Sports
Joe Girardi remembers John Sterling’s passion, humor in emotional tribute to Yankees legend: ‘I miss him’
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The Yankee Stadium crowd altered its usual roll call on Monday night in the series finale against the Baltimore Orioles to honor a legendary man synonymous with the team’s long history.
Chants for John Sterling, the longtime radio announcer for the New York Yankees, roared from the bleachers and seats in the Bronx on a somber Monday for baseball fans in the tri-state, and even across the country.
Joe Girardi was among those mourning the loss of an iconic voice that he had the pleasure of knowing as a player, manager and media colleague throughout his own career in baseball. Like many, Sterling’s impact was one Girardi felt immediately, which is why there was only one feeling when he heard the news.
Former New York Yankees player and manager Joe Girardi reflected on his relationship with the late John Sterling, the legendary radio announcer who passed away at 87. (GETTY)
“Just sadness because I know how much he meant to the organization, to the Yankees, to me, [and] to people,” Girardi, who serves as a YES Yankees analyst, told Fox News Digital in a phone interview on Monday.
“I’ve always loved to be around people that have such a great passion for what they do. John truly had that. He had a gift, but he truly had a passion. For that, his example was great. I miss him. I miss hearing him on the radio because there’s a lot of times I’m traveling and I’ll put the game on the radio. I have SiriusXM radio and listen to games. I miss it. I miss hearing him and Suzyn [Waldman].”
Waldman, Sterling’s long-time partner on WFAN Sports Radio, was one of those Girardi spoke with on Monday after hearing the news.
YANKEES RADIO ICON JOHN STERLING DEAD AT 87
“She said something that really resonated with me about John. She goes, ‘John only did what he wanted to do and never did anything he didn’t want to do.’ You think about living your life – that’s a good life,” Girardi explained. “I think of things I do that I don’t want to do, but I do them anyway. That wasn’t John Sterling. He lived his life to the fullest. He enjoyed it, enjoyed being around people, and was ready to go and do his job. He brought life into your family room, or into your car, or wherever he was at and whatever he was doing.”
For 64 years, Sterling was in the broadcast industry, but he left his mark on one of the most iconic organizations in all of sports when he joined the Yankees in 1989 and didn’t leave his post until April 2024.
Even then, Sterling returned to the radio booth for the Yankees’ postseason broadcasts as they made their way back to the World Series for the first time since Girardi’s 2009 team won it all over the Philadelphia Phillies.
It was during his time as a manager that Girardi said he remembers his favorite interaction with Sterling that rang true to the exceptional character and man he was.
New York Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling emcees the Old Timers Day ceremony before a game between the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York City on July 30, 2022. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
“I think the interactions that I remember the most, and it was well into my career obviously. I was the Yankees manager and John was doing the pre-game,” Girardi began. “We do it every day and John would have his old tape recorder, and have his phone with him. We were in the middle of the interview and he stops the tape. He takes his phone out of his pocket, flips it open because then they were flip phones. He says, ‘Darling, I’m doing the manager’s show. I’ll call you back in three minutes.’ I ‘m thinking, ‘Who does that?’ He beats his own drum so much, he stopped right in the middle of the show, and I believe we started over. But obviously that call was very important to him. When I think about it today, and this was many years ago, I still laugh today. This was early in my career as a manager because Suzyn took over, and I just sit laughing. That was John Sterling.”
Sterling was also known for his signature home run calls, something Girardi and many others waited with anticipation to hear when a player would hit it over the fences.
They always began with, “It is high, it is far, it is gone!” before breaking out into a catchphrase, or even a song. For Alex Rodriguez, “It’s an A-bomb from A-Rod,” or most recently with “Here comes the Judge!” when Aaron Judge hits a blast.
“Always curious what that was going to be,” Girardi added. “And I was thinking, ‘How do you come up with that?’ He was so creative – I wasn’t given that gene. He was so creative, I always wondered how he thought of it, how long it took him to think of it, and he never missed a beat. A guy got called up and hit a home run the second day? He had it. It was there.”
