As the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers prepare to face off in the 2024 World Series, there are plenty of reasons for longtime broadcaster Charley Steiner to be excited.
More than anything baseball-related, finding out that his cancer is in remission means that the World Series is simply a bonus.
“Remission is a beautiful word,” Steiner told Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke. “Monday was one of those days where it was like, OK, we’re good.”
The longtime broadcaster, who had stepped away from the Dodgers radio booth for a previously undisclosed reason, has been battling multiple myeloma blood cancer.
The 75-year-old former ESPN SportsCenter anchor, who also briefly called Yankees games with radio announcer John Sterling, missed the entire 2024 season after calling Dodgers games since 2005.
Steiner told Paschke he is wheelchair-bound, lost 50 pounds, and has been dealing with “constant debilitating lower back pain.” The initial announcement around Steiner’s absence for the 2024 season revolved around those back issues but did not mention cancer, which he says was initially diagnosed in January.
While he’ll unfortunately miss the Dodgers’ run to the World Series this season (though he called the 2020 title), the hope is that he’ll be back in the booth for next year.
“He’s part of our family, we care about him, we’ve been through this journey with him, we’re here to support him,” Dodgers VP and chief marketing officer Lon Rosen told the Los Angeles Times. “And yes, we expect him back next year.”
“Remember when the Dodger fans would always say, ‘Wait till next year?’” Steiner added. “That’s me. That’s going to be my time. Next year.”
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.