Milo Hamilton will be the voice behind the microphone for the Houston Astros for the 2012 season, his final season, but he expects to remain involved thereafter. From David Barron's story:
- "Baseball was the greatest game in the world when I started, and it still is today," Hamilton said. "Thanks to the men at the podium today, they've made it possible for me to continue. And when the end of the (2012) season comes and I do that last game as the voice of the club, I'll still be around doing a lot of things."
- His long-term goal, he said, is to continue with occasional radio work, including the offseason Astroline show, through 2015 to give him 70 years on the air.
- "That will give the kids something to shoot at," he said.
It's a relief that there is peaceful resolution with this, because there have been a lot of situations with team broadcasters that have not ended well. Sparky Anderson once said there's nothing more difficult to deal with, as a manager, than an aging star.
And it can be even more difficult with broadcasters, who, over time, become even more beloved by the fans than the players, because they have been invited into living rooms and cars and kitchens for decades.
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Buster Olney
ESPN Insider- Senior writer ESPN Magazine/ESPN.com
- Reporter for ESPN Sunday Night Baseball
- Author of "The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty"
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Buster Olney
Buster Olney is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine. He began covering baseball in 1989, as the Nashville Banner's beat reporter assigned to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. Later, he covered the San Diego Padres (1993-94), the Baltimore Orioles ('95-96), the New York Mets ('97) and the Yankees ('98-2001). Olney joined ESPN The Magazine in 2003, after six years at The New York Times, and he's the author of two books. "The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty," is a Times best-seller, and "How Lucky You Can Be", about basketball coaching legend Don Meyer, was released in 2011.
He grew up in central Vermont collecting baseball cards and listening to Red Sox, Expos, Phillies and Pirates radio broadcasts, and was a rabid fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He graduated from Vanderbilt University the same year as hoops legend Will Perdue, and ranks among the all-time leading scorers in pickup basketball at Memorial Gym. He claims to have witnessed the Commodores' winning football season in 1982 (although anthropologists have not yet confirmed this).
Olney also contributes to ESPN.com, ESPN Radio, ESPNEWS, "SportsCenter" and "Baseball Tonight."
Follow Buster on Twitter: @Buster_ESPN
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