Ocker joins baseball-writing gods

Sheldon Ocker, who covered the Indians for 33 years, has been named the 2018 J.G. Taylor Spink Award chosen by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Sheldon Ocker

Sheldon got 168 of the 426 votes. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Jim Reeves was second with 143 votes. Minneapolis writer Patrick Reussee got 113.

Sheldon joins such writing luminaries as Ring Lardner, Grantland Rice, Damon Runyon, Heywood Broun, Shirley Povich, Red Smith, Jim Murray and my late, former Dayton Daily News sports editor/boss, Si Burick. Classy company, Sheldon.

Spink was the late editor of The Sporting News, baseball’s bible.

Sheldon switched from the Cavaliers to the Indians in 1981 when Bob Nold decided he didn’t want to spent his entire spring and summer on the road or in Cleveland.

He will receive the award in Cooperstown, New York during the Baseball Hall of Fame enshrinement weekend July 23-30, 2018.

Sheldon retired from Ol’ Blue Walls after the 2013 season.

He was the national Writers’ Association president in 1985 and Cleveland chapter chair 11 times.