ARLINGTON, TX (WSIL) -- Marion native Chuck Morgan has a major league voice
For you baseball fans he's painted many pictures to our childhood.
This weekend he's getting quite the honor from his employer.
"It's baseball time in Texas," Texas Rangers PA Announcer Chuck Morgan delivers emphatically.
If you've ever been to a Texas Rangers home baseball game, this is the voice that welcomes you to the ballpark. On Saturday, The Rangers will induct Chuck Morgan into their hall of fame.
"Growing up in Marion and just playing wiffle ball in my backyard, I used to pretend I was doing the announcing and play-by-play and play in that game in the backyard so it's a dream that I never even thought about."
On Saturday Chuck wil inducted along with a player he's admired over the years.
"To go in with Adrian Beltre and be a part of the countdown to his 3,000th career hit, just watching him play third base every night and the things he's accomplished and I know here in two to three years he's going to go into the national baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown so to be linked with him, there is just no way to describe that but I always told everybody once you watched him play, you'd never forget him."
Morgan has worked over 3000 games and has been witness to some milestones.
"You know you're right, I've seen so many things. Rafael Palmeiro's 500th homer, I've watched Michael Young, who is our all-time leader in hits in the franchise win a batting title. Saw Sammy Sosa's 600th homerun. He was playing for us at the time and Adrian's 300th career hit but anytime you see anything like that is outstanding but the thing that stands out the most is when we beat the Yankees for the first time to win our American League pennant back in 2010."
Last season due to the pandemic, the World Series was played at a neutral site. It was played in Arlington, Texas, and Mark was the tour guide to the visiting spectators.
"I got to the say the Vin Scully line a couple of times. I would say it's time for Dodger Baseball and I would also throw in it's baseball time in Texas so we used both of them during the World Series.
Going to a baseball game is an experience that stay's with you for a lifetime. And for Rangers fan's Chuck is the narrator to their story.
"That makes you feel like you did something right and it touches my heart because it is very special for a dad to tell me that I went to my first game at Arlington Stadium and and now I'm bringing junior here to his first game and I told him you are the guy I listened to. And I remember the PA announcer for the first Busch Stadium introducing Stan the Man was a guy named Charlie Jones and if Charlie Jones had not been at Busch Stadium it would not have been a Cardinal game to me. Hopefully that's the way I hope Rangers fans look at it if I'm not here doing the announcing than maybe it's not a Ranger game. To have people respond to you like that, that's probably the highest compliment someone can give you."
With all the great accomplishments, Chuck has not forgotten his roots.
"Southern Illinois really has a close place in my heart. I even have a Saluki at home. My wife got me a Saluki for my birthday about eight years ago so I stay in touch with the Dogs at SIU Southern Illinois means a lot to me."
On most nights Chuck has the PA to a Texas audience. Tonight I turned on his microphone to Southern Illinois.
"Southern Illinois has been everything to my career from my days at the Grand Ole Opry right into Major League Baseball and because of the great times I had and the great people of Southern Illinois, I've been lucky enough to introduce and emcee all-star games, World Series games and things like that so that would be my message, a big thank you to everyone in Southern Illinois."
