An era ends in the Bronx

 The news was shocking, but not surprising, on Monday.

Long time Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling announced his retirement, to take effect immediately, after his 2nd stint with the team, which began in 1989. Sterling had previously hosted a radio pre-game show with Hall of Famer Mel Allen for WMCA in the 70's. Sterling did not accompany the team to Cleveland or Toronto for their road trip, making the announcement on radio in New York.

In between tours in New York, Sterling spent time in the 80's in Atlanta, calling Braves & Hawks games for WTBS. He'd started his career in Baltimore years earlier, as the play-by-play radio voice of the then-Baltimore Bullets (now the Washington Wizards).

Upon the launch of the YES network in 2002, Sterling was brought back to television to host the team's answer to Biography, Yankeeography, and hosted the annual Old Timers Day event at Yankee Stadium. In more recent times, however, Sterling's age was catching up to him, as his vision, one would suspect, began to betray him. He would assume a home run, only to correct himself when the fly ball was caught by an opposing outfielder.

NY Daily News media columnist Bob Raissman, noting the homerism in radio broadcasts with Sterling and analyst Suzyn Waldman, dubbed the team as "Ma & Pa Pinstripe", a play on the "Ma & Pa Kettle" movie series in the 40's. Sterling will be honored at Yankee Stadium Saturday for his years of service. I'm guessing that Ryan Ruocco, fresh off calling the NCAA women's basketball tournament for ESPN/ABC, is filling in for Sterling until a full-time successor can be found.

Sterling had signed a new deal several months back allowing for a reduced work schedule, similar to what the Mets' Howie Rose signed, but, realistically, Sterling should've seen the writing on the wall well before that. Hindsight, and all that. For now, an era in baseball broadcasting in NY is over, and the Yankees would be hard pressed to find someone that can carry the mail for years to come.

Congratulations, John. You've earned it.