Jerry Howarth (born March 12, 1946) is an American Canadian former sports commentator, best known as the radio play-by-play voice of the Toronto Blue Jays from 1981 through the 2017 season. (wikipedia)
He had that wonderful booming voice, bigger than life. I can't tell you how often people would come up to Tom and say, 'When I was a kid I listened to you' ... and they'd walk away happy to be able to say they'd met him.
That streak was phenomenal because of all the sacrifices he had to make. His family was so supportive, they told him 'You go broadcast games, we'll be here.' He did it not for himself, but for the fans.
It sure does hit you hard. He will be missed. His voice was the signature voice of this ball club.
I spent a lot of days with him in Florida during spring training. After his father died we got a lot closer. I began to see how he was slipping and the difficulty he was having coping.
It was a sad day because for the first time in his life Tom parted with his child. It was heart-wrenching for everyone.
Off the bat you couldn't tell if it would stay fair.
Everyone this spring would ask how Tom was doing.
