If you keep listening to him you'll hear the word "Jeterian".

Jeterian (adj.) 1. a general descriptor for anything that Derek Jeter does, particularly a single to right field 2. like, or as if, a Man-God

(used in context... Sterling: Oh, there it is again! That Jeterian, inside-out swing! Isn't he just amazing! Suzyn: Oh John, he's just dreamy. Derek Jeter.... mmm-mmm... Where were you 30 years ago?! Sterling: Suzyn, couldja wipe that up for me, thanks.)

Charlie Slowes is another Fordham guy I knew back in the day. Slowes, in fact, was Kay's successor as sports editor at what was called "the paper" (from January '82 until January '83). They were pretty tight. Slowes is a great guy with an incredible & professional voice. Another WFUV alum who got his start calling Fordham baseball.

May 12, 2006 -- AFTER all these years, I should have known better.
Tuesday, I was in a tough spot. Returning home by car, I had no choice but to allow John Sterling, "Voice of the New York Yankees," to serve as my eyes for no less than a Red Sox-Yanks game.
In the top of the third, Boston trailed, 2-0, with two out and two on when Randy Johnson's 1-2 pitch to David Ortiz was called a ball. Sterling flipped. The pitch, he claimed, was, "right over the heart of the plate."
Sterling had made it clear that the Yanks had just been robbed and he eagerly named the perp - umpire Charlie Reliford. And, presumably after viewing a replay on his monitor, Sterling stuck with and furthered his story: If not for Reliford's incompetence, the inning would have ended with that 1-2 pitch.
Ortiz then reached - and a run scored - on an Alex Rodriguez error. Two more runs would score that half-inning. And, as Sterling reminded us, what should've been a 2-0 Yankee lead in the bottom of the third, was 3-2, Red Sox, because a pitch thrown "over the heart of the plate" was called a ball.
Sterling was so appalled - and so convincing - that I believed him. Almost. When I got home, just in case, I checked the tape.
On YES, the game-changing pitch that Sterling insisted was "over the heart of the plate" was not at issue. Why would it be? It wasn't even close to the plate, let alone its heart. Reliford's call of a pitch thrown well outside not only was a good call, it was an easy one.
But on WCBS Radio, a station that otherwise serves as an all-news station, Sterling reported that the game had gone from 2-0, Yanks, to 3-2, Red Sox, on a horrible call.
It's not just a matter of baseball fans being stuck with a guy whose self-serving signature calls so often supersede minimally accurate descriptions. It's also a matter of a fellow who can be dangerously inaccurate.
It's a matter of a professional broadcaster - the Voice of the New York Yankees, for crying out loud - who will report with great conviction that an entire game flipped on an outrageous happenstance that he just described and then repeated - and a happenstance that, well, never happened.

The YES network sunk to new lows on Wednesday night. Al Leiter, who I used to respect, said that Randy Johnson's putrid performance tonight merited a "B" grade. Even Kay and Singleton couldn't believe that. Kay harped ALL NIGHT LONG on Manny's posing at the plate on Tuesday night and wouldn't let it go. And in the eighth Kay went on another rant about Manny, saying he "embarrassed" Scott Proctor by hitting the homer tonight off him. (I'm still trying to figure that one out.) Tonight Kay thoroughly embarrassed the YES network and the Yankees with his childish BS. Thank God this series is over, and I can watch the Sox games again with Don and Jerry.

All Yankee fans should be embarrassed to have a broadcast team this bad on YES.
I'll have more about this fiasco on my blog on Thursday.

... They were shocked to hear all this talk about "Yankees were upset in the clubhouse with Manny"...

I actually had to listen to part of the game on the radio today. So I got to hear Suzy and Sterling. They were shocked to hear all this talk about "Yankees were upset in the clubhouse with Manny". They said they didn't hear any of it when they were in the clubhouse last night or tonight. Their response to any Yankees' player (and they seemed to be alluding that they thought it was the pitcher) is that if you don't want Manny posing don't throw him 0-2 pitches he can jack out of the park. Strike him out, get him out, and he can't do the pose. They also couldn't figure out why it's such a big deal since this is nothing new, and Manny isn't that different from any number of guys in baseball.

