Of late, New York has welcomed a season of change.
One of the best things to happen to broadcasting for the New York Yankees was the early departure of John Sterling, which likely precipitates Suzyn Waldman to also leave prematurely.
Ever since Phil Rizzuto, Bobby Murcer, and Bill White aged out of broadcasting, the Yankees’ TV and radio booths have been relatively subpar. Though Michael Kay has voiced countless important moments in pinstriped history, he comes off sounding pompous and arrogant at times, largely reflected in his ESPN radio show.
Sterling has a good voice—the perfect timbre and cadence for radio that he perfected over nearly five decades—but he was largely schtick over substance (see his infamous home run calls). Despite decades of exposure to the game, neither of them knows baseball all that well, leaning on the expertise of individuals like Waldman and Ken Singleton to endure a broadcast.
Given Sterling’s exit, we can now listen to the Yankees on the radio and marvel at how great Rickie Ricardo is. Should he be granted the job full-time, Yankee fans are in for a treat with the former Spanish telecaster for the Philadelphia Phillies and Eagles, who purposely channels the great Jon Miller, on the microphone, with Ryan Ruocco, periodic stand-in for Michael Kay on the YES Network and voice of the New York Liberty and the WNBA on ESPN and ABC, serving as a prime candidate for Kay’s replacement many years down the line.
Beyond the Yankees, the New York Rangers have tremendous talent with Sam Rosen, Dave Maloney, Joe Micheletti, John Giannone, and Don La Greca (the best reason to tune into Kay’s radio show) in their booths. (Yes, the 2024-25 season is the last for Rosen, but his likely replacement, Kenny Albert, should seamlessly slide right into the competent crowd.)
The New York Giants flaunt Bob Papa and Carl Banks.
Kenny Albert can be found across so many booths, Giants, Rangers, and New York Knicks included. Plus, considering the 2024-25 season is Sam Rosen’s last, most believe Marv’s son will slide right into the competent Big Apple broadcasting crowd.
The New York Jets share the talents of Ian Eagle and Bob Wischusen.
The New York Mets feature the best tandem in all of baseball with Gary Cohen, Ron Darling, Keith Hernandez, and Steve Gelbs on TV, and Howie Rose on the radio.
And then there’s the Knickerbockers, who call on legendary voices like Mike Breen and Walt Frazier on television and Pat O’Keefe and the up-and-coming Monica McNutt on the radio, the latter of whom—a young woman of knowledge and substance over style—called Stephen A. Smith out on his nonsensical and egregious insights on Caitlin Clark and the WNBA, which likely cost her a spot on ESPN’s First Take.
To that, we say, who cares: lifelong Knicks fan Jon Stewart did right by Monica, giving her a national platform to speak and showcase her talents.
In a segment on the “The Daily Show”, Stewart praised Monica’s passion “that cuts through” every one of her broadcasts, and McNutt was quick to lift up her broadcasting partner O’Keefe amidst Stewart’s rousing commendations.
McNutt’s ascension from the ACC Network in 2019 to going toe-to-toe with Stephen A. Smith demonstrates what we love about sports broadcasting: using the power of one’s voice to cut through the noise and the farce.
Though ESPN has used Monica every which way to illustrate her ability, from “SportsCenter” to “Around the Horn,” “First Take,” “NBA Today,” and WNBA and women’s college basketball coverage, McNutt truly found her way this season alongside Pat O’Keefe, calling the New York Knicks on the radio at such a high level that being stuck in the car instead of at home would not be such an awful proposition, given McNutt’s fervor that warranted her spot on “The Daily Show
With all the buzz surrounding her viral moment with Smith and time across the desk with Stewart, Monica McNutt has earned her place amongst the many great voices that comprise New York sports, and much to our delight, she is only just getting started.
Thankfully, her rise will continue given what the national stage is starting to realize: Monica McNutt knows ball on a level deeper than most of her peers, men and women alike.
