Charley Steiner | |
|---|---|
 Steiner in 2008 | |
| Born | Charles Harris Steiner (1949-07-17)July 17, 1949 (age 76) New York City, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Bradley University |
| Occupation | Sports announcer |
| Years active | 1969 (1969)–present |
| Term | 1988–2002 |
| Sports commentary career | |
| Team | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Genre | Play-by-play |
| Sport | Major League Baseball |
Charles Harris Steiner[1] (born July 17, 1949[2]) is an Americansportscaster andbroadcast journalist. He is currently theradioplay-by-play announcer for theLos Angeles Dodgers, paired withRick Monday.
Steiner was born in 1949 inForest Hills, Queens, New York City.[3] He grew up aBrooklyn Dodgers fan in a Jewish family inMalverne, New York, already idolizingVin Scully at the age of seven.[4] He attendedBradley University inPeoria, Illinois, graduating in 1971.[5]
Steiner began his career as a newscaster forWIRL radio in Peoria, in 1969, while still a student at Bradley. In 1971, after graduation from college, he began hosting his first sports show onKSTT radio inDavenport, Iowa. A year later, Steiner moved toNew Haven, Connecticut, and worked forWAVZ radio as its news director, before moving north toHartford andWPOP radio in a similar capacity.[6]
In 1977, Steiner relocated toWERE (1300 AM) inCleveland, Ohio, where he served as a sportscaster and later news director. While in Cleveland, he received his first television exposure whenWKYC-TV hired him as a sports commentator.
Steiner entered the New York market in 1978 atWXLO-FM where he did newscasts for, among others, then-morning host and future actorJay Thomas.[7] He later moved over to sister stationWOR for several years as itsmorning drivesportscaster, while working simultaneously as the sports director for theRKO Radio Network.[8] He was also the play-by-play voice for theUSFL'sNew Jersey Generals entire existence from 1983 to 1985, and for theNFL'sNew York Jets in1986 and1987.
It was during his time with RKO Radio that he was involved in a fracas at the conclusion of apress conference afterJohn McEnroe had won his semifinals match atWimbledon in 1981. Throughout the tournament, McEnroe had consistently requested not to discuss the status of his relationship with then-girlfriendStacy Margolin.[9] WhenDaily Stargossip columnist James Whittaker persisted in broaching the subject, McEnroe cursed at him and theBritish media and prematurely ended the press conference by storming out of the room.[10] Steiner confronted Whittaker to say, "C'mon, man, you are just messing it up for everybody else. We want to get our quotes." Right at that point, Nigel Clarke, another British reporter who then worked for theDaily Mirror, stuck his index finger in Steiner's face.[9] Clarke then got up on a chair and attempted to rain punches down on Steiner who successfully wrestled his adversary to the floor.[11] Surprisingly, Steiner later was personally thanked by the head of theAll England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club who also had a disdain for the Britishtabloids.[9]
Steiner joinedESPN in 1988, primarily as an anchor onSportsCenter. In addition to those duties, he served as the network's leadboxing analyst.[12]
Steiner was involved in many comical situations during his tenure onSportsCenter, including one broadcast in 1993 whenCarl Lewis sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to aNew Jersey Nets game. Amused by hearing Lewis' terrible rendition of the song, Steiner began chortling during theSportsCenter show that night, unable to stop until the show ended. His famous comment on the event was that the song had apparently been written by "Francis Scott Off-Key", a pun on the author of "The Star-Spangled Banner",Francis Scott Key.[13]
Steiner was featured in a series of well-known television promos from ESPN'sThis is SportsCenter comical promo campaign. In 1999, amid fears of theY2K situation, Steiner starred in a promo where theSportsCenter cast spoke about a "contingency plan" at ESPN's studiosafter Y2K, and Steiner was featured wearing a tie as a head band (along withBraveheart-style face paint) and screaming the phrase "Follow me to freedom!"[14] A second promo featured Steiner being traded from ESPN toMelrose Place in exchange for actorAndrew Shue. While Shue delivers a straight-up report on a meeting withPaul Tagliabue, Steiner is then seen wearing shorts and introduces himself toLaura Leighton (in character asSydney Andrews) as the new "pool boy" in the show's apartment complex.[15] Steiner starred in a third promo with boxerEvander Holyfield. In the opening shot, Evander questions Stuart Scott about Steiner's assessment that Holyfield is only the "50th best heavyweight of all-time"; Stuart then deadpans that he meant "the 50th best heavyweight — in Georgia". In the final scene, an angry Holyfield is seen roaming the halls of ESPN screaming, "Charley! Come on out and get your whoopin'! Charley, come on out! Steiner!" Steiner is seen cowering under a desk. In another promo for the campaign, Steiner talks about how at ESPN the personalities can cover the sports that they enjoy and he says that his is boxing. During the promo several personalities try to pick a fight with him and he walks away from them all until the end when Steiner is getting into his car andOtto the Orange comes up to him and Steiner takes out all of his frustrations out on Otto by punching him square in the face.
On August 9, 2004, Steiner returned to ESPN to co-host an "old school" version ofSportsCenter withBob Ley.
