The news that legendary MLB play-by-play caller Bob Costas will retire has divided baseball fans, with some believing it’s for the best while others are convinced he has more to offer.

Costas, 72, spent 42 years in the booth, and his final games were in the American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals. It was during this series that some fans criticized Costas after claiming he “nearly fell asleep” when evaluating his calls throughout.

According to The Athletic, his decision to retire was made before the start of the season and “coincided with his contract ending” rather than due to any recent criticism. Although Costas has retired from play-by-play calling, he will continue to work in other areas for MLB Network.

The retirement has led to a debate within the MLB community, with some fans acknowledging that “father time” has caught up to Costas. “Unfortunately it’s time. Father Time is undefeated and he gets us all eventually,” one fan wrote.

“Listening to Bob do that game was similar to watching Ali against Trevor Berbick,” they added. “Both were there but just shells of their once great selves.”

Another fan replied: “I didn’t feel as though Costas had slipped so much, but there was a noticeable difference in level, yes. He has been doing play-by-play for a long time.”

One fan respected the brains of Costas but admitted that they stopped listening to him a while ago. “He is a sports genius but he just doesn’t have the voice for calling games on-air,” they wrote. “I have turned the sound off when he was on and listened to the radio with the TV on.”

Former NBC personality Bob Costas hosts a pregame show before a big sports event.

Former NBC personality Bob Costas hosts a pregame show before a big sports event. ( 

Image:

Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

However, there were as many fans defending Costas as those celebrating his retirement from playcalling. “Compared to most of the announcers nowadays, Costas is one of the best,” one fan argued. “He’s no Jack Buck, Ernie Harwell, Joe Tait, or Vin Scully. But the current wave of announcers are so bad, they make Costas look fantastic.”

Another fan was sad to see him go, adding: “I’m gonna miss him. Great wealth of info. Yanks had one sensational chance to keep in the World Series and made very rookie mistakes. At least they went down swinging.”

“It is easy to take shots at the top guns in any industry. Yes, father time catches up to everyone, but if you don’t want to watch or listen to the games, don’t,” one fan wrote, dismissing the critics.

Finally, one fan called for Costas to continue for one more year. “Costas had a down series, for sure. But he is still the best team along with John Smoltz on national telecasts. Give it another year, Bob. We need all the pro fans/announcers that still exist. The new agers are mostly all from the same mold – announcers first, fans last.”