Fresh off the golf course in Maui, award-winning broadcaster Lon Simmons wasn't interested in talking about what he'd done on the links.

A longtime partner on the radio with the late Bill King, who called 25 years of A's action, Simmons wanted to talk about what fans should be doing with a different set of links.

On-line voting for the 2009 Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence begins Sept. 1, with the top three vote-getters by the fans automatically qualifying for the 10-member ballot that will be formulated by a 20-member committee and announced Oct. 6.

The winner will be announced Dec. 9 at the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas and will receive the award during the induction ceremony on July 26, 2009, at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Fans can vote for up to three of their favorites among 210 broadcasters eligible in balloting conducted exclusively on the Hall's Web site, baseballhalloffame.org, which will carry biographical sketches of each candidate. Fans can vote up to once a day throughout September. Results will be announced when voting concludes Sept. 30. There will be no updates provided during the voting period.

Current A's broadcasters Ken Korach, Ray Fosse and Vince Cotroneo also are on the on-line ballot, but all of them have said they'd much rather see King's legacy recognized.

Simmons, a Frick Award winner himself who got a huge boost from Internet voters, is urging voters to do the same for King.

"The only reason I got in was they put it up for fan voting," Simmons told MLB.com by phone. "I didn't think I deserved to be in there, but [former Bay Area sports columnist] Joan Ryan and [sports-talk radio station] KNBR really pushed for me, and the fans made it happen. If the fans get together and get a good amount of votes for Bill in there, I think it would certainly help his chances, and I hope it works for him.

"I was friends with Bill for a long time and I was on the air with him for a long time, and I really do believe he belongs in the Hall of Fame. He should get in there."

How strongly does Simmons believe in King's credentials? His voice rises as he makes his pitch for the iconic longtime voice of not just the A's, but also of the NFL's Oakland Raiders and the NBA's Golden State Warriors.

"I've voted Bill No. 1 on every ballot I've had," said Simmons, who, as the 2004 Frick honoree, is part of the committee that selects the annual winner. "When you think of play-by-play, you have to think of Bill King as one of the best there ever was. ... He certainly has all the qualifications."

Dave Niehaus, the longtime voice of the Seattle Mariners, was the recipient at the 2008 induction in July, which marked the 30th anniversary of the award that was first presented to legendary figures Mel Allen and Red Barber. The award was named for the late broadcaster, National League President, Commissioner and Hall of Famer. Frick was a driving force behind the creation of the Hall of Fame and helped foster the relationship between radio and the game of baseball.

The three broadcasters named to the ballot last year through on-line voting were King, the Cincinnati Reds' Joe Nuxhall and Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan of "Sunday Night Baseball." The other nominees selected by the 20-member committee were former "Game of the Week" broadcasters Dizzy Dean and Tony Kubek; play-by-play voices Tom Cheek (Toronto Blue Jays), Ken Coleman (Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox), Dave Van Horne (Montreal Expos, Florida Marlins) and broadcasting legend Graham McNamee (NBC), who called 12 World Series beginning in 1923.

"Part of the criteria is length of time with the team and in the community, and Bill was there in Oakland forever; he never wanted to leave," said Simmons. "And to me, local announcers are even more important than national announcers, because they really are part of the daily rhythm of the season for their city and their community. That's why the fan vote is so important.

"The fan vote gives a city the ability to say, 'This is our man, he deserves it, let's put him in there.'"

Beyond the criteria, Simmons also notes, were the intangibles that made King great -- and more than worthy of being honored in Cooperstown.

"He had a great passion for broadcasting," Simmons said. "If they'd have made the post-game shows five hours, he'd have been in heaven. He loved being on the air, and he had an enthusiasm for the game that really came through in his work.

"And it was Hall of Fame work. So I really go hope the fans help get him in."