Dennis Eckersley likes being good at things. When he finds something he is good at, he works to be the best at it and he doesn’t want to give it up.
Baseball used to satisfy that need to compete and improve for Eck. After his retirement, it was broadcasting that filled the void. Now that he has retired from broadcasting, he finds that he is starting to miss being on NESN and talking about the Red Sox every day.
“I miss it. I miss being alive,” he said to Rob Bradford on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast.
Eckersley only realized after the fact that the end of his broadcasting career was the end of his day-to-day association with the sport.
“It was sad leaving. That was a great day for me, even though it was sad, because it wasn’t just the broadcasting. It was the end of 40 years.”
Leaving behind broadcasting and baseball meant Eckersley was done with competition. He says that is what he loved about broadcasting. He called the business “addictive” because he was good at it and there were still challenges that came along with being on NESN that required he adjust.
“Getting behind a team and not being a homer and not being too critical. It’s a fine line because you’ve got to be honest,” Eckersley said, explaining the effort he put in. “Part of you is like, I don’t have to be ‘on’ anymore.”
Dennis Eckersley said goodbye to NESN at the end of the 2022 season. Despite telling Bradford that he missed broadcasting, he did not reveal any desire to make a comeback.
