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Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Newsday: Best: John Sterling has a memorable Memorial Day weekend

Baggypants Moskowitz…back on stage!

Saturday: OK, Sterling had a right to be confused about this one. But it still was entertaining to hear him describe the strange situation in which home plate ump Larry Vanover called Adrian Beltre out to end the game on a strikeout, except that there only were two strikes on Beltre at the time.

“Strike three is called on the outside corner! Ballgame over! Yankees win. Thuuuh Yankees win! . . . Adrian Beltre just stayed at home plate. Am I wrong? Is the game over? Beltre is just staying there at home plate. Now the home plate umpire Larry Vanover goes out to talk to Molina and the game apparently is not over. The Yankees were shaking hands and celebrating and patting each other on the back, and was it a strike or not? Obviously it wasn’t a strike. Music was playing. We heard ‘Yankees win’ from some fool in the booth. Don’t ask. I have no idea. I have absolutely no idea.”

Sunday: Jose Molina hit a big double that Ichiro Suzuki misplayed in centerfield. It was Molina, wasn’t it?

“Here is Molina. Matsui at second with two out. The pitch swung on and hit in the air to right center. Ichiro going back, a way back in deep right center. It lands for a base hit! How do you like that? Matsui scores, Cano goes to second with a double. Oh, it’s a ribbie double by Robbie Cano, don’t you know, and the Yankees take the lead! A ribbie for Robbie! . . . Excuse me, that’s Molina. What am I talking about?”

Repoz Posted: May 27, 2008 at 08:58 PM | 26 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: announcers, media, yankees

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1. rconn23 Posted: May 27, 2008 at 09:11 PM (#2795884)

"A ribbie for Robbie! . . . Excuse me, that’s Molina. What am I talking about?”

Yankee fans, and fans of baseball in general, have been looking for the answer to that question for years, John.

2. Jolly Old St. Neck Wound, Moral Idiot

Posted: May 27, 2008 at 09:14 PM (#2795887)

Saturday: OK, Sterling had a right to be confused about this one. But it still was entertaining to hear him describe the strange situation in which home plate ump Larry Vanover called Adrian Beltre out to end the game on a strikeout, except that there only were two strikes on Beltre at the time.

“Strike three is called on the outside corner! Ballgame over! Yankees win. Thuuuh Yankees win! . . . Adrian Beltre just stayed at home plate. Am I wrong? Is the game over? Beltre is just staying there at home plate. Now the home plate umpire Larry Vanover goes out to talk to Molina and the game apparently is not over. The Yankees were shaking hands and celebrating and patting each other on the back, and was it a strike or not? Obviously it wasn’t a strike. Music was playing. We heard ‘Yankees win’ from some fool in the booth. Don’t ask. I have no idea. I have absolutely no idea.”

Jesus, man, he wound up just grounding out anyway. The Mariners still lost. What's the big deal?

3. Hang down your head, Tom Foley Posted: May 27, 2008 at 09:19 PM (#2795890)

A hizzy for Jose!

4. Pasta-diving Jeter (jmac66) Posted: May 27, 2008 at 09:38 PM (#2795902)

Kay would still be insisting the game should have been over and it was the umpires who shafted the yankees.

ironically, you're correct

5. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: May 27, 2008 at 09:39 PM (#2795904)

Not bad, but Sterling's no Jerry Coleman.

"There's a fly to deep center field. Winfield is going back, back. He hits his head against the wall! It's rolling toward second base!"

6. Dr Love Posted: May 27, 2008 at 09:46 PM (#2795906)

Hey, at least he acknowledged his mistakes. That's more than you can say about some broadcasters.

7. Gonfalon Bubble Posted: May 27, 2008 at 09:52 PM (#2795910)

Jeter's been coming to bat to a pretaped intro by 200-year-old Bob Sheppard.

Is there any reason why Sterling couldn't be replaced by a series of screams about "The Giambino!", "An A-bomb... by A-Rod!", "Jorgie juiced it!", "The Melkman delivers!", "A Jeter jolt!", "Great job-a by Joba!", "A thrilla... from Godzilla!" and "Cano, don'tcha know!" without the audience noticing?

Seriously, he's the "Now YOU can call me Ray, or YOU can call me Jay, or YOU can call me RayJay, but you doesn't have to call me JOHNSON!" of sportscasting.

8. Run Joe Run Posted: May 27, 2008 at 09:56 PM (#2795915)

My favorite moment was the Yankee-Seattle game friday. TV Annoucers were David Cone and Singleton (I believe). Runners on second and third - Jeter is the lead runner. Batter hits a sharp ground ball to Beltre. Jeter breaks for home, realizes his mistake but gets caught in a rundown. He leads the play toward home and gets tagged out. The runner on second moves up to third.

Singleton and Cone then extol what a GREAT baserunning play that was for Jeter! Jeter gets caught in a bad play (albiet a bang-bang one) and the announcers make it seem like he had the whole thing planned!

