Legendary journalist/sports writer Peter Gammons is leaving ESPN after 21 years at the ‘World Wide Leader.’ Gammons says he isn’t retiring but cutting back.  He will likely resurface in his native New England to cover the Boston Red Sox.

The blockbuster news of Gammons’ departure is the only real news to come out of the baseball Winter Meetings so far.  The announcement would be big news either way.  He was a pioneer in his tracking down of trade rumors, free agent signings, and the access he had to most players.

He suffered a brain aneurysm three years ago but has made a complete recovery.  Gammons stated he was wanting to lighten his work load and stay closer to home.

Gammons was honored for his work covering baseball at the MLB Hall-of-Fame back in 2005.  He was the National Sportswriter of the Year in 1989, 1990, and 1993.

I tracked Mr. Gammons down at the MLB Winter Meetings in Nashville nearly a decade ago. I was a kid chasing a dream, and Peter took several minutes to talk to me about how to accomplish that. He also gave me several tidbits of MLB rumblings that he had yet made public.  He was way more generous to me than he had to be.

I have always thought fondly of Mr. Gammons and I wish him well in whatever he does next.

Peter Gammons has always been a gentleman in a business that often lacks the basic fundamentals of human kindness.