Love him or not, it's John Sterling's birthday, too!

[njyankeesfan]

Happy birthday to the voice of the New York Yankees!

[Jersey Yankee]

Ballgame over, Yankees win. THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA YANKEES WINNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!

[BronxYanks45]

Happy Birthday

HAPPPPPPPPPPY Birthday

[JDPNYY]

at just after midnight tonight, John will utter in his mind:


Birthday over, another year older, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa nother year ooooooooooolder.

[hellonewman]

Belated happy 72nd, John.

[njyankeesfan]

hellonewman, actually he's only 62--born in 1948. His wikipedia entry is actually pretty entertaining--it has some of his signature home run calls, and I like the comment in parentheses after his home run call, "it is high, it is far, it is gone"--(sometimes that ball is high) (lol). Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_St..._(sportscaster)

[ericns1]

Does he get a gift from the Yanks in sterling silver?

[hellonewman]

hellonewman, actually he's only 62--born in 1948.

That's according to Wikipedia — his actual age has been in dispute for some time.

[njyankeesfan]

hellonewman, really, I wasn't aware of that--I thought that was only the case for Cuban baseball players, lol--Richard Neer (WFAN) was talking about the return of El Duque to the major leagues (he signed a minor league contract with the Nationals, I think) and he was musing, "does anyone know how old he is??"

I didn't know how old Sterling was before I looked it up, but I always though he was in his early 60s.

[JL25and3]

In 1970-71, Sterling was doing play-by-play for the Baltimore Bullets, one of the best teams in the NBA. It seems unlikely that he'd get that job at age 22, but equally unlikely that he'd been working somewhere for 10 years without anyone knowing about it.

So I'd say he's probably older than 62, younger than 72.

[hellonewman]

http://prod.newsday.com/sports/watch...ohn%20Sterling

Friday's column about John Sterling predictably generated passionate reaction - pro and con.
Because John declined to reveal his age, it also stirred several readers to share information on that subject.
Among those weighing in was sports broadcasting historian David Halberstam, who reports Sterling was born July 4, 1938.
Halberstam wrote that Sterling told Steve Holman, voice of the Hawks, in 1988 that he had turned 50, and that Sheila Loughery, whose husband Kevin is a friend of Sterling's, said Sterling is older than Kevin, who is 69.
Best of all was this bizarre nugget:
The 1972-73 press guide of the New York Raiders of the World Hockey Association - remember them?! - lists their new play-by-play man, John Sterling, as being 34 years old.
Photo: David Pokress
(UPDATE: Several readers have expressed concern about me quoting a deceased person above, so I should clarify. I heard from David Halberstam the former St. John's play-by-play man and radio executive, not David Halberstam the late author and journalist. Sorry for the confusion.)

[JL25and3]

http://prod.newsday.com/sports/watch...ohn%20Sterling

Well, I'll say this for him: if he's really 72 years old, then he has an even more amazing set of pipes than I thought.

[Yankees Empire]

That's according to Wikipedia — his actual age has been in dispute for some time.

You just can't predict ages, Suzyn.

[hardrain]

Good Lord....I used to listen to him broadcast the New York Raiders on a tiny little transistor radio that I kept underneath my pillow when I was very young and supposed to be asleep. 40 years later, I'm still listening to him. Oy Vey.

[hellonewman]

Well, I'll say this for him: if he's really 72 years old, then he has an even more amazing set of pipes than I thought.

Hey, Bing Crosby never really lost his voice. Some people just have the gift.

[JL25and3]

Hey, Bing Crosby never really lost his voice. Some people just have the gift.

In 1975 - when he was 72 - Der Bingle may have sung a song or two on TV once in a while. Sterling does 4 hours a day, somewhere between 170 and 185, even 190 days a year.