Peter GammonsIt’s sad day for the fans of Peter Gammons who has decided to leave ESPN after the Baseball Winter Meetings to pursue other opportunities.

“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.”

I’ve always been a fan of Gammons and that’s not just because he’s a Boston guy. He’s always provided valuable insight and was one of the most trusted in the business.

The MLB Network came in last year and hurt ESPN’s baseball coverage. I’m pretty sure this could kill it. Gammons will be moderating the Sports Roundtable at Fenway Park as part of the events for Hot Stove Cool Music on January 9, 2010.

Update: Gammons will be joining the MLB Network and will also be doing work for NESN and NESN.com.