DURHAM, N.C.– The American Association has announced the nominees for the inaugural Brian Rose/Scott Miller Man of the Year Award.
For the second time in three years, the American Association has lost a valuable member of their fraternity to melanoma. Scott Miller, the voice of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks passed away in late February, and Brian Rose, the bench coach for the Wichita Wingnuts, passed away in late January of 2013. The league will honor these two men with the award.
The award will represent what these two men stood for: dedication to their craft, hard work and determination, kindness, and community service. Each of the 12 American Association teams will nominate one player that exemplifies these characteristics. The nominees will be those that play within the rules of the game during the season, give it their all game-in and game-out, plus give back to their community through charitable work and community appearances.
With the passing of Miller, American Association broadcasters are honoring him in 2016 by wearing a lapel pin. The pin is a baseball diamond with a microphone extending from home plate to second base, and a black band across from first base to third base. Miller’s initials and his famous catch phrase “My Oh My” are printed across the field.
Miller had the press box at Newman Outdoor Field named after him during the RedHawks’ opening night game on May 27th against Rose’s former team, the Wichita Wingnuts. Miller began as the RedHawks play-by-play voice in 2006, and was also the voice of the North Dakota State Bison football team (calling five straight FCS championship seasons), and men’s basketball team (including three NCAA Tournament appearances). Rose’s number “3” was retired by the Wingnuts during an opening night ceremony in 2013.
The league will select three finalists from the group of 12 nominees. The three finalists will appear on the league’s post-season award ballot, which is determined by American Association field managers and media representatives. The voters will be provided with a short bio describing what the finalists did during the season to deserve the Brian Rose/Scott Miller Man of the Year Award.
The nominees are as follows:
Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks: Luke Bailey
Gary SouthShore RailCats: Jeremy Hamilton
Joplin Blasters: Mitch Glasser
Kansas City T-Bones: Jake Blackwood
Laredo Lemurs: Ryan Beckman
Lincoln Saltdogs: Austin Darby
Sioux City Explorers: Tom Mendonca
Sioux Falls Canaries: Stephen Bougher
St. Paul Saints: Mark Hamburger
Texas AirHogs: Burt Reynolds
Wichita Wingnuts: Brent Clevlen
Winnipeg Goldeyes: Reggie Abercrombie