This past weekend was a tough one for a Mets fan. Bob Murphy, the voice of the Mets announced his retirement.

I don’t know if radio has the same relevance or vibrancy for this generation it did for mine or earlier ones. I have a very clear memory of listening to Yankee broadcasts when the team was Frank Messer, Bill White (later president of the National League) and Phil Rizzuto. Bob Murphy outlasted them. He has been a voice of the Mets for my entire life.

There is always something about the tone and cadence of his voice that is warm and soothing like a summer day. He isn’t given over to exaggeration like the current crop of broadcasters seems to be (see John Sterling or Michael Kaye). He doesn’t have that signature home run call a lot of broadcasters seem to need these days. His only signature is the understated “happy recap” after a Mets win.

So it is truly the end of an era (especially when you consider that Bob Murphy has been broadcasting for the Mets since the team’s inception in 1962!). Speaking as a baseball fan and a Mets fan in particular, Bob Murphy you will be missed.