Former New York Yankees radio man John Sterling, beloved in the Big Apple, is retired. Or so we thought.
As relayed by the New York Post, Sterling could return to the radio booth for the MLB postseason, to which the Yankees are certainly headed.
"Sterling, 86, is expected to speak with Chris Oliviero — president of Audacy New York, which runs WFAN — in the coming days about a potential postseason return,' wrote the Post's Justin Tasch.
This is all based on a report from former Post sports media writer Andrew Marchand, now of The Athletic.
"The ball is in their court," Sterling told The Athletic. "They would have to ask. I would feel bad for the guys who have done the games all year."
Sterling retired on April 15, just a few weeks into this season. The Yankees held a retirement ceremony for him five days later. The constant travel was cited as a big reason Sterling decided to call it quits.
Granted, he'd have to do that for the playoffs — but there's a big difference between the playoffs and a 162-game regular season.
"Since his retirement, Emmanuel Berbari, Rickie Ricardo and Justin Shackil have rotated as Sterling's replacement alongside Suzyn Waldman," Tasch wrote. "Islanders TV voice Brendan Burke also has occasionally filled in, and even former WFAN host Craig Carton worked a series with Waldman earlier this month despite Carton's frequent mocking of her on the radio."
In other words, the Yankees have not yet found a permanent replacement. But perhaps they won't have to until after the playoffs.
