Tom Hamilton is Top Baseball Announcer of This Era

It is an unwritten rule that every young sports fan must endure hearing about the "good ol' days" in sports from fathers, grandfathers and random old guys interrupting your hot dog consumption while at the ballpark. You know, those memorable days when "they played for the love of the game," "Ebbets Field was the best ballpark ever built" and "Brett Favre was in his twenties."

The same goes for sports broadcasters. Howard Cosell, Red Barber and Curt Gowdy didn't call the action on the field as much as they brought you along for the ride, and audible virtual reality of sorts that captivated body, mind and soul for three hours. Nobody in the business today calls the action like these all-time greats.

Readers, I give you Tom Hamilton. The greatest baseball announcer of the 21 century.

Hamilton has been the play-by-play man for the Cleveland Indians since 1990. The fact that he's been with that organization for over 20 years and hasn't Harry Doyle'd himself off the radio is worthy of several awards. Longevity and a strong liver are hardly Hamilton's top qualities. His booming voice and epic calls are the voice of summer throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania and homes around the country fortunate enough to hear Hammy's voice via Internet radio. Hamilton is such an icon that my father called me at the start of the 2008 baseball season just to leave a voicemail containing Hamilton's reading of the Indians' Opening Day lineup, a message still saved on my phone.

"Number 50, right-hander Jensen Lewis!"

Hamilton's baseball play-by-play commentary is the stuff of legends; witty and intelligent, heartfelt and professional. His love for baseball and desire to see the Cleveland Indians actually pull out a win almost make you forget that you're listening to an overpriced Minor League Baseball game. Critics of Hamilton love to point out the broadcaster's over dramatic calls of warning track fly-outs and close-but-not-that-close plays at the bag. Listening to baseball on the radio is about imagination, seeing plays as you want and not as they actually happen. If I didn't suspend belief while listening to Cleveland sports, I'd be in therapy.

Every great announcer has trademark sayings, those that you mimic with friends while recalling a team's best moments. Hamilton's "Swing-an-a-drive. WAAAAAAY Back. GONE!" and "SWIIING and a miss!" are two calls yearned for by Indians fans each game. There's no better way to end a ninth inning than hearing Hamilton shout "BALLGAME!" after a Tribe win.

The GQ website recently posted a list of the "Best and Worst" baseball announcers. The fact that Hamilton is nowhere to be found on this list makes it completely irrelevant. 40 years from now, when I'm reminded of the good ol' roided up, me before team, stadiums named after corporations, White Bronco chasing days in sports, I'll be able to interrupt a young whippersnapper and tell him "you never heard Hamilton call the action, kid.

You never heard the best."

For more: Listen to the greatness that is Tom Hamilton here, here, here, here, here and here. And follow me on Twitter.