Thank goodness that Tom Hamilton is still calling Guardians games on the radio.

So many of the other great Cleveland media types have already faded away, or are in the process of doing so. It’s the closing chapters of a great era.

That became obvious over the weekend when Dan Coughlin, an all-star in both print and electronic media in these parts for 50-plus years, passed away in his sleep. He was 86.

Jim Donovan, who was to Browns games on the radio what Hamilton is to baseball contests, retired a couple months ago to concentrate on his fight against cancer.

His partner for nearly a quarter-century, color analyst Doug Dieken, retired two years ago to hug his grandchildren and give his aching knees a break.

Three years ago, Cavaliers radio voice, who, for nearly the complete existence of the franchise, did the games as well as anyone ever has done games anywhere, passed away.

And if you’re going to enlarge the landscape to the state’s biggest overall sports brand, Ohio State, then you have to include Buckeyes football and men’s basketball radio announcer Paul Keels, who, for over 25 years, has brought his baritone, “The Voice of God” pipes and outstanding skills to listeners from Cleveland to Cincinnati, Toledo to Marietta, St. Clairsville to Dayton and all points in between.

Neither Keels nor Hamilton is allowed to retire. If they just want to read the real estate transactions out of the newspaper, I’ll tune in — we would all tune in — and listen.

And that’s not a joke, I promise.

I feel bad for the younger people who never got to hear Gib Shanley, Jim Graner, Nev Chandler, Jimmy Dudley, Herb Score, Pete Franklin and Ken Coleman, and never got to read, in addition to Coughlin, Chuck Heaton, Hal Leibovitz and Russell Schneider.

What they missed . . . wow!

In fact, double-wow!!

Steve King