June 27, 2006
BOSTON (AP) -- Peter Gammons, an ESPN analyst and a member of the writer's wing of the baseball Hall of Fame, underwent brain surgery Tuesday after he was stricken with an aneurysm near his Cape Cod home.
The 61-year-old Gammons was resting in intensive care Tuesday night following the operation, The Boston Globe reported on its Web site.
Gammons was taken to a Cape Cod hospital Tuesday morning and then airlifted to the Boston area. The newspaper said he's expected to be in intensive care for 10 to 12 days.
Several ballplayers called the press box during Boston's game against the New York Mets for updates on Gammons' condition.
"Peter is one of the Hall of Famers we have on TV, and everybody has a lot of respect for him," Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez said in the visitor's clubhouse after the game. "I wish him well."
Gammons has been a regular on ESPN's Sunday night telecasts this season, working the Braves-Yankees game in New York on Monday night. "Our thoughts and best wishes are with Peter and his family at this time," ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said.
At the Globe in the 1970s, Gammons popularized the baseball notes columns that have become staples in Sunday newspapers. He also wrote for Sports Illustrated twice -- and the Globe in between -- before joining ESPN full-time in 1990.
More recently, Gammons has dabbled in music and next week is scheduled to release his first CD, "Never Slow Down, Never Grow Old." The proceeds are designated for the foundation established by Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, who appears on the album along with several ballplayers and professional musicians.
"He and his wife know our thoughts are with them," Epstein said Tuesday. "We're hoping for good news."
Gammons was honored with the 2004 J.G. Taylor Spink Award for outstanding baseball writing by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
A Boston native who grew up in nearby Groton, Gammons attended the University of North Carolina and started at the Globe as an intern in 1969. He covered the NHL, baseball and college basketball for Sports Illustrated from 1976-78 and 1986-90, working a second stint at the Globe in between.
He joined ESPN full-time in 1990 and is a studio analyst for "Baseball Tonight," as well as a regular contributor for "SportsCenter," ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio and ESPN The Magazine. His column and Weblog can be found on ESPN.com.
He also has written a book, "Beyond the Sixth Game," about free agency.
Story
Reply With Quote
