00:00How will you remember, John?
00:02One of a kind.
00:05An amazing career, an amazing life.
00:11You know, the soundtrack for so many New Yorkers and Yankee fans over the years.
00:18For those of you who know me, you know, I'm that kid that grew up loving baseball and nostalgic with
00:25falling asleep to a radio.
00:27You know, listen to Harry Callis and Richie Ashburn.
00:30When I drive home on Saturday afternoon, I love to find a local game because I love listening to the
00:37game on the radio.
00:38And John was that guy.
00:41You know, I know like a lot of Yankee fans, like there was any time there was a big moment
00:48or a big game or something like, man, I couldn't wait to get home.
00:52And I want to hear how John called this.
00:56And just such a nice man.
00:58Like there's so many times, you know, when we're traveling, the traveling party, we get in somewhere in the middle
01:03of the night.
01:03We're maybe going through a rough patch during the year or a good patch.
01:07And he'll pass on, pass on by me in the front row on the bus there and just say something
01:13sweet, funny, encouraging.
01:17Um, and one of my favorite things is that, that to me embodies John is when the foul ball hit
01:27him in the booth and he just, ow, like the boyish six-year-old reaction that he just kind of
01:35spews out like, ow, I'm okay.
01:37Like, like, to me encapsulates him so much.
01:42Um, I've heard a lot of great tributes today.
01:44I listened to Susan talk about them.
01:46Um, but just, just awesome.
01:50A giant in the sport.
01:52Sport did it his own way.
01:54Um, walk to his own beat as, as much as he can and truly one of a kind and, um,
02:01a sad day, but also one where we get to celebrate, um, an iconic figure.
02:08You played here, obviously managing here.
02:10I just, did you have a favorite call over the years or one that really stood out to you?
02:15You know, when we win, right, um, I still do this and my coaches look at me like I'm nuts.
02:23I don't even know if they know what I'm doing, but as soon as that final out is made and
02:28I go, I get up to shake the player's hands, I go ball game over.
02:32Yankees win.
02:33Duh!
02:34Yankees win.
02:35And I've shaken all my coaches' hands.
02:38So I got goosebumps thinking about that.
02:39So I love that.
02:41Um, you know, I, I heard some great calls on the radio today.
02:46I mean, Jeter's 3000 hit the home run.
02:50Like, man, I heard that played back today.
02:52I'm like, man, what a great call that was.
02:55Um, uh, my home run in 03 was our, obviously Charlie Steiner called cause it was an extra innings.
03:05And Susan once handed me a tape when I was with ESPN.
03:11In for a game and said, John made a tape of him calling it, which is so John, would you
03:19give this to Booney for me?
03:21Um, so, you know, it's, it's a sad day.
03:25It is.
03:26But, um, what, what, what a life and, and what an amazing character.
03:33Um, John, John was.
03:35Did you listen to the tape?
03:36Did you keep the tape?
03:37What did you think of it?
03:38I don't, uh, in all honesty, I don't know where the tape is now.
03:41I'm sad to say, but I definitely listened to it.
03:43So, um, but just a neat guy.
03:49You mentioned a life growing up in baseball.
03:52I mean, obviously the things that these guys can do are incredible and that's what we fall in love with.
03:55How important is that connection of those voices that you grow up listening to in terms of creating like your
04:01own experience as a baseball fan, your life as a baseball fan?
04:03Yeah, it's, it's awesome.
04:05It, you know, it's one of the favorite and sorry to make it about me, but one of my favorite
04:11things I got to do at ESPN was the post season on radio because it's like a whole different skill
04:20and animal and just rhythm where you're, you're trying to paint pictures in this.
04:27Ba dum, ba dum, ba dum.
04:29Ooh, get out of the, get out for the pitch.
04:31Ba dum, ba dum, ba dum, ba dum.
04:32There's this, this, that is awesome.
04:35And, and I think living in the Northeast and I'm, I'm a Northeasterner again, I'm proud to say like, there's
04:43just something about, um, you know, the four seasons and, and the, and how baseball ties into that, like spring
04:53and on into the summer and the, and the length and the marathon that is the baseball season and, and
04:59just the romantic quality you have.
05:01For a lot of fans listening to the radio and marking their summers and their season.
05:07Um, you know, that was me at a young age.
05:10Listen, I fell in love with listening to games on the radio and I still love it.
05:14And, and, and, you know, John and Susan for so many have been that for the last umpteen years.
05:21Gary, maybe it was that tape.
05:23He made you, but do you have a favorite memory of John from your interactions with him or traveling with
05:27him on the team plane?
05:29i don't know i think it's those many um times when he just you know john was a little on
05:37the
05:37quirky side and just he'd call me boonie hey boonie and and he just stopped with a lot of
05:49sweet comments getting on the bus again sometimes when we're going through a tough time in the
05:54season or or some really good times where he might and just always a kind supportive
06:02quirky word for me um that's probably the biggest biggest things i'll remember and then
06:09i love his calls i love it his voice the theatrical way he did things unlike anybody else he was
06:18his
06:18own he was an original never before never will there probably be anyone like him the way he did
06:25it so and i appreciate that and i ate it up i loved it uh randy sorry when did you
06:34um when did you start
06:36doing the yankees when was it when he retired uh it's been a couple years now i don't know but
06:44i've
06:44been doing it for a while and and when you were playing and now did you go back and listen
06:51to the
06:52home run calls after the game or was this something players would talk about coaches to talk about i
06:55don't know when i played because i don't know you had the place to go just easily do that now
07:03i could
07:03go hear whatever i want post game so um and i would do that so often with john anytime you
07:10know
07:11we we would have a big win you know i get home i got to hear how john called this
07:15or said this
07:17you
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