He deserves to be able to call it a career on his own terms. Once he hangs it up, he’s going to leave an incredible pair of shoes to fill.

Amen to that, bro. The Tigers (or, should I say specifically, Bo Schembechler — who was a legend as a college football coach but a complete idiot as a major league baseball GM) made that mistake years ago when, all of a sudden, they decided that Ernie Harwell — who’s also a Ford Frick Award winner and HOF broadcaster, BTW — had probably outlived his usefulness and should be set out to pasture after decades behind the microphone doing play-by-play. Needless to say, this sparked a HUGE public outcry in Tiger Nation for Ernie’s return — which eventually (about two seasons later) happened.

Ironically, the team who replaced Harwell & Paul Carey on the Tigers’ broadcasts during those years, you might ask? Why, none other than two fellas by the name of Bob Rathbun & (the M’s very own) Rick Rizzs!

Respectfully, you’re talking apples and oranges. An aging player in the field with declining abilities (legendary or not) means the difference between success and failure. I was really young for the 73 series, but I grew up a Dodgers fan (Grandpa had been following them since they were in Brooklyn) and if you were to go to LA and say that Vin Scully should have been put out to pasture, you would have started a brawl. Likewise, tell a long time cubs fan that Harry Carry should have been retired, and you would have been treated like you were talking smack about their family. Niehaus has been the one consistent thing for the M’s through all of the losing, the winning, and the sucktitude that has been the past few years, he’s seen GM’s, managers, and players come and go, but his broadcasts through the years have helped to create the tapestry that is the M’s history. He deserves to be able to call it a career on his own terms. Once he hangs it up, he’s going to leave an incredible pair of shoes to fill.

And why would KIRO flip to all sports? That would make four sports stations in the Puget Sound area (KIRO, KJR, KRKO 1380 in Everett, and KHHO 850.) That sounds like market saturation.

*shrug* Not sure to be honest. KJR is so well-embedded around here, and KRKO and KHHO more than pick up the slack in the areas KJR can’t reach. Seems like a semi-suicidal move to me, unless they pull it off perfectly in a way that buries KJR. Of course, KIRO has been struggling in the last few years, so this may be their last-ditch effort to keep themselves afloat.

(1) ask Dave N. to retire

I’ve really gotta disagree with you here. Asking Dave Niehaus to retire would cause an uproar like you would not believe. Personally I like him calling the game, even if the occasional “deep to right field…” doesn’t make it to the warning track. Dave gets to hang up the mike when he’s ready to, and not a minute sooner.

As far as announcers… bring back Ken Levine. The “Spicoli” comment will live in history.

And why would KIRO flip to all sports? That would make four sports stations in the Puget Sound area (KIRO, KJR, KRKO 1380 in Everett, and KHHO 850.) That sounds like market saturation.

When his ego didn’t get in the way, that is.

I thought Drayer had been with KIRO when the M’s were there, but I was wrong, she went from KJR to KOMO. I think that there was someone who had gone KIRO-to-KOMO though – Valle and Henderson, perhaps?

My point in raising the question is to assess the chances that some KOMO folks will go to KIRO. I think it is very likely, and Drayer would be my #1 choice.