Their rapport feels authentic, like genuine friendship, because that’s what it is. Santos never fails to greet Cappelletti’s handoff to begin the broadcast with a booming “Thank you, mon ami.’’ At their best, the listener surely felt a similar sentiment for them.
But that sentiment is waning. Santos and Cappelletti’s gaffes and moments of befuddlement have come in a greater volume this season. And while many are minor - misidentifying Danny Woodhead as Wes Welker and vice versa, or reporting a pass was caught by no one when it was indeed completed, or Cappelletti’s meandering analysis - when they are greater in abundance, they become distracting and eventually aggravating, and the broadcast suffers.
It’s a delicate situation, but one that has reached a point of diminishing returns. The conclusion is harsh but obvious.
This should be Santos and Cappelletti’s final season calling the Patriots.
It is difficult to acknowledge that about a broadcast team with such a legacy.
Santos called Patriots games from 1966-79 before returning in 1991, and his 35 years ties him with the Eagles’ Merrill Reese for the longest current stint calling a team’s games. Cappelletti was paired with Santos from 1972-78 and has had an uninterrupted stint on the broadcast since 1988.
They are icons, and their employer recognizes them as such. While CBS Radio, which owns the Patriots’ flagship station, 98.5 The Sports Hub, has not commented on its intentions beyond this season, it should be said that it has handled Santos and Cappelletti’s status with extraordinary fairness thus far. It would not be a surprise if both men are offered sort of a broadcaster emeritus role, a la Frank Gifford on “Monday Night Football’’ a few years ago, when their days in the booth are done.
Mark Hannon, CBS Radio Boston’s senior vice president and market manager, and Sports Hub program director Mike Thomas have left it to Santos and Cappelletti to decide their status the past couple of years, though the addition of Scott Zolak as a sideline reporter/second analyst for the 2011 season was a telling clue that they felt some enhancement was necessary.
