By Ben Brown ’14
Photo Courtesy of Jim Rosenhaus ’86 and The Lafayette Archives
Jim Rosenhaus ‘86 is making as many calls as anyone in baseball.
This season, Rosenhaus became the full time radio broadcaster for the Cleveland Indians. But his passion for calling baseball games goes back to his time working for WJRH here at Lafayette College.
“When I was there, there weren’t a whole lot of guys who wanted to do games, so I pretty much got to do them when I wanted to,” Rosenhaus said in an exclusive interview with The Lafayette.
An economics major and computer science minor, Rosenhaus had to balance classes and his schedule as a runner on the Cross Country and Track teams with his passion for broadcasting football, basketball, and baseball games.
But baseball remained his passion. In 1991, Rosenhaus got his first job in Minor League Baseball with the Kinston Indians. After two years in Kinston, he spent two more years working for the Wilmington Blue Rocks before spending another 11 years with the Buffalo Bisons as their radio play-by-play announcer. Just last year, he was inducted into the Bisons Hall of Fame.
Though time in the minor leagues can be frustrating for players, Rosenhaus enjoyed his experience.
“The teams I have done in the Major Leagues, a couple of them won championships, so those were fun,” Rosenhaus said.
In 2007, Rosenhaus was hired by the Indians, but not as a play-by-play broadcaster. He hosted the warm up show and did engineering work until April 20, 2008, when he called a game between the Indians and the Minnesota Twins.
Unlike most in their major league debuts, Rosenhaus does not recall being particularly nervous.
“It was more just trying to make sure I didn’t goof anything up,” Rosenhaus said. “I had done so many games prior to that point, by the time you get there; it’s still the same game. The venue is bigger, but I had done 2,000 minor league games before that.”
Not only is Rosenhaus required to accurately describe plays, he must also provide entertainment for his listeners. Alongside longtime Indians commentator Tom Hamilton, Rosenhaus is able to do just that.
“You just try and have a good conversational style. I work with a guy who’s fun, and we have some fun on the air talking back and forth,” Rosenhaus said. “If we can lighten things up a little bit, then I think that’s a good thing.”
Lafayette students from the Cleveland-area are fond of Rosenhaus’ commentary. An Indians fan from Broadview Heights, Ohio, Drew Boehmer ‘14 enjoys Rosenhaus’s enthusiasm.
“When big plays are made, the excitement in his delivery is definitely felt across the air, and provides the listener with the same elation that the crowd is feeling in the ball park,” Boehmer said.
From Shaker Heights, Ohio, Brandon Hall ‘14 is also a fan.
“He probably has the most pleasant voice I have ever heard. He almost sounds like a father reading a bedtime story, or a narrator of a children’s cartoon.”
Perhaps parts of his style and delivery come from the highly regarded broadcasters he grew up with. Growing up in Morristown, N.J., Rosenhaus listened to Marv Albert of the Knicks and Rangers and Phil Rizzuto, Bill White, and Frank Messer of the Yankees.
One hundred sixty two games long, the baseball season can be a grind. But Rosenhaus’s success derives from his appreciation and love of the game.
“If you don’t really enjoy it, you’re going to struggle with it. The season is long and there are very few off days. If you enjoy the game, then it does not seem like work.”
