WTIT: The Blog

Baseball. You’ve got to love it. This week I felt very sorry for the biggest Cubs fans that I know, my brother and The Gal Herself. Even though I am sure they knew it was coming, since the winner of 2016 are still aging. Today I read a post by The Gal. Here’s the entire post:

“Meet my new best friend

OK, we’ve never met. But let’s not allow reality to cloud our fantasy here.

Her name is Suzyn Waldman. She has been doing Yankee games — color commentary, not play-by-play — on the radio since 1987. Think about that: a woman on-air broadcasting major league baseball in the biggest media market in the country. For more than 30 years! How did I not know about her?

When Anthony Rizzo was so cruelly ripped from me Chicago, I began  following his new team, the Yankees. I heard this woman interviewing Rizz on the pre-game show. I figured that either 1) WFAN’s regular pre-game host had the day off or 2) it was going to be a fluff interview. You know, asking Rizz about his dog, Kevin, or something similar.* No, she asked him about how he changes his stance on 2-0 and his philosophy of team at bats.† She knows her shit. When she went on to do the game itself, I had to Google her.

Brett Gardner is the oldest player on the Yankee roster at 37. He was not quite four years old when Suzyn Waldman first went on the air at WFAN. She is a trailblazer, and she deserves respect and attention beyond the Yankee universe.”

 

Now I have met Suzyn. I approached her at The Mike & The Mad Dog Show at Radio City Music Hall. I saw Suzyn and had to meet her and get a photo.  She could not have been nicer. She immediately wrapped her arm around me – just SO friendly. My son took the pic. When my ex saw it, she was jealous. I said, “Hon, she’s over 70!” relax.

But to Gal’s point about Suzyn’s career. She was the first woman to ever call a major league game on TV. Suzyn has two loves – baseball and music. The first part of her career was on Broadway. WFAN in New York was the very first all sports station in the world. The first voice on the first show? You got it – Suzyn Waldman. She was hired at WFAN in 1987 to cover the Yankees primarily. But she also covered the Knicks, but baseball was her first priority. Suzyn grew up a die-hard Red Sox fan. Ironic, no? When the Yankees started their own TV network (YES) they hired Suzyn away from WFAN to cover the Yanks on TV. That lasted until 2001 when the Yankee’s radio network to join John Sterling in the Yankee radio booth. As Gal said, she knows her shit.

She’s been in the booth for 20 years now. She’s 74. John Sterling is 82. Youthful. You either love them or hate them. I love them. The radio is like watching the game with friends. But of course, I usually watch the game on television. I hope to meet her again someday. Gal, you are welcome to join me. 

That’s it for a Monday on The Tape Radio Blog. We’ve missed everyone, but that website won’t build itself. We will see you next time. Same time. Same blog.

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