View Full Version : Why No Play-by-Play Partner for John Sterling?
njyankeesfan
05-08-07, 08:52 PM
I'm interested in seeing what you radio listeners think about this one. John Sterling has been the sole play-by-play announcer on the Yankees radio broadcasts for some time now. Most radio broadcasts have two folks who do the play-by-play. (Suzyn Waldman has herself said she's not a play-by-play person, and her current commentary role suits her well.)
It seems to me that it's an awful lot of work to do the play-by-play for an entire game (some stretching into extra innings). Also, I admit it, Sterling's home run calls seem less enjoyable when you hear the same cliched phrases over and over again, and think having another broadcaster's style alternating with Sterling would make Sterling's work seem fresher, too.
If you agree with me, who do you think would make a good broadcast partner for John Sterling?
Or do you think Sterling's doing fine by himself?
I thought he and Michael Kay were pretty good together; Charley Steiner was too similar to Sterling in terms of vocal quality and I thought the chemistry was lacking, too.
What do you think?
NYYFAN5388
05-08-07, 09:31 PM
I liked steiner alot i was upset when he left i didnt like Kay and Sterling together.
BBombers85
05-08-07, 10:16 PM
I agree with what you're saying, but as much as Sterling can be annoying at times, he is extremely colorful. Finding someone to complement him is rather difficult and may make the other person sound dull. Kay annoys me and I cannot even stand to listen to him on TV. I really enjoy Ken Singleton and even though he is a bit surly, Al Leiter.
brosiusbuddy
05-08-07, 10:19 PM
How about Yogi
Seriously though, they have so many guys with YES, they should just turn one of them over to WCBS. He and Bobby Murcer would be good, but Murcer is the only guy with a funny personality on YES. All the others are only funny if Murcer brings the comedy out of them.
njyankeesfan
05-08-07, 10:32 PM
BBombers85, I agree that Sterling is a very dominant personality, and right now, he and Suzyn have great chemistry together, and bringing in a third person would change that dynamic. It's not even that I'm burned out on him or anything, I just think it's a lot for one person to do over the course of a season, and having the right play-by-play partner would enhance the broadcast, in my opinion.
I just had a funny thought--I know Joe Torre has worked in radio broadcasting in the past. Did anyone here ever hear him? My funny thought is, I wonder if he ever got really excited recounting a play and how he communicated it? He's so lowkey on the bench as a manager, it would be fun to hear him get excited on a radio broadcast. He's got a great radio voice, too, in my opinion.
Wouldn't it be fun just to hear a Torre-Sterling combination for a broadcast? Maybe the last day of the season, when Torre hands over the managing duties (assuming it's not a season-critical game and assuming MLB rules would permit it). Talk about opposites in style (or so I'd think--maybe Joe would surprise me!!).
njyankeesfan
05-08-07, 10:37 PM
brosius buddy, it's probably too grueling a schedule for Yogi, but it would be great fun to have him as a guest color commentator for a game or two per season, either in addition to or instead of Suzyn Waldman (she'd probably appreciate a day off)--the Yogi-isms would be flying, I'm sure!
It's a different ball game now... Different Companies and all, but...
They had it right back in the day, when they had 3 broadcasters and they rotated them every three innings (one guy doing radio, two doing TV).
For example:
Radio -
Innings 123 -Scooter
Innings 456 - White
Innings 789 - Messer
TV -
Innings 123 - White (playbyplay) & Messer (color)
Innings 456 - Messer (p by p) & Scooter (color)
Innings 789 - Scooter (p by p) & White (color).
It mixed things up, you had a different take all game.
Hearing Sterling do the play by play all game every game for 12? years. Enough. It hurts my ears.
Jerkface
05-08-07, 10:40 PM
It's a different ball game now... Different Companies and all, but...
They had it right back in the day, when they had 3 broadcasters and they rotated them every three innings (one guy doing radio, two doing TV).
For example:
Radio -
Innings 123 -Scooter
Innings 456 - White
Innings 789 - Messer
TV -
Innings 123 - White (playbyplay) & Messer (color)
Innings 456 - Messer (p by p) & Scooter (color)
Innings 789 - Scooter (p by p) & White (color).
It mixed things up, you had a different take all game.