FILE – In this Sept. 25, 2009, file photo, New York Yankees broadcaster John Sterling sits in the booth before the Yankees’ baseball game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in New York. Sterling was helped out of his flooding car by Spanish radio play-by-play man Rickie Ricardo on Wednesday night, Sept. 1, 2021, after Sterling got stuck trying to drive home after a game. Sterling and Ricardo both called New York’s game at the Los Angeles Angels from Yankee Stadium because the radio crews have not resumed traveling with the team as part of COVID-19 protocols. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File)
Girardi admitted that being older now he appreciates more and more how gifted and talented Sterling was, as well as the grind he went through for so many years calling 162 games with spring training and many postseasons as well.
But even more precious to Girardi than the accolades, signature calls and a consecutive 5,060 games called was the care he had for everyone he ran into.
“What you saw was how much he cared about you as an individual and how much he cared you had success,” Girardi said. “That was the amazing thing about John: he wanted you to have success and for the Yankees to win. It meant something to him. It wasn’t him just doing a job. This was a huge part of his life, and the enjoyment it brought him, you could see it.”
The old cliché is do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.
For Girardi, Sterling did more than just that.
New York Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling speaks with Aaron Judge before the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium in New York on April 20, 2024. (New York Yankees/Getty Images)
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“He was an example of how you were supposed to live,” he said. “Find your passion and do it as long as you can. Joe Torre used to always say, ‘Don’t ever take your uniform off until they take it off you.’ That was John Sterling.
“That’s the sign of a man who truly loves what he does. That’s an example that we all need to look forward.”
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Cape Verde is a small island nation located off the coast of Africa. Its population is just over 524,800 and each one of them had to have been jubilant following their soccer team’s FIFA World Cup result against Spain.
Spain is one of the favorites to win the World Cup this year, but only picked up one point in their match against Cape Verde. The two sides came to a 0-0 tie on Monday in one of the biggest shockers of the tournament so far.
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Cape Verde players celebrate after the World Cup Group H soccer match against Spain in Atlanta on June 15, 2026. (Mike Stewart/AP)
Cape Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha kept Spain at bay in the first half despite an onslaught of shots. Spain had seven shots on goal, compared to Cape Verde’s one, but could never find the back of the net.
Mikel Oyarzabal took five of the seven shots.
Spanish sensation Lamine Yamal started the game off the bench, but even he couldn’t find the shot to get past Cape Verde.
The two squads will come away with one point each in the Group H matchup. It makes the road for Spain that much difficult as they await the result from the Saudi Arabia-Uruguay matchup later Monday.
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Cape Verde’s Dailon Livramento and Sidny Lopes Cabral celebrate after the World Cup Group H match against Spain in Atlanta on June 15, 2026. (Erik S. Lesser/AP)
Cape Verde is making its first World Cup appearance. The nation was a part of Portugal when the World Cup first began. It didn’t immediately become a FIFA member either.
The country started to vie for a World Cup appearance in 2002. They didn’t qualify for the tournament until this year as the field expanded to 48 nations.
Cape Verde is ranked 67th among FIFA members.
Spain won the World Cup in 2010 when the tournament took place in South Africa. In the last two tournaments, the nation only got as far as the round of 16.
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha celebrates a 0-0 draw during the World Cup Group H soccer match between Spain and Cape Verde in Atlanta on June 15, 2026. (Jacob Kupferman/Associated Press)
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Spain entered this year’s World Cup ranked No. 2.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Toronto Tempo forward Isabelle Harrison was tossed from Sunday’s game after committing a hard foul against the Atlanta Dream’s Angel Reese.
Reese had established position in the paint nearly four minutes into the third quarter when she was passed the ball. Harrison reached over and tackled her to the floor. Reese’s teammates immediately jumped in to separate the two players.
The takedown occurred with around 6:05 left in the third quarter, while the Dream were leading 52-42. Officials reviewed the play and Harrison was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for contact that was deemed “unnecessary and excessive” and ejected from the game.
Harrison, who was drafted in 2015, was the leading scorer for the Tempo with 17 points at the time she was tossed. Reese ended the game with 15 points and 17 rebounds in Atlanta’s 102-77 victory. It marks the ninth double-double of the season for the two-time All Star.
WNBA officials have been cracking down on physical play this season after complaints about the level of physicality last year.
Things appeared to get heated between the two former teammates, who crossed paths during Reese’s rookie season with the Chicago Sky, starting in the first half of Sunday’s game at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto. The players could be seen exchanging words throughout their match-up and at one point during the second quarter, Harrison swatted at the ball being held by Reese after play had already been stopped.
After the game, Tempo coach Sandy Brondello said Harrison’s ejection was “unfortunate” because Harrison was “playing so well.” When asked about what she was hoping to see from her team in their next stretch of games, Brondello mentioned consistency and her players “not getting too high [or] too low.”
“I think sometimes the emotions get the best of us and takes away from how we want to play,” Brondella said.
Dream guard Allisha Gray, who led all scorers with 26 points, praised her teammate after the game.
“Angel’s a beast on the boards,” Gray said. “She does everything that we need to help us win and accomplish our goals for the game. So, I think Angel did really well tonight, keeping her composure and really battling on the boards.”
The Dream (9-4) is currently fourth in league standings, while the Tempo (7-7) sit in ninth place.
Sports
Japanese World Cup fans clean up stadium with NFL quarterback after team draws with the Netherlands
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NFL quarterback Jameis Winston lent a helping hand on Sunday as Japanese soccer fans cleaned up trash around Dallas Stadium after the team came to a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands at the World Cup.
Videos posted to social media showed fans holding trash bags with the words “Japan Pride” emblazoned across them. The New York Giants quarterback, who is a FOX Sports soccer correspondent for the World Cup, was also seen cleaning up trash around the stadium.
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Japan earned a point in the group stage thanks to Daichi Kamada’s game-tying goal in the 88th minute of the match against the Dutch. The Samurai Blue fans were frenzied after the goal went into the back of the net.
“Our players managed to be tenacious but at the same time be patient and just keep calm and finding and seizing an opportunity,” Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said through an interpreter.
The Netherlands’ Virgil Van Dijk and Crysencio Summerville scored off the post in the second half. Japan’s Keio Nakamura got one back minutes later. All three goals were scored in a 14-minute span.
Japan fans clean up trash in the stadium following the World Cup Group F soccer match between the Netherlands and Japan in Arlington, Texas, on June 14, 2026. (Jessica Tobias/AP Photo)
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But conceding a goal late in the match was tough for the Dutch to swallow.
“It’s disappointing now because obviously conceding the lead is never good,” Van Dijk said. “It’s extra disappointing that we conceded from a set piece so late on.”
Japan fans watch the World Cup Group F soccer match between the Netherlands and Japan in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, on June 14, 2026. (Jessica Tobias/AP Photo)
The Netherlands beat Japan in their only other World Cup matchup in 2010.
“I’m disappointed that we didn’t win, but that’s because we were ahead twice,” Koeman added. “Many people underestimated Japan, but for the 100,000th time, if you underestimate them, that’s your problem. You think Japan’s strength was overexaggerated before the match? Let’s wait until the end of the tournament to see who’s right.”
Japan made it to the elimination round in 2022 and 2018. They’ve never been past the round of 16.
Japan’s Koki Ogawa celebrates with teammates after scoring the second goal against the Netherlands during a World Cup Group F match in Arlington, Texas, on June 14, 2026. (Julio Cortez/AP)
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The Netherlands is the only country to reach the final three times without winning the World Cup. The squad made it to the quarterfinals in 2022 but lost to Argentina on penalties.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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