Dennis Eckerlsey's last game as a broadcaster will be this afternoon, when the Red Sox finish the 2022 season against the Rays at Fenway Park.
Eck celebrated his 68th birthday two days ago and he and his wife Jennifer are looking forward to moving to the Bay Area and spending time with their grandchildren. "Does that make me feel old? Yeah, possibly. But that's a good thing, you know? I embrace it. I really embrace it. It doesn't make me depressed."
Godspeed to Eck, who I remember pitching for Cleveland for a couple of seasons before joining the Red Sox in 1978. Fourteen-year-old me saw him pitch in Fenway that season in a memorable (not in a good way) September game.
Red Sox games won't be the same without Eckersley's entertaining commentary (did he ever sound like he wasn't having a great time?) and extraordinarily accurate memory, getting excited about some guy who's got serious gas or educated cheese (no salad), a fastball with some hair on it, leaving a pair of shoes (maybe a closet full of shoes before he's done), a guy who can avoid anything center cut that'll make a batter try to leave Earth, to go bridge with a dong to dead central or a three-run johnson, to be reminded that you never want to get your lunch from jump street, so you need easy cheddar, maybe mix in a yakker or a frisbee (I got to have that!) or a slide piece, get some punchouts, stay away from branch work. You'll get some iron, a lot of beans, and you can grab some oil and it'll be time to party. And that's a beautiful thing. Take care of your moss, Eck, and maybe swing by the NESN booth when the Red Sox are in Oakland next year just to stay in shape.
You're always welcome home, Eck. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/pf8utKifIz
— Red Sox (@RedSox) October 4, 2022
3 comments:
It's been a sad year for Sox Commentary
Anyone who saw Eck play & heard the vast & amusing "Ecktionary" is going to miss his Passion & Insights
But he'll still be out there watching & dreaming up more crazy terms & we will hear from him again & we will no doubt enjoy his "eckentricity" for a while yet
Eck is a Red Sox, to the core of his Cheddar & he always will be
Eck has definitely been my favorite color announcer in the Sox booth over the last number of years. "Pair of shoes" is probably my favorite "Eck-ism." His last season in baseball with the Red Sox was the first year I was in my season ticket group, so I got to watch him pitch in a Boston uniform for at least one season (I didn't watch games on television until roughly 1985 after he was in Chicago).
Universal Hub gives me a shout-out: "Eck takes his moss west"
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