Steiner also hosted a program on theNFL Network calledFootball America, which ran from 2003 to 2005. He has also been shown in frequent cuts of interviews for the network'sNFL Top 10 series, discussing such subjects as former Jets defensive endMark Gastineau. Cuts of his play-by-play of the Jets' September 1986 overtime victory (51–45) over theDolphins are used in retrospectives on that game. Steiner was also interviewed on the 1986New York Jets–Cleveland Browns playoff game in which he proclaimed the Jets would win following a fourth-quarter touchdown only to see the Browns tie the game and win in double overtime.
WhenESPN Radio gained broadcast rights forMajor League Baseball's national radio package fromCBS in 1998, Steiner became its lead announcer, working Sunday night games, theAll-Star Game, andpostseason games. (Steiner never worked theWorld Series while he was calling games for ESPN Radio, however, as those were covered by then-lead TV voiceJon Miller.)
Steiner's most controversialhome run call came in the2001 All-Star Game atSafeco Field on July 10. His utterance of "Who wrote this script?" to punctuateCal Ripken Jr.'s third-inning homer offChan-Ho Park fueled speculation about whether the achievement was legitimate or that the pitch wasgrooved to enable a legendary sendoff.[16]
Steiner left ESPN in 2002 and joined theNew York Yankees' radio booth, replacingMichael Kay asJohn Sterling's play-by-play partner. Steiner was at the microphone whenYankees third basemanAaron Boone won Game 7 of the2003 American League Championship Series with a home run in the eleventh inning to defeat theBoston Red Sox.
There's a fly ball deep to left... it's on its way... there it goes... and the Yankees are going to theWorld Series! Aaron Boone has hit a home run! The Yankees go to the World Series for the thirty-ninth time in their remarkable history! Aaron Boone down the left field line... they are waiting for him at home plate, and now he dives into the scrum! The Yankees win it, six to five!
After Steiner completed his call, he joined Sterling in his famous "Yankees win! Theeeeeeeeeeee Yankees win!" call, saying he "had always wanted to do that".[17]
Steiner and Sterling reportedly had a contentious relationship during their three years together.[18]
Steiner left the Yankees after the following season, his last game being the infamous Game 7 of the2004 American League Championship Series in which the Red Sox completed its historic"reverse sweep" over its rivals after trailing 3 games to 0. He was originally slated to move to theYES Network as a studio host, but afterRoss Porter, longtime radio voice of theLos Angeles Dodgers (Steiner's favorite team growing up, with the team still based inBrooklyn) was let go by the team, Steiner was hired to take his place.
For four years covering the 2005 through 2008 seasons, the Dodgers' unique broadcasting arrangement had Steiner teamed with analystRick Monday and working play-by-play on radio during all home andintra-divisional road games. However, Steiner's duties during these games would begin with the fourth inning and cover the remainder of the game, as the first three innings were a radio/televisionsimulcast voiced byVin Scully. Steiner handled television play-by-play on all other games (with analystSteve Lyons), primarily road contests east of theRocky Mountains. For the 2009 season, the Dodgers had Steiner and Monday as their radio team for all 162 games, though the Scully simulcast of the first three innings would remain.[19] Starting in 2014, Steiner was paired withOrel Hershiser on the television broadcast for all games Scully did not call, and broadcast on the radio with Monday the other games.
Steiner also used to hostBaseball Beat onXM Satellite Radio'sMLB Home Plate channel, where he talked exclusively to writers, authors, columnists, broadcasters, or celebrities on their thoughts and analysis of the current state of baseball.[20] Steiner's last episode ofBaseball Beat aired on January 16, 2009.
Following Vin Scully's retirement from the Dodgers after the 2016 season, the team split its radio-TV duties between Steiner andJoe Davis, with Steiner remaining on the radio side but switching to television on those occasions Davis has aFox Sports assignment. Starting with the 2019 season he worked radio only withTim Neverett and laterStephen Nelson replacing him as the alternate TV announcers.
Steiner was unable to work any games for the Dodgers during the 2024 season due to his battle withmultiple myeloma blood cancer.[21]
Steiner returned to call the Dodgers' domestic Opening Day at Dodger Stadium vs. the Detroit Tigers on March 27, 2025 but apparently had to leave the radio booth at the 7th inning stretch due to cancer aftereffects (fatigue), as his 2024 primary replacement, Stephen Nelson, began the bottom of the 7th and called the final two innings alongside Rick Monday. Steiner's sudden disappearance from the booth was not addressed during the broadcast apart from a throwaway line from Nelson, "I didn't know I was going to work today."
Steiner, an Emmy Award recipient, was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame on November 9, 2013, becoming the 17th sportscaster admitted into the Hall. In December 2010 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from his alma materBradley University, where he gave the commencement address. Steiner received theUnited Press International award for "Best Sportscaster for New York,New Jersey andConnecticut" in 1981, 1983, and 1985. His football play-by-play work earned him the New York State Broadcasters Association Award for "Best Radio Play-by-Play" in 1983, 1984, and 1987. During his fourteen years at ESPN, Steiner won aCableACE award for a documentary onMuhammad Ali and aClarion award for his coverage of theMike Tyson rape trial.Bradley named its school of sports communication for Steiner at a ceremony in March, 2015.[5]
Charley Steiner went out and became Charles Harris Steiner, PhD.
I was born in Forest Hills...
He grew up in Malverne, N.Y., on Long Island. He was a Dodgers fan.