Hearing Sterling do the play by play all game every game for 12? years. Enough. It hurts my ears.
That sounds badass, I wish they would do that now.
PeteRFNY
05-08-07, 10:44 PM
It's a different ball game now... Different Companies and all, but...
They had it right back in the day, when they had 3 broadcasters and they rotated them every three innings (one guy doing radio, two doing TV).
For example:
Radio -
Innings 123 -Scooter
Innings 456 - White
Innings 789 - Messer
TV -
Innings 123 - White (playbyplay) & Messer (color)
Innings 456 - Messer (p by p) & Scooter (color)
Innings 789 - Scooter (p by p) & White (color).
It mixed things up, you had a different take all game.
Hearing Sterling do the play by play all game every game for 12? years. Enough. It hurts my ears.
Good memories. God, I miss those days. :(
njyankeesfan
05-08-07, 10:46 PM
JDPNYY, that would still work today, IMO, but Sterling's ego is such that he'd have to broadcast the part of the game with the best opportunities for the most historic game calls.
JDPNYY, that would still work today, IMO, but Sterling's ego is such that he'd have to broadcast the part of the game with the best opportunities for the most historic game calls.
Frankly, in my opinion, it's time for Johnny to go announce somewhere else. I'm truly sick of him. I hate when I have no choice but to listen on the radio.
It's the same schtick over and over and over again... for years (and years).
And his ego? What the hell gives him the right to have an ego?
njyankeesfan
05-08-07, 10:56 PM
Well, he just does. That's why, in my opinion, Michael Kay's (at least at that time) more self-deprecating style worked with him, and just every now and then, he humorously brought Sterling back down to earth.
Again, IMO, I think Michael Kay has gotten more full of himself and not as pleasant to listen to in recent years.
Shaun4013
05-08-07, 11:07 PM
I remember the days of Kay and Sterling and also Sterling and Steiner. Of the those two recent partnerships I enjoyed Sterling and Steiner abit more, but anyone has to be more tolerable than Waldman. She is awful.
Claudell Washington
05-09-07, 12:53 AM
I think the best solution is for Sterling to go away and never come back, and take Waldman with him. A team and market like this one deserves announcers way less cheesy and bush-league.
his ego is probably too big to have someone else share the spotlight...that must have killed him when Stiener had the call of the Boone HR.
Pinstripedbass
05-09-07, 07:21 PM
his ego is probably too big to have someone else share the spotlight...that must have killed him when Stiener had the call of the Boone HR.
That's exactly what I thought when Boone hit the HR. Sterling had to be seething that he couldn't give it his trademark "high, far, gone".
fredgmuggs
05-09-07, 07:27 PM
It's a different ball game now... Different Companies and all, but...
They had it right back in the day, when they had 3 broadcasters and they rotated them every three innings (one guy doing radio, two doing TV).
For example:
Radio -
Innings 123 -Scooter
Innings 456 - White
Innings 789 - Messer
TV -
Innings 123 - White (playbyplay) & Messer (color)
Innings 456 - Messer (p by p) & Scooter (color)
Innings 789 - Scooter (p by p) & White (color).
It mixed things up, you had a different take all game.
Hearing Sterling do the play by play all game every game for 12? years. Enough. It hurts my ears. Unless the game wasn't on TV (and often that was the case)... then they had a combo of the two announcers doing a three inning stint on radio and rotating them (with Scooter never doing the final 3 innings if the game was at the Stadium because he was on his way home to Jersey).
I think we discussed this once before... I agree, it was a good system.
By the way, the Mets did the same thing with their announcing triumvirate of Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner. That wasn't a shabby group either. The metro market had it pretty good back then.
CalYankeeFan
05-09-07, 07:42 PM
It's a different ball game now... Different Companies and all, but...
They had it right back in the day, when they had 3 broadcasters and they rotated them every three innings (one guy doing radio, two doing TV).
For example:
Radio -
Innings 123 -Scooter
Innings 456 - White
Innings 789 - Messer
TV -
Innings 123 - White (playbyplay) & Messer (color)
Innings 456 - Messer (p by p) & Scooter (color)
Innings 789 - Scooter (p by p) & White (color).
It mixed things up, you had a different take all game.
Hearing Sterling do the play by play all game every game for 12? years. Enough. It hurts my ears.
