusetts
. At the age of 12, Hoey saw his first baseball game during the 1897 Temple Cup
. Hoey would later play semipro baseball and work as an usher at the Huntington Avenue Grounds
.
In 1903, Hoey was hired as a sportswriter, writing about high school sports, baseball, and hockey. In 1924, he became the first publicity director of the Boston Bruins
. Hoey began broadcasting Braves games in 1925 and Red Sox games in 1927, becoming the first full-time announcer for both teams.
In 1933, Hoey was hired by CBS Radio
to call Games 1 and 5 of the World Series
after commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis
declared that Ted Husing
and Graham McNamee
could not call World Series games because they did not call any regular season games. Hoey was removed from the CBS broadcasting booth during the fourth inning of game one after his voice went out. Although reported as a cold, Hoey's garbled and incoherent words led many to think that Hoey was drunk. After this incident, Hoey never went to the broadcast booth without a tin of throat lozenge
s. His only other national assignment was calling the 1936 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
, played in Boston, for Mutual
.
After the 1936 season, Hoey was fired by the head of the Yankee Network
, John Shepard III
. Baseball fans, including Franklin D. Roosevelt
rallied to his defense. After the 1938 season, Hoey demanded a raise, but the sponsors, despite public pressure, replaced Hoey with former player and manager Frankie Frisch
. After leaving the booth, Hoey covered the Red Sox and Braves in Boston newspapers until 1946.
Hoey died on November 17, 1949 of accidental gas asphyxiation.
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
from 1925–38 and Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
from 1927-38.
Hoey was born in Boston, but raised in Saxonville, Massachusetts
Saxonville, Massachusetts
Saxonville is a historic mill village located in the north end of the town of Framingham, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts 01701.- Geography :Saxonville is located at 42.3203 degrees latitude, 71.4404 longitude....
. At the age of 12, Hoey saw his first baseball game during the 1897 Temple Cup
Temple Cup
The Temple Cup was a trophy awarded to the winner of a best-of-seven, post-season championship series in the National League, from 1894–1897. The 30-inch-high silver cup was donated by coal, citrus, and lumber baron William Chase Temple, the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates at the time...
. Hoey would later play semipro baseball and work as an usher at the Huntington Avenue Grounds
Huntington Avenue Grounds
Huntington Avenue American League Base Ball Grounds is the full name of the baseball stadium that formerly stood in Boston, Massachusetts and was home to the Boston Red Sox from 1901-1911...
.
In 1903, Hoey was hired as a sportswriter, writing about high school sports, baseball, and hockey. In 1924, he became the first publicity director of the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
. Hoey began broadcasting Braves games in 1925 and Red Sox games in 1927, becoming the first full-time announcer for both teams.
In 1933, Hoey was hired by CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
to call Games 1 and 5 of the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
after commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Kenesaw Mountain Landis was an American jurist who served as a federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and as the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death...
declared that Ted Husing
Ted Husing
Edward Britt Husing was an American sportscaster and was among the first to lay the groundwork for the structure and pace of modern sports reporting on television and radio.-Early life and career:...
and Graham McNamee
Graham McNamee
Graham McNamee was a pioneering broadcaster in American radio, the medium's most recognized national personality in its first international decade....
could not call World Series games because they did not call any regular season games. Hoey was removed from the CBS broadcasting booth during the fourth inning of game one after his voice went out. Although reported as a cold, Hoey's garbled and incoherent words led many to think that Hoey was drunk. After this incident, Hoey never went to the broadcast booth without a tin of throat lozenge
Throat lozenge
A throat lozenge, cough drop, troche, or cough sweet is a small, medicated tablet intended to be dissolved slowly in the mouth to temporarily stop coughs and lubricate and soothe irritated tissues of the throat , possibly from the common cold or influenza...
s. His only other national assignment was calling the 1936 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
1936 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1936 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 4th playing of the mid-summer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 7, 1936 at Braves Field in Boston, Massachusetts, the home of...
, played in Boston, for Mutual
Major League Baseball on Mutual
Major League Baseball on Mutual was the de facto title of the Mutual Broadcasting System's national radio coverage of Major League Baseball games. Mutual's coverage came about during the Golden Age of Radio in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. During this period, television sports broadcasting was in its...
.
After the 1936 season, Hoey was fired by the head of the Yankee Network
Yankee Network
For the radio network of the New York Yankees, see New York Yankees Radio Network.The Yankee Network was an American radio network. It was founded in 1930 by John Shepard III; in 1949, a controlling interest in the network was purchased by General Tire when Robert Shepard chairman of the network's...
, John Shepard III
John Shepard III
John Shepard III was an American radio executive and merchant. Among his many achievements, he was among the original board members of the National Association of Broadcasters and founded both the Yankee Network and the Yankee News Service....
. Baseball fans, including Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
rallied to his defense. After the 1938 season, Hoey demanded a raise, but the sponsors, despite public pressure, replaced Hoey with former player and manager Frankie Frisch
Frankie Frisch
Francis “Frankie” Frisch , nicknamed the "Fordham Flash" or "The Old Flash", was a German American Major League Baseball player of the early twentieth century....
. After leaving the booth, Hoey covered the Red Sox and Braves in Boston newspapers until 1946.
Hoey died on November 17, 1949 of accidental gas asphyxiation.