11 Facts About Al Helfer

1.

George Alvin "Al" Helfer was an American radio sportscaster.

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2.

Al Helfer started broadcasting recreations of Pittsburgh Pirates baseball games in 1933.

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3.

Al Helfer joined Red Barber as the regular broadcast team of the Cincinnati Reds in 1935.

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4.

Al Helfer left Cincinnati to join CBS in 1937, working a few baseball games and a lot of football games.

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5.

Al Helfer was reunited with Barber on the Brooklyn Dodgers broadcasts in 1939.

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6.

When he returned the Dodgers job was no longer available, so Al Helfer started doing "Game of the Day" broadcasts for Mutual.

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7.

Al Helfer was paired with Dizzy Dean on the network's broadcasts in the early 1950s, though the two men often argued and never got along.

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8.

Al Helfer did eventually rejoin the Dodgers for their last years in Brooklyn, calling their final home game and introducing the players to the crowd for the final time.

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9.

In 1958 Al Helfer called Philadelphia Phillies games which were broadcast to the New York market by WOR-TV, helping to fill the void of National League baseball left in the city by the departure of the Dodgers and Giants.

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10.

Al Helfer worked a number of teams after that, including the Houston Colt.

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11.

On December 12,2018 it was announced Helfer had been awarded the Ford C Frick Award for Excellence in Baseball Broadcasting from the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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