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Monday, January 28, 2013

Michael Kay signs multi-year contract extension with YES Network

Caledonia, Caledonia…What makes your daddy’s big head so big?

Michael Kay, whose voice has been synonymous with the YES Network since its launch in 2002, has signed a multi-year extension with the network to remain its lead New York Yankees play-by-play voice. Kay, who has earned 21 Emmy nominations and 3 Emmy wins while at YES, will also continue hosting YES’ award-winning CenterStage with Michael Kay show, along with other shows and specials on the network.

The YES Network, the most-watched regional sports network in the country the past 10 years, is the exclusive television home of the 27-time World Champion New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Nets. YES, which has earned 266 Emmy Award nominations and 60 Emmy Awards since its March 2002 launch, also televises original biography, studio and magazine programs, in addition to college sports.

“We are pleased that Michael will continue to play a vital role here at YES,” said John J. Filippelli, president of production and programming at the YES Network. “For the past decade on YES, Michael has been the voice of the Yankees, deftly capturing the drama, intensity and passion associated with the greatest franchise in sports. He is one of the preeminent play-by-play announcers in baseball and is a first-rate interviewer as well, as evidenced by his stellar work on CenterStage.”

“I really could not be happier,” said Kay. “Continuing to live a childhood dream as the TV voice of the Yankees while working with the best group of people in the business on the country’s best regional sports network is as good as it gets. I can’t wait to start another season.”

Repoz Posted: January 28, 2013 at 03:54 PM | 12 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: media, yankees

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1. RB in NYC (Now Semi-Retired from BBTF) Posted: January 28, 2013 at 04:11 PM (#4356795)

I'm a little surprised at this. I always thought Kay was leaning towards doing the radio thing full-time, and would at some point give up being the primary YES play-by-play man. Maybe I was wish-casting.

2. Renegade JE (((Jason)))

Posted: January 28, 2013 at 04:40 PM (#4356846)

Chicken parm stock just went through the roof.

3. SavoyBG Posted: January 28, 2013 at 05:05 PM (#4356872)

####!!! I can't stand Kay.

The Mets announcing crew is way better than the Yankee shills.

4. SavoyBG Posted: January 28, 2013 at 05:06 PM (#4356876)

Classic Louis Jordan, but the line is "Caldonia, what makes your big head so hard?"

5. Scott Ross Posted: January 28, 2013 at 05:08 PM (#4356881)

I have a hard time getting upset about Kay as long as Sterling is befouling the airwaves.

6. SavoyBG Posted: January 28, 2013 at 05:11 PM (#4356883)

"Caldonia" is my 2nd favorite record of 1945:

MY TOP 25 RECORDINGS FROM 1945:
1 ¦ 7th Street Boogie ¦ Ivory Joe Hunter
2 ¦ Caldonia ¦ Louis Jordan
3 ¦ The Frim Fram Sauce ¦ King Cole Trio
4 ¦ Wynonie's Blues ¦ Wynonie Harris
5 ¦ The Honeydripper ¦ Joe Liggins
6 ¦ That's The Stuff You Gotta Watch ¦ Buddy & Ella Johnson
7 ¦ Drifting Blues ¦ Johnny Moore's Three Blazers (Charles Brown)
8 ¦ Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin' ¦ Delta Rhythm Boys
9 ¦ Tippin' In ¦ Erskine Hawkins
10 ¦ Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well ¦ Lucky Millinder (Wynonie Harris)
11 ¦ The Cattle Call ¦ Eddy Arnold
12 ¦ Buzz Me ¦ Louis Jordan
13 ¦ It's Only A Paper Moon ¦ Ella Fitzgerald & Delta Rhythm Boys
14 ¦ Young Man's Blues ¦ Wynonie Harris
15 ¦ Watch That Jive ¦ Joe Turner
16 ¦ Keep Your Arms Around Me ¦ Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
17 ¦ Darktown Strutter's Ball ¦ Four Knights
18 ¦ She's Gone With The Wind ¦ Wynonie Harris
19 ¦ Strange Things Happening Every Day ¦ Sister Rosetta Tharpe
20 ¦ Baby Look At You ¦ Wynonie Harris
21 ¦ Around The Clock ¦ Wynonie Harris
22 ¦ Sentimental Journey ¦ Les Brown (Doris Day)
23 ¦ Johnson & Turner Blues - Joe Turner (Pete Johnson)
24 ¦ Straighten Him Out - Wynonie Harris
25 ¦ On The Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe ¦ Johnny Mercer

BUBBLING UNDER FROM 1945
26 ¦ Got A Right To Cry ¦ Joe Liggins
27 ¦ Lover Man ¦ Billie Holiday

7. SavoyBG Posted: January 28, 2013 at 05:13 PM (#4356887)

I have a hard time getting upset about Kay as long as Sterling is befouling the airwaves.

The only guys in the Yankee booth who are even decent are Singleton, who is pretty professional, and Cone, who likes Sabermetrics. I guess Leiter is okay.

8. TerpNats Posted: January 28, 2013 at 05:47 PM (#4356919)

Isn't Doris Day/Les Brown's "My Dreams Are Getting Better All The Time" from 1945? That should be somewhere on the '45 list, not to mention "Saturday Night (Is The Loneliest Night Of The Week)," arguably the best up-tempo record Frank Sinatra ever made at Columbia.

9. SavoyBG Posted: January 28, 2013 at 05:51 PM (#4356922)

Isn't Doris Day/Les Brown's "My Dreams Are Getting Better All The Time" from 1945? That should be somewhere on the '45 list, not to mention "Saturday Night (Is The Loneliest Night Of The Week)," arguably the best up-tempo record Frank Sinatra ever made at Columbia

They were both huge hits in 1945, yes, although the Sinatra may have been released late in 1944.

As you can see from my list, I'm much more into the R&B stuff from that era than the pop stuff. I have MP3s of the two records you mentioned.....actually I have an MP3 of virtually every Billboard pop chart hit between 1907 and 2007.

10. Pasta-diving Jeter (jmac66) Posted: January 28, 2013 at 10:12 PM (#4357073)

"Caldonia" is my 2nd favorite record of 1945:

MY TOP 25 RECORDINGS FROM 1945

can't believe you left this out

11. SavoyBG Posted: January 28, 2013 at 10:22 PM (#4357079)

can't believe you left this out

I'm not a jazz fan.

12. Rough Carrigan

Posted: January 28, 2013 at 11:49 PM (#4357116)

For all the talk here about how incredibly bad Kay is, I found him sort of blah when I finally saw him on a yankees broadcast. Not saying I'd want him to be my team's primary announcer but I was bracing for an even worse experience after what I'd read here. Waldman and Sterling are both much worse. Though that might be the best example ever of damning with faint praise.

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Monday, January 28, 2013

Michael Kay signs multi-year contract extension with YES Network

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