Thank You, Lanny

In a town that has been fortunate to have Myron Cope and Mike Lange as announcers, it is easy to overlook Lanny Fratarre's contributions. It is even easier to do so when you think about how bad the Pirates have been for so long. The few times I have run into him over the years, he has been nothing but classy, and for an organization that doesn't have a whole lot to hang its hat on nowadays, it was nice to see a guy like Lanny go to such great extent to support the team and it's image.

Today it was announced that Lanny is retiring.

I always felt that Go Ball Get Outta Here! was an underused and underappreciated home run call. And it goes without saying that "There was noooo doubt about it!" has a special meaning for us, even if that meaning is covered in Ronny Paulino-sized chunks of irony and sarcasm. So raise one high for Lanny Fratarre tonight - he was a supporter of the Pirates through bad times, a steady voice in a market of super-star level announcers, and perhaps most importantly...he wasn't Greg Brown.

Ok, harsh. But I havent forgotten La-La-La-La-Roche just yet.