Scott Franzke
Scott Franzke, the radio voice of the Phillies, learned his first lesson about the fervor of the Philadelphia sports fan not from die-hard baseball junkies, but from the Eagles’ faithful. Back in 2004, the Dallas native was covering the Cowboys’ visit to the Linc for his hometown radio station, and as his bus pulled into the stadium, the crowd gathered outside made their feelings clear to Franzke and his fellow out-of-towners. “They gave us their best one-finger salutes,” the 39-year-old recalls with a laugh. “You realize right away that people here love sports. You know how much they care.”
Luckily for anyone who’s enjoyed Franzke’s stellar play-by-play, that reception didn’t scare him away from joining the Phillies broadcast crew two years later. As the team transformed from also-ran to juggernaut, Franzke became the centerpiece of Phillies radio, along with his on-air partner, Larry Andersen. Hearing their easy rapport feels like eavesdropping on two old pals talking baseball and cracking each other up in much the same way the immortal team of Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn made listening to the Phillies as compelling as watching them. “There are high and low moments in every game, and it’s such a long season,” he says. “When the game is on the line, we pay proper respect to that. But if people are investing time with you, they have to have fun.”
The good times will keep rolling through at least 2016, thanks to a contract extension that will keep Franzke on the mic and his family—his wife, Lori, and one-year-old son, Gus—in their Wynnefield home. Despite rumors that he might head back to Texas, Franzke says having his dream job in this baseball-frenzied town is something special. “The Phillies took a chance on me. To be here where the games are full and the fans care so much—sign me up for that any day.”
Franzke’s Favorites
Hobby: Most of Franzke’s free time is devoted to remodeling his 90-year-old home. Next on the to-do list: the sunroom. “It had this crazy 1940s version of an entertainment center with built-in stereo, a shortwave ham radio and awful paneling. We tore it up one night and revealed all of this beautiful stonework.”
Restaurant: Between Franzke’s travels with the team and raising his young son, there’s not much time for dining out, but he and his wife still enjoy Parc.
Family outing: The Philadelphia Zoo. “[My son is] a big fan of Gus the Giraffe, of course.”
Phillies moment: On the field, Franzke’s favorite call is Roy Halladay’s no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds in last year’s play-offs. Away from the ballpark, it was riding down Broad Street in the championship parade with Harry Kalas. “As far as you could see, there were people. Every time we stopped, there was another chant for Harry. We knew how much it meant to him.”
