John Sterling

Shorter* Suzyn Waldman


Suzyn has outdone herself. Forget demanding that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays forfeit a game because they were late and the Yankees had already showered and dressed for the game. Forget her constant dismissal of Yankee opponents as not worthy of victories, and her constant attitude of Yankee entitlement (although that relates to this latest incident). No, on October 8th 2007, Suzyn Waldman took her awful performance as a color commentator to a ridiculously new low level. Following Joe Torre's post-game press conference at Jacobs Field in Cleveland (which followed the Yankee defeat in Game 4 of the ALDS, and subsequent elimination from the playoffs), Suzyn Waldman went on the air and cried.

Here is her full broadcast which you can download here (courtesy awfulannouncing.com)


You're going to have to bear with me here, cos' you know me, I cry at Cinderella, and I can't believe what's going on in there. Um....What's going on in that clubhouse and what Joe Torre is saying at the podium - John, this rivals that plane ride from Seattle [sniff], because everybody knows there's going to be a lot of changes here, and people are absolutely saying goodbye to each other. And it's very very tough place to be right now. [Sniff] Joe Torre is at the podium, and um, the first thing he said was that we wanted to congratulate Eric Wedge the way he turned his team around, and if you make a mistake they'll pummel you and that's exactly what they did. Um. Then obviously the first question was about his future. He didn't want to talk about that. He said, "I told the players I was so proud of what they did, they were in a hole, sometimes you get complacent, sometimes you forget how hard it is. We didn't forget.

And perhaps ironically, John Sterling settled Waldman down, by telling her, "all good things come to an end," and that Joe Torre will, "land on his feet," and be fine with his wife, daughter, brother, and his well-earned millions.

Now we know that most Yankee broadcasters are complete wingnuts. Michael Kay on YES TV believes that the Yankees have been the best team in baseball since 1995, facts be damned. John Sterling on WCBS 880 AM is a poor broadcaster because you can tell by his tone whether the Yankees are winning or losing. If he sounds disgusted, then you don't need to know the score. And then there is Suzyn Waldman, John Sterling's sidekick since 2005. They will be broadcasting together on WCBS 880 AM through the end of the 2011 regular season.

Suzyn is quick to pile praise or criticism on just about any player. It's as if John Sterling provokes her (or unleashes her). I have no transcripts, but a typical moment might sound like this.

Sterling: Andy deals....and there's a ground ball to center. Jeter runs to the ball, picks it up, tags second, throws to Giambi...a beautiful 6-3 double play, and Jeter made it look easy. He picked-up the ball bare-handed, tagged second, jumped over the sliding baserunner, and threw to first all in about 3 seconds.

Waldman: ONLY DEREK JETER COULD MAKE THAT PLAY!

Sterling: He has done it so many times. He makes it look easy. The captain showing some golden glove skills, and didn't use his glove.

Waldman: AMAZING, JOHN. THAT'S WHY HE'S THE BEST SHORTSTOP IN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE. THAT'S WHY HE'S CAPTAIN.

OK, I will try to ignore this duo. It's easy when the Red Sox are on their way to winning their seventh World Series.

Brian Bruney And Jeff Karstens Lose It For The Yankees


I think last night's loss was the first time since June that the Yankee bullpen blew a lead and lost a game on the road. An amazing run.

I also think that Brian Bruney and Jeff Karstens won't be on the Yankee postseason roster next month. Just my guess.

With Wang, Joba, and Mo available tonight, I expect the Yankees to win and secure the Wild Card spot.

But in just 48 hours, we have seen the Yankees' chances of winning the AL East slip from 40%, to 19%, to 6%. All Boston has to do is win 3 more games out of the remaining 5, and the AL East is theirs, regardless of what the Yankees do.

And if they blow that, then yes, Joe Buck, Tim McCarver, John Sterling, Suzyn Waldman, and Michael Kay can mention it all they want. But if the Sox win the AL East, I don't want to hear about them blowing a 14-game lead ever again.

The Red Sox magic number is 3. When they wake-up Saturday morning, the AL East title should already be theirs.

Huge Yankee Game This Afternoon


The Yankees have a game-in-hand over the Red Sox and it is being played this afternoon at 1pm. If they win, they will be just one game behind the Red Sox and both teams will each have 6 games left to play. Boston has two potential breaks - all of their 6 remaining games are at Fenway, and they won't be seeing the best pitchers from either Oakland or Minnesota. The Yankees have to go to Tampa Bay for 3 games, and then Baltimore for 4 games. I would expect both Tampa and Baltimore to win one game from the Yankees. I would also expect the Red Sox to lose 2 of their next 6.

And so this game today is very important for the AL East race. Toronto has been very effective in running-up the Yankee pitch counts and forcing the Yankees to work their bullpen. If Toronto should somehow win today, they will give the Red Sox the cushion they need to win the AL East title at the end of the week against the Twins.

If the Yankees win, then the Red Sox still have a 1-game lead. However, their margin for error will be very small. The Red Sox will have to win at least 4 of their remaining 6 games. They will need a lot of moral support from the home fans. It is crunch time.

Apparently Suzyn Waldman and John Sterling are acting as if the Yankees have already won this game. They are yapping away on WCBS-AM. They won't stop. Unfortunately there is no point in muting a radio. I might just keep an eye on the stoic and silent Gameday.

The late-breaking news that Blue Jay pitcher AJ Burnett had to miss his start only heightened Sterling's and Waldman's expectations for a victory.

"A game that means nothing for Toronto and everything for the Yanks." - John Sterling

Translation: The Blue Jays had better forfeit for their sake. The Yankees are entitled to the AL East!!!1!!!111

Toronto takes a 3-0 lead. I hope they win this one...

And how can there be only 20,000 fans in the seats? On an absolutely beautiful day, with this much at-stake, and with this game added to the schedule many weeks ago, the Yankee fans couldn't fill half the stadium today? This is the final September game at Yankee stadium! Even Sterling and Waldman are stunned.