hanging up the microphone

This year of 2016 has become a year of broadcasters retiring. On New Year’s Day Bob Eubanks and Stephanie Edwards did their last Rose Parade broadcast. Vin Scully is in his last year broadcasting Dodger games. We will miss them, and their replacements, however good they might be, will never equal them.

Rose Parade photo by Prayitno. Creative Commons license.

There is, however, something to be said about going out on one’s own terms. I love the story of the opera star, who, when asked about the timing of her retirement, said, “I want to retire when people say, ‘Why do you retire?’ and not ‘Why don’t you retire.’” Superb advice.

Some people do stay on too long. I think Arthur Fiedler stayed with the Boston Pops about two years too long. I loved listening to Bill King broadcast Oakland Athletics games on the radio, but in his last couple of seasons his partner Ken Korach had to give him a hand on many  particularly complex or quickly executed plays.

Vin Scully seems to me to be as sharp as he ever was. Stephanie and Bob were still superb in their final broadcast. That’s the way to go out.