Dennis Eckersley was one of the best pitchers in baseball history. Over the course of his 24-year career with five different teams, Eckersley became known for his aggressive and animated nature.
The fiery pitcher brought that same heat to the broadcast booth after retiring. He walked away from that after last season – 50 years after when he started in pro ball – but he still gets that fire inside of him.
Eckersley talked about missing the adrenaline of baseball and broadcasting on the Audacy Original Podcast “Baseball Isn’t Boring” this week.
“I miss it. I miss being alive,” Eckersley said (8:00 in player above). “It’s like playing. There’s nothing you could do that makes you feel like you’re all on cylinders, you’re just alive. Playing, there’s nothing like that. The adrenaline… Broadcasting, I was like ‘Ooh, careful,’ but I was alive. I miss that. But then again, the other side of it is that I don’t. I guess that’s the way it’s going to be.”
Eckersley rode that adrenaline all the way to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The six-time All-Star was terrific on the diamond, but he hasn’t found that same success on the links.
“I play golf and I stink so I can never get adrenaline for that,” he said. “I love to compete. I love to compete when I’m good at something.”
The longtime pitcher and broadcaster didn’t know what to expect after he retired, and his final day left him with some emotional memories.
“It was sad leaving. That was a great day for me even though it was sad because I look back at it,” he said. “It wasn’t just the broadcasting, it was like the end of (50) years.”
Upon leaving the broadcast booth for the final time, Eckersley was greeted by a long line of people waiting for him.
“That really meant a lot to me,” he said. “I was really emotional about that.
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