Along with proposing TBS make emergency calls to Gary Cohen (or Ernie Harwell!) rather than endure another inning of Chip Caray’s playoff play-by-play, the New York Times’ Richard Sandomir rushes to the defense of weepy Suzyn Waldman.

Suzyn Waldman was unapologetic yesterday for choking up and sobbing briefly in her report Monday night on WCBS-AM after the Indians knocked the Yankees out of the playoffs. œThat™s who I am, she said by telephone. œIt™s unusual, but not for me. I am emotional. I™m a conduit between the players and the fans, and everyone was crying.

She added: œThat™s what I felt. I am who I am. I™m emotional. A lot of people like it, a lot of people don™t. I didn™t do it in a game, and I recovered.

It would be easy to condemn Waldman for losing her composure, demonstrating her feelings for Manager Joe Torre and shedding her professional stance. But Waldman is not a standard analyst. She can get away with reacting in a way that a male counterpart might be ridiculed for. (œI cry at ˜Cinderella,™  she said in the moments before she sobbed.) She is an empathetic personality ” her clubhouse demeanor is as much reporter as mother-confessor ” so her catch-in-her-voice weeping about Torre™s probable departure was not surprising.

œThere are a lot worse things than crying on the air, she said.

To me, it is worse to be a clueless announcer than one who is emotional in a sport where crying is prohibited by the cinematic manager Tom Hanks. But Torre cries, so maybe it™s good for all of us to get out our hankies. Chip Caray of TBS can set aside the hanky for a copy of a Manhattan map, access to MLB.com and a Yankees media guide.

I don’t disagree with any part of Sandomir’s argument other than his claim Waldman’s emotional outbursts are indulged where a male broadcasters wouldn’t be.  A cursory review of the blogosphere over the past 24 hours reveals Waldman been subjected to abuse similar to the sort she endured after the “goodness, gracious” episode.  Dig if you will, the following anonymous comments offered to Awful Announcing :

Maybe “Suzyn” can have a three-way with Whoopi and Pelosi… Now that’s something to really cry about. I remember about 15-20 years ago Democrat Senator Patsie Schroeder from Colorado actually cried on camera about losing her reelection bid. Girl’s will be girls !!! This announcer is uglier than the MSG girl who just beat Isiah’s arse in court.

I think her panties got moist when she screamed with joy over Clemens’ return. And if I were a betting man, I’d say it’s the only time in the last 20+ years that German Shepherd look a like has had any action.

…and then, there’s this :