‘Bedlam at the Bank’: Phillies announcer Scott Franzke on his now iconic call
Scott Franzke gave voice to the Bedlam at the Bank, but his gem of a call came as no surprise to diehard fans, who've been listening to him provide a soundtrack of Phillies highs and lows for years.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/Y32MQG22F5GKVL5JGCD5A6GVIM.jpg)
“Bedlam at the Bank.”
Phillies radio announcer Scott Franzke’s description of Bryce Harper’s blast Sunday — which propelled the Phillies to their first World Series since 2009 and delivered an entire city into euphoria — instantly entered the Philly sports lexicon as an unforgettable phrase for an unforgettable moment. (Think, “The Philly Special.”)
“It was perfect,” said Mike Robertson, 44, a diehard fan from the Northeast, who runs the @FranzkeLA Twitter account, a popular tribute page for Franzke and his partner, Larry Andersen. “It hit all the notes — the excitement, the joy, the astonishment, the feeling of ‘Is this really happening?’ And all in the moment, with such a poetic phrase.”
A viral video posted Monday by Phillies radio reporter Gregg Murphy captured the goosebumps-inducing moments in the booth as Franzke, 50, a Texan native who brings wit and precision to broadcasts, let the moment wash over him, before plucking poetry out of the South Philly night. Beside him, his longtime partner, Andersen, 69, a former Phillies relief pitcher, whooped and howled and bowed to Harper.
Perfection.
Franzke’s gem comes as no surprise to fans who’ve been listening to him provide the soundtrack to Phillies’ highs and lows since he arrived in 2006. First, through years of team dominance — including his legendary call of a 2009 Jimmy Rollins playoff winning hit, which a fan famously mixed to a scene from Goodfellas on YouTube — then through the dog days of down years, when he and Andersen entertained with their deadpan repertoire. Over the years, he’s won respect by speaking stirringly about events larger than any one game — like when baseball returned from COVID-19 in 2020 — and on nights when baseball didn’t seem to matter at all. Like in May when he poignantly addressed the Texas school shooting.
And now he gives voice to the Phillies unexpected and wild ride to the World Series.
I spoke with Franzke, who lives in Lower Merion with his wife, Lori, son, Gus, 12, and twin daughters, June and Loretta, 8, about his most famous call yet — and years at the microphone in South Philly.
When they build a statue of Bryce Harper in South Philly, “Bedlam at the Bank” will be enshrined on it. Take me through that call.
Franzke: The ball left the yard and I focused in on the fans. who have been such a big story of this whole thing. That’s what struck me the most — the fans. Look at the reaction shots. They’re throwing the hands in the air, there’s beer and drinks and stuff flying up. It was obviously an incredible individual achievement to do what Bryce did, but I thought it was also a collective moment for everybody.
After the initial call, you let the moment breathe for listeners before going on.
Franzke: There are obviously limitations on silence as radio announcers, but the fans at home have to feel like that sound I’m hearing is all around them — or they can’t truly feel like they’re there.
The wonderful alliteration of “Bedlam at the Bank” is that something you had floating around in your mind before the homer?
Franzke: I don’t think there’s any real origin to it — it just came out in the game.
There are obviously moments you can’t prepare for, but do you ever have words at the ready?
Franzke: Number one is always to stay in the moment. The only things I try to put in my head prior to a game are numerical facts. The rest of it, I’m just gonna react. The more organic it can stay, the more real and natural it feels.
What’s your life been like the past few days?
Franzke: I was at my daughters’ Little League game last night (Monday) and more parents were talking about the Phillies, which was cool.
I heard you turned down television offers from other teams because you wanted to keep calling Phillies playoff games?
Franzke: Yeah, I had that opportunity, but how could you not want to be a part of this? These are the most fun games. These are the ones you want to say you were at — and I get to call these moments and have some small connection. To me, it’s the ultimate — the closest thing to being in the game without being in the game.
The most special part of this year is that it seemed to come out of nowhere?
Franzke: For us it’s been extra strange, because we spent the last part of the season on the road — and get done [winning playoff games] in St. Louis and Atlanta and before we even got back to Citizens Bank Park, it was like the world changed. The stadium is full, it’s loud, it’s crazy. It’s like we’d been transported back to 2010.
Philly can be tough on outsiders. What’s it been like to be so embraced by this city and fan base?
Franzke: Being the guy delivering the good news of five straight division titles probably helped (laughter), but we’ve found Philly to be very welcoming. Honestly, now it feels like home. The people I’m surrounded with and the friendships I’ve made in this town have made it far more rewarding than anything else I could do professionally.
Your call the other night will live on in Philly forever. What’s been the biggest joy for you?
Franzke: Seeing it through the eyes of my kids. That’s number one. My wife took some video of the final out the other day and it just brings tears to my eyes to see them react at the Phillies winning. That’s number one.