Lanny Frattare

Lanny Louis Frattare (born March 23, 1948 in Rochester, New York) is a former American sportscaster. For 33 years he was a play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates, the longest such tenure in the team's history. [cite news |first= Alan|last= Robinson|title= Frattare retires after 33 seasons with Pirates|url= http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-pirates-frattareretires&prov=ap&type=lgns|publisher= Yahoo! Sports|date= 2008-10-01|accessdate=2008-10-01] [cite press release |title= Pittsburgh Pirates play-by-play announcer Lanny Frattare to retire after 33 seasons|url= http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20081001&content_id=3578907&vkey=pr_pit&fext=.jsp&c_id=pit&partnerId=rss_pit|publisher= PittsburghPirates.com|date= 2008-10-01|accessdate=2008-10-01] He has been nominated for the 2008 Ford Frick Award, which is awarded for broadcasting excellence. [cite news |first= Bob|last= Smizik|title= Frattare reflects on tough call to quit the booth|url= http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08282/918178-80.stm?cmpid=sports.xml|publisher= "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette"|date= 2008-10-08|accessdate=2008-10-08]

Frattare attended Ithaca College, graduating in 1970. He started his career in his home town as a radio disk jockey, sportscaster, and play-by-play broadcaster for the American Hockey League's Rochester Americans following his graduation. As the radio broadcaster for the Pirates' AAA affiliate Charleston Charlies in 1974 and 1975, Frattare was mentored by then-Pirates broadcaster Bob Prince, who invited Frattare to Pittsburgh after the Charlies' seasons concluded and allowed Frattare to take over the microphone on occasion.

He moved to Pittsburgh and joined the Pirates major league broadcasting crew on radio (KDKA) and cable television in 1976. He started as Milo Hamilton's junior partner, calling just two innings of most games and serving as Hamilton's color man. His role began to increase after Hamilton left following the 1979 season. The Pirates gave Frattare a new contract late in the 2006 season that was to keep him on the air through 2009. In August 2008, Lanny announced his 5000th Pirates game. He began sharing primary announcing duties with Greg Brown, as the Pirates evolved toward a transition that will come with Frattare's retirement. On October 1, 2008, Frattare announced he was retiring from the Pirate broadcast booth and would not return for the 2009 season. The Pirates plan a ceremony for some time in 2009 to honor him. [ [http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20081001&content_id=3578907&vkey=pr_pit&fext=.jsp&c_id=pit] ]

Frattare was lead announcer on the ESPN broadcast of the February 23, 1985 college basketball game between Indiana University and Purdue University during which Indiana coach Bob Knight threw a chair across the court, a moment which is frequently replayed on television to this day.

Frattare has two children and two grandchildren from his first marriage. He remarried a few years ago to the former choir director of Upper St. Clair High School, but the couple separated in late 2007. Over the past twenty years, he has hosted the Family Links Golf Classic which has raised over $1.6 million in support of mentally challenged individuals and their families.

Memorable calls

"...and there was NOOOOOOOoooooo doubt about it." (after a Pirates win). He coined this catch phrase after a similar slogan used by his mentor, Bob Prince ("We had em all the way")

"Go ball, get outta here – it's gone!" (when calling a Pirates home run))

ee also

*Pittsburgh Pirates broadcasters and media

References

External links

* [http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/broadcasters.jsp?c_id=pit MLB Profile]
* [http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060914&content_id=1662569&vkey=news_pit&fext=.jsp&c_id=pit Interview Part 1]
* [http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060918&content_id=1669010&vkey=news_pit&fext=.jsp&c_id=pit Interview Part 2]