MIAMI — Michael Baiamonte is retiring. That’s why “Mike Drop,” T-shirts were common at Saturday’s Miami Heat game. You may not know his name, or recognize his face, but if you’ve ever been to a Heat game you’ve experienced his voice.

Here’s one of his calls.

“TWO MINUTES! … DOS …!”

Here’s another.

“TOO-OOO MANY STEPS!”

Then there’s this one.

“THREE-E-E-E-E!”

Typing these words makes them so sound flat and lifeless. Baiamonte sells each syllable to the point his public-address calls are part of the Heat game’s experience since 1990. It’s not a front-and-center attraction, of course.

But he’s the background singer who adds something to the larger song. He’s delivered a series of one-act, even one-word plays at more than 1,600 Heat games. There’s a story behind each call, too. Take the line he delivered at mid-court before introducing the players before Saturdays’ game: “STAND UP AND MAKE SOME NOISE … FOR YOUR … MI-AMI HE-E-E-EAT!”

The first time Baiamonte belted that out a few decades ago no one stood up. No one made any noise. He felt totally defeated, especially since the Heat’s current co-marketing director, Jeff Craney, had asked him to come up with a line to get fans going.

Baiamonte had considered, “Get up and get loud for your Miami Heat!” Or, “Get on your feet for …!” But he chose the stand-up-and-make-some-noise line and walking out that night felt terrible. It was a dud.

Craney knew otherwise. “It’s perfect, you’ll see.”

It caught on across that first season. Sure, it’s a bit hokey to outsiders. But for 35 years Heat fans have stood up and made plenty of noise when Baiamonte summons them.

Baiamonte, you see, shows the continuing lure of sports for those of us who quit playing games long ago. In his case, he was injured his senior basketball season at Miami Gulliver Prep. He asked to be the public-address announcer, something he always wanted to do.

He then listed being the p.a. announcer on his college application to Florida International University, surely to show he was a well-rounded student. This was 1981. FIU had just become a four-year college with a basketball team. It needed a p.a. announcer. Guess who got a call to try out? And then got the job as a freshman?

Baiamonte stayed behind the FIU microphone for a decade, even after he had graduated and started working or an insurance company. That FIU mike is where he created his lines of, “TOO-OO MANY STEPS!” for an opponent traveling, and “THREE-E-E,” in that extended sing-song like the arc of a 3-point shot.

Then, late in the 1990 season, the Heat came calling. There was just one issue. He was about to get married to Natalie. Their honeymoon was over several Heat home games. So, he did what any young, ambitious and not-quite-yet-happily-married announcer would.

“Can we cut our honeymoon short?” he asked.

They’ve been married 34 years, raised three grown daughters and recently became grandparents. He wants to travel without looking at a Heat schedule. That’s the short answer to why he’s retiring at 62.

It led to more than just a Heat gig, too, his first full season being the 1991-92 campaign. He quit the insurance business in 1999 and lent his voice to hosting events and doing commercial voiceovers for big companies.

“I also became a germaphobe for fear of protecting my voice,’’ he said.

Baiamonte also plotted unique calls for every Heat player. So, an Alonzo Mourning dunk brought a, “Good Moooourning!” Shaquille O’Neal’s name was delivered with the distinct rumble of a Diesel, his nickname. Dwyane Wade’s name was stretched like it had 100 letters. Even bit players got their due, like a Clarence Weatherspoon assist getting the call of, “‘Spoon fed.’’

His most recognized call came out of a desire inside the Heat to acknowledge the Latin fan base at games. Everyone looked at Baiamonte. The pressure was on. He already said, “TWO MINUTES,” at the end of every quarter per league rules.

“Why not just say, ‘Dos Minutos?’ he said in a meeting. The was refined to where he’d say, “TWO MINUTES,” followed by “DOS …” and pause there. Fans would say, “MINUTOS!” It took a season to catch on. But now it’s part of more than just a Heat game.

“I can’t tell you how many parents come up and say they use it when it’s time to get their kids to dinner or when it’s time for bed,’’ he said.

What happens next year? That’s a question as Baiamonte walks away thinking of the words of his father. He inherited his voice from Frank Baiamonte, an insurance executive and gifted public speaker. Now dad’s advice sticks with him.

“Michael, when you find the right job with the right organization, whenever you decide to leave make sure they’re cheering you out the door not chasing you.”

They cheered Saturday. He’s not the reason fans go to the game. But over 35 years his voice was an entrenched part of the Heat experience.