Legendary former Yankees broadcaster John Sterling joins The Roast to talk about how Juan-derful Juan Soto has been in New York, and dishes out some incredible George Steinbrenner stories.
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joins us now on the morning Ro here with Joe shash to Butcher and Bon Hill and long time Yankee broadcaster announces tment back on April 15th but we love playing his calls long time Yankee broadcasting John good morning man or good afternoon out there on the East Coast thanks for spending some time with us here on the West Coast well it’s my pleasure no it’s still morning it’s 11:30 which is a good time for me so thank you for having me on your show Absolutely man we love talk about the Yankees and the brand and everything like that and John obviously Aaron judge having a great year Juan Soto looks like a perfect Yankee and let’s just start there because obviously you’re tired but I know you’re still keeping up with the team here wano just feels like the perfect Yankee he was made for the pin stripes J come on now and your call your home we just played your home roll call with juano what is his impact been like in a Brocks this season well of course Juan soda would be great on any team because he’s a tremendous player but the Yankees last year were Terri hitting team very un Yankee like and they had very few left-hand hitters and so SoDo was absolutely the perfect guy for the Yankees and um they have a much better hitting team they’re much more balanced vuli is a better player uh judge after a slow start is has been phenomenal but stto has been very important to the Yanks no question you know how how are Yankee fans feeling about uh Aaron Boon you know it feels like every year this guy’s been on the hot seat and uh and I I get a kick out of him I really like him he loves dusting it up with the umpires but how are Yankee fans about him right now how do they feel about him right now well right now the Yankees are 39 and9 and and in first place and just a a smidge behind the fields for the best record so right now abone is a terrific guy he’s very easygoing um he never knocks a player so the players love him and um you know so right now you know everything is good but in New York um and this is true the Knicks and the Rangers who’ve been in the playoffs and uh if you don’t win at all you haven’t done your job so I mean there’s a a long way to go for the Yankees but right now because the team’s in first place Boon’s in in good shape you know in New York there’s not a lot of in between you know I always kid that when you lose a game you’re the worst team ever to play ever in that sport when you win a game Championship so there’s not a lot of Middle Ground John Bon and I were talking about this this morning and you know you referenced the Knicks and Jaylen Brunson seems to be a huge Star right now but Aaron judge I mean Aaron judge had a monster month and he’s been there a lot longer now I know he hasn’t won the big one who’s the bigger star currently is it Aaron judge or is it J Brunson in New York well I will tell you what I think whatever that means uh I never saw anyone mean more to a team than Jaylen Brunson I mean he carried the team in fact with different players hurt Tio’s offense was Brunson he dribble around go up some high picks dribble around until he could find his shot and he’s amazing that he’s able to find his shot so I thought this year he had as great a year for a team that a player could have you know it’s different in baseball because one guy I don’t care how good he is he can’t carry the team and basketball’s very different of course yeah we saw that with the angels all those years with Mike TR you can’t carry the team you brought up the Rangers tussle off to the Rangers last night to the Florida Panthers John at the Garden losing 32 now he facing elimination but we’ll move on I do want to ask you about this J cuz obviously you you were with the Yankees for a long time and I believe this was her second season and I just started watching his documentary on peacock the Bron Zoo the 1990 yanes nobody ever talks about them and I get why they don’t talk about them after watching the documentary John what do you remember about that long lost season with the New York AES 1990 when they threw a no hitter in Chicago Ki Park and lost the game yeah no what what year were you talking about 1990 well I got here in ’89 right and um and they were awful and I knew they were going to be awful I looked at the team I thought oh my goodness who was going to hit and you know 90 and 91 were just as bad but then uh sck Michael became the GM Buck Showalter became the manager and the team started to improve and of course it came to a crescendo with Joe Tory who won four times in five years but I don’t remember 1990 is anything special that they weren’t a good team right well we’re watching the documentary is young kids like shasky we didn’t know much about the 1990 Yankees and boy there’s the cast of characters on that team not good at all and that had to be rough broadcasting that team every single day knowing they were losing games left and right and yet had Pride time Deion Sanders on that team well 1998 was uh you know obviously the most special year actually our favorite year was 96 I’m talking about Michael and Susan and myself they weren’t expected to do anything and they hired a friend of mine Joe Tor to be the manager and 96 they did so many things right to go all the way and win the championship 98 they just had a fabulous team uh I’ll tell one thing about 98 where you know you can’t go wrong they scored the most runs in baseball and they gave up the fewest runs in baseball so if you score the most and give up the fewest you’re going to have a hell of a year face they had a hell of a year John you were with this team for so long uh you’re you’re synonymous w- W with the with the Yankees and when I think of the Yankees we were having this conversation about what they represent it’s like Excellence high quality uh America baseball New York the Insignia all the great players whether it’s Babe Ruth dagio Garrick Mickey Manel Yogi Bara you know Reggie Jackson stealing other