Phillies announcer Larry Anderson will have reduced role in 2022
In what has been a busy offseason of shakeups for the Phillies radio broadcast, Larry Anderson has decided to cut the amount of games he will work in 2022 from 81 to 40.
Per Phillies press release:
“After 50 years in the game, Larry has decided that he would like to have more personal time to enjoy life outside of baseball,” said Phillies Executive Vice President David Buck. “This was a tough, emotional decision for Larry, but we are happy that he has chosen to continue calling weekend games in Philadelphia.”
You can’t knock Anderson for wanting to spend more time with his family. He is the definition of a baseball lifer, who has essentially given his entire adult existence to the sport.
As someone who has worked in professional baseball, I don’t think many fans consider the sheer amount of time you spend at the ball park over the 162-game grind. One summer in the South Atlantic League I think I slept more in the press box than I did in my own bed.
LA has been calling games for the Phillies since 1998 when he took on the tall task of replacing Hall-Of-Famer Richie Ashburn shortly after his death. He worked on the television side of the broadcast until 2006 when he moved exclusively to color-commentary on the radio.
This one stings a little bit as Anderson and Scott Franzke were by far my favorite combination on television or radio. I also enjoyed the work of Kevin Frandsen, who unfortunately took the tv color-commentary job with MASN calling Washington Nationals games this offseason.
In March it was announced that former Phillies players Chad Durbin, Erik Kratz, Michael Bourn, and Kevin Stocker would be joining the booth. At the time I was wondering how they were going to integrate four new voices into the rotation but with today’s announcement it makes a lot more sense.
I know he’s not dead or retiring all together but let’s pour one out for LA today.
Mandatory Credit: Philly Voice
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