The quintessential radio voice of the New York Yankees. He was paired on WABC 770 AM with Michael Kay until the 2001 season, but switched to WCBS 880 AM and was joined by ESPN analyst Charley Steiner for the 2002 season.
Sterling is known among all Yankees fans for his deep baritone voice, an excellent trait for a guy with a face for radio. Still, he has hosted a few talk shows on sports networks: Yankee Talk on the MSG Network, and 2002's Yankeeography and Yankees Classics on the upstart YES Network. Because of negotiations that caused most Cablevision customers to miss the telecasts on YES in 2002, Sterling and Steiner were the only game in town (no pun intended) for fans on Long Island.
According to his official bio (http://www.yesnetwork.com/announcers/index.cfm?cont_id=99560) Sterling has quite a prolific career in the broadcast booth, having started in 1971 with games for Morgan State University on the radio. In 1975, he began calling games for the New York Islanders and New York Nets (of the ABA) from Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island. He has also called games for the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Braves, and New Jersey Nets, but joined WABC in 1989 and has stayed with the Yankees since then. Incidentally, he has not missed a game since the fall of 1981, a streak longer than Cal Ripken, Jr.'s. Of course, Ripken had to actually play the games.
When the Yankees win, Sterling nearly always shouts "YANKEES WIN! THU-UH-UH-UH-UH-UH-UH-UH-UH YANKEES WIN!", drawing out "the" appropriately to the magnitude of the win. He also likes to accent the first word of "makes the catch" when a fielder catches a fly ball. When a home run is hit by a Yankee, Sterling always says "It is high, it is far, it is gone!" Other calls of note:
- The Yankees win the 1996 World Series: The stretch and pitch. Swung on and popped up again! Off third... Hayes... has room... Hayes... MAKES THE CATCH! THE YANKEES WIN! THU-UH-UH-UH-UH-UH-UH YANKEES WIN! The New York Yankees have won the 1996 World Series. They have surmounted every challenge.
- David Wells pitches a perfect game on May 17, 1998: The 0-1. Swung on! He's gonna get it! Popped up to right field. O'Neill near the line... he... MAKES THE CATCH! David Wells! David Wells has pitched a perfect game! 27 up, 27 down! Baseball immortality for David Wells. And the Yankees win! THE YANKEES WIN!
- David Cone pitches a perfect game on July 18, 1999: 1-1 pitch. HE POPPED IT UP! He's gonna get it. Brosius down from third... Brosius... MAKES THE CATCH! BALLGAME OVER! A perfect game! A perfect game for David Cone! (note that Sterling did not say "the Yankees win" here)
- The Yankees beat the Seattle Mariners in the 2000 American League Championship Series: It'll be an 0-1 to Edgar. The... pitch is hit on the ground to short. Jeter hustles, deals, fires, GOT HIM! BALLGAME OVER! American League Championship Series over! Yankees win! THU-UH-UH-UH-UH YANKEES WIN!
Source: my own memory, and sound clips available from (among other places) http://www.interlockingny.com.