The Harsh Reality Of Celtics Legend Mike Gorman’s Retirement Is Quickly Approaching And I’m Nowhere Close To Being Ready
My entire life, there has been one voice of the Boston Celtics. A man who's a national treasure as far as I'm concerned and one of the greatest to ever pick up a mic.
Mike Gorman.
When we learned of Gorman's upcoming retirement back at the beginning of the season, while devastated I understood it. I mean the guy is 76 years old so it was bound to happen sometime. But even knowing that I still hated the news. As the year has gone on, I've tried to put it in the back of my mind and forget about it, but after seeing his clip randomly burying Grant Williams yesterday
combined with the fact that the Celts just had a 10 game stretch where they were basically on the road/on National TV every game, it made me stop and think about just how few days/games we have left with Gorman. It's like a bad dream that I can't wake up from. I figured by this point of the season after a billion year career I'd be nostalgic but ready for Gorman to step away, and yet here I sit on March 14th and I'm nowhere close to ready. With a month to go in the regular season and then the local feeds only having the 1st round of the playoffs (if I remember that correctly), the reality is starting to set in. Our days are numbered.
The thing is, I actually like his replacement Drew Carter, and think over time he'll continue to find his groove if he stays in this role and doesn't one day dip for a national gig. I like him and Scal/Eddie House together and think that with change there's always going to be some pushback, but I'd say so far his first season has been fine.
But he's not Gorman. No one will ever be Gorman.
To me, Gorman is one of the few play by play guys that truly get it. He lets the game breathe, he knows when to shut up and let the moment do the talking, and seeing as how he's seen every dribble since the 1981, nobody knows this team better than him. My entire fandom was molded by Mike & Tommy, and I think that's why this means so much. I can acknowledge it's weird to get emotional or caught up about a 76 year old play by play guy, but Celts fans understand.
Gorman is more than just a broadcaster, he is the Boston Celtics.
This harsh reality also brings to the forefront one of my biggest gripes with Adam Silver and the NBA's League Pass. It remains mindboggling to me that whenever the Celts are on a National TV feed as well as a local feed, out of market fans are forced to watch the National feed. That is extreme bullshit, especially when that game is taking place at the Garden. There are only so many Gorman games left, and out of market Celts fans should not have to be forced to listen to ESPN when in market Celts fans can choose which channel to watch. That makes zero sense to me and I've yet to see a good explanation for it. If some markets can choose, then all markets should be able to choose. That's why you pay for League Pass no?
OK, tangent over. Thank you for listening. Any out of market stoolies, I feel for you.
This has been such a magical Celts season so far that the other day I blogged about how as fans, we shouldn't take it for granted. Up until this point they've literally been one of the greatest Celts teams ever assembled. But the same is also true when it comes to not taking these final Gorman games for granted. It's party why the team has to come through and finish the job, because Mike Gorman deserves to ride off into the sunset a champion. And hey, if he decides to say screw it and come back for one more, I certainly won't hate it