Jeanneret said the deciding factor in returning was his hopes for next season.

“Because I am the eternal optimist,” he said. “And I am looking forward to a season where we don’t have to sit there night after night and make excuses and things like that. We can rejoice along with the fans that things are going in the right direction.”

He added his wife, Sandra, was “a bit surprised” by his decision because he was thinking about whether to return a lot more than he usually does.

“I did some heavy thinking about it,” said Jeanneret. “She knew it wasn’t getting easy. It is not. As we all know, the older we get things don’t quite work anymore. I don’t see as well as I used to. I don’t react as well as I used to. Any senior citizen has the same problems.”

Of course, the great majority of Sabre fans feel the iconic broadcaster's enthusiasm and catchy expressions more than compensate for any decline that he referenced.