Between this emotional farewell ceremony for Mike Krukow and his final KNBR Post-Game Wrap, I sobbed for nearly 90 minutes straight. I think I went through a quarter of a Kleenex box.
I’ve been listening to Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper—Kruk and Kuip—call ballgames for 28 years, far longer than any other announcers. They are the voices of Giants baseball and a beloved San Francisco institution.
Only Kruk is retiring this season; Kuip plans to continue calling games (despite a recent throat cancer diagnosis). But Giants broadcasts won’t be the same without this iconic duo yucking it up in my ear. (I attended many a game at Candlestick Park with a transistor radio and earpiece so I could hear them call the game, a tradition that continued at what is now Oracle Park, just with an iPhone and the MLB app.)
I will miss Kruk—and Kruk and Kuip—dearly.
Atta babe.
(The entire 65-minute ceremony is worth watching, but if you don’t have an hour, Kuip’s tribute to his broadcast partner starts at 35:31, and Kruk’s farewell starts right after, at 47:06. But if you’re a Giants fan—or even just a baseball fan—you’ll want to watch it all. Just stock up on Kleenex.)
