The original full-time voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates may finally get his due in Cooperstown.
Albert “Rosey” Rowswell was the voice of the Pirates from 1936-1954 and is among seven other legendary broadcasters nominated for the 2022 Ford D. Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcasting.
Joining Rowswell are Cubs broadcaster Pat Flanagan, Indians broadcaster Jack Graney (who was also the first player to transition to broadcasting), Reds broadcaster Wait Hoyt (who was inducted as a plyer in 1969), St. Louis Browns and Cardinals broadcaster France Laux, Cubs and White Sox broadcaster Hal Totten, Tigers broadcaster Ty Tyson and Cubs broadcaster Bert Wilson.
All eight of the people nominated are deceased. Rowswell passed away in February 1955.
Rowswell was known for his catchphrases while broadcasting games.
A “doozie maroonie” was an extra base hit, “put’ em on and take’ em off” for a double play, “the old dipsy doodle” for a breaking ball that struck out a batter and his most famous phrase, "Raise the window, Aunt Minnie. Here it comes” when a Pirates player hit a home run.
This prompted fellow broadcaster Bob Prince, who received the Frick Award in 1986, to fill a pie tin with nuts and bolts and drop it on the floor to mimic a window breaking, prompting Rowswell to say, “That’s too bad, Aunt Minnie never made it in time.”
“He was a Renaissance man in terms of his broadcasting excellence,” said current Pirates play-by-play man Greg Brown.
Rowswell was also an unabashed Pirates supporter and showed it on the air.
“He was a homer in the best sense of the word,” added Brown
“He was the ultimate showman during a time when broadcasters didn’t step out like that.”
The Frick Award will be announced on December 8, 2021 and will be honored during the Hall of Fam Weekend July 22-25 next year.