SI.com's Joe DeLessio wrote longtime Yankees radio play-by-play announcer John Sterling has "become one of the most polarizing figures in sports media for his catchphrase-heavy shtick and occasional on-air blunders." Sterling said that he "knows what people say about him," and that it "doesn’t bother him." He has "personalized home-run calls for each player on the Yankees," so as soon as they "add a player to their roster, he’ll start thinking about potential calls, never revealing to anyone what he’s going to use until he says it on the air." Critics claim that Sterling "is more showman than broadcaster." But Sterling, who does not own a computer, "wouldn’t pay much attention anyway to the cruel things said about him online." He said, "I really don’t take myself seriously." Sterling, 77, said that he "hasn't considered" retiring anytime soon (SI.com, 9/10).
WEST L.A. FADEAWAY: ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel profiled UCLA radio play-by-play announcer Bill Roth, who previously "served as 'The Voice of the Hokies'" at Virginia Tech for 27 seasons. Roth "left because most of his living relatives" are in the L.A. area, and he "didn't want to wake up at age 70 and wonder about the opportunity he didn't take." Roth: "This is the winningest program in the history of college sports. This is the Yankees of college. It's an unbelievable city. It's a global market. I could have coasted to the finish in Blacksburg. I wasn't ready" (ESPN.com, 9/9).
BOOST FOR THE BOOTH: USA TODAY's Nancy Armour writes ESPN's Jessica Mendoza was tapped to replace Curt Schilling on "Sunday Night Baseball" because she is "every bit as good -- or better -- than the men who've sat in her seat over the years." With her "smooth, intelligent and informative analysis" during Cubs P Jake Arrieta's Aug. 30 no-hitter, Mendoza "left no doubt she belonged there." Mendoza said, "It's 2015. I just want to get to the point where as long as you're good at what you do, it shouldn't matter who you are, what your gender is, all of that" (USA TODAY, 9/11).
STACKING THE PADS: On Long Island, Neil best writes former NHLer Rick DiPietro “appears to have found his post-NHL calling.” After a year “working mostly nights" for ESPN Radio N.Y., DiPietro and Alan Hahn "began Tuesday as the station's regular midday team.” DiPietro said, “I can't believe that in a year this all would happen so quickly” (NEWSDAY, 9/11).
