Rosey Rowswell

One of the first broadcasters to enthusiastically and unabashedly cheer on the air, Rowswell was a long-time Pirates fanatic who was given their broadcasting job in 1936 and remained the club’s radio voice until his death in 1955. Always called Rosey, he was physically frail – barely 110 lb – but his creativity and untempered exuberance brightened the broadcasts of even the most dismal Pirates teams. Away from the microphone he authored four books of poetry and aphorisms, but in the booth his energies were focused on his beloved “Buccos.” A Pirates extra-base hit was a “doozie marooney,” a strikeout was a “dipsy-doodle,” and the bases were never “loaded,” they were “FOB” (full of Bucs). His most famous trademark, however, was his outrageous home run call, “Raise the window, Aunt Minnie!” followed by his partner dropping a tray filled with nuts and bolts onto the floor, simulating the sound of broken glass.