Suzyn Waldman Talks Yankees Struggles, Reuniting With John Sterling

right now it is an honor to be joined by the voice of the Yankees Susan wman first voice ever heard on WFAN I love you Susan I don't think I've ever had you on any of my shows but it is and Susan stop taking these days off I don't want to hear BT in that boo I want to hear more no that's it that's it that's it no I couldn't help it you know I couldn't and thank you for having me and by the way all you have to do is ask nobody ever asked me everybody says you never come on my show I don't remember you calling and saying let's go on you know I was afraid to and Susan I got to be honest with you I don't even know if I had wait a minute wait a minute you're afraid well well I was I don't want to bother you I know you're busy and oh my God Susan doesn't even know who I am and then honestly what happened was I I got Susan truth be told one of my favorite text ever and I forget if it was when I just got hired for the fulltime overnight I think it was if not it was it was this one oh it was Midday okay it was Midday I got a text from Susan don't read it on me a but but no no I won't I won't but it was a very nice text wa wait wait who don't read it on the air did you take a knock hey congratulations to you know what I said you know what I said hi B I I I said it's about eing time that good was one of my favorite texts ever and I love you for that Susan but thank you for taking the time a it's fantastic and by the way you feel free to take a few more days off from the booth you know what the only reason that I took day days off I literally lost my voice and couldn't talk I know I know and that was you know that's a a terrifying thing for someone who makes living with with the voice all of a sudden it was gone it was awful and I heard you the night before and I could tell it was a little it was going a little bit and then obviously you came back and you're back to being Susan wman all right so well it's like my doctor said I must have a lot of stress this year Well we all do because let's face it if judge and stto don't hit the Yankees don't score you know there there's there's a few ways to start here and some are obvious I'm going to go a little less obvious like year two like we all want VY to be a superstar because he was a first round pick and he's from here and he's shown fleshes have you adjusted what you think his ceiling could be based meaning lowering it a bit based on what you've seen almost two years now no I have not because I watch other guys um let's take Bobby wood out of the equation although he's not hitting right now either but he does other things watch more comparable is what gunar Henderson is doing right now which is like getting back he's not hitting and making errors and um I I do not adjust expect ations for 23 year olds I mean because all of a sudden something's going to click I think that they threw a lot at him um to come up at his age and you know win a a gold glove or whatever that I mean I think there's a lot more room for for growth and I do not think that he's anywhere near his ceiling it's a really dangerous and awful thing to say that somebody can't do something any better when they're 23 it's true you know you don't know who's what coach is coming next you don't know what clicks you don't know he and Austin Wells are gonna go have chicken farm again and figure something out I it's just I I really hate that I mean I I don't if the guy is 27 or 28 or 29 you say okay this might be it but I don't think so I don't I don't think so it's also um there's a lot thrown at him and it's you know he's the short stop of of the New York Yankees and I think yeah not not that it doesn't make the results any better or worse what he does do is try and contribute in some way to having a win and that's all I want to see and it's hard to don't forget Derek Jeter used to come back um year after year there was something a little different one year he worked on he didn't just come up with that jarian swing he he learned it and he said okay they're pitching me inside what can I do and one year he came back and they said oh there you are but he did a little bit every single year so I think you got to calm down about V right now do you think Susan that that's part I love that story about Jeter because I was going to ask you before you even said that about the inconsistencies not just with vulpi but overall it seems like in baseball from year to year from month to month well who the hell knows what's going on you know Lindor can't hit for two months and turns into an MVP vuli looks like a superstar in the making and then he can't hit why inconsistencies in today's day game in Major League Baseball Well if I knew you know I'd be getting paid a lot more money but here's what I think I think we have taken for granted how good the pitching is and how um I mean these guys I'm not saying they can pitch death Lugo pitched yesterday that was not on the Yankees at all that was him saying this is what I had wanted to do my whole time with the New York mess you didn't let me and look what I can do um so I that was wow um but the but the the velocity and the fact that you don't see the same pitcher more than twice in know and that you see you know the best pictures are usually at the end but I think everybody's got flaws on the on on their roster so it makes it um inconsistent but I think a lot of this lack of hitting is um pitching and I think it's I think the pitching is way ahead of The Hitting right now I I think that's an interesting observation you know back in the day you know whether it was madingley or or bogs or you know Lou Panella before that what Thurman anybody where you just keep going back and back and back you know they'd face a guy three or four times they didn't have somebody throwing 99 out of the pen if not more with three pitches that Dart down a foot um and I wonder Susan because you've been doing this for for a long time you've seen the game change what do you like about the new game