John Sterling to retire

[Frayed Knot]

"Health concerns" are prompting his full retirement rather than just a further schedule reduction.
Official announcement expected at a press conference this Friday.




https://nypost.com/2024/04/15/sports/ya ... -concerns/

[MFS62]

It will be a Sterling Single moment.
I'll actually miss him, but not as much as Suzyn will.
I remembered him from when he announced Nets games.

Later

[Cowtipper]

I'm not saying this just because they're associated with the Yankees, but the Yankees' broadcasting team is the worst I think I've ever heard.

I had no idea Sterling was 85. When did that happen?

[Frayed Knot]

Sterling (mostly successfully) kept his age secret for years, not an easy thing for a public figure to do in this day and age.
But he was doing sports radio in the early 1970s so he pretty much had to be 80+. He'll turn 86 on July 4


born: John Sloss

[ashie62]

I first heard him doing New York Raider WHA hockey

Raider goal! Raider goal!

[metirish]

I've always had a soft spot for John, apparently very well liked in the TV/Radio circles

[Benjamin Grimm]

I wouldn't even recognize his voice if I heard it.

[dgwphotography]

He was the Braves announcer during the July 3-4, 1985 game.

[ashie62]

I first heard him doing New York Raider WHA hockey

Raider goal! Raider goal!

Gary Cohen quoted this word for word

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I loved that goofy guy. He was pompous and ridiculous, got a lot of calls wrong, but to me made up for it with his sing-songy baritone and bad jokes.

[Fman99]

I think over the years I've done my share to honor the man here in this forum.

[metirish]

The best

[Centerfield]

Pompous. All schtick. More about self promotion than calling the game. I liked that Yankee fans were embarrassed of him.

Every time I hear the drawn out THUUUUUH I throw up a little.

Should have retired a long time ago and given a competent announcer a chance.

[kcmets]

It is high, it is far, it is deeeep... and Jeter makes the grab....

Godspeed, Sterls.... they broke the mold.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

He was my weird summer companion. I'll miss that goody bastard.

[Edgy MD]

It was amazing how much of an embodiment he was of the emperor's-new-clothes-iness of the Yankees brand. When parts of the Yankee brand aren't really getting it done — and this is especially true of elements of the brand that came into being during George Steinbrenner's long sunset — everybody just had to pretend were terrific. The end of Jeter's career, Jeter's actual public character, the façade of YSIII, Robert Merrill, Ronan Tynan singing "God Bless America" while goons force you to remain standing at your seats, John Sterling, Suzyn Waldman, Clemens, A-Rod, ... Steinbrenner himself ... everybody just forced to grin through it and pretend that everything is peachy and worthy of celebration.

The cognitive dissonance must be awful.

And yeah, the fact that he was just an old guy with diminished faculties, out of touch with his audience, but doing his best in an unwinnable situation, just gave me a soft spot for the guy.

[Benjamin Grimm]

As I mentioned above, I'm almost totally unfamiliar with the guy. I don't even know if he did TV or radio. I don't think I've ever in my life listened to a Yankee game on the radio, and the last time I watched them on TV, the guys in the booth were named Phil Rizzuto and Bill White.

[MFS62]

and the last time I watched them on TV, the guys in the booth were named Phil Rizzuto and Bill White.

I heard Phils' first broadcast. It included him saying "There's a long fly ball" that was eventually caught by the shortstop. (He laughed it off saying the view from the press box was different form seeing it on the field.)
Sterling carried on that MFY tradition.

Later

[G-Fafif]

One of the few times I can recall seeking out an MFY broadcast — just looking for a ballgame on a Saturday afternoon in 1991 when I went into the office and the Mets weren’t playing until later — I heard Sterling frame the MFYs’ last ups as whoever was batting having “one shot” to tie it up here with a home run. He said it repeatedly, never pausing to consider the batter getting on meant the inning would continue and the tying run could be built from there. “One shot.”

I wasn’t in the mood to give him another.

[metirish]

Truly one of a kind. As Gary noted

[metirish]

Haha

[Edgy MD]

Goodness gracious.

[Frayed Knot]

Sterling joined Michael Kay on the TV broadcast for an inning today (just as a visitor, not calling it).
MK: 'So John, you've already got five TVs at home where are you going to put this one?'
JS: 'I have no idea'

[Edgy MD]

Wouldn't giving the guy a Rolex be the simplest and Yankee-est thing to do? I half suspect Rolex is a part-owner of the team and/or they'd design a custom model for Sterling for free.

[metsmarathon]

shouldnt they be giving him a super-swell RADIO? or are they admitting that whatever follows him will be even more unlistenable?