NEW YORK, NY — During the holiday season, there is always some time to wind down, relax and read up on individuals who have helped shape the sports industry into what it is today. Two books that come to mind are “Me Here, You There: My Three Decades Overnight, Under the Covers, Schmoozing S-P-O-R-T-S as Captain Midnight for WFAN,” by Steve Somers as well as “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Broadcasting Booth,” an autobiography by Steve Albert.
Somers was a late-night radio companion, and later in his career, an early evening friend, to hundreds of thousands of sports fans both in and out of the New York area as he was on the air five days a week on 50-000-watt, the clear channel of WFAN.
Listeners enjoyed his lighthearted take on sports in which he gently reminded us that it is not the end of the world when your favorite team loses. He would welcome his listeners every night with the same greeting, “Me here, you there,” as a way of inviting them to call in to keep each other company. That greeting is also in the title of his recently released memoir published by Triumph Books.
Image Credit: Triumph Books
Somers, who was an original voice on WFAN when it started in 1987, worked in Astoria for its first 22 years as the station made its broadcast headquarters in the Kaufman Studios in Astoria before moving to SoHo.
“We were so far below ground level that we had to look up at the basement!” Somers chuckled when we spoke on the phone to discuss his book. “I have always been fond of Queens. One of my first signings to promote this book was at Donovan’s Pub in Woodside. We ran out of books to sell because so many people showed up.”
It should be noted that Forest Hills High School alum Ian Eagle got his start in broadcasting working as an intern for Somers once a week.
The regular callers to his show became local celebrities. Short Al from Brooklyn, Jerome from Manhattan, and Eli from Westchester became as well-known to WFAN listeners as the hosts themselves. His most famous listener was Queens College alum Jerry Seinfeld who wrote the forward to his book.
Image Credit: WFAN/Audacy
His favorite caller, however, was the late Doris Bauer, better known as Doris from Rego Park, who suffered from emphysema. She was an enthusiastic Mets fan who knew her stuff. Her illness caused her to cough every few seconds, Steve, and most listeners did not mind. “I was proud of the fact the New York Times Magazine listed her as a notable who passed away during 2003 when they were doing their year-end obituary roundup,” Somers told me.
Steve’s on-air persona has always been upbeat, but he reveals issues he kept away from the public until the release of this book. He talks about his bout with alcoholism which led to a stint in a rehabilitation facility in Carmel, NY. He also writes passionately of looking after Michael, his older brother who was cognitively disabled, and battled kidney disease.
Although Audacy, the current owners of WFAN, forced him to retire in late 2021, he does occasional fill-in work on the station. It also sponsors his weekly podcast, which is titled, you guessed it, “Me Here, You There.”
“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Broadcasting Booth” by Steve Albert
“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Broadcasting Booth” (Aufrey Press) is the title of Steve Albert’s autobiography. Steve is the youngest of the Albert brothers who all found success calling games behind the microphone.
Image Credit: Aufrey Press
While Marv Albert was able to spend most of his career in New York, Al, and Steve, while having stints in the Big Apple, spent most of their careers working out of town. Al was the voice of the Denver Nuggets for years, while Steve divided his time between the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns.
Locally, Steve was the radio play-by-play broadcaster for the New York Nets of the mid-1970s Julius Erving era. He called their American Basketball Association championship game at the Nassau Coliseum in 1976 as the Nets beat the Nuggets. Coincidentally, Al Albert was calling the same game for the Nuggets on that city’s big AM station, KOA.
Steve also had the unenviable task of replacing Lindsey Nelson in the Mets radio and television booth in 1979 when Nelson decided to relocate to San Francisco to join the Giants broadcasting team. The original Mets broadcasting trio of Ralph Kiner, Bob, Murphy, and Lindsey Nelson had been together since the team’s inception in 1962. Mets fans thought of them as part of their family. It would be the equivalent today of a new TV voice coming in to replace either Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, or Ron Darling.
Image Credit: Ballparks of Baseball/MLB
Albert spent only three years on the Mets television crew. “The truth is I was not ready for the job at the time. I was only 27 and I did not even have minor league baseball broadcasting. Baseball is a sport where storytelling, which Ralph Kiner excelled at, is crucial, and I did not have capabilities in that area,” Steve told me in a phone conversation a few months ago.
Nolan McLean and Clay Holmes accept Team USA’s invites for 2026 World Baseball Classic
Mets pitcher Nolan McLean, who is still considered a rookie despite eight impressive starts in August and September, was named to Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. McLean was understandably thrilled with the honor, but former Mets general manager Jim Duquette was far less sanguine. Serving as a panelist on SNY’s “Baseball Night in New York,” Duquette felt McLean did not have the resume yet to be part of the American team. He also felt he would be better off working with the Mets pitching staff in Port Lucie, Florida for a variety of reasons, than being part of Team USA. The most important being McLean will not get the same level of attention he would get at the Mets spring training facilities.
Mets pitcher Clay Holmes will be part of the Team USA pitching staff.
Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
He also played Santa Claus at the recent Mets holiday party for kids from various Queens public schools. He displayed his political skills when he told the media during the Q&A that fans and his teammates must trust the decisions Mets President of Baseball Operations, David Stearns, is making to shape the 2026 squad.
Michael King returns to San Diego on three-year/$75 million deal
Many Mets fans were disappointed to learn free agent pitcher Michael King decided to remain with the San Diego Padres. He accepted their offer of a three-year, $75 million contract. Sportswriter, and SNY air personality, John Harper said the quiet part aloud on “Sportsnite” a couple of weeks ago. “San Diego is a nice place to live!” he said. It is hard to argue that.
Knicks give part of NBA Emirates Cup prize money to team staff
The value of the Knicks winning the in-season Emirates Cup is debatable, but what cannot be questioned is the generosity of their players and head coach Mike Brown.
Image Credit: NBA
They gave sizable portions of their prize money, which exceeded $500,000, to Knicks employees who do not have high income brackets.
Second season of “Here Comes the Irish” out now on Peacock
NBC’s Peacock streaming service has launched its second season of “Here Comes the Irish,” which goes behind the scenes of the Notre Dame football team. Expect running back Jeremiyah Love, who was a finalist for the 2025 Heisman Trophy, to be a focal point.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
