Howard Jeffrey Rose (born February 13, 1954) is an American sportscaster. He is a radio broadcaster for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

WHSQ WHSQ (880 kHz, "ESPN New York 880") is an AM radio station in New York City, owned by Audacy, Inc. The station is operated by Good Karma Brands (GKB) under a local marketing agreement (LMA). It broadcasts a sports radio format as the co-flag ...

. Previously, Rose called play-by-play for the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

and

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

Early life

Rose was born in the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

borough of

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

to a Jewish family. Rose's father, an avid

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

fan, encouraged his baseball fandom. When the

moved into

Shea Stadium William A. Shea Municipal Stadium ( ), typically shortened to Shea Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City.1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

, Rose became a regular attendee at games. He attended PS 205Q (The Alexander Graham Bell School), Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Bayside, Queens, and graduated from

Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the New York City borough of Queens. Part of the City University of New York system, Queens College occupies an campus primarily located in Flushing. Queens College was established in 1937 and offe ...

in 1977. He lives in Woodbury on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

with his wife and two daughters.

Career

Rose started his career doing sports updates on

-based Sports Phone, a telephone dial-in service, during the mid-1970s, which led to sports updates on news radio station WCBS-AM through the early 1980s.

Baseball

Rose has called Mets play-by-play on

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

since 1995, and is regarded by fans and media outlets alike as an expert of Mets history. He has previously hosted the "Mets Extra" pre and postgame shows. He worked the television booth until the retirement of long-time Mets radio voice Bob Murphy in 2003. The following year, Rose took Murphy's spot alongside Gary Cohen on

WFAN WFAN may refer to: * WFAN (AM) WFAN (660 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to New York, New York, with a sports radio format, branded "Sports Radio 66 AM and 101.9 FM" or "The Fan". Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves the New Y ...

. Cohen became the play-by-play broadcaster on then-new Mets television network

SportsNet New York SportsNet New York (SNY) is an American regional sports network owned by Sterling Entertainment Enterprises, LLC, itself a joint venture between Fred Wilpon's Sterling Equities (which owns a controlling 65% interest), Charter Communications th ...

(SNY) starting during the 2006 season, sharing the radio booth with partner Tom McCarthy. In 2008, Wayne Hagin replaced McCarthy, and from 2012 to 2018, Rose called games with

Josh Lewin Josh Lewin (born ) is an American sportscaster who works as a play-by-play announcer for the UCLA Bruins football and basketball teams. Early life and education Lewin was born and raised in Rochester, New York. He attended Brighton High Scho ...

. From 2019 to 2022, Howie called games with Wayne Randazzo. From the start of the 2023 season, Howie's booth partner has been Keith Raad. From 2014 to 2018, he called games on WOR, before moving to WCBS in 2019. He has also co-hosted MLB Now, joining Brian Kenny, Mark DeRosa, and Ken Rosenthal on

MLB Network MLB Network is an American television sports channel dedicated to baseball. It is primarily owned by Major League Baseball, with TNT Sports (United States), TNT Sports, Comcast's NBC Sports Group, Charter Communications, and Cox Communications h ...

. Rose has also been the master of the ceremonies during key Mets events, including

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

Shea Stadium William A. Shea Municipal Stadium ( ), typically shortened to Shea Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City.Citi Field Citi Field is a baseball park, baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in the Boroughs of New York, borough of Queens, New York City, United States. Opened in 2009, Citi Field is the home of Major League Baseball's New York M ...

since

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. He has hosted ceremonies marking the opening of Citi Field in

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, the 40th anniversary of the Mets 1969 World Series victory, a special pregame ceremony honoring

Ralph Kiner Ralph McPherran Kiner (October 27, 1922 – February 6, 2014) was an American Major League Baseball player and broadcaster. An outfielder, Kiner played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, and Cleveland Indians from 1946 through 1955. Fo ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

Mike Piazza Michael Joseph Piazza ( ; born September 4, 1968) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1992 to 2007, and is a member of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. He intended ...

's number retirement ceremony in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, and

Old-Timers' Day Old-Timers' Day (or Old-Timers' Game) refers to a tradition in Major League Baseball where a team devotes the early afternoon preceding a weekend game to honor retired players who played for the organization during their careers. The retired play ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

. Additionally, he hosted the number retirement ceremonies of

Keith Hernandez Keith Hernandez (born October 20, 1953) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, and Cleveland Indians. Hernandez was a five-time Major League ...

, Dwight Gooden, and

Darryl Strawberry Darryl Eugene Strawberry Sr. (born March 12, 1962) is an American former professional baseball right fielder who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Throughout his career, Strawberry was one of the most feared sluggers in the sport ...

. In 2022, Rose began to cut back his schedule, calling approximately 100 games a season, following health issues.

Hockey

Rose worked as a play-by-play radio announcer for the

, and was paired mainly with Sal Messina. He is most recognized by Rangers fans for his call when

Stéphane Matteau Stéphane Matteau (born September 2, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played over 800 regular-season games in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the second round, 25th overall, by the Calgary Flames i ...

scored the game-winning goal in double-overtime of Game 7 of the 1994 NHL Eastern Conference Finals against the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

en route to the

Stanley Cup Finals The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, ) is the annual championship series of the National Hockey League (NHL). The winner is awarded the Stanley Cup, North America's oldest professional spo ...

. The Rangers would go on to win the cup that year over the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...

4 games to 3, their first

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

victory in 54 years. Rose was the play-by-play announcer for Islanders telecasts where he worked alongside

Butch Goring Robert Thomas "Butch" Goring (born October 22, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. He played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders and Boston Bruins. A four-t ...

. For the 2009–10 season, Rose's work was simulcast on radio as well. Rose replaced

Jiggs McDonald John Kenneth "Jiggs" McDonald (born November 28, 1938) is a sportscaster who has done play-by-play announcing for NHL games for more than 50 years. In 1990, McDonald received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame. Biogr ...

on Islanders broadcasts in 1995–96 and was previously partnered with Ed Westfall,

Joe Micheletti Joseph Robert Micheletti (born October 24, 1954) is an American ice hockey analyst and reporter, and a former defenseman who played in 142 World Hockey Association (WHA) games with the Calgary Cowboys and Edmonton Oilers between 1977 and 1979, a ...

, and Billy Jaffe. After the 2015–16 season, Rose announced he would not return to call Islanders games after the end of the season.

Other career roles

Rose was the original

prime-time Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to b ...

radio host on

when the station went all-sports in 1987, hosting the program until 1995. Rose occasionally worked games for '' Fox NHL Saturday'' in the mid-1990s, and now works for ''

MLB on Fox The ''MLB on Fox'' (also known as ''Fox MLB'') is an American presentation of Major League Baseball (MLB) games produced by Fox Sports (United States), Fox Sports, the sports division of the Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox), since June 1, 1996. Fo ...

''. He has also called Long Island Blackbirds basketball and soccer. On March 1, 2013, his book "''Put it in the Book"'' was released. The book is an autobiography and memoir of 50 years of Mets history. The book was co-written with Phil Pepe.

Announcing style

Rose's end-of-game

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

is, "Put it in the books", used after the final out is recorded in a Mets win. After Mets losses, Rose says "and the ballgame is over". When he uses the phrasing "and the Mets are leading by a score of _ to _", he is using the same diction as original Mets broadcaster Lindsey Nelson.

Awards

In 2012, Rose was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. He has won two

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for excellence in broadcasting for the

. In 2019, it was announced that he would be inducted into the New York Baseball Hall of Fame. On June 3, 2023, Rose was inducted into the

New York Mets Hall of Fame The New York Mets Hall of Fame was created in order to recognize the careers of former New York Mets players, managers, broadcasters and executives. There are presently 30 members. Originally located in the Diamond Club at Shea Stadium, the ind ...

Personal life

Rose is married to Barbara, and they have two daughters. Their daughter Alyssa has worked for the Mets organization as a social media personality, and has worked on soap operas such as ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...

'', had two separate podcasts, called Scoring Position and Drunk Love, and currently works for

(SNY). During the 2021 season, Rose missed time with an undisclosed medical issue, first from April 13–20, and later missing the last month of the season. Rose was diagnosed with

bladder cancer Bladder cancer is the abnormal growth of cells in the bladder. These cells can grow to form a tumor, which eventually spreads, damaging the bladder and other organs. Most people with bladder cancer are diagnosed after noticing blood in thei ...

and underwent a radical

cystoprostatectomy A cystoprostatectomy is a surgical procedure in which the urinary bladder and prostate gland are removed. The procedure combines a cystectomy and a prostatectomy. See also * List of surgeries by type Many Surgery, surgical procedure names ca ...

in September 2021.

References

External links

New York Mets profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Howie 1954 births American radio sports announcers College basketball announcers in the United States Jewish American baseball people Jewish American sports announcers Living people Major League Baseball broadcasters NBA broadcasters NFL announcers National Hockey League broadcasters New Jersey Nets announcers New York Islanders announcers New York Mets announcers New York Rangers announcers New York Jets announcers Mass media people from Queens, New York Benjamin N. Cardozo High School alumni Queens College, City University of New York alumni People from Woodbury, Nassau County, New York 21st-century American Jews 20th-century American Jews