The longtime voice of the New York Yankees on the YES Network, Michael Kay has also been sitting down with some of the biggest names in sports, entertainment and politics as the host of “CenterStage” for the past two decades. Some of his favorite moments from the show, on camera and off, are collected in the new book “CenterStage: My Most Fascinating Interviews — From A-Rod to Jay-Z.”
You can also hear Kay on his afternoon show on ESPN Radio in New York City.
I certainly remember when "CenterStage" and the YES Network started. Did you expect to be doing the show this long?
Wow. You know what? I'm shocked. It's 20 years. I can't say I expected to do it this long. Who knows how long it's gonna last? The first year the YES Network started, we weren't even carried on Cablevision. And you know, I've only found out a couple of years ago that we're in danger of having the entire network end after one year if we didn't get on Cablevision, because that carried like 6 million viewers in New York. So to say I thought I'd be here 20 years from now, well, it was sketchy. I'll say that, Ian.
You had your dream job of doing the Yankees on the radio for a decade. Did you have any trepidation about moving over to TV when this fledgling network got started?
Oh, yeah. I mean, I had worked with John Sterling for 10 years on the radio. And you know, that was my dream job is to do the Yankees, be a broadcaster for the Yankees since I was 9. So during those 10 years with John, we called five World Series, four championships. And I thought that that would be my job, you know, for the rest of my professional life. And then when they started the YES Network, you know, they wanted me to, to be the lead play-by-play guy, I was kind of startled. So, I did have trepidation because I knew the John situation, I could have been there for a long time. And I didn't know if I'd be good at the TV part of it. I didn't know if the YES Network would last. So it was a little bit of a gamble. But it's a gamble I'm glad I took.
It's different on TV than on the radio. With the radio side of it, it was just the two of you every night on TV. The YES Network has so many different contributors from the sideline to color commentators, what makes for a good relationship on a broadcast, from your perspective?
I think you really do have to get along with the people you work with. Because I think that comes across on the air. And the greatest compliment we get in is that we sound like we're friends. And we all really enjoy each other's company. And the difference between TV and radio is stark. Because on radio, the play-by-play guy is actually the star. And the analyst, he helps out a little bit. But on TV, it's the analysts that are the star. So I think the best relationship you could have is a giving one where you're the point guard, you're just setting up your analyst. So there not a lot of star turns as a play-by-play guy on TV, because you see everything. But the analysts are really, really important. So just to set them up, I think is my biggest job.
Have the past two seasons caused you to change how you think about your job at all with the pandemic season and not doing the games in person as much? And then this season where it's been a mix of going on the road and not going on the road for most broadcasters. Has your perspective changed on this at all?
I think my whole perspective on life has changed. I mean, it could be taken away so quickly. You know, everybody was in danger; there about 600,000 people in this country alone that lost their lives. And I think you also get a perspective of how important people are, the fans are to the whole process, even on a television game. It's kind of like the frame of a picture. And the picture without a frame is just not the same. So I just appreciate everything about a crowd more than I used to be and like, last year was so dark and heavy, almost dystopian, doing games in empty stadiums. You know, yesterday's game for the Yankees had 27,000 people there and that felt great. You just feel like there's a return to normalcy. So I just have an appreciation of everything. I know it sounds corny, but I guess you smell the flowers a little bit more when something like the last year and a half happens.
Let's talk about “CenterStage.” This is something I think about a lot in this job. A broadcast interview is such a kind of like artificial construct and you know, in your experience, so many of the people you talk to have a an established public persona, or they're promoting something, they're on a movie junket, that kind of thing. What's the best way to break down those barriers and get to something real in your mind?
Well, I think a lot of it has to do with the length of the show, as strange as that sounds, you know, we're sitting down on that stage for an hour. And the longer you're with somebody, the more they trust you. And the more they trust you, I believe that, the more they'll give you, if they feel it's a conversation, rather than an inquisition, I really think that goes a long way I really do. So the longer you're sitting with somebody, and they can ignore the cameras in the studio audience and the fact that it's going to be an interview that's going to be played on TV, I think that's big, I really do, I just think the trust factor gets people open up, and they'll know that we'll get to what they're trying to promote. But they also realize that the show is about the arc of their lives. And to be honest with you, and there's so many, you know, these are a list stars, and one of the things I like most in life is talking about themselves. And when they realize they have an hour, to just kind of like form the message that they want to put across. I think they get into it.
You're known as a competitive person. And you've also said that you don't like being criticized, which is kind of unusual for someone in your position. Where do you get your competitive drive from?
