Legendary Yankees radio voice John Sterling said he plans to hold a press conference later this week to announce his plans for his future. The Athletic.
According to a person with direct knowledge of the situation, there is speculation among Yankees and WFAN officials that he may retire due to health concerns. The team and the broadcaster are leaving it up to Sterling to change his mind.
“We’re going to hold a press conference to do everything,” Sterling said. Sterling has avoided confirming his retirement and is famously reluctant to retire. He is not scheduled to be called up for a game until Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays in the Bronx. He had already cut back on the number of road games this year.
If Sterling announces his retirement, it is expected to be effective immediately. WFAN plans to replace Sterling with 37-year-old Justin Shakil and 24-year-old Emmanuel Berbari, who together are 24 years younger than Sterling. The two are already scheduled to call Sujin Waldman for the majority of road games this season.
Sterling, 85, was the soundtrack to Derek Jeter’s Yankees’ title run from 1996 to 2000, when the franchise won four World Series in five years. He also called when the Yankees, led by CC Sabathia and Alex Rodriguez, won the World Series in 2009. Sterling, who began calling Yankees games in 1989, would punctuate his team’s victories with, “Hooray, the Yankees win!”
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His unique home run calls live on in Yankee legend, with memorable cries like “Burn, baby, burn!” For Bernie Williams, it’s “Godzilla’s Thrilla,” and for Hideki Matsui, it’s “Godzilla’s Thrilla.”
Sterling was never known for accurately calling games, but he was the broadcast version of Lou Gehrig, calling 5,060 consecutive games over a 30-year period. Sterling missed two games in his first season of about 36 due to the death of his sister. He was called up for every other game until July 4, 2019, when he missed the series due to illness.
Before becoming the voice of the Yankees, Sterling was a broadcaster for the Atlanta Braves and Hawks. He used a rhythmic nickname style for Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins: “Dominique, Magnifique!”
But he will be most remembered for his time with the Yankees and his uniqueness both on and off the air.
Even on the radio, Sterling wore a suit to every game he called. Although he hated technology, the voicemail on his cell phone greeted callers with, “Hello, congratulations. You’ve been connected to…”
He forged strong bonds with much of the Yankees fan base, many of whom, from their cribs to adulthood, only knew him as the team’s radio voice. On Friday, Sterling will discuss whether his legendary run is over.
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(Photo: Bob Karp/Staff Photographer/USA Today Network)
