Class act Gil Santos silences his baritone voice for the final time

Gil Santos - long known as the voice of the New England Patriots and a fixture at WBZ-1030, said goodbye to his fans and listeners.

Gil Santos was a class act. Unlike sportscasters of today, who seem to scream over one another for attention, Santos knew how to grab his audience without turning them off. His excitement was genuine, not forced and followed by a plug for sketchy items like Cash4Gold or weight-loss scams. Like his news counterpart Gary LaPierre, who also retired not long ago, Santos was a fixture of the old style Boston news, one that told a story without flashy CGI graphics and teases for segments.

And, he doesn't have to get up at 3 in the morning anymore. That's a good thing.