Astros honor Hamilton on his 85th birthday
Hamilton, who has announced that 2012 will be his final season calling games, was honored on the field during a pregame ceremony that included a cake and a special presentation. The first 10,000 fans attending Sunday's game received a Hamilton bobblehead.
In addition, the Astros honored Hamilton by inducting him into the Houston Baseball Media Wall of Honor. He's the sixth inductee into the Wall of Honor, joining media pioneer Anita Martini, who was the inaugural inductee in 2007; former Astros radio broadcaster Gene Elston, '08; former Houston Chronicle writers Neil Hohlfeld, '09, and Mickey Herskowitz, '10; and Astros television announcer Bill Brown, '11.
This year marks Hamilton's 55th season as a Major League broadcaster, which is second all-time to Dodgers legend and Hall of Famer Vin Scully, who is in his 63rd season. Hamilton has been the radio voice of the Astros since 1985.
In 1992, Hamilton earned the ultimate honor for broadcasting excellence when he received the prestigious Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame.