On Long Island, Neil Best notes Yankees radio announcer John Sterling has "not missed" calling a game in 30 years, but the streak is in "severe jeopardy" because of the scheduled graduation of his triplets from high school on June 26. The Yankees play the Blue Jays that afternoon, and the graduation is in the early evening, but if the "logistics prove unworkable, Sterling plans to skip the game without hesitation." Rickie Ricardo, who does Spanish-language Yankees radio play-by-play, is "slated to fill in for Sterling." Sterling has called Yankees games since '89. Late that season he "missed two games to attend the funeral of his sister" (NEWSDAY, 4/1).
SILENCE UP NORTH: The Mets and radio partner Entercom "essentially have said that they don't care about their upstate fans." A Mets spokesperson said that there will be "no Mets radio network" in upstate New York for '19. The only way to hear games on traditional radio is "via the team's new flagship station," WCBS-AM in N.Y. Glen Falls-based WNML-AM was among the upstate stations that had "billed itself as a Mets affiliate," but it will "not carry the games" in '19. WROW-AM in Albany also carried games in '18, but Pamal Broadcasting Marketing Manager A.J. Bodden said that the station "would not be renewing its contract" (Albany TIMES UNION, 3/30).
NO LOVE: The White Sox already are "seeing the effects of the constant losing, including a reduction in coverage" by the Chicago Tribune. ESPN.com has a "full-time Cubs reporter," but none for the White Sox. The team's flagship radio station, WGN-AM, "sent no one to cover the season opener, while the only local TV stations that sent reporters -- besides NBC Sports Chicago, which is partially owned by the Sox" -- were WGN-TV and WFLD-Fox. The decisions "can be debated, but the truth is people generally are more interested in reading about or watching reports on teams that have a shot at contending" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 3/30).
