In the heart of the intriguing series between the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners, a new drama unfolded that goes beyond the diamond. At the centre of it is Dave Sims, a former Seattle Mariners broadcaster, who finally made his return to T-Mobile Park. It was the first time that the Yankees announcer called the game from the visitor’s radio box during the Monday series opener between the Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees. But it wasn’t a warm welcome that he expected, as an NFL legend didn’t hold himself back from taking a dig at him. And as expected, the fans didn’t hold back either.

Dave Sims was appointed as the broadcaster for the Yankees in the offseason, replacing John Sterling. He spent the majority of his tenure to date with the Mariners; however, he revealed enjoying being part of the Yankees and working alongside Suzyn Waldman. In his less than 40 games as the radio station’s announcer, Sims, 72, did not attend the New York Yankees’ series against the Athletics. For this reason, Boomer Esiason, a former NFL quarterback, criticized him for committing to the role that many had envisioned, especially early in his tenure.

“What are you doing? You just took the Yankee job! It’s supposed to be the job of your life.” Boomer Esiason made his voice clear that he was disappointed with Dave Sims taking a series off so early. There was even a comparison with John Sterling, who was known for his sheer dedication to the game and not missing the games from the booth, mostly. With Sims taking over, Sterling’s retirement signified the end of an era, but there will undoubtedly be high expectations.

Esiason further said, “We love Dave Sims, but I’m going to call it out as I see it. You just got started as the Yankee announcer, and he’s 40 games into his career as the Yankee announcer, and he decided to take off.” In case you were not aware, Sims chose to skip the A’s series in order to spend more time with his loved ones. But Esiason remained firm in his statement, as he believed that Sims could have taken the leave some days later.

However, Boomer Esiason’s remarks didn’t go well with the fans, as they grilled him for attacking the Yankees announcer over family time.

NFL legend’s remarks on Yankees announcer sparks massive fans’ outrage

It was another day and another dominant start for the New York Yankees this season. It might have been something for the fans to rejoice about, but the recent drama centering on the Yankees announcer, who was criticized by Boomer Esiason, had the fans in a frenzy. One of them commented, “Boomer is beyond weird. Why would this annoy you?!!! They’re playing the friggin’ Athletics!!!” Taking a dig at him, the fan seems to consider that it’s no big deal, as it’s against the Athletics, who are currently standing at second place in the AL West with 21-20. Not to forget that the Yankees-Mariners game was a much-anticipated faceoff that everyone was waiting for, which Sims didn’t miss.

“You’re now regulating when people take off? This is staged so people can comment. Well, people are commenting.” That’s a direct dig at Boomer Esiason, as it seems like Esiason was trying to control when broadcasters need to take a leave. It’s entirely up to a person and his freedom to make decisions and no one has the right to question—that’s what the fan feels.

Following this came more criticism: “People forget Boomer publicly said Daniel Murphy’s wife should have gotten a C-section so he didn’t have to miss more than 1 game when he played for the Mets.” And it’s true—Esiason has been outspoken too often at times and it seems like he has forgotten what needs to be said publicly and what not. 

Another X user, criticizing his remarks, wrote, “Ridiculous take. Boomer is just trying to stay relevant during the non-football season. Good job by him by nailing it from that premise. I like Dave Sims. Everyone is entitled to a little PTO. I will say, Dave and Suzyn don’t flow well. Downgrade of an overall listen from where we’ve been.” For the NFL legend, there isn’t enough work in hand, given that there are not any football games at the moment. However, based on the fan’s comment, the announcing might be a bit down with Sterling’s retirement and Sims and Suzyn might not go as well as they used to earlier.

Finally, a sensible comment came from a fan, who wrote, “I’m not an expert but I imagine baseball radio is an absolutely wild schedule during the season, and I personally want my radio announcer to work hard but also be rested and have quality family time. End of story.” It’s true that this MLB season has been quite hectic, with the excitement level peaking and personal narratives intertwining. It’s clear that even though the announcers put in a lot of work, they occasionally need to spend time with their families, which may help them stay motivated and engaged over time.

Do you think Dave Sims’ absence was something that shouldn’t have drawn as much criticism as the NFL legend did?