MLB: John Sterling Says His Mistakes Add to Charm of New York Yankees Broadcasts

The contract of New York Yankees radio announcer John Sterling expires at the end of the 2011 season. There is every chance that he will return, a fact that pleases most Yankees fans under 35 and saddens their older fans.

John Sterling is an intense Yankees fan, but the majority of his listeners are not. He believes that broadcasters must strike a balance between informing and entertaining their listeners.

And to anyone who has ever listened to Sterling, it is clear that he considers himself an entertainer.

Sterling recently told Mike Sielski of the Wall Street Journal (Yankee Contract Set to Expire) that he has no qualms about trying to entertain.

"You want to make it entertaining. People who want to knock will find something to knock."

Sterling prefers to be ahead of the play, make a mistake, and correct it rather than report what occurs accurately the first time. As he told Sielski, "It's better to be ahead of the play, I make a million mistakes. I mean, that's more of the charm."

Right. Making mistakes is charming. Most individuals apologize for making mistakes. Sterling thinks they add to the charm of the broadcasts.

All fans enjoy being entertained, but for a majority of older fans, what is happening on the field is the entertainment. It is extremely annoying when Sterling gets things wrong.

How many times has Sterling said "It is high, it is far, it is... caught at the wall," or "Lined like a bullet, it's a fair ball! No, it's foul?"

To casual fans, it's no big deal, but to fans who are listening to the game and not also texting, or doing other things, Sterling performs a great disservice.

You want to know why? I'll tell you why.

Sterling will mistakenly lead fans to anticipate a home run or an extra base hit, only leaving them disappointed if the Yankees were hitting or relieved but resentful if the opposition was hitting. The incompetence is not worth it.

Suzyn Waldman, who is Sterling's partner on Yankees broadcasts, made a statement to Sielski that couldn't have been more arrogant, ignorant, or both.

"John knows to whom he's speaking. We're doing Yankee games for Yankee fans"

In New York City, Sterling and Waldman are doing Yankee games for Yankee fans? The reality is that she's correct. Forget the millions of New Yorkers who root for New York Mets or for teams that don't play in New York. Forget the great number of visitors, many of whom consider the Yankees anathema.

Sterling and Waldman do Yankee games for Yankee fans.

When the Yankees win, Sterling's "signature" call is an affront to fans of the Yankees opponent.

The call is  disrespectful towards the opposition and even to some Yankees fans who find Sterling's drawn out "Theee Yankees Win, Theee Yankees win" call disgusting.

Sterling will not change. In his mind, there is no reason for him to do anything differently. He said it best when he said,

"I know of no law in this country that says you have to listen to my broadcasts. I wish there was one. But if you don't like it, don't listen."

I took Sterling's advice a long time ago.

References:

Sielski, Mike. "Another Yankee Contract Set to Expire." Wall Street Journal. 19 May 2011.

New York Magazine