Due to a severe ice storm which struck Oklahoma the day of the festivities, Johnson was unable to attend. However, the ceremonies and banquet were held in his absence and his agent accepted the trophy on his behalf. It was still a grand evening and offered Baseball Todd and his father Richard a chance to meet the greatest lefty of all time - Warren Spahn!

It was also an opportunity to meet John Rooney, the recipient of the first Bill Teegins Award. Rooney is the announcer for the Chicago White Sox and a former announcer for the now-defunct Oklahoma City 89ers. Rooney is in his 14th season calling the action from behind the microphone for the Chisox. Teegins was killed in January 2001 in a tragic plane crash in Colorado which also claimed the lives of nine other members of the Oklahoma State University basketball contingent.

Teegins was the sports anchor at KWTV channel 9 in Oklahoma City and the play-by-play announcer for OSU Cowboy basketball and football games. His widow, Janis, was on hand at the banquet to award Rooney with his award and it was a very touching ceremony. Though Rooney never met Teegins, he realized what an impact Teegins had on the people and sports fans in the state of Oklahoma. He accepted the honor graciously.

	Pitcher Brad Penny of the Florida Marlins and Hall of Famer Warren Spahn discuss pitching strategy and the nasty Oklahoma weather during a press conference at the Oklahoma Sports Museum prior to the 3rd Annual Warren Spahn Award ceremonies on Jan. 30 in Guthrie, Okla.
A display inside the Oklahoma Sports Museum is dedicated to the late sportscaster Bill Teegins, who died in January 2001 in a plane crash involving the Oklahoma State University basketball team.
	Janis Teegins presents the Bill Teegins Award to announcer John Rooney of the Chicago White Sox during a press conference on Jan. 30 at the Oklahoma Sports Museum in Guthrie, Okla.
Warren Spahn talks about the Warren Spahn Award and recipient Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Spahn, with 363 career wins, is the greatest lefty in major league history. He spoke from a podium inside the Oklahoma Sports Museum in Guthrie, Okla., and said Johnson reminds him of another pitcher from his era - Ewell "The Whip" Blackwell of the Cincinnati Reds in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
	Janis Teegins, John Rooney, and Warren Spahn sit on a couch inside the Masonic Temple and talk about the nasty Oklahoma weather and other things during the Warren Spahn Award ceremonies on Jan. 30 in Guthrie, Okla.
Chicago White Sox announcer John Rooney and Richard Newville (father of Baseball Todd) share a moment during the 3rd Annual Warren Spahn Award ceremonies inside the Masonic Temple in Guthrie, Okla., on Jan. 30.
(Left to right) Richard Newville, Warren Spahn, and Baseball Todd Newville share a moment at the 3rd Annual Warren Spahn Award ceremonies at the Masonic Temple on Jan. 30 in Guthrie, Okla. The photographer was Richard Clifton. Special thanks to OSM publicist Darl DeVault for a memorable evening with one of Baseball Todd's all-time favorite players and heroes - Warren Spahn.	TO READ A STORY ABOUT WARREN SPAHN WRITTEN BY TODD NEWVILLE PLEASE CLICK ON HIS 1959 TOPPS BB CARD ABOVE!