Worst sports talk host ever: John Sterling during his WMCA days. His usual response when he disagreed with a caller was to calmly say, "You sir, are a jerk." He would flirt with female callers and instantly hang up on kids. Then there were the many times when he would completely lose his head during an argument with a caller. I remember how my dad used to turn to me and say, "That guy's a hothead, huh?" Sterling would also spend a lot of time talking about his "good friend" Kevin Loughery. He was hysterically funny for all the wrong reasons.
He was just as bad as a play-by-play guy, as anyone who remembers his days calling New York Raiders hockey and Nets basketball might agree. Sterling would often run out of breath due to his inability to keep up with the fast pace in hockey, where his "Raider goal! Raider goal! Raider goal!" call was contrived and pathetic (just like his home-run call is now). Then there were his basketball observations, such as the time he matter-of-factly told sidekick Mike DiTomasso, "Mike, Bubbles Hawkins has a chance to be a superstar in this league." The Nets wound up releasing Hawkins at season's end (many years later Hawkins was found dead in a crack house).
Sterling has since completed the play-by-play trifecta by also being terrible at baseball. It's a shame that a proud franchise like the Yankees have settled for the likes of him in the radio booth. Compared to Sterling, today's obnoxious sports talk hosts are a breath of fresh air.
