Howie Rose

We might have been talking about an announcer somewhere else who flubbed the call, and maybe it was one who was, you know, again, hanging around longer than he should have.

And I remember my friend Chris Bada, who was the longtime PR director of the Islanders, saying to me,

Please promise me that won't be you.

Promise me you won't stick around longer than you should.

And it's crazy how that popped into my head just over the last few days.

So the bots, I guess I'm honoring you to an extent.

But, you know, the long and the short of it is that I always felt that way.

Rather leave a little too early than a little too late.

No, I would...

I would never do that because, you know, there will be two announcers in that booth.

And if the line of succession carries through, that's going to be Keith and Pat.

I would never do that to them.

Once I'm out, if one of them need a break, you know, I'm not saying goodbye forever here, I hope.

So that if there's an opportunity where one of them are away for a weekend or have another baby, because these kids are breathing pretty good right now.

You know, if they need a pinch hitter for a game or a series...

as long as it's in New York or Miami, then I'm good with that, you know?

Because I still feel I'll have enough to get by, but I wouldn't elbow my way in there as the lead guy either.

It would be akin to just making a guest appearance.

I would love to do that, but without stepping on anybody's toes.

When I retire, the gig then belongs to my successor or successors, and I would only be there as an ornament.