OVERREACTION
Why just act when you can overreact?
The Yankees radio broadcast is magnificent in its perfect distillation of Yankeeness.
If Suzyn Waldman and Dave Sims were speaking only in meaningless syllables you would still immediately know, yep, that’s the Yankees booth. Sims is in his second year with the Yankees since replacing legendary and utterly Yankees-distinctive John Sterling in 2025. He joins the equally iconic Waldman.
The radio broadcast is perfection in the way it captures and represents its fans and its team.
“A lot of people were having a cow because (Aaron Judge) went 0-for-five with four punchies” in the Yankees first game, Sims said during Friday’s outing in San Francisco. “Take it easy. It’s the first game!”
Bobblehead Aaron Judge
Image courtesy the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum.
Sims achieved the broadcaster’s dream of prescience, proving with your words ahead of the action to be valuable and accurate.
“Swing and a high drive down the left field line. Going going going and gone! Two-run homer, Aaron Judge. A 2-0 lead for the Yankees here in the fifth. That’s his fourth career home run against Robbie Ray,” Sims called.
“Alright and that’s the way to break out of a slump right there,” Waldman enthused. “When it counts, the Captain is there.”
“Break it out! Break out the big bottle,” I think is what Sims said and it made sense in context: Pop the champagne.
“That was a monster shot,” Waldman said.
“Four hits against Robbie” for Judge’s career, Sims said “And four home runs.”
The monster shot was 405 feet and 109 mph off the bat.
The first week of the year is a time to overreact. Your team is never going to lose a game! Will these guys ever score any runs?
The Giants have not only lost the first two to the Yankees, they have failed to score a run. Two games, two shutouts.
Listen to Dave Sims, Giants fans. “Take it easy!”
I watched the Guardians play the Mariners last night on MLB.TV (Best Money Spent® All Year for 22 years running) and chose Cleveland’s WTAM broadcast for the audio so I could listen to Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus.
The booth had plenty to overreact to about Chase DeLauter (MLB All-Name All-Star) and his start. He’s projected to hit 240 homers this year. It should be quite the story all summer (sarcasm font). He began his big league career with three home runs in his first six at bats. At the conclusion of Friday’s game, DeLauter had four hits in nine at-bats with the aforesaid three homers and four runs scored.
The much less-often advice here is the very same for those despairing. In fact, it might be even more valuable for players thriving. “Take it easy! It’s early.”
For sure, it’s better to start hot than not.
Cal Raleigh bobblehead
Image courtesy MLB.
Exhibit A is Florida State’s own Cal Raleigh, the Mariners catcher and breakout star of 2025 and first-ballot Nickname HoF inductee. The Big Dumper led the majors last year with 60 homers, an incredible achievement for a catcher. This year he’s projected to break some less treasured records.
Not only has Raleigh not had a hit through two games, his 0-7 performance is no bad-hitting-luck phenomenon. He has struck out seven times. He has struck out in every at bat.
Dave Sims spent 18 years calling Mariners games before his return to Yankee Stadium last season. He undoubtedly would have advice for Mariners fans similar to his Judge comment:
“Take it easy. It’s the (second) game!”