It was always assumed that whoever was named New York Yankees radio play-by-play John Sterling’s successor would have a hard time living up to the kind of legacy he built.
However, as Dave Sims prepares for the enviable task of replacing the living legend, he seems focused on doing what has gotten him to this point.
After Sterling got his proper sendoff calling the Yankees’ postseason run this past season alongside Suzyn Waldman, Sims, who had been the play-by-play voice of the Seattle Mariners for the past 18 years, was ultimately named the one to replace Sterling in November.
Now that we are officially two weeks away from Opening Day, some might wonder what kind of emotions are going through Sims’ head as he awaits his Bronx on-air debut
Sims addressed this in a conversation with The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty, saying that while he views John Sterling as a “legend,” he plans on being himself and not trying to “impersonate” his predecessor.
“I’m not coming in to do impersonations or anything like that,” said Sims. “I must have done something right. I think doing what I have been doing is working. He had his time. This is my time.”
Suzyn Waldman also had plenty of positive things to say about her new on-air partner. She praised his on-air honesty, which she believes separates him from others who were considered as Sterling’s successor.
“You can feel what Dave is feeling,” Waldman said. “That’s the beauty of a baseball announcer. That’s why there are so few really brilliant ones. It’s hard to be totally real on the air. There is not a moment of dishonesty in anything that Dave Sims says. You get what he is feeling through the prism of a great broadcaster.”
While Sims may be a new voice for Yankees fans to hear during games, New York sports fans should undoubtedly be familiar with Sims given his experience across numerous New York-based outlets over the years, including the New York Daily News, WFAN, WNBC, MSG, NBC, and CBS.
For some Yankees fans, John Sterling will always be the premiere voice of the Yankees. After all, he has four decades worth of nostalgia on his side. But given Sims’s experience, he should be as good of a replacement as possible as we head into the 2025 MLB season.