and and what do you really dislike oh boy um I I I'll tell you what I can make it really simple um I think information is fine you can information is great I hate that they have taken the humanity out of the game um these people these players are people and you can't just because the the iPad the answer is not always in an iPad and that's what bothered me so instead of you know saying well you know he's supposed to hit a slider well what if that slider is different than what you thought it was going to be and I I think that's there's just there's too much of this Reliance on and and everybody does it you know instead of saying about and buying a home run someone will say the exit Belo well that's nice I mean I do it too because it's in front of you so you say it yeah um but that's what that I think that's the bothers me is that a a lot of the I I don't see as much Humanity in game and sports this is why we play the game this is why we we play the game so that for example the New England Patriots actually want a game they they thought they were not going to win all year I I heard the Boston Sports show can't win this one can't win this one and that's why we watch because yeah they did I mean and that's what sports is to me not what you're supposed to do out of an iPad that's the only thing that bothers me well I've got something for you that I think is going to bother you as well but I do want to get your opinion on this so you listen matching wits you know Billy Martin larusa Bobby Cox I mean Whitey Herzog the great managers of Earl Weaver there was the gut element that's obviously been for the most part phased out of baseball with numbers all right we we have to accept it because it is what it is what bothers me is the over like being overly sensitive towards players when they not when they fail because they made a physical mistake but when they make a me mental lapse and listen I like Aaron Boon i' I've supported I don't think he's amazing but I think he's certainly good and I respect him but I think too often he's protect protected somebody like gabber Torres Gaber Torres was touched by the baseball gods in a way that many players were not as a second baseman he's got power he's got soft hands but yet he floats and he disappears and he I know he's hitting now but intermittently not there mentally and because it's 2024 you got to protect everybody you can't say anything wrong God forbid you offend the modern athlete you know we protect these players and we don't the managers in this case Boon doesn't call it for what it is and it bothers me and you're asking the questions after the game and I know you see what I see and it's probably going to bother you oh okay but here's the thing that we don't see we don't know what Aaron Boone says to gavoras we have no idea what goes on in there because they are so protected they're protected from us they're not pro protected from each other you don't know what goes on in in the back and and I first started realizing this way back you'd think Joe Tori was father Flanigan you ever heard Torell whoa and I'm always places where I shouldn't be so that's why I know this we don't know what he does we absolutely don't know and and you know Aaron one of the reasons Aaron Boone was hired quite frankly is because he is that person and this is a different age and you and I might not like it you know I you know we like Billy Martin going and pulling Reggie out of the game love it I mean that's but you can't do that now because you got six agents calling and you got the Players Association saying you humiliated my guy you can't do that anymore and that's that's the reality of it we're still reacting like fans like we always did but the game is different okay and that's that's tough to get used to it really is particularly when you're doing a talk show like you that that that is true Susan wman by the way we we got we got a let rip Susan otherwise we got we you know we we can't be happy on the air okay here's the thing I agree and I didn't mean to imply that Aaron Boone doesn't get after Torres or you could take any other manag player relationship situation Josh Donaldson you know pimping the home runs or or all that stuff right but if it's not but Susan if it's not corrected right I know it's a dress behind closed doors but if it's not corrected well then I can say it it's not working well you can you no you can actually but but how do you know it's not working because I still see him being lazy here here's here's the other thing you don't know about these gurus by the way when he makes a mistake is as devastated as anybody and stands there and says that was my fault and I lost Focus he does he admits it all he ad admits it all and one of the things about glaber is that a lot of times he confuses himself with Robbie Canó because Robbie did this and Robbie could do it and you know a lot of people have been have been accused of kind of being nonchalant I remember Daryl y years ago they thought Daryl nonchalant it in no he didn't that's how he runs and that's you know kind of something that we don't we don't know but that but to get to your point it's a different age and they're going to do it the way you know they want to do it it's not but the the the difference is you and I still react the way we always have we haven't we haven't changed we see them changing but we're still upset like what are you doing that's right right you want to see some emotion too from somebody else to your point I like to see well there are plenty of people that have emotion on that team let me tell there's a lot of emotion what about Judge Susan for me he's the best baseball player I've always said Bond's the best player I've seen in my life but judge is better and especially when you factor in the Peds and everything where does Judge rank as far as baseball players in your lifetime oh boy he's up there and it's another one I hate to put I I hate to put Tops on people I mean he he's another one that does little things differently every year he comes back with