I realize I'm in the minority here, and I understand if you have an issue with a football writer weighing in on a baseball announcing issue. But hey, Neil Best used to be a football hack and he's writing about such stuff, so what the heck.
Anyway, I'd read plenty about Waldman's infamous "breakdown" on the radio, and it was pretty stunning news indeed. By the time I actually listened to the clip, I was prepared to hear Waldman start sobbing for like a minute or so and have to get off the air. So when I heard the clip and listened to her choke up for 4-5 seconds, I had to listen to it again, just to make sure I didn't miss anything.
Apparently, I didn't.
Apparently, Waldman lost her composure for a matter of seconds. And now all this.
Honestly, what's the big deal? An announcer on the payroll of a professional sports team got carried away for a few seconds, while the manager and his coaches openly wept after a crushing defeat amid sepculation that they would be removed from the clubhouse just as the Indians had done to the Yankees.
I listened again. Same thing.
I know Ms. Waldman and I admire her work ethic and her dedication. Yes, she is a homer. But so was Phil Rizzuto, and he was the most beloved announcer in Yankees' history. I'm not saying Waldman is on a par with an ex-shortstop who produced a folksy and very listenable schtick on the airwaves.
But fans calling for her firing because she got choked up for a few seconds should get a grip. I listen to her on the radio, and the woman delivers information that is useful to Yankees fans. She talks to people. She does her homework. She tells you things you don't know.
Does she get carried away? Sure. Who doesn't sometimes? I remember doing a piece for an ESPN retrospective about Super Bowl XXV between the Giants and Bills, and what the buildup to the game was like. If you recall, we were just about to enter the Gulf War, and there was intense anxiety across the country. When Whitney Houston belted out the National Anthem and there was a Air Force flyover, the emotions were raw. I felt the tears well up recalling the moment. It's called being human.
Again, I'm just a football writer weighing in here because I can in this era of blogs. But I've also been around the media game long enough - and know Waldman well enough - to know that she is not getting a fair shake on this one.
Thank you for your time.
Comments (21)
I don't want her fired, but is it OK to laugh at the incident?
Bob,
I hear ya, I myself cry every time I read your Power Rankings! :-)
Yes, Jon, laugh away. Personally, I found the Clemens gushing far more objectionable. She is right to defend herself, wrong to play the chick card. Scooter would have gotten a pass, but if one of Suzyn's male colleagues had done the same they would have caught the same abuse. She is the standout of that announcing team, anyone calling for her head over this is nuts.
Right on all counts, Bob. She's knowledgeable and passionate about the team, and her human-ness, as opposed to schtick, makes her a good listen. I am finally ready to forgive you for the Met report years ago, datelined Atlanta, that began, "They make you want to put your foot through the television screen."
Regardless of what your feelings are on this issue it appears obvious, at least to this outsider (Reds fan)that the vast majority of Yankee fans have no use for Suzyn Waldman. I would say the same can be said of her partner, John Sterling.
People can nitpick and argue for and against her but it seems to me that she has lost her audience. If the Yankees have any respect for their fans I would think they would be mindful of this.
Folks aren't tuning in to listen to Waldman. But people are ignoring Yankee broadcast because of her. Says it all.
I think, as you said, there's a difference between crying and getting choked up. I didn't hear any sobbing in the clip, just a reporter responding to the emotion of the event she was covering.
At the same time, it is a little embarrassing for other women in sports. Fair or not, they're held to a higher standard and have to compensate for that.
She shouldn't be fired for this, although it was completely unprofessional and unacceptable.
She should be fired for being terrible on the air during the game.
This has nothing to do with men vs. women as broadcasters. It's just that Waldman is terrible during the game.
Greg Buttle's mustache:
And thanks for all your brilliance on Jets' broadcasts.
Waldmans loss of composure wouldn't have been brought to the forefront if it was her first instance. I think the vultures have bee ncircling since she went so far over the top with her gushing over Clemens return this past summer.
No matter which side of the issue you're on, this link will make you laugh.
http://deadspin.com/sports/nba-draft/the-stephen-a-smith-hecklers-return-273539.php
Great minds Black and Gold, posted the same link at Best's blog yesterday. Who knew the Great BG would find the time to weigh in on baseball announcing?
"People can nitpick and argue for and against her but it seems to me that she has lost her audience."
Ben, how do you figure that? You read it in the comments section of a couple blog posts?
She does fine during the games. Not perfect. Nobody is, and people will find reason to bitch about anybody, thats what people do.
I can guarantee one thing. Any Yankee fan who wants to listen to the game is not going to shut it off because of Suzy. Gimme a break. They wouldn't turn it off if Al Gore and Fran Drescher were calling it.
Paul:
What Met report are you talking about?
Craig:
"The great BG?" I'm touched.
TK, an overwhelming percentage of comments I have read about Waldman have been negative and many I have read state that they do in fact turn off Yankee broadcast because of her. The comments are about the Yankee booth, not just Waldman.
Maybe you think folks aren't shying away because of her but I guess what I don't understand is why so many would claim that if not true?
Hard to believe that many people are making it up for the fun of it.
Bob, it was perhaps 10-12 years ago, as Mets folded in Atlanta again. Not too sure, as I am a Yanks fan and was only reading for the benefit of schadenfreude. But I remember being struck with the implication that you had either watched the game from an Atlanta hotel room or were channeling emotions of an imaginary fan back in NY that I obviously was not sharing. It was a weird conceit; I am sure I remember it accurately. But as I said, I am finally over it and will again begin to enjoy reading your stuff. Cheers.
Paul:
Wow. I have no recollection of that line. If I did write it, I was clearly pandering to Mets fans, since I, too, grew up a Yankees fan. But thanks for absolving me of that after all these years. It is very forgiving of you. If you'd told me about it years ago, perhaps you could have enjoyed some of the other million or so words I've written since then!
:)
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