If you so much as intimate that I agree with John Sterling again I swear to God I'll kill you.

As a Yankee fan, 1999 was a special year. The Yankees went 11-1 in the postseason that year on their way to winning the World Series. The good old days.

All Yankee fans should be embarrassed to have a broadcast team this bad on YES.

Mighty Quinn,

I checked out your blog.

I was at the game on 9/10/99. It probably was the best pitched game I have ever seen. The Yankees had about a 5 game lead going into the game, so I don't think the division title was quite on the line though.

As a Yankee fan, 1999 was a special year. The Yankees went 11-1 in the postseason that year on their way to winning the World Series. The good old days.

Last night was awful even by YES standards. Kay calling out Manny over the entire ballgame was simply homerism at it's best - or worst. Randy gets a "C" and "B" for his efforts from the booth, which begs the question, how the hell would a "D" grade look on a stat line?

Can't wait to read the blog BklynSoxFan44.

Just got home. Michael Kay devoted most of his show today to screeching about Manny's "posing" after hitting the home run, and how he needs to take one in the ribs for it.

Then, he has Tino Martinez on as a guest, and that's the main thing he wants to talk about.

Then, he takes phone calls about it and screeches some more. Really tiresome.

On the other hand, he gave Randy Johnson an "F" for last night's start.

SSA, lets say if it was Jeter or no-neck roidboy did the same thing as manny did couple of nights ago, do you think one of those YES broadcasters would rip it up and all? I doubt that!

SSA, lets say if it was Jeter or no-neck roidboy did the same thing as manny did couple of nights ago, do you think one of those YES broadcasters would rip it up and all? I doubt that!

Come on, I really don't have a problem with it, no matter who does it. And to go as far to say it's "classless" is a bit of hyperbole, if you ask me. He did pose a little long, but if a pitcher doesn't like it, maybe he shouldn't be throwing meatballs down the heart of the plate.

The media attention that this gets surprises me every time. Who cares? The game's over, move on.

Jeter and Giambi would never do what Manny did the other night. Whether you root for the Red Sox or the Yankees one would have to admit that showing up the opposing player is classless.

Yeah its really too bad Manny stares at his homeruns and can't do steroids like the "classy" Giambi. I think cheating is a little more classless myself but maybe its just me.

I also remember hearing that Proctor had a quote about overpowering Manny when he K'd him in the last series and that might have been the reason why.

Yeah its really too bad Manny stares at his homeruns and can't do steroids like the "classy" Giambi. I think cheating is a little more classless myself but maybe its just me.

I also remember hearing that Proctor had a quote about overpowering Manny when he K'd him in the last series and that might have been the reason why.

Jeter and Giambi would never do what Manny did the other night. Whether you root for the Red Sox or the Yankees one would have to admit that showing up the opposing player is classless.

It's true Jeter and Giambi don't pose at the plate. As I said on my blog, I hate when ANYONE does that, including Manny. It's classless and it shows up the pitcher. I wish he'd knock that crap off for good.

But Michael Kay should get a grip. Manny didn't commit a capital crime here. The Yankees have far bigger problems than Manny's posing during his homers. (Here's a novel way for Yankee pitchers to stop it: don't throw Manny any meatballs he can hit out of sight.)

Why is it such a bad thing?

I give this whole thing 4 "who gives a shit"s out of 5.

I was hoping after he hit his 2nd in 2 nights off Proctor, Manny would have pulled out an easel and stool and sat at homeplate sketching the arc and path of the ball. Oh well.

Out of pure ignorant curiosity...

Why is it such a bad thing? This may be because I am younger and all that, but when you hit a no doubter, I see no reason to put your head down and run as if it was a walk on 4 pitches. I just don't see it as a problem, and I am a guy who hates sack dances, and touchdown dances and the shirt pull and the brush your shoulders off and all the real extra stuff.

I just don't know where it (unwritten rule on home run ettiquette) came from.

