If you’ve listened to WCBS880 since 2006, you would hear the talented yet kooky John Sterling announce three members in the radio booth between every commercial break: himself, co-anchor Suzyn Waldman and the beloved Yankees radio engineer that was there rain or shine, in sickness and in health and for better or for worse, Carlos Silva. Silva was a regular fixture in the Yankees radio booth, even when he was diagnosed with esophageal and stomach cancer in 2012.
“I started feeling sick after the All-Star Game,” Silva told the New York Daily News in a December 2012 article. “When I got back from the break, I had trouble swallowing food and even liquid. I figured it was an allergy or something, so I didn’t pay much attention to it. It got worse during the next three months until the end of the season.”
His cancer went into remission until this fall and he continued to undergo treatment as he prepared to work with Sterling and Waldman this spring in Tampa, Florida. Although he continued to fight, Silva sadly and unfortunately lost his battle this morning after his condition had taken a turn for the worse within the past two weeks. Silva is survived by his wife and his three children.
In his lifetime, Silva worked with the WCBS Spanish Yankees broadcasