Suzyn Waldman pays tribute to John Sterling after retirement announcement: 'The voice of summer'

Amid news of John Sterling announcing his retirement on Monday, his Yankees compañera Suzyn Waldman took time out of Monday’s pregame show to pay tribute to her longtime broadcast partner.

“It's very tough. It's a very tough day for me personally,” Suzyn said. “Things won't ever be the same.

“I want everyone to know that this is the only job that John Sterling ever wanted in his whole life. I hope everybody appreciates the love and dedication and how much he gave to this. He gave his life to this team. He adores this team. It is the only thing he has ever wanted to do since he was a little boy and used to go to the ballpark with his buddies way back.”

Sterling will be honored on Saturday before the Yankees take on the Rays at Yankee Stadium, and Suzyn can only hope that the fans in attendance will give the radio voice of the Yanks the sendoff that he deserves.

“Saturday, I know they're going to have a ceremony on the field, and I hope everybody lets everybody know how they feel about him,” Suzyn said. “Because this is two generations of people now who know nothing except John Sterling as the voice of the Yankees. He is the voice of summer. He is the voice of baseball in this town. And he took it really, really seriously.

“I hope Saturday when everybody shows their love…I hope John feels it, because trust me, this is the only thing he has ever wanted to do in his entire life, and he got to live his dream, and most of us just don't.”

Sterling had been the voice of the Yankees since 1989, and he and Suzyn had been partners in the booth for 20 years. In those two decades, it became obvious to Suzyn that Sterling truly loved calling Yankee games, and hopes the fans felt the joy he projected when announcing Yankee baseball through multiple generations.

“He lives, sleeps and breathes baseball and particularly New York Yankees,” Suzyn said. “All I know is that we've been really lucky to have him in this town.”