Yankees ended emotional day of John Sterling stories, tributes in perfect fashion

For 35 years of Yankees baseball, fans felt like they knew John Sterling intimately during his hours on the air — yet his personal life remained somewhat a mystery. He felt almost like he lived in the radio, a relic of baseball days bygone who did not inhabit the same earth we fans did.

Of course, in the wake of Sterling's passing, tributes flooded from all corners, and the ones from those who knew him most intimately hit the hardest, opening Yankee fans up to a new portion of Sterling's world.

He may have sounded like a kindly grandfather on the air who could occasionally let his emotions run wild, but off the air ... yes, he was exactly that. There was no discernible change. He was kind to the people who deserved it, and expected kindness in return.

Yankees beat writer Bryan Hoch shared a memory of Sterling, on the fly, coming up with a home run call for his daughter Penny upon meeting her.

Sterling also produced a home run call for the father of Nick Tyrell, who helped produce and edit the Yankees' excellent tribute that ran pregame on Monday.

The clips that revealed Sterling's true essence were endless. They ranged from heartwarming (YES Network's Name That Yankee was, of course, guess who?) to downright not-safe-for-work sad (do not watch this Michael Kay clip in public without being adequately prepared).

Kay and Sterling's longtime radio partner Suzyn Waldman set the ideal tone for Monday's extra-special attempt at a four-game sweep by laying flowers on home plate, evoking the way Bob Sheppard's passing was treated back in 2010. But when Kay reached the booth, he made it clear it was all business from that point forward — Sterling would've complained if it had been any other way.

Now, let's dispense with the niceties: there was no way the New York Yankees were losing that game. Not when Cam Schlittler got smoked by a 108 MPH grounder. Not when Jake Bird was called upon with the bases loaded, before landing a picture-perfect sweeper. And certainly not when they responded in the bottom of the sixth, then ran away and hid in the eighth, setting up a laugher with only one lingering question remaining: Would the Yankees play the clip to end the game?

Thankfully, the Yankees' production team responded to the energy in the building, closing the victory with a trademark Sterling, "THEEEEEEE ... YANKEES win!" blaring from the speakers, while Max Fried, Jose Caballero, and Jasson Domínguez mouthed the words to Frank Sinatra's "Theme From New York, New York" cover.

The game may have ended, but the tributes are unlikely to slow down anytime soon — and if the Yankees don't continue to play Sterling's win warble all year long (and in perpetuity?) it could be a major missed opportunity.

That said ... it would be tempting to call it "one perfect day" and move on, too. We couldn't argue either way.

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