You know what, I guess from my background, I grew up poor. And I know that nothing is handed to you, and everything could be taken away. So I get very competitive to be as good as I can be, and you know, with my radio show, to get the ratings that you're supposed to get. And I also, I believe that you owe something to your employer, you know, they're paying you money, they deserve the best that you have to give. So the competition arises from that. And also, because I'm honest about the fact that, you know, I've got thin skin almost to the translucent level, I don't want to be criticized. So if you're competitive and you win, you're going to be criticized, probably less than less. So maybe I'm just trying to avoid the criticism.
Has that gotten easier as you've gotten older and more successful in your career? I mean, shouldn't your skin be thicker by now?
No, no, it has not gotten easier. I'm sure it's a fundamental flaw that I have. And I'm not saying I'm right about it. And I believe and I don't know, I can't swear to this, most people in this business have it. And they, they don't admit it, because they don't want to admit any kind of weakness. I don't think it's a weakness. It's an honesty. And that's why, you know, with my four and a half hour radio show every day, I could come back at people. If I feel I'm unfairly criticized, I don't want to be criticized, if I make a mistake, or if I blow a call. But if the criticism is just, you know, very surface level and silly, that kind of bothers me. And if the criticism is incorrect, where they say you did something wrong, when I did it, I could prove it, I'm not gonna sit back and just let it linger. I'll fight back. So you would think that as I get older, and maybe, you know, more established that I should be a little bit more thick skin, but I don't know, I'm sure I'd be a delight for some psychiatrist somewhere.
As we speak, the Yankees have righted the ship a little bit, but they're really underachieving as far as what was expected this year, do you think you'll see them playing in the playoffs?
I think they have a chance. I think today's a big day, because they're gonna stop using sticky stuff, or they're gonna start, you know, checking the pitchers. And I think that's going to bring the pitchers down a notch, might bring Yankee pitching down a notch too. But as long as the Yankees hit home runs, they'll be competitive. And when they struggled for the first few months of the season, they couldn't hit home runs. And this team is not built to create runs, they don't run the bases well. They're not going to string together five or six hits in a row. They're just not that team. So either they hit home runs and win, or they struggle. And the first two months they were struggling. Now they're starting to hit the ball better. Gary Sanchez is returning to the form that he had a couple of years ago and Judge has had a very good year. Stanton's come off the IL and he's contributing. So I think they have a chance. I wouldn't say it's a slam dunk because at the beginning of the year, I thought they would easily win the American League pennant and be in the World Series. But things have gone awry, you know, injuries, they've lost Aaron Hicks. They're a heavily right-handed lineup, which I didn't think would affect them as much as it has. So they've got some things going against them. But all they had to do was play to the back of their baseball card, not do anything extraordinary. Just do things that they've done in the past. And I think they've got a pretty good shot.
All right, I just got a couple of minutes left with you. Let me end with a CenterStage inspired lightning round. OK?
All right.
Should baseball keep the runner on second in extra innings?
No, I hate it. Just hate it. It's carnival baseball. I understand the strain and stress of having a long extra inning game. But sorry, that's part of baseball. The runner is second so artificial to me. I hate it.
I'm with you on that. You became a family man relatively late in life. What was the biggest surprise that came along with that?
How much work kids are. You think it's all fun and games, but it's a lot of work. I mean, I love them to tears. But at 6 and 8 they wear daddy out. But it certainly brought a different perspective to life, that's for sure.
You've made no secret of the fact that you're a picky eater. What food haven't you tried yet that is still on your list?
To try?
Yeah.
I don't know. I would think I would think if I haven't tried it yet, I don't have any plans. But you know, we always do stuff on the radio show where they're trying to get me to try stuff. And like last week, I had a double cheeseburger for the first time. I've never had a cheeseburger in my life. I've never had American cheese. So who knows what I'm going to try. But there's nothing on a list that I can't wait to try.
As we said, You worked with John Sterling for a decade. What did you two talk about off the air?
Oh, everything. John's a different bird. You know, he's just has a different outlook on life. And I love him. But we will talk about anything. You know, he loves sports. You know, it's not just like he's a he's an announcer but he loves sports. So we talked about that. We talked about some of the books he read, talked about his family. He has. He has four children. You know, obviously we still talk. I mean, we're still very close. We just don't work together. But yeah, we talked about everything. We ran the gamut.
Your uncle was the late great actor Danny Aiello. What's your favorite performance of his?
Probably ‘Do the Right Thing.’ I thought he should have won the Academy Award for that. But there's also a real under the radar movie that I love. It's ‘29th Street,’ which now seems like it's a movie that they always play around Christmas. I thought he was unbelievable in that. It’s about the first lottery winner in New York. It's a great movie, I thought he had a great performance.
OK, lastly, this book is out. Now it's 20 years of ‘CenterStage.’ Who hasn't done the show that you're dying to book?
I'd like Springsteen, Billy Joel, Michael Jordan, and Jerry Seinfeld, but I don't know if we're making much progress on those.
