Photo of Tom Cheek Tom Cheek's Banner of Excellence

TORONTO BLUE JAYS HONOR
TOM CHEEK
WITH LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE

TORONTO – The TORONTO BLUE JAYS are proud to honor their veteran broadcaster,  TOM CHEEK,  by including their longtime radio announcer's name among the greats in the Club's LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE.

A banner bearing his name was unveiled in a special pregame ceremony today at SkyDome.

TOM CHEEK now becomes the seventh member of the Blue Jays family to be included in the Level of Excellence,  joining the likes of GEORGE BELL  (inducted in 1996),  DAVE STIEB  (1996),  JOE CARTER  (1999),  CITO GASTON  (1999),  TONY FERNANDEZ  (2001) and PAT GILLICK  (2002).

The Level of Excellence represents the Club's highest honour recognizing tremendous individual achievement. The honourees have their names displayed on large banners at the top of seating areas in SkyDome's 500 Level on either side of the Club's championship banners.

TOM CHEEK joins Gillick,  the Club's former General Manager,  as the only two members of the non-uniformed personnel to be so honoured. TOM CHEEK has been the radio voice of the Blue Jays since the Club's inception.

He is well known for his remarkable streak of calling 4,306 consecutive regular season games. Tom's streak began with the Club's first ever game on 7 April 1977 and extended into this the 28th season in Toronto Blue Jays franchise history.

Unfortunately,  he was called away from the broadcast booth on 3 June of this season while the team was in Oakland,  by the sudden and untimely passing of his father.

The 65-year-old resident of Oldsmar,  Florida has spent 42 years in radio,  including the last 30 in Major League Baseball. Before joining the Blue Jays for the Club's inaugural season,  the native of Pensacola,  Florida,  spent three seasons (1974-1976)  as an alternate radio announcer with the Montreal Expos.

Special to CANADIAN BASEBALL NEWS – 29 August 2004

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