9. Cooperstown Schtick Posted: May 27, 2008 at 09:59 PM (#2795918)

If you took Michael Kay, John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman and put them through a wood chipper, and then separated their chips of bad broadcasting from the other chips, and pressed that bad batch together to make a pole, and then you carved that pole into a post-game interviewer, what you would have would be better than Kim Jones on her best day by an order of magnitude. I really don't understand how Kay, Sterling and Waldman get so much abuse while Jones skates.

/really doesn't mind Kay, Sterling or Waldman at all

10. Tom Nawrocki Posted: May 27, 2008 at 10:11 PM (#2795924)

You had me at "put them through a wood chipper."

11. Robinson Cano Plate Like Home Posted: May 27, 2008 at 10:13 PM (#2795926)

I don't get what's supposed to be funny in this one:

Monday: Johnny Damon was thrown out at home plate by the O's Nick Markakis, but evidently it looked as if he was going to be safe, apparently.

"[Damon] around third to score, the throw home is . . . in time! Damon is thrown out by the great arm of Nick Markakis. Beautiful throw by Markakis gets Damon on the slide. Beautiful, beautiful throw. I really thought Damon was going to score."

12. Charter Member of the Jesus Melendez Fanclub Posted: May 27, 2008 at 10:17 PM (#2795927)

Back to back and uhhhhhhhh BELLY TO BELLLLYYYYYYY

13. Charter Member of the Jesus Melendez Fanclub Posted: May 27, 2008 at 10:19 PM (#2795928)

I don't abuse Kim Jones because I don't know anything about her. I turn the games off when they're over. I assume whatever questions she asks are as typically moronic as the questions all "sideline" reporters ask, so I don't care. She has a mannish face, I can tell you that.

In contrast, the announcers actively ruin my enjoyment of the games.

That said, your post (or pole) was excellent.

14. Hang down your head, Tom Foley Posted: May 27, 2008 at 10:31 PM (#2795936)

She has a mannish face, I can tell you that.

You just saved me a Google Image Search.

15. Rich Posted: May 27, 2008 at 11:55 PM (#2796025)

Sterling is not aging well.

16. TerpNats Posted: May 28, 2008 at 12:33 AM (#2796055)

Sterling is not aging well.

He's mutating into Rizzuto, minus the charm.

17. Chip Posted: May 28, 2008 at 01:03 AM (#2796081)

You really haven't tested the depths of Sterling's ineptitude and unprofessionalism as an announcer until you've watched him attempt to do an Ivy League basketball game on some winter Friday night on YES in the offseason.

18. TVerik Posted: May 28, 2008 at 01:27 AM (#2796119)

Singleton and Cone then extol what a GREAT baserunning play that was for Jeter! Jeter gets caught in a bad play (albiet a bang-bang one) and the announcers make it seem like he had the whole thing planned!

IMO, it was two plays. One was Jeter getting caught in the rundown, which is not a great play on his part, obviously. But once he was in that rundown, he did exactly the right thing.

19. Cooperstown Schtick Posted: May 28, 2008 at 01:44 AM (#2796154)

Jeter was picked off second base tonight, the third out in a tie game with A-Rod batting. His base running this year has been atrocious. I think this is indicative of physically losing a step and not yet mentally making the adjustment for it.

On edit: this lost step may be due to his leg injury rather than a general deterioration. Either way, he hasn't been accounting for it in his decisions on the base paths.

20. Run Joe Run Posted: May 28, 2008 at 01:50 AM (#2796167)

Yes Jeter did the right thing in he rundown. My criticism was on the overreaction of Cone/Singleton than a bashing of Jeter.

In other news - glad the Yankees have gone with all the young pitching this year. You know it's a tough year when you are happy to see Farnsworth come in

21. Cowboy Popup Posted: May 28, 2008 at 01:55 AM (#2796180)

You know it's a tough year when you are happy to see Farnsworth come in

Who is happy about that?

22. Charter Member of the Jesus Melendez Fanclub Posted: May 28, 2008 at 02:12 AM (#2796213)

His base running this year has been atrocious.

I noticed this the last couple years, or at least last season. Not necessarily atrocious, but definitely a number of baserunning mistakes. Noticeable because he used to be superb. (Has anyone calculated baserunning value for the late '90s-early '00s? I'd like to see how Jeter rated.)

23. larkin4HoF Posted: May 28, 2008 at 06:08 AM (#2796570)

On the rundown play from Friday's game, the genius of St. Derek was that by getting into a rundown he replaced Bobby Abreu on 2nd with A-Rod, who is at least 3% more likely to score from second on a close play at the plate. He was willing to suffer the criticism of fair weather fans, and the annouincers, knowing that Derek never makes a bad play, were able to recognize his sacrifice for the good of the team.

24. Slinger Francisco Barrios (Dr. Memory) Posted: May 28, 2008 at 01:04 PM (#2796638)

Who is happy about that?

I'm sure you could think of lots of folks who are happy about that.

25. Howie Menckel Posted: May 28, 2008 at 01:11 PM (#2796643)

"You had me at "put them through a wood chipper." "

yes, that was a literal (and rare) lol from here......

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Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Newsday: Best: John Sterling has a memorable Memorial Day weekend

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