John Sterling’s martyrdom shows how bad it’s gotten for baseball announcers

Who knew that at the age of 83, and through his many moons as the radio voice of the New York Yankees, John (Pa Pinstripe) Sterling would suddenly become a rebel with a cause?

Even by Sterling’s often misleading and bizarre play-by-play stylings, this was a doozy. Stay with us on this one: Working Yankees-at-Mariners remotely from the Stadium Wednesday night with Suzyn (Ma Pinstripe) Waldman, Sterling, in the third inning, saw a replay of an Aaron Judge second inning home run on his monitor and called it as if it was happening live.

“It is gone,” Sterling bellowed. “…..Unfortunately, it was a replay of the home run, but it was a good replay. I’m sorry, it’s on the monitor. What am I supposed to do?”

Chiming in, a sarcastic Waldman said: “This is a great way to do a game isn’t it?”

In the wake of Sterling’s gaffe, and his defense of it (”….It’s on the monitor. What am I supposed to do?) other baseball voices took to social media to, once again, protest having to continue calling road games remotely. Their contention is the remote setup, made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic, is not conducive to doing their job. They claim it takes away from the feel of the game. And it does not allow them to live up to their normal broadcasting standards. More than a few VOS Gasbags seconded that emotion.

The fact Sterling, who has been known to blow calls in road and home booths alike since he arrived in the Bronx in 1989, is now being portrayed as a victim/hero here is kind of like a meat eater being celebrated for leading a protest by vegetarians. Anyone remember any of his “it is high….it is far…. It is caught at the edge of the warning track” calls? Or how Sterling didn’t say if a batter was called out on strikes or struck out swinging? Those were on-the-scene calls.

That baseball broadcasters now turn their lonely eyes to Sterling shows exactly how desperate they are to force the issue and get back on the road. Their beef is highly understandable. They say they are interested in quality. MLB and state/local governments have lifted COVID-19 restrictions at ballparks. Now, for management, this is about the costs of sending TV and radio crews back on the road.

While the suits, whether they are from a regional sports network, or radio rights holder, are being portrayed as rolling on the cheap in this matter, it’s only fair to examine their plight when it comes to being an MLB rights holder. Since were focusing on the protests of Ma & Pa, let’s examine the Yankees radio situation.

The terrestrial radio business is in the toilet, and that’s being kind. Audacy (formerly known as Entercom) inherited the Yankees’ radio rights from CBS Radio when it purchased WFAN (and all other CBS Radio stations) in 2017. Now there are four years left in a 10-year deal worth about $18 million per year. CBS Radio overpaid for Yankees rights and lost big-time money on the deal. So will Audacy. It’s stuck with a bad deal. COVID-19 and the abbreviated 2020 season only made the situation worse. Can anyone really blame the suits for wanting to pinch pennies?

And under these financial circumstances, it’s worth wondering if Audacy management is rubbed the wrong way by Sterling and Waldman’s carping, as if they were being held hostage? If they don’t get back on the road by the end of this season, we all will know the answer to that question.

BLAME THE BOSSES

The damage has already been done.

No matter how this highly inflamed Maria Taylor/Rachel Nichols drama plays out at ESPN, no one will exit unscathed. When you think of them in the future, this fiasco will be top of mind. It’s a blemish on their careers. They can thank the reactive, negligent Bristol Clown Community College Faculty for that.

The suits knew since the summer of 2020 that Nichols, who anchors “The Jump,” was concerned about being beaten out by Taylor, an accomplished marquee-event ESPN reporter, for the host role on the NBA pre- and postgame show. Nichols inferred that ESPN places a priority on diversity rather than merit. Taylor is Black. Nichols is white.

Nichols’ unfortunate comments were circulated internally a year ago, via secretly recorded audio. But ESPN barely addressed the Taylor/Nichols situation until a year later when Kevin Draper, in the New York Times, revealed more information in a comprehensive piece last week. In the aftermath, both Taylor, whose contract expires at the end of this month, and Nichols, who was dumped from her Finals sideline reporter gig, were criticized.

