Tommy Hutton goes out on own terms at right time for South Florida

It's certainly been a wild few months for South Florida sports. Unremarkable on the field—the Heat, Marlins, and Panthers all missed the playoffs, while the Dolphins spent the summer projected to make a real run at going 0-17.

However, there has been borderline cataclysmic change to the way sports is covered in this market. The Miami Herald was gutted in recent weeks, with Greg Cote and Michelle Kauffman headlining the layoffs. Three months prior, the Sun Sentinel fired Dave Hyde. Voices that shaped the way sports were understood in Miami for decades abruptly cast aside. It's been tough, and every writer let go this summer deserved better. 

At the same time all of this is going on, a Miami Marlins legend has also called it a career. Fortunately, he has gotten the opportunity to do so entirely on his own terms, featuring a full-season retirement tour and special pregame ceremony at loanDepot park. 

I'm speaking, of course, of Tommy Hutton. 

Aside from what we'll call the Wilderness Period of 2016 through early 2018, Hutton was a part of the Marlins broadcast crew since 1997. If you care about this team, follow them on any kind of a regular basis, then it's a safe bet that the way you know and love the game of baseball was shaped by his insight and passion. Back when the news first broke that this season would be Hutton's swan song, I made the case on another platform for him needing to be a lock for the 2027 Marlins Hall of Fame class. Suffice it to say, you can expect a refresh of that for this site this spring.

Historically, it has been rare for anyone associated with this franchise to get a storybook ending to their tenure. Hutton's longtime broadcast partner Rich Waltz didn't get it, at least not until Sunday when the team helped facilitate his return to the booth for one last inning with Tommy. That emotional reunion coincided with a Griffin Conine home run; the moment would have only been more perfect for Marlins fans if the two had taken a moment to let us know his name wasn't DAN UGGLA.

Sunday afternoon went a long way towards righting last decade's wrong of splitting up Waltz and Hutton. Everyone involved deserves a ton of credit for that. 

It was just great seeing a man so involved with so much of this team's history go out because he chose to do so at 80 years young, rather than having that choice forced on him. It was a moment that meant a lot on the Marlins fan front and quite a bit just in terms of the local sports coverage front as well. 

Congrats, Tommy, and thank you.