Sports broadcasting legend Curt Gowdy passed away today. In the Boston area, Gowdy was known as the voice of the Red Sox from 1951 to 1965. He was most famous during his Red Sox stint for his call of Ted Williams' last at-bat home run in 1960.

This isn't how I remember Gowdy, though. When I was coming of age as a sports fan, he was the number one announcer for NBC. Gowdy did all the big events - Super Bowl, World Series, All-Star Games, Olympics, whatever. He was the voice of whatever was important in sports at that point in time.

Despite the fact that he was probably the biggest name in sports broadcasting, Gowdy had a way of making you feel like he was just talking to you. Part of it was no doubt the fact that he had that folksy Wyoming drawl. Gowdy always brought knowledge and enthusiasm to whatever event he was broadcasting.

Vaya con dios, Curt. We'll miss you.