Yankees fans watching games on YES will be missing a long-time voice next season, after Ken Singleton announced he was retiring after this year.


The 70-year-old Singleton is the network's longest-tenured analyst, working Yankee games since 1997 (even before YES debuted in 2002). He is part of a rotating cast of commentators including Paul O'Neill, Al Leiter, David Cone, and John Flaherty. Singleton also fills in on play-by-play duty when Michael Kay is unavailable.

Like any fan of any team, I'm very opinionated when it comes to the voices calling the game. I like Kay as a strict play-by-play guy, but he tries to be too much of the entertainment. I love Paul O'Neill even though he goofs off most of the time, I like Cone's affection towards sabermetrics. Leiter can be a bit eye-rolling at times, and Flaherty doesn't really evoke any emotions from me, positive or negative. However, I do love Ken Singleton. Maybe it's because he's older, he always seemed to have a fatherly/grandfatherly demeanor. He had great stories about baseball in the 70s and 80s, playing with guys like Tom Seaver, Brooks Robinson, Reggie Jackson, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken Jr, Jim Palmer, and more. He has a fantastic voice, smooth and usually calm but able to hit the dramatic "LOOK OUT" when a batter is hit by a pitch or "this one is GONE" during a home run.

I'll miss you, Kenny! Also, if anyone has a connection at the YES Network, where can I submit my resume and demo?

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