MUNCIE, Ind. — This was the moment Tom Nichols had been waiting for his entire life, and he never saw it coming.
After Nichols broadcasted his 4,000th career professional baseball game on Aug. 8 and the Dayton Dragons – the Class A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds – returned home, the team’s front office called a meeting. Nichols, a 1982 Delta graduate and 1986 Ball State graduate, was asked to read a letter in front of the staff.
Nichols soon discovered that the Dragons and Reds had already worked out the details. After 31 years in the minor leagues – riding the bus from town to town, staying in cheap hotels and rarely missing a game – Nichols is going to the big leagues.