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S.F. Giants play-by-play announcer Duane Kuiper “plans to continue in the booth after this season” despite the fact longtime broadcast partner Mike Krukow will retire at the end of the current MLB campaign, according to Justice Delos Santos of the San Jose MERCURY NEWS. Krukow first joined the Giants’ TV booth in 1990 after his playing career ended the previous year. He became the full-time analyst in 1993, and he and Kuiper “officially became a full-time duo a year later.” The former Giants on-field teammates “have been calling games together for three decades.” The Giants will honor Krukow during their season finale against the Dodgers on Sept. 27 (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 8/6). PHYSICALLY CAN’T DO IT: In S.F., Susan Slusser noted Krukow was “diagnosed with inclusion body myositis 12 years ago and has been limited to studio work when the team is on the road.” However, it “sounds as if he’s sitting right in the booth” next to Kuiper. Giants radio announcer Jon Miller: “He’s had this tragic physical malaise and it’s taking a toll. … The amazing thing about it that says so much about him as a person and a person of character is Mike’s work has never been better. When the game starts and he’s on the air, you would have no idea that there’s anything else but the game for him” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 8/6). Krukow uses a wheelchair and a golf cart to navigate Oracle Park, and he said, “It’s becoming unsafe. My home in Reno is much safer and it really is the determining factor in how I can’t do games anymore” (NBCSPORTSBAYAREA.com, 8/6). SOUNDTRACK OF THE SUMMER: In S.F., Shayna Rubin wrote Krukow and Kuiper have partnered to “create a voice that raised a generation of fans.” Krukow’s “knowledge set the standard for color analysts and his humor that punctuated baseball’s still moments became a signature.” His humor and institutional knowledge are things fans “can reflect on when they wonder what made him a quintessential voice of summer” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 8/6). In San Jose, Dieter Kurtenbach wrote Krukow “didn’t just analyze the game; he taught it to you without ever making you feel like you were sitting in a classroom.” Kurtenbach: “He made the intricate, high-level chess match of pitching sound like common sense. And he did it all with a personality that warmed even the coldest summer nights” (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 8/6). In S.F., Bruce Jenkins wrote, “I’ve watched baseball telecasts around the major leagues forever. … I’m certain Krukow is the best analyst in history. I can’t believe there’s even an argument" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 8/6).