RODGER BRULOTTE TO BE HONOURED WITH CANADIAN BALL HALL’S JACK GRANEY AWARD

St. Marys, Ont. – Longtime Montreal Expos broadcaster Rodger Brulotte has been named the winner of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2013 Jack Graney Award.

Le Temple situé à St-Marys remet annuellement ce prix à un membre des médias qui contribue de façon significative au développement du baseball au Canada par son travail.

“Mel Didier, Jim Fanning, John McHale and Charles Bronfman gave me an unbelievable opportunity to join the Expos organization in 1969,” reflected Brulotte, after he was informed he would receive the Hall’s broadcasting honour. “Throughout the years I have been very fortunate to work with Jacques Doucet and Denis Casavant. I am very touched to be honored and it has been a privilege for me to share, with the numerous baseball fans, my passion for the game.”

“Rodger Brulotte’s name has become synonymous with the Montreal Expos and with baseball in Quebec,” said Scott Crawford, the Hall’s director of operations. “Over the past three decades, he has become one of the most respected baseball broadcasters and analysts in our country. He’s also very passionate about baseball at the grassroots level and is a tireless advocate for Quebec players.”

Brulotte began working in the Montreal Expos’ scouting department in their inaugural 1969 season. The following year, he was named administrative assistant to the team’s director of scouting, Mel Didier.

His knowledge, charisma and strong work ethic later landed him prominent roles in the Expos’ public relations and marketing department and as the team’s travelling secretary in 1977 and 1978. Brulotte also contributed to the creation of Youppi, the Expos’ popular mascot who was often a greater ballpark attraction than the players.

In 1983, Brulotte was hired to work broadcasts on the Expos’ French radio network alongside Jacques Doucet. For close to two decades, he teamed with Doucet to call many of the franchise’s most famous moments, including Pete Rose’s 4,000^e hit on April 13, 1984 and Dennis Martinez’s perfect game on July 28, 1991.

Along the way, his trademark catchphrases – such as “Bonsoir, elle est partie.” (Good night, it’s gone), which he uttered when the Expos belted a homer – became part of Expos fans’ vernacular.

Brulotte’s resume also boasts more than 20 years on TV in which he has served as an analyst on Expos broadcasts, all-star games and post-season contests. He and his RDS’ Expos TV partner, Denis Casavant, were nominated for a Gemeaux Award – the French language equivalent to a Gemini Award – for excellence in sports broadcasting in 1991 and 1993.

For the past two seasons, Brulotte has been reunited with Doucet to broadcast Toronto Blue Jays games in French for TVA-Sports. He also pens a weekly column for Le Journal de Montréal during the baseball season.

Away from the mike, Brulotte has served as director of the Baseball Academy of Canada and is currently president of the Quebec Junior Elite Baseball League and a dedicated member of Encore Baseball Montreal, an organization that promotes baseball to youth in the city.

Né à St Thomas (Ontario), Jack Graney était le premier frappeur des Indians de Cleveland. Sa carrière dans les Majeures se résume en plusieurs premières : il a été le premier frappeur à affronter Babe Ruth des Red Sox de Boston au monticule le 11 juillet 1914 et le premier à porter un numéro sur son uniforme le 26 juin 1916. Lorsqu’il a accroché ses crampons, Graney est devenu le premier ancien joueur à faire le saut sur la galerie de presse en tant que descripteur à la radio pour les Indians. Il a occupé ce poste de 1932 à 1953.

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