people’s players what’s it like going on the road as a part of one of the biggest sports teams in America does it still have the same cache currently that it did back in the 2000s and end of the 90s well it was fabulous no question and uh you know I always say that let’s say the Yanks are playing the Red Sox when they were you know blood enemies I would say it’s Gris for a broadcaster’s mill Gris for my Mill so many people care about it listen watch Jam the stadiums so um that that’s all great and with the Yankees say another thing that happened that I thought was great inter league play came in in in 97 and from that point every time the Yankees went to a National League City sold out I don’t care what team you mentioned San Diego sold out three games and so you know that was was very exciting to be with the Yankees uh during that period and um yes sir no I was going to sorry to cut you off John I thought you were done there because I was going to ask you the difference between the Steiners George steinber obviously outspoken boisterous always making the tabloids and it felt like he helped helped that Yankee Brad go to another level now G how running the team and they’re a little quiet we don’t know much about them how are the young sters compared to their father George well you know George George was as different as any human being could be I must tell you that George Stein Brer for whatever reason really liked me and told me so several times how is much easier easygoing um has strong opinions uh but you know no one can be like his dad I mean George was Cut From a Different Cloth I say one thing about the 9 I just realiz it in 98 uh Michael K was my partner and we would begin the pregame why I don’t know but we would do um you know two three minutes of nonsense leading into the interviews and whatever else was on the on the pregame Al it was on the pregame a lot of spots was on the pregame but um I can recall saying to him it this in 98 when they really started winning and I began once by saying to Michael um are they going to win every day I mean it’s not baseball and that’s that’s the way it was for a good period of 98 did George ever fire you and then rehire you no he just I I could go through the stories I don’t know how much time you have got plenty of time I want to hear any of them say anything on air that he took umage with well I’ll tell you what I’ll give you three quick 89 um my first spring training it was in in Fort Lauderdale and uh Sunday evening you know six is she going out for you know drinks and dinner and I’m on the elevator and who’s on the elevator George only George and we rode a floor or so and then he turned to me and said I just want you to know I always wanted you to do Yankee games and see in the in the 70s I had a talk show in New York and I was doing play byplay and um and then in uh a couple years later I had kind of defended him the Yanks were awful he was getting knocked every day and I said on the year which he must have heard I said you know why don’t they walk knock the players they’re the ones who aren’t hitting or aren’t pitching and uh we were in Milwaukee a couple of nights later in the rain delay and U I was just walking around killing time and George was in a booth and um he saw me and he sto John he stopped me and he said I just want you to know you’ll always be the Yankee announcer if they try to replace you I’ll vicho it so anyway that’s George he he is great even after the worst loss the the last game lost in the playoffs of 95 to Seattle was a great series I had to walk to get to where the bus was in back of the Centerfield fence you had to walk through the Dugout and on the field and there is George standing there and the U proverbial steam is coming from his ears so I had to walk past him and he said um don’t worry there’ll be changes not you and Michael you guys are great so that’s that’s how great George was to me so I’m very lucky he he there definitely was changes Buck was out the door what a day or two later Buck Showalter was Co game and he helped rebuild the Yankees man but that it feels like we do miss George shy Brer that type of character in baseball that type of voter who all he wanted to do was winwin win he’s addressing the team he’s doing all the radio interviews he’s making out of time boys here go ahead John well one thing George did for baseball he showed the other owners how to make money out of their franchises now this is all before the the local network local sports networks Mets have won Yankees have won and um he showed different ways how to uh concoct revenue streams and you know baseball now is a phenomenal success now baseball is now uh I don’t really know the figure but I’ll throw something out that’s close a baseball is a 10 billion doll a year business and um George really helped in that regard so you know you you had a you had so many opportunities to cover the greatest of the greats and then you also I’m sure had to see some of the Legends come by at Yankee Stadium at times who is your personal favorite Yankee of all time it doesn’t have to be the greatest player or whatever that you ever saw but but who who’s the guy for whatever reason is your favorite well I’ll give you one you’d never think of uh there I won’t say he’s my only favorite but I liked him very much and I I’ll tell you what I used to say about him anyway the guy was AI Matsui huh and he was the loveliest gentleman and uh the greatest teammate you don’t have to do anything for Hadi Matsui he just went out to play hard every single day so there’s there’s one of them I I uh I really liked him and I used to say about him you know and it’s too bad that he’s Japanese because he he is the All-American boy he’s everything you want on a team so so Matt well fellas I I am G to run for a uh a brunch date hey will you go do that John you gave us you gave us 20 minutes 20 minutes that we we didn’t ask for it was great we love you we always play your highlights enjoy your retirement hopefully we talk talk again soon as the Yankees are town this weekend take care John thank you very much I appreciate it anytime John sterley here on the 4 r on 9570 game hey fellas I got to go to a br
