George Clyde Kell (August 23, 1922 – March 24, 2009) was an American professional baseball player and television sports commentator.

[2] In college, Kell played for Arkansas State, where the baseball facility, Tomlinson Stadium–Kell Field, is named after him.

The next year, he would play 139 games for the Athletics, and Kell batted .268 while having 138 hits while receiving a few votes for MVP.

In the American League, he ranked in the top ten for batting average with .322 for the year (fourth) and on-base percentage with .372 (9th) alongside hits (168, 8th).

He was hampered by issues in the 1948 season, playing just 92 games while batting .304 with 112 hits, although he garnered MVP voting and an All-Star selection.

However, he led the league in numerous hitting categories, played in 157 games and had a .982 fielding percentage, which was the third time he had topped .980.

It would be his last full year with the Tigers, as he was traded after 39 games in 1952 alongside Hoot Evers, Johnny Lipon and Dizzy Trout to the Boston Red Sox for Walt Dropo, Fred Hatfield, Don Lenhardt, Johnny Pesky and Bill Wight.

His tenure with Boston saw the team engage in attempts at stealing signs involving the scoreboard, and it wasn't long after his trade to Chicago (done on May 23, 1954, for Grady Hatton and cash) that management asked him about the system.

Reportedly the scheme persisted long after Kell left the team in 1956 (the White Sox won the pennant three years later).

A quote from his induction speech at the Hall of Fame goes as follows, "I have suspected for a long time that George Kell has taken more from this great game than he would ever be able to put back.

Kell initially called Tigers games on both radio and television, splitting the play-by-play with Van Patrick (in the 1959 season) and then with Ernie Harwell.

Following the 1963 season he briefly retired from broadcasting, citing a desire to spend more time at his Arkansas home; after a one-year absence, Kell was persuaded to return in 1965 working the (less frequent) TV games exclusively while Harwell did radio.

[5][14][15] Fox Sports Detroit, by then the Tigers' local TV rights holder, honored Kell with re-airings of the special FSN Basement: All Star Edition 2005 featuring interviews with Kell and Al Kaline, each recalling his memories of playing for the Tigers and working together in the television booth.