All Good Things…
“All good things must come to an end”, as mortals this is a proverb that we understand to be true . It is just a shame when anything, let alone something good, ends prematurely. That is how I feel about ESPN’s decision to break up the Sunday Night Baseball broadcasting team after 21 years.
Joe Morgan and John Miller are the benchmark of baseball broadcasting duo for this generation. Miller and Morgan made many a MLB match-up watchable over their tenure on the tube. There were games that would’ve not grabbed me had it not been for the masterful give and take of the two. The enhanced the game without taking over the broadcasts.
The duo survived not only the sands of time and the decline of popularity of baseball, but having Steve Phillips in the booth with them; that is quite an accomplishment.
I feel that Phillips being wedged into the booth may have been the beginning of the end. Morgan in particular seemed to get cantankerous when the opinions and thoughts of Phillips disrupted the twosome’s flow. That edge in Morgan’s commentary lessened a bit when Orel Hershisher took over Phillips role, but the rapport with Miller never felt the same.
It is a shame that the greatest baseball broadcasting duo of their time will not get a victory lap to themselves. I am pleased that ESPN is considering keeping Miller. I love his voice, knowledge and clear passion for the game. He is baseball through and through. Still it won’t be the same, hearing him open the broadcast not saying, ” Live from X, I am Jon Miller with my partner, Hall of Famer Joe Morgan”
All good things…
