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New York Baseball: Ranking the City’s Best Broadcasters

By Steve Contursi

Sep 8, 2014; New York, NY, USA; A fan watches from the second-to-last row of the stadium during the first inning of a game between the New York Mets and the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 8, 2014; New York, NY, USA; A fan watches from the second-to-last row of the stadium during the first inning of a game between the New York Mets and the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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#5  John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman 

John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman, aka “Ma and Pa”, completely violate the conditional parameters I set up for myself, that being analyst’s counts most. But you just can’t ignore this team of baseball broadcasters. Or, maybe I should say this team of entertainers.

John Sterling has been broadcasting Yankee games for 27 years and trails Phil Rizzuto by just three years. He’s 77 now and it’s said that he has a streak going of 5,000 consecutive games without missing a beat. Suzyn Waldman joined him in the booth 12 years ago and both were granted contract extensions that carry them through the 2017 season.

Similar to the “shtick” invented by Rizzuto and Bill White, their broadcasts lean on analysis and fat on I Love John and John Loves John. Suzyn Waldman is the perfect foil for Sterling who usually begins his sentences with, “Well, you know, Suzyn”………….to which she’ll reply, “That’s right, John ” throughout the broadcast.

Sterling is best known for his home run calls, and especially for his home run calls that aren’t home runs. He tries his best to put a tag on each Yankee to accent each home run they hit. That’s how we get “Bern Baby Bern” for Bernie Williams and a “A-Bomb From A-Rod”. At the moment, he’s probably losing sleep trying to come up with one for Gary Sanchez.

I suppose the nicest thing you can say John and Suzyn is that they are harmless. They play with each other and seem to enjoy each other’s company. As baseball broadcasters though, we’ll never hear about them in any discussion for receiving a Ford Frick Award.

But at the same time, they’ve forged their way into the New York scene and for that reason alone they must be included here.

Next: 4. David Cone And Paul O'Neill

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