ESPN honchos were hiding under their desks. Even though their in-house dysfunction was totally upstaging ABC’s ratings-challenged NBA Finals telecasts, the suits’ alleged reaction was vanilla, loaded with double-talk.

Even though it is not his problem, one of ESPN’s most visible partners, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, tried extinguishing the fire.

Hours before Bucks-Suns Game 1, Silver took his network partner — who pays him billions in TV rights moolah — to task, saying: “I would have thought that in the past year, maybe through some incredibly difficult conversations, that ESPN would have found a way to work through it. Obviously not.”

Obviously, indecisive — and inept.

YES!

It’s mind-bending, sad too, thinking about NBA telecasts without Marv Albert.

His unique blend (especially now) of style, substance and credibility, rarely surfaces elsewhere behind an NBA microphone. The excuse is “fans want to hear a home team call,” which means they don’t want the truth, only audio enhanced shtick.

Albert goes out with his credibility intact. That’s more important than perfecting signature calls. Yet he effortlessly did that too: “Yes!”

“And it counts!”

“Right, throughout.”

“Ewing, from Downtown…..”

“Jordan…..with the facial!”

“John (Andariese), you’re annoying.” And so many more.

Albert always found the right words. Sunday night, after Milwaukee beat Atlanta, signing off his final broadcast, was no different. The first sentence was enough, a knockout.

Albert: “I wish I was starting all over again.”

So do we.

KNOCKED OUT

Well-embedded NFL moles say the Giants met all the requirements and were “eligible to be drafted” to appear on the next edition of HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” Instead, the TV brainiacs decided to go with Jerry World’s Cowboys, who will appear on the training camp show for the third time.

NFL/TV sources said if the Giants, who clearly want no part of “HK,” were not drafted this season, and they likely “never will—ever” appear on the show.

NFL Films/HBO should have drafted Big Blue, though. The Giants have an abundance of storylines and could have used “HK” as a marketing opportunity coming off the Fan-Less COVID-19 season. Head coach Joe Judge is personality personified; the return of Saquon Barkley and the continuing saga of Daniel Jones are clearly compelling. And with GM Dave Gettleman on the premises, there would have been comedy too.

Instead, we get Mike (Mr. Laughs) McCarthy. Lame.

AROUND THE DIAL

Welcome to Rob Manfred’s world: Not only are fans, the paying customers, being shafted by MLB’s member teams charging full ticket price for a seven-inning doubleheader, so are the team’s broadcast partners. At a time where the TV outlets, looking to recoup some of the dough they lost last season, seven-inning doubleheaders means there are four fewer innings to sell advertising inventory…..YES’ John Flaherty, who worked Thursday’s Yankees-Seattle matinee with Ryan Ruocco, didn’t mince words when it came to Bombers’ lack of hitting while he watched Logan Gilbert retire 18 Bombers in a row as Seattle blanked the Yankees 4-0. Yet, Flaherty had already unleashed his most electric take last Saturday on the postgame show following an 8-3 loss to the Mets. “The last nine Yankees at-bats were as non-competitive as it gets,” Flaherty said. Was that what Aaron Boone meant to say?

DUDE OF THE WEEK: D’ERIQ KING

For doing the right thing. Love it that the University of Miami quarterback is leading an initiative to share new image profits with less fortunate teammates. Now, that’s leadership.

DWEEB OF THE WEEK: HAL STEINBRENNER

For jive-talking. When you own the No. 1 sports franchise in America, and your club is in the midst of a dumpster fire, you have to do a whole lot better than saying the players need to perform better.

Do you think pinstriped loyalists can’t see that for themselves?

DOUBLE TALK

What Gerrit Cole said: “I felt I had pretty good stuff and the ball was moving the way we wanted.”

What Gerrit Cole meant to say: “It’s not easy pitching without the sticky stuff.”