19 replies to this topic

[mabrowndog]

Hard to believe he'd been there 38 years. He announced his retirement a couple of weeks ago, and his final morning sports report was Friday. He'll continue to call Patriots' games on WBCN.

link

He got pretty emotional behind the mike, choking back tears, before getting a rousing send-off from the station. His colleagues lined both sides of the long corridor, applauding, shouting, and high-fiving him as he made his way out of the building for the last time as an employee. The station had a stretch limo waiting outside for him and his wife.

Listening to Gil on WBZ is one of those things you just took for granted if you grew up around here. My old man used to keep the kitchen AM dial tuned to 1030, so Gil was always there, along with Dave Maynard, Gary LaPierre and Joe Green in the BZ Copter, to keep us company over breakfast and usher us off on our walks school. Same for the radio in the old Plymouth wagon, and if we were ever on the road on weekday mornings we strained to hear their voices over the static as we drove under power lines. He joined the station when I was a five-year-old brat, so he's been part of my life as long as I can remember.

I realize it's no funeral, and I'm glad to know we'll continue hearing him call screen passes, backfield hand-offs and quarterback sacks. But his departure from WBZ has certainly made me take stock in the passage of time.

Video

A poetic tribute from 'BZ colleague Carl Stephens
Gil in the WBZ TV studios with David Wade & Paula Ebben
Gil's final morning in the radio booth

And here's additional video of Gil's final walk taken by a WBZ staffer:



Audio

Gil's final commentary - Some classy words.
Ex-BZ newsman Gary LaPierre speaks about his friend
Pats' owner Bob Kraft on Gil's legacy
Gil reflects on his final day with BZ's Deb Lawler
BZ producer Michael Coleman looks back on Gil's career
Longtime friends offer their thoughts
LaPierre and Dave Maynard mix humorous jabs with honest praise

Edited by mabrowndog, 02 February 2009 - 11:18 AM.

[gmogmo]

Growing up, I remember asking my mom to not even look at me when I got up in the morning until I got the scores from the night before on the 6:45 sports report on BZ for fear that she'd give away what happened the night before with the Sox/C's/B's/Pats games. Gil was the best.....

[Corsi]

According to industry sources, Gil Santos is expected to be behind the microphone for his 36th season as the radio play-by-play voice of the Patriots.
His return is an extraordinary development given his health problems over the winter. Santos, 72, suffered from a case of pneumonia so severe that he temporarily lost feeling in his extremities, had to be put into a medically induced coma, and required extensive physical rehabilitation.
While it’s yet to be determined whether Santos will work a full schedule - traveling might prove too rigorous - the desire he expressed to his bosses at CBS Radio and 98.5 The Sports Hub to call the games for at least one more season will be fulfilled.

http://www.bostonglo...LnPP/story.html

[Dick Pole Upside]

Bob Wilson, Johnny Most, Martin/Coleman/Gowdy... Gil is right up there. New England has been blessed.

[Lose Remerswaal]

Lord no, LORD NO!

We WERE blessed, but this continuation of Santos on the Patriot broadcasts is nothing more than a curse.

[Remagellan]

Lord no, LORD NO!

We WERE blessed, but this continuation of Santos on the Patriot broadcasts is nothing more than a curse.

I get that, but you'll miss him when he gives it up. I got hooked into watching a NFL replay of a 1994 (1993 season-ender) of the Cowboys and Giants just because it reminded me of how great Madden and Summerall were when they were in their prime.

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Lord no, LORD NO!

We WERE blessed, but this continuation of Santos on the Patriot broadcasts is nothing more than a curse.

I am interested to see how he'll do without Gino there; Gil might do better with a color guy who's a bit younger and can add more than Gino (who I love, but his time had come).

[FL4WL3SS]

Bob Wilson, Johnny Most, Martin/Coleman/Gowdy... Gil is right up there. New England has been blessed.

Cusick?

Pretty glaring omission.

[mabrowndog]

Cusick?

Pretty glaring omission.

No doubt Cusick's in the pantheon, but the guys he listed were primarily radio voices of New England sports. The bulk of Freddy's tenure was calling TV play-by-play.

[Lose Remerswaal]

I get that, but you'll miss him when he gives it up. I got hooked into watching a NFL replay of a 1994 (1993 season-ender) of the Cowboys and Giants just because it reminded me of how great Madden and Summerall were when they were in their prime.

Not for a second.

Unless they bring in someone like Metaparel.

Gil from the 90s? I loved Gil in the 90's. And listening to carefully edited calls of his from the SuperBowls? For sure. But listening to him live has been awful for nearly a decade. I've been beating this drum forever.

[FL4WL3SS]

No doubt Cusick's in the pantheon, but the guys he listed were primarily radio voices of New England sports. The bulk of Freddy's tenure was calling TV play-by-play.

Great point - I didn't make the connection. As usual, disregard me, I'm an idiot.

[Curtis_Lesspanic]

Cusick?

Pretty glaring omission.

Absolutely and I'd include Mike Gorman too. Quietly excellent for years.

Edit. Also a TV guy so take it or leave it.

Edited by Curtis_Lesspanic, 27 June 2012 - 12:08 PM.

[lexrageorge]

Cusick could technically count, as he did start out by calling the Bruins games over radio. Also, I believe that Mike Gorman was Gil Santos' successor at calling the Celtics games when they were televised on "free" TV way back.

Yes, I'd be very afraid of who the studios would dig out of the woodwork to replace Santos when he finally realizes that it's time for him to call it career, so I'm willing to live with Santos' limitations for now.

[dirtynine]

Isn't Tanguay in line for the job?

[Dick Pole Upside]

Great point - I didn't make the connection. As usual, disregard me, I'm an idiot.

For the record, I loved Cusick as well, but 'Dog was right... I was thinking of the nights with the transistor radio under my pillow, the Saturday/Sunday afternoons visiting relatives and listening to the Sox, or the Sunday afternoons raking leaves and throwing a football in the yard.

Radio may be dying as a medium, but holy crap having those guys over what amounts to about 40-50 years is unbelieveable.

[BellhornIsGod]

Isn't Tanguay in line for the job?

Yes..Tanguay and Zolak in the booth, possibly with Gresh moving to the sidelines.

[FelixMantilla]

Yes..Tanguay and Zolak in the booth, possibly with Gresh moving to the sidelines.

That is a truly frightening scenario.

[wutang112878]

That is a truly frightening scenario.

I think these could be good roles for Gary and Zolak. Gary couldnt carry a radio show, but I think he could do decent play by play as long as he didnt get too animated, and that seems easier to fix that trying to make him funny or entertaining for a radio show. As for Zolak, whenever he talks about X and O stuff, either from the sideline or on TSH I tend to learn something, so the analyst role could be perfect for him too. Gresh, yeah I have never found to be valuable in any role.

[steveluck7]

If the Pats play a game on FOX, we'd get to see the NFL analyst version of this...

[the1andonly3003]

according to the Brockton Enterprise, next season's team will be Santos and Zolak

http://www.enterpris...on-at-Pats-mike