DURHAM, N.C.鈥�听The American Association has announced the three finalists for the inaugural听Brian Rose/Scott Miller Man of the Year Award.
Winnipeg Goldeyes OF Reggie Abercrombie, Laredo Lemurs P Ryan Beckman, and St. Paul Saints P Mark Hamburger have been selected as finalists for the award.
The finalists were selected by the league from a group of 12 nominees. The three finalists will appear on the league鈥檚 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.
For the second time in three years, the American Association has lost a valuable member of their fraternity to melanoma.听Scott Miller, the voice of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks passed away in late February, and听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鈥檚 initials and his famous catch phrase 鈥淢y Oh My鈥� are printed across the field.
Miller had the press box at Newman Outdoor Field named after him during the RedHawks鈥� opening night game on May 27th听against Rose鈥檚 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鈥檚 basketball team (including three NCAA Tournament appearances). Rose鈥檚 number 鈥�3鈥� was retired by the Wingnuts during an opening night ceremony in 2013.
The winner of the award will be announced next month.