something I I think we also expect uh them to be superhuman I think it's kind of cool that SoDo and judge get cold at the same time it's actually kind of funny if you go through the two of them go and they go and they go and then judge was off for a while so it was Soo then they both go in a slump and they're both sort of feeling for it right now um but it there's still so much grinding there the result might not be there I'm going to ask you to look a little differently watch SoDo even when he doesn't get a hit and he hasn't for you know for a while he's been not SoDo is watch what he does to a picture and let's take Seth L go the equation get to everybody else um to me he a three act play up there and every at that he exhausts people and it's sometimes other people get the result of what SoDo is doing you know now you got Austin Wells who started to hit this is what they always thought he was going to do he is people down in the order are getting the the results of what both judge everybody is concentrating so hard on SoDo and judge that the benefit goes through the rest of the lineup and it's look at it through that prism when you watch oh there's no question and I remember saying you know early in the year where Austin who I love I think Austin Well is eventually going to be an Allstar that's how highly I think of him and I remember defending him like in April and even in early may like the average was he was sub 200 but and and it's funny because we criticized the analytics but I didn't lean on him there CU I watch every pitch I'm like man this guy's hit a bunch of balls on the screws he's got nothing to show for but the advanced analytics back it up that eventually it's going to turn around for him and it did like he's gone from an interesting hitter to almost in in an Irreplaceable Cog in this Yankee lineup well don't forget he was signed as a hitter they thought that catching was a work in progress and that was going to be but he was going to be a hitter and this year particularly when trino went down he is as Aaron boom calls him kind of a catching nerd he really is he loves the game planning he loves all of it he loves sitting with the and getting a plan and by the way for example Marcus strowman never shakes off his catcher ever so he trusts that Austin Wells has okay he's got the game planned he did it I'll just do whatever he says that's how much they trust this kid and he's a rookie and he's a catcher for the New York Yankees and hitting hitting in cleanup I think he concentrated not that he neglected his hitting he was so concentrating on being a really good catcher yeah that he wasn't comfortable and and Carlos Ordon who's had him since spring training most of the time said he's just comfortable it's really simple to see he thinks he belongs here now catching wise and sometimes you just relax a little bit and oh yeah I'm supposed to be a really good pitcher uh hitter and by the way I am he was Nor forget that he was signed because they thought he was gonna hit yep not because he could catch he has been a key part of their turnaround offensively just stabilizing the top of that order I mean it's not too long ago you think about the subway series and you had JD Davis hitting clean up for the Yankees who's Leones that guy Jones loveliest man in the world nicest man in the world he's not bad Le anymore exactly right Susan it has been it has been a crazy year in the Yankee Booth obviously I don't have to tell you that but just from a listener perspective and all the different voices that you've worked with or even when you've been out it's got to be I know fans can't wait to have you and John back together you got to be excited about the final week and then into the postseason having your partner return well I am only because it's like and and we were in Chicago I'm I I'm not exaggerating I had hundreds of people in Chicago coming up to me and because you have to walk through the stands and the place was filled with Yankee fans so I'm in the stands a lot so but they were all saying this is going to be great John's coming back are you happy I mean people yelling from the upper decks and things it really it's an event and it really is and I you know what guys I am really glad for him because I know they had the ceremony and all that stuff but he didn't get to broadcast and go out the way he wanted to and I'm glad for him that he's going to have this time and you know and playoffs and matter how long it is I think this team can beat anybody they also can lose to anybody as we've seen though I have no idea what's going to happen but it makes it like a special event doesn't it no question oh my God it was so incomplete and and I got to tell you I think you need to get a little more credit because you know emanuel's young and that's a that's a tough spot to jump into he's done a really good job great great kid too not not a kid but a great young man absolutely I worked with Justin outstanding he knows how to do but you had to adjust and adapt to so many different voice is Ricky who's awesome we all love Ricky I I think we took it for granted you doing your job with so many different people yeah you know what I think I was talking with Michael Kay about this and we were talking about the because he has different people all the time the difference is I don't control it I have to react to what they're doing because they're doing the play bypl so it's getting people it's different than having a different analyst all the time but you know as I told you you know you know when they talk about growing up and changing I'm up this is me this is what it's going to be and I'm not going to you know I can't change because this is who I am if you do it right you are who you are and that's your personality and you make it fit with anybody and try and help the best you can because these kids by the way and I hate to put j emanuel's a kid I'm sorry I hear I hear you I hear you I'm wearing a sweater tonight that's older than a that's great and let's be soon Su let's be honest here