If its for the sake of not showing up the pitcher that is lame. The discussion in the high school blowout thread is along the same lines, if you don't want to be embarrassed, don't throw meat down the heart of the plate.

Someone please explain this to me, I am willing to listen to an open mind.

I love it........Kay's advocating throwing at Red Sox players. Remember all the screeching those YES shills do when a Sox pitcher hits one of their own?

And during the game on Wednesday, he gave Johnson a "C." Now all of a sudden, it's an "F."

Kay's an f'n tool. He's best to be ignored.

He has to lick Johnson's balls when he's on TV. He's got a ton more freedom on the radio.

Out of pure ignorant curiosity...

Why is it such a bad thing? This may be because I am younger and all that, but when you hit a no doubter, I see no reason to put your head down and run as if it was a walk on 4 pitches. I just don't see it as a problem, and I am a guy who hates sack dances, and touchdown dances and the shirt pull and the brush your shoulders off and all the real extra stuff.

I just don't know where it (unwritten rule on home run ettiquette) came from.

If its for the sake of not showing up the pitcher that is lame. The discussion in the high school blowout thread is along the same lines, if you don't want to be embarrassed, don't throw meat down the heart of the plate.

Someone please explain this to me, I am willing to listen to an open mind.

It's a good question. There used to be a lot of unwritten rules in MLB, but they seem to be all drifting away.
It wasn't long ago that pitchers were criticized for a fist-pump after a strike out. Now, Randy Johnson and Josh Beckett never hear a word about it.

It's for the same reason why you probably hate sack dances and touchdown celebrations. There's no need to be a showoff and bring attention to yourself. It's been baseball etiquette for as long as the game has been played, however, there seems to be more toleration of it during recent years.

I remember a few years back when Raul Mondesi first joined the Yankees. He hit a homerun and did a "Manny" pose at home plate. When he got back to the dugout, Joe Torre went up to him and whispered, "we don't do that here". There were no further Mondesi displays. Unfortunately, managers have lots of things they can't control (steroids, etc...) but they can control how professional their players act on the field. Manny's (and Pedro's) childish behavior was and has always been tolerated by Red sox managers. I guess they never had a "Mondesi" moment.

Peter Gammons was on the radio the other day. He said that Red Sox management feels that the team has been too unprofessional over the past few years. He said that they are now making a real effort to bring in more professional players. I think they are doing the right thing.

I am biased, but I don't think Manny's posing. It seems to me that he's just watching the HR. He hits bombs!

That's solely because of the class exhibited on a moment-by-moment basis by the Master of the Fist-Pump.

(Graphics excised)

Such perfection in form.

/Man I hate that assclown.

Where's all the outrage about Farnsworth, who seemed to do a fist pump after every K?

Exactly!!

Mighty Quinn might just be my favorite Sox blogger!

Isn't there a Mighty Quinn in the Daily News too?

I asked it before and I hadn't seen an answer - I heard that Reggie Jackson used to "pose" after hitting a HR for the Yankees - is this true? I'm too young to remember and don't really recall from the footage I've seen.

SM, Reggie Jackson is The Godfather for the posers at home plate. His most famous one was when he hit the homer in the All-Star Game in Detroit in 1971 off Dock Ellis that hit the light tower and came back on to the field. He kept doing it even after he signed with the Yankees in 1977.

Years later, when they were both in the AL, Ellis threw a pitch at Jackson that nearly took his head off, and Ellis later admitted it was retaliation for Reggie's posing after hitting the home run.

One guy hits a ball over 500 feet in an exhibition game, and watches it, as nearly any breathing creature would.

The other fires a projectile upwards of 92 MPH at another human being's head for besting him in a game.

And you're taking the latter in the good guy vote? Yea, great call.

One guy hits a ball over 500 feet in an exhibition game, and watches it, as nearly any breathing creature would.

The other fires a projectile upwards of 92 MPH at another human being's head for besting him in a game.

And you're taking the latter in the good guy vote? Yea, great call.

I really don't see any judgement in BSF44's post. I think this is just another one of those dialectics that polerizes the fans leading to plenty of discussion, bar talk, etc.

It's what makes baseball great.