I'm watching the Yankees game today with the sound on.
In fact, I pumped the sound into my headphones while I mowed the lawn.
This is an important development.
With Michael Kay away, YES has been using others in the TV booth as their lead announcer. I decided to buy the gameday audio from MLB's At Bat app.
Please note that I love Kenny Singleton, who did a few games during this stretch.
So I'd either watch the games on mute or switch over to the radio call (home or away).
Today, YES has Bob Costas in the booth with Paul O'Neill and David Cone.
For my money -- with no disrespect intended -- it's the best locally-produced Yankees broadcast I've watched and listened to in years.
While I've come to think Kay, O'Neill, and Cone have become a group on par with the Mets trio of Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling (yep. I said it and mean it), this is another level.
Costas is an all-time great. He's a Ford Frick Award winner, and (to my knowledge) the first Frick winner to be in the Yankees local booth since Tim McCarver (in 2001) and Tony Kubek (1994).
The game just sounds different. It has the feel of a network game with a local flair. It's been fun but professional.
That's a style I'm quite familiar with.
Costas admitted growing up a fan of the Bombers on Long Island, but how he had to be an unbiased professional during his years at NBC and the MLB Network.
"Everyone thinks I hate your team," he said. "Everyone thinks Joe Buck hates your team."
Of course, as I know, we don't love OR hate your teams once we put that headset on.
He also spoke of being in restaurants and people expressing surprise that he uses his real voice.
"This is my voice," he said.
Too many -- including people whom I've trained, and work in the same region as me -- don't use their real voice. Costas just schooled you. Use your voice. Don't be a radio DJ (and I still used my own voice when I did that).
It's been a master class of how to call a game (in any sport). Just listen to this call, as DJ LeMahieu hits a first inning home run for a 1-0 Yankees lead. No fancy call. No trademark. Not even really raising his voice. Just professional.
I realize Costas can be high and mighty and maybe isn't quite as charming as he was when he was younger, but my goodness gracious, this has been a fun listen.A career-high 16 homers for DJ 🤖 pic.twitter.com/YeYXySEJvm— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 3, 2019
Still, he seems revitalized today, even going on an interview to drop some lyrics.
Please understand that the Yankees had Frick Award winners in their booth on a yearly basis for a long time. Arch McDonald, Mel Allen, Russ Hodges, Al Helfer, Curt Gowdy, Red Barber, Joe Garagiola, Kubek, and McCarver each called The Bronx home for some stretch of their career.The human race does not deserve Bob Costas. pic.twitter.com/NuQVIie9Ce— The Role Player (@TRP_Sports) August 3, 2019
Then there were the glory years that stretched from Allen to Barber to Rizzuto to Coleman to Garagiola to Frank Messer and Bill White (with Rizzuto). On the other sides of town (Giants, Dodgers, and Mets) there was greatness aplenty, including the Queens trio of Bob Murphy (who died on this day in 2004), Ralph Kiner and Lindsey Nelson.
We were truly spoiled and lucky.
Not to say we don't have some good ones now. It's just different, and each era has had its hiccups.
But today is exceptional. There's an elegance to the booth.
I was in the building the night he called this one. Didn't get to hear it until much later.
Go listen to his call of the Jeffrey Maier home run or the Derek Jeter's last hit at Yankee Stadium or Michael Jordan's "last shot," or any one of a number of NFL calls (he has since basically renounced the NFL).
And an absolutely brilliant call of the 1997 World Series winner.
One more...Jeter, from the outfield grass...
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well-called, well-produced broadcast produces pure joy for me. In a 9-2 Yankees win (not a very compelling game), I'm just pleased as can be.
Well done, YES. I'm only sorry it took so long to make this happen
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