The Big Lead

Yankees' new play-by-play voice received 'a lot of ugly, ugly mail' at last job

By J.P. Hoornstra

Nov. 27, 2009; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFL announcer Dave Sims during the game between the Las Vegas Locomotives against the Florida Tuskers during the UFL championship game at Sam Boyd Stadium. The Locomotives defeated the Tuskers 20-17 in overtime.
Nov. 27, 2009; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UFL announcer Dave Sims during the game between the Las Vegas Locomotives against the Florida Tuskers during the UFL championship game at Sam Boyd Stadium. The Locomotives defeated the Tuskers 20-17 in overtime. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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News that the New York Yankees hired Dave Sims to replace their retiring radio play-by-play broadcaster, John Sterling, was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews. Sims, 72, has paid his dues in New York media — first as a sports reporter with the New York Daily News, later as an afternoon sports-talk radio host on WFAN, and a television anchor on WCBS.

Sims then worked a variety of television and radio play-by-play roles in college basketball, college football, and the NFL before becoming a fixture in the Seattle Mariners' television broadcast booth in 2007. Since then, Sims has thrice been acclaimed as the Washington Sportscaster of the Year from the National Sports Media Association.

However, Sims' road to acceptance was rocky. He told Richard Deitsch on the Sports Media Podcast that his reception in Seattle was not universally pleasant.

"I essentially was brought in as the heir apparent to Dave Niehaus in Seattle," Sims said. "And I was told the other day that they shielded a lot of ugly mail from me — ugly, ugly mail. I got used to being there. I got comfortable with being there. They got comfortable with me. This last week, the DMs on Instagram, Twitter, and everything has been largely unbelievably positive."

Sims is one of two African-Americans, along with the Houston Astros' Robert Ford, who will be their team's lead radio play-by-play voice in 2025. Only five African-Americans have served as their team's lead play-by-play voice on radio or television, according to Ford.

At least Sims didn't have to sit with the discomfort of the readers' hate mail for more than a decade. Here's hoping he doesn't have to be shielded from anything in New York.

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