Su W been beat the Sal on the fan if not that we're going to have you ranker but if you were to rank your uh least favorite coworker Mr carton at the bottom no oh no I don't have no it was wonderful it was a fine weekend yeah I'm teasing I'm you guys sounded good I'm was happy you guys got together it's cool was Kay talking about Susan was Kay talking about flare Kidd don't answer that give me Susan before we let you go you mentioned the Broadway plays I know you love them unfortunately I got married and had a kid so I haven't seen a play in a while but give me the best play a must SE play over the last 10 years or so oh the the the the uh show that I think changed Broadway and because there are certain shows in Chorus Line was one Oklahoma was one o story was one the one that at Hamilton changed the world changed absolute theater uh Hamilton is the best show I've seen since I don't know probably course one you know and I I I haven't had a chance to see it first of all tickets were ridiculously well I saw the movie I was going to ask you like is that okay to see it on TV or I have to go it you know why it it really is because it's the original cast and there are two people people that you know that everybody's good everybody who replaced people are good there are two people that cannot be replaced one is LIN Manuel Miranda who is Alexander Hilton so and he wrote it so he is that everybody else is good you can't replace Lynn and the guy who played Lafayette Jefferson and that's deid Diggs and those two can never be you know you can have people and they're fine and they're good those two to me are uh original and they are seared in my memory and heart forever well we know your Broadway background and listen between me and you I me come on this guy it's always like it's the wife's fault or's I mean I used to live in a city I would go to play regularly I saw that yeah Wicked saw Rock of Ages I didn't a minute you wait you saw we're talking about two different kinds of V you're talking about Wicked and I'm talking about Hamilton no well know I know I want to see H Hamilton was on my list who that I honestly couldn't get in when it first started and then I just saw the movie and I was like it opened in 2016 think you can probably get a chicken find out but but if you can't the movie they it's not a movie they they taped the show right that's I saw I saw watch it and what and I gotta say when I watched it for the first time there was things and I've seen it six times and W that when I saw the movie I saw it I see it in in Road companies when I'm on the road I've seen it all over the place and when you see the movie um there are things that I did not notice because you're when you're seeing it live you can't concentrate on everything when you're watching it on television or in a movie theater you see things in the background that you did not see when you were sitting there in the theater and I think that's um you know fabulous and by the way take your wife to C6 she'll love that that's only an hour and a half soon all right there you go okay we'll do well let's bring it final thing and generous with your time we appreciate this every Wednesday by the way Susan's going to be joining us for the Yankees and we had how excuse me how we on earlier if you guys missed that free Odyssey app he was great Susan's been as expected all right you know you've been in the booth for all these championships and there's going to be a ton of twists and turns and hopefully they're favorable for the Yankees When You Close Your Eyes cuz you know what a championship team looks like can you see can you truly Envision this team hoiston winning like 28 winning celebrating on the M can you can you see that do you sense that oh I now there's a difference I can see it but I think a lot of it is because of what else there's no great team I don't I I think this team can beat any team that's out there right now they also are capable of losing to every team as they lost two to three to Washington and two out of three to St Louis or whatever it was and lost to the white socks um but that's I think it has more to do with where baseball is right now you know when nobody thought the 96 team was don't forget they would down uh 02 to the Braves and went back to Atlanta and they were all laughing at them the Braves were laughing um so you you just don't know is Twist and Turn but I I can see it because things can happen what if SoDo and judge absolutely go on a teair there we go what if they CH chose someone I don't know what's going to happen to the back of that Bullpen or how it's going to work but all of a sudden somebody emerges there and is one two three in that in that Bullpen they're not going to they're not going to win anything until the uh the bullpen situation is is rectified whatever they're doing and it's kind of cool to say yep we're going to be creative right now it's never worked if it works God bless them but it's kind of tough right now and people are standing up I like what Jay cousins has done he's been tremendous the whole year maybe Hamilton does it I don't know it's going to happen until they Rectify that they're going to have trouble Susan this was a lot of fun thank you so much for the time we look forward to doing it again next Wednesday and every Wednesday next week from Seattle oh there you go in Seattle different time change we got to adjust with that but that's all right no no no it'll be 12:30 I'm up Ear Hey listen there will only be one great shows of come and gone great broadcasters come and gone there will only be one first voice ever on WF that is the legend Susan Walman thank you so much Susan for the time okay guys talk to you next week got it that's right love I've been I've always been a f first voice ever like skipped over that k flavy thing real fast well I didn't want I just want to bring I just want to bring it up as a joke but you know love Mike and the dog Summers B whatever all the Legends Susan was the first voice ever on the F that's a like that will never change