People & Personalities: Heinsohn Just Calling Celtics Home Games

Cousy (l) Leaving Celtics Booth, While Heinsohn (r) Only Doing Home Games

In Boston, Nancy Marrapese-Burrell reports CSN New England Celtics analyst and Basketball HOFer Tom Heinsohn, who previously had said he would forego 13 Celtics road games this season, "will no longer travel and will call 38 home games." Heinsohn will serve as a studio analyst alongside CSN's Gary Tanguay during all Celtics road games, while analyst Donny Marshall "will assume Heinsohn's former duties" as analyst (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/10). Meanwhile, fellow Basketball HOFer Bob Cousy will not call any Celtics games this season, ending his 34-year stint in the booth. Cousy had joined Heinsohn and Mike Gorman for 10 games "in each of the past nine years as part of his consultant contract with the team" (WORCESTER TELEGRAM & GAZETTE, 10/10). 

SMOOTH OPERATOR: New Raptors TV play-by-play announcer Matt Devlin made his team debut Wednesday night, and the GLOBE & MAIL's William Houston wrote he "will never overwhelm us with fancy terminology or dazzle us with signature sayings." Devlin "knows the game, projects an affability, can make a big call when it is required and provides plenty of information." Devlin's rapport with Raptors studio analyst Sherman Hamilton, who worked as TV analyst Wednesday, "was fine," and Devlin "showed plenty of enthusiasm" (GLOBE & MAIL, 10/9).

END OF AN ERA: Former Pirates play-by-play announcer Lanny Frattare, who retired from the position last week, said of his decision, "It's something I thought about for a long time. I hope I haven't made the wrong decision. If I did, it's something I have to live with." Frattare said of his future endeavors, "MLB has a network that is being formulated. Maybe I could work one day a week or something along those lines." Frattare also "strongly denied he was forced out by Pirates president Frank Coonelly" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 10/8).

NOTES: MASN Orioles announcer Gary Thorne and reporter Amber Theoharis said that "their options have been picked up for next season" (Baltimore SUN, 10/10)....Stars broadcaster Ralph Strangis and analyst Daryl Reaugh have signed new long-term contracts that will take them through the 2013-14 NHL season. Strangis and Reaugh both have been with the Stars since '96-97 (DALLASNEWS.com, 10/9)....Former NFLer Ruben Brown will replace ESPN's Matthew Barnaby as co-host on Time Warner Cable SportsNet's "The Enforcers" (BUFFALO NEWS, 10/10).