Yankees booth experiment: Craig Carton to team up with Suzyn Waldman
- July 16, 2024
- 8:28 am
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Follow UsFollowing the retirement of John Sterling, there has been speculation about a new teammate for Suzyn Waldman at the Yankees booth. WFAN is set to bring back a familiar voice as a trial. Craig Carton will team up with Waldman for three New York Yankees radio broadcasts next month.
Carton shared on the station on Monday that the Yankees had reached out to him directly for this opportunity. He will be on air during the home series against the Texas Rangers from August 9-11. In a conversation with hosts Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber, Carton expressed his appreciation for the chance to contribute to Yankees broadcasts, calling it an honor and a privilege.
“So yes it is true – The Yankees have asked me to do the radio play by play for their series against the Rangers on August 9,10,11 on WFAN with Suzyn Waldman,” he said. “Beyond blessed and honored and gonna have so much fun doing it. It’s a great honor. It’s a great privilege.”
WFAN is excited to welcome back Carton for a special series of New York Yankees radio broadcasts, marking his return to the station after leaving last summer to focus on his Fox Sports 1 morning show. Carton will join Suzyn Waldman for three games against the Texas Rangers from August 9-11. He assured listeners that his approach would be respectful and professional, stating that while his style will be uniquely his own, he won’t engage in any outrageous antics or try to imitate John Sterling’s legendary home run calls.
“I want to be clear about that,” Carton said. “I’m not going to do something that’s clownish. I got to leave the crazy home run calls to the memory of John and his greatness of all of the years. But I’ll do my best. I’ll make sure that it’s unmistakably me and it’s just awesome.”
Carton also expressed his hope that his presence might bring some much-needed luck to the struggling Yankees, who have posted a disappointing 8-18 record in their last 26 games. Despite a recent tough loss to the Baltimore Orioles due to defensive mistakes, the Yankees remain just one game behind their division rivals in the American League East standings.
Craig suggested that the Yankees could benefit from some positive energy, likening it to a good luck charm. He compared their situation to that of the New York Mets, who have introduced various quirky elements to boost team morale, such as a rally pimp in April, Grimace in June, and more recently, a dancing fan grooving to ABBA.
“All they really need is a little positive juju,” he said. “Like a good luck charm, if you will. The (New York) Mets had the rally pimp in April. They had Grimace in June. They had some fat guy dancing to ABBA, I think, now. That has worked for them.”
Can Carton replace Sterling in the Yankees booth?
In other news, the New York State Broadcasters Association recently announced Carton’s upcoming induction into its Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, Suzyn Waldman has been working with a rotating group of play-by-play announcers since John Sterling’s retirement in April, which ended his 36-year run calling Yankees games, including 20 seasons with Waldman.
When asked about the potential for becoming the Yankees’ full-time radio play-by-play announcer, Carton hinted that it would require significant financial compensation. He also mentioned that he was uncertain about how critical he might be of the team during his broadcasts, indicating he is still figuring out his commentary style.
Carton reflected on the potential impact of being critical during his broadcasts, specifically mentioning how he might address Giancarlo Stanton‘s perceived lack of hustle. He speculated about possible repercussions from the Yankees organization if he were to make such comments.
Since John Sterling’s retirement, Suzyn Waldman has teamed up with various play-by-play announcers, including Justin Shackil, Emmanuel Berbari, Rickie Ricardo, and Brendan Burke. WFAN is expected to use the remainder of the season to evaluate different candidates before choosing a permanent replacement in the off-season.
Upon his retirement, Sterling expressed heartfelt gratitude for his 64-year broadcasting career, including 36 years with the Yankees. He described himself as fortunate to have realized his childhood dream as a Yankees fan in New York and looked forward to future interactions with colleagues and fans.
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