'Thanks For The Memories' - It's So Damn Sad Listening To Verne Lundquist Talk About His Last Masters, Plans To Make Sure He Doesn't Cry On TV

[Source] - “I’ll be emotional, and there’s a spot on my left thigh I’ll be pinching to make sure I don’t shed a tear on the air,” he said. “But it’s been a great run. Hey, I’m 83 years old, and I’ve been blessed to have a sensational professional life and a wonderful personal life. I wasn’t the first to say this, but thanks for the memories.”

I said it when it was first announced but if you're talking about play-by-play announcers, Verne Lundquist has a legit case for 1.1 in a draft. He can do it all and has been a staple in sports for decades. That all ends this weekend with his last Masters. It's going to be bizarre next year not to her him on 16 and just in general. The dude is a living legend, but this? This is just so damn sad. He's talking about how he has to pinch his leg just to make sure he doesn't cry. I say let it fly. Verne cries, we all cry. 

My point being is it won't be the same without Verne on the call. It's already weird not hearing him during the 3:30 slate of college football. It's already weird not hearing him during big time NCAA Tournament games. It's also just a sign of the times. A sign that the guys we know, the comforting voices we hear for all the sporting events are soon to be gone from sports. Whether it was Keith Jackson, Dick Vitale, Verne Lundquist, Jim Nantz at the Final Four, whoever you might know and love, we're getting new voices all the time. I hate it. I'm a man who likes tradition. 

Verne is part of the tradition. 

You can't talk about the Masters without talking about Verne. Not when he has these calls: 

5 words, 2 calls. Yes, sir. In your life. Those are arguably the most iconic shots and calls in golf and for sure in the Masters. That's what Verne did. Nantz is right, we'll hear about Verne until the end of time. But it's going to suck listening to the Masters without him. There are traditions and normalcies in life that simply can't change. Complaining about the Masters TV schedule, Nantz and Verne being there, the concession prices, all part of it. 

So, yeah, Verne. Thanks for the memories.