Mike Francesa criticizes John Sterling for un-retiring – yes, really

Mike Francesa, who once came out of retirement, thinks John Sterling is making a mistake by ending his retirement to call Yankees playoff games.

Francesa joined Christopher Russo’s SiriusXM Radio show Thursday afternoon to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Mike and the Mad Dog launching on WFAN. Shortly before the reunion, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported WFAN offered Sterling the opportunity to come out of retirement for the playoffs, and the iconic radio play-by-play voice of the Yankees accepted. While most people expressed excitement over the decision, Francesa and Russo threw cold water on the announcement.

Mike Francesa (Mike Francesa!!!) criticizes John Sterling for coming back to broadcast Yankee games in the postseason.

The jokes just write themselves sometimes. pic.twitter.com/MUkg7nqJBy

— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) September 5, 2024

“I think John made a mistake coming back,” Francesa said. “I thought he had a very good exit, I thought he got treated very well. I think he’s making a mistake coming back, I really do. If I was gonna give him advice – and he doesn’t need advice from me – but I would tell him, I think he’s making a mistake coming back.”

Russo recalled being critical of Gary Cohen in 2006 for bumping then Mets radio announcer Tom McCarthy out of his chair to rejoin Howie Rose for two innings every game of those playoffs. But that was different, McCarthy was hired to replace Cohen prior to the 2006 season. Sterling’s immediate successors did not sign up to be his permanent replacement, nor were they guaranteed to be the announcers during the playoffs.

“I don’t think it’s fair,” Francesa continued. “Sooner or later, you’ve got to let somebody else work! It’s just the way it is. I just think it’s wrong. He’s had his day in the sun! He’s had his championships. Let the other kids work!”

The 86-year-old Sterling announced his retirement in April, two and a half weeks into the Major League Baseball season. WFAN has used a rotating cast of announcers to fill the void, led by Justin Shackil, Emmanuel Berbari and Ricki Ricardo. It’s one thing for someone to criticize Sterling for putting his retirement on pause after six months to call playoff games, in the name of his successors. It’s another for that criticism to come from someone who has experience in ending a retirement with no regard for his successors.

Francesa retired from WFAN for the first time in Dec. 2017 and was replaced by a show featuring Bart Scott, Maggie Gray, and his former producer Chris Carlin. In April 2018, Francesa came back, ruthlessly bumping his replacement into an awkward early afternoon timeslot.

Francesa will probably argue WFAN’s parent company asked him to make a comeback, but that’s exactly what happened with Sterling. The Yankees needed to pick an announcer for the postseason and what better option than someone who did it for 36 years. Sterling wasn’t begging for his job back, he was offered it.

To Francesa’s credit, he admitted to Kevin Clancy of Barstool Sports that he regretted coming back, citing the fact that his first ending with WFAN was perfect. But when criticizing Sterling’s comeback, he never mentioned speaking from experience. And unlike Francesa, Sterling’s first retirement was fine, but it was far from perfect. If his voice is up to the challenge, Sterling deserves the opportunity to go out on a more prominent game than a random night in April.

[SiriusXM via Funhouse]