To say that Charley Steiner pulled his own weight in the YES Network hate-stakes, even compared to acknowledged pariahs Michael Kay and John Sterling, is pretty impressive. I can almost envision Bob Raissman and Phil Mushnick shaking their fists at the departure gate window (assuming, of course, that they slipped past sloppy airport security) as Charley flies off fill to Ross Porter’s shoes. From NYFans.com’s Phil Allard :

PHIL ALLARD: Ok, In general, how do you stay emotionally unattached and objective when you are covering the same team every day?

CHARLEY STEINER: What happens when you are broadcasting for a team, my philosophy is it™s in the fans interest for them to win, so consequently you are excited when they do win. If they don™t, it is your responsibility as a broadcaster to explain why they didn™t; so it™s not that difficult. You have to draw a fine line. I was always amused to read in the paper that I was a homer. I always thought that was interesting. I mean, here is a team, the Yankees, that I broadcast for 3 years. And they win 101 games a year. Where I come from that™s pretty good. I get blasted for being a homer and they win more than they lose. What am I supposed to say? That they suck? I mean my God, you read some of these guys in the paper…

PHIL ALLARD: Like Mushnick

CHARLEY STEINER: You read these guys and they™re all over me.

PHIL ALLARD: And they™re all over your buddy Sterling.

CHARLEY STEINER: Well there is a big difference. If I work at ESPN it™s a national audience. When you do that you are pretty much impassive to who wins and who loses. When you are broadcasting for a team you™re appealing to your fan base. Your fan base is primarily Yankee fans if you are doing a Yankee broadcast, Dodger fans if you are doing a Dodger broadcast. But never do I say œwe. It’s always ˜they and you™re working to an audience and you have to know who your audience is. That doesn™t mean that you are dishonest. But is it better if the home team wins rather than loses? Sure.


(it gets a little annoying to always be reminded that you’re the Jeff Bagwell to Steiner’s Larry Anderson, but it could be worse. )