This Brandywine critter, about 15 inches tall, stood between two of the Christmas trees displayed at the Brandywine River Museum. It's a great beaver but, really, why not a groundhog?Yesterday on the radio preview to the Winter Classic, I heard Jim Jackson, the TV play-by-play guy for the Flyers, talking about playing, watching, and announcing games in the cold. Jackson also does the pre- and postgame shows for the Phillies and was with the team during the postseason.
When the Phillies played the Rockies in Denver on a bitterly cold day there, Scott Franzke, the radio play-by-play guy, insisted that the windows of the radio booth be open in order to get the feel of the cold. And that's how they all did the game.
I love this story. Scott Franzke, in almost no time at all, has become an outstanding baseball broadcaster. Still in his mid-30's, he joined the Phillies broadcasting team about three years ago. With three post-season appearances in that time, he's already had a good run. You've got to wonder, though, if he will stay in Philadelphia for his entire career. Or has the age of the long-time baseball announcer, too, gone by the boards.
