Don Orsillo
| Don Orsillo | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
December 16, 1968 Melrose, Massachusetts |
| Other names | Announcer Boy, Donny O |
| Sports commentary career | |
| Team(s) | Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, Boston College Eagles, Providence College Friars |
| Sports | Major League Baseball, College Basketball, Beanpot Hockey |
Don Orsillo (born December 16, 1968) is a sports commentator who will be the 2017 play-by-play announcer for the San Diego Padres on Fox Sports San Diego. Orsillo was the television voice of the Boston Red Sox on NESN from 2001 to 2015. He was then hired by the San Diego Padres to replace broadcasting legend Dick Enberg upon his retirement at the end of the 2016 season.
Orsillo was born in Melrose, Massachusetts, where he often dreamed of being a broadcaster for the Red Sox. He moved to and grew up in Madison, New Hampshire, and was educated at John H. Fuller Elementary School. At the age of 12 he attended Kennett Junior High School in nearby Conway, New Hampshire. Don's family moved west just before high school. He is a 1987 graduate of Miraleste High School in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, where he played on the Marauder basketball and baseball teams.
Orsillo graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in Communication Studies. While at Northeastern, he interned under Red Sox radio voice Joe Castiglione.
Before doing Major League Baseball games, he worked in the minor leagues announcing Pawtucket Red Sox games on the radio from 1996 to 2000, having previously done games for some of the New York Mets minor league affiliates. Don started with the Pittsfield Mets of the New York–Penn League for the 1991 and 1992 season and then moved up within the organization.
He was NESN's play-by-play man since the beginning of the 2001 season (his first game included a no-hitter thrown by then Red Sox pitcher Hideo Nomo against the Baltimore Orioles). He also called Cal Ripken Jr.'s final game, as well as the no-hitters thrown by Derek Lowe in 2002 and young Sox pitchers Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Originally, he only called the team's games which aired on NESN, with longtime Red Sox announcer Sean McDonough taking Orsillo's place alongside Jerry Remy for games which aired on local stations WFXT (2001 and 2002) and WSBK-TV (2003 and 2004). For the 2005 season, Orsillo did games on both NESN and WSBK, working with Remy. This would be nullified the next season, when NESN took over airing all Red Sox local telecasts. Orsillo worked with color commentator and former Red Sox second baseman Jerry Remy. During the 2009 season while Remy was out due to health problems, Orsillo worked with color commentators including Dennis Eckersley, Nick Cafardo, Sean Casey, Dave Roberts and Frank Viola. He was sometimes referred to by fans as "announcer boy," after he was given that nickname by Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield in a NESN commercial.
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