Suzyn Waldman Not Sorry She Cried

The Yankees are one of the most polarizing teams in all of sports, so not surprisingly a lot of people are happy to kick them when they're down. Trouble is, guys like Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are far too polished to have a public moment of weakness, which makes it all the more difficult to take pleasure in their pain.

Fairly or not, that's why rival fans decided to target their disdain for the Evil Empire at Suzyn Waldman and her on-air tears. Is the criticism deserved? Probably not, but she doesn't care: as she explained to the New York Times' Richard Sandomir (via CSTB), it's just who she is:

"That's who I am," she said by telephone. "It's unusual, but not for me. I am emotional. I'm a conduit between the players and the fans, and everyone was crying."

She added: "That's what I felt. I am who I am. I'm emotional. A lot of people like it, a lot of people don't. I didn't do it in a game, and I recovered."

As I said before, I agree with her. She is a conduit for the fans, not a national host pretending to be objective. And she reacted as a fan would react, not as the team wanted her to. Besides, while it's easy for fans of other teams to make jest of her reaction, let's not forget her target audience: Yankees fans listening in on regional radio. As Sandomir goes on to explain:

To me, it is worse to be a clueless announcer than one who is emotional in a sport where crying is prohibited by the cinematic manager Tom Hanks. But Torre cries, so maybe it's good for all of us to get out our hankies. Chip Caray of TBS can set aside the hanky for a copy of a Manhattan map, access to MLB.com and a Yankees media guide.

Even if you think it's unprofessional for a radio host to show that much emotion, Sandomir hits the nail on the head: listening to emotional but informed local talent is still far better than the cold professionalism of an ignorant out-of-towner, right?

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

10-10-2007 @ 3:18PM

Mike Rath said...

IMHO, Ms. Waldman's recent difficulties are not solely the result of a few tears shed for Joe Torre and the Yankee loss. If one had heard the shrill over the top fawning when Clemens was signed, or regularly witnessed the abject genuflecting for anything Yankee in a voice that is a cross between Tiny Tim and Hillary Clinton they would understand why she raises hackles on some fans backs..

10-10-2007 @ 7:52PM

GreatR said...

She is a local announcer and has no requirement to be "objective."

10-10-2007 @ 4:24PM

Doug said...

I have XM radio in which I of course get every game and hence listen to every sportscaster there is in baseball. I center my life around listening to John and Suzyn. I am a fan and for some reason the XM cut out the post game so I'm furious at that.

But still, now reading this I think its great she cried. It's the end of Yankees as we know them... (no more evil empire) Joe Torre is the face and soul of "the dynasty." Before '96 no one cared about the Yankees. They never sold seats and everyone and their mother didn't wear the NY. I believe that the popularity of the yankees sparked this "red sox nation" because people always want to be different but the same.

Shes a conduit for the fans. TBS had a manager and a player that played the yankees in world series... ummm??? I didn't really mind but for real... and cal ripken? Hes awesome but still, a division foe. People wouldnt want Derek Jeter in 15 years commentating on Red Sox games (my assumtion). I love objection. John and Suzyn sometimes may not be but still, its a long season for everyone and if she can't hold back some tears in the apex of emotion... then grow a heart.

10-11-2007 @ 11:42AM

Laurie said...

Hooray for Suzyn Waldman! Although Baseball may be big business to most, it is still, to some (including myself), a very personal & emotional connection with a favorite team. I love that she brings sentimentality, compassion and genuine emotion to the broadcasts. With most announcers being ex-ball players, the play-by-play has become very statistic & strategic oriented. She wears her heart on her sleeve & I find that very refreshing.
And yes, Chip Caray needs to study the teams whose games he will be announcing. He made so many mistakes -- how did he get that job? If there is any silver lining in the Yankees' elimination, it's that we don't have to listen to Caray any more.
Only 4 months til Spring Training. Hopefully Torre will be there wearing his familiar #6.

10-14-2007 @ 3:08PM

DonnieBaseball said...

Hooray for Suzyn Waldman? She completely loses her composure while on the job, and that is call for celebration? Torre was well aware of Steinbrenner's comments after Game Two of the Series. Yet, for two games in the dugout, you would have never known the ax was poised to fall. That's professionalism. By shedding tears, Waldman makes herself the story, and that is a cardinal sin for any journalist. In my book, it's a fireable offense.

10-25-2007 @ 1:32PM

Vikks14 said...

Unprofessionable? A fireable offense? Please.

Have you ever heard former Chicago Cub Ron Santo broadcast as color man for the Cubs games on WGN radio? He bleeds for the Cubs. He weeps for the Cubs. He groans when a bad play is made. He rants. He raves. And he makes us chuckle a little while we are getting the play by play. He is as biased as they come and he is never afraid to show emotion. Yet I don't see/hear as many people dragging him over the coals as I have seen/heard so many do to the Yankees' color woman. Now, maybe if he were "Rhonda" instead of "Ron" and had a set of boobs instead of a pair of balls we'd be hearing more ridicule--as well as derogatory comments about the way he looks (yes I have read and heard it all about Suzyn Waldman).

Let's face it. Professional sporting events are all about emotion. They are the games that grown men are paid to play, and that we--the fan(atic)s--get all riled up about. We are emotionally attached to our teams and our athletes. We emotionally bond with family and friends over our wins, losses, and great sport moments. We cheer. We yell. We stomp. We laugh. And yes, we sometimes cry. And we don't even personally know those dudes standing on those fields.

Yet Waldman does know Torre and calls him a friend. She has battled cancer together with Torre (yes, she is a cancer survivor too and claims to have gone through the cancer experience WITH him). And she is ridiculed for choking up. Even though other Yankees employees, including managers, were also described as having tears rolling down their faces.

If I want unbiased professionalism I will watch CNN.

And I guess if I want to see sexism still rearing it's ugly head, I pay more attention to how female sports announcers and journalists are treated by the public.

But I just want to enjoy myself, so come next season I will just tune into Ron and listen to him cheer, shout, whine, and cry throughout what I am sure will be another roller-coaster year of being a Cubs fan.

(Oh yeah, show me a Cubs fan who hasn't shed a tear about our team, and I will show you a 4-year-old kid who has yet to live through one of our infamous post-season heartbreaks!)