Peter Gammons Leaving ESPN

One of baseball's most expert commentators is leaving his home of 20 years, ESPN -- the place that made him a star.

Peter Gammons, an analyst best known for his clear, spot-on commentary of Major League Baseball players and trends, announced Tuesday that he is leaving the sports network for the MLB Network this week, according to a report at ESPN.com.One of baseball's most expert commentators is leaving his home of 20 years, ESPN -- the place that made him a star.

Peter Gammons, an analyst best known for his clear, spot-on commentary of Major League Baseball players and trends, announced Tuesday that he is leaving the sports network for the MLB Network this week, according to a report at ESPN.com.

Gammons said in a statement, "My decision to leave ESPN and move on at this point in my life has been conflicted. I owe a great deal of my professional life to ESPN, having spent more than half of my 40 years in journalism working for the network, and the choice to move on was made with nothing but the strongest feelings for the people with whom I worked. ESPN gave me a great deal more than I gave it, and will always be a huge part of who I am."

A baseball writer for the Boston Globe beginning in 1969 and off and on for Sports Illustrated until 1990, Gammons, 64, made the transition from print to broadcast for ESPN in 1989.

Gammons was honored in 2005 by MLB's Hall of Fame and received 2004's J.G. Taylor Spink Award for outstanding baseball writing from the Baseball Writers Association of America.

He is also credited for Alex Rodriguez's 2009 interview in which the slugger confessed to taking steroids while playing for the Texas Rangers from 2001 – 2003.