Those were the days! Didn't realize how good we had it!
Those were the days! Didn't realize how good we had it!
It helped that those three guys were great together, but I think the fact that they rotated and you didn't have to listen to the same guy or guys all game kept things fresh.
It's a different ball game now... Different Companies and all, but...
They had it right back in the day, when they had 3 broadcasters and they rotated them every three innings (one guy doing radio, two doing TV).
For example:
Radio -
Innings 123 -Scooter
Innings 456 - White
Innings 789 - Messer
TV -
Innings 123 - White (playbyplay) & Messer (color)
Innings 456 - Messer (p by p) & Scooter (color)
Innings 789 - Scooter (p by p) & White (color).
It mixed things up, you had a different take all game.
.
I loved those guys...
And if there was lightening Phil was gone...:lol:
PeteRFNY
05-10-07, 11:43 PM
I loved those guys...
And if there was lightening Phil was gone...:lol:
Did you ever hear Phil tell the story about WHY he was so afraid of lightning?
Did you ever hear Phil tell the story about WHY he was so afraid of lightning?
I forgot...
P1NSTR1PES
05-11-07, 02:57 PM
i like the way it is now, except for TV im not fond of Singleton
BillBuckner
05-11-07, 03:02 PM
Because Suzyn Waldman's voice scares children.
longtimeyankeefan
05-11-07, 07:02 PM
It helped that those three guys were great together, but I think the fact that they rotated and you didn't have to listen to the same guy or guys all game kept things fresh.
I always loved Phil's scoring decisions when he got off onto his tangental stories.
WW - wasn't watching
:D
fredgmuggs
05-11-07, 07:15 PM
By the way, to answer the original question - because John wants it that way.
By the way, to answer the original question - because John wants it that way.
That is exactly right...
TheYankee
05-13-07, 12:28 PM
By the way, to answer the original question - because John wants it that way.I don't blame him... he's the voice of the damn Yankees for God's sake.
CalYankeeFan
05-13-07, 08:07 PM
I don't blame him... he's the voice of the damn Yankees for God's sake.
For better or worse....
patrick.o
05-13-07, 09:12 PM
his ego is probably too big to have someone else share the spotlight...that must have killed him when Stiener had the call of the Boone HR.Killed him so much he tried to step on Stiener's call and inject himself into the moment. After the homer Sterling tried to take over with his "Yankees Win!" schtick and Stiener, to his credit, stepped right back and made the call in unison with him. Sterling might as well have said, "I'm John sterling so I get to make the big calls" and Stiener might as well as answered him, "no assface, you don't!" To me that moment exemplified their entire relationship as a broadcast team. Sterling never would have tried to pull that on Kay. Kay would have thrown him right out of the booth and onto the net! :lol:
Stick Michael
05-19-07, 12:53 AM
I think the best partner for John Sterling is the mute button.
jimmyclark
05-19-07, 08:06 AM
Did you ever hear Phil tell the story about WHY he was so afraid of lightning?
I think it is because a teammate was killed on the field by lightning. It was in the minors and a storm suddenly appeared.
Good memories. God, I miss those days. :(
I have a blooper tape where Phil looks into the camera and says "I'm Billy Martin" :lol:
SportzStooge007
05-19-07, 11:23 AM
John Sterling thinks to highly of himself as the 'Voice of the Yankees' to have someone other than Waldman in the booth. She backs away from any kind of play-by-play and makes color commentary that simply gives Sterling and opportunity to step in with some of his stuff.
I like Sterling's voice, but he's freaking annoying. Someone suggested it and I think they're right - they need to throw some of the guys from YES Network down to CBS to help out with calling the games. Hearing Sterling everytime I want to hear the Yankees gets annoying. One reason I like having so many YES personalities is it gives each game a different set of people, a different dynamic. Michael Kay is far more relaxed and lets the other guys step in and give their views. Sterling always seems to want to be the center of it all.
I have a blooper tape where Phil looks into the camera and says "I'm Billy Martin" :lol:
I've also seen on the Yankeeography on Rizzuto, a clip of Rizzuto saying "Hi, I'm Bill White" and seeing White laughing hysterically in the background because he never referred to Bill White by his first name. He usually said "Hey, White". :lol:
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