Gregg Giannotti and Boomer Esiason reacted to the news that John Sterling would be coming out of retirement to call New York Yankees playoff games on WFAN as well as a series at the end of the regular season. Sterling announced his retirement earlier this year after the season had started, which forced the station to use several different voices to call games this season, with Justin Shackil and Emmanuel Berbari getting a majority of the games.
Giannotti mentioned this was something he had brought up before as a possibility and said, “I thought it would happen. I wanted it to happen. It did and I think it’s the right thing to do and I think that anybody who criticizes it is off the mark..In the traditional sense of somebody retiring and then coming back when someone thinks that they have the job does not apply here. This is different in the way that he left. It was a surprise. Nobody expected it when it happened and the guys who have been calling the games, especially the younger kids and Justin Shackil and Emmanuel Berbari got an opportunity that fell into their laps…They got to call a ton of games.
“These guys got an opportunity of a lifetime to be able to call these games in the regular season and put that on their resume, something that would have never happened if John didn’t decide after starting this season to retire.”
Giannotti wanted to make sure people realized that Audacy called Sterling and asked him if he would be interested in doing this. He said, “It’s not like John muscling his way back into the booth and swatting these guys away.”
Giannotti and Boomer Esiason also talked about the idea that this is a better way for John Sterling to get to go out and end his career with a meaningful game.
“He’s gonna do the playoffs and I think that’s it. His last game will be a playoff game, it’s not gonna be some random game in April or May where he’s just like, alright screw it I’m done.
“And by the way, we’re gonna love to hear John Sterling doing those games and calling those playoff games. It’s gonna be awesome.”
