CHARLESTON, W.Va. — ESPN Commentator John Kruk, a former major league baseball player and a West Virginia native, will be back in the Mountain State this weekend to help host the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame’s 2013 Induction Ceremony in Charleston.
“I love, love, love the fact that I’m from West Virginia,” said Kruk on Thursday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
Kruk was raised in Keyser and played baseball at Keyser High School, Potomac State College and Allegany Community College.
He started his professional baseball career with the San Diego Padres in 1981 and went on to play with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Kruk now works as an analyst for ESPN, but is also an aspiring musician. “We grew up on music,” he said of his musical roots. “My mom played guitar and all my brothers, we just love music and, since I’ve gotten out and started playing and traveled around the country, I’ve gotten to meet a lot of country artists.”
Despite his career successes in other venues, he admitted he does get nervous on stage. “I don’t worry about singing well enough. I just worry about forgetting the words,” he said.
Kruk will co-host the induction ceremony for the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame with Mollie O’Brien. It will originate from the Culture Center in Charleston and be broadcast live, statewide, on West Virginia Public Broadcasting stations starting at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
“Any chance I get to come back to West Virginia, I’ve got to take advantage of it,” said Kruk.
The 2013 inductees are Melvin and Ray Goins, Peter Marshall, Wayne Moss, Tim O’Brien, Ada “Bricktop” Smith, Eleanor Steber and The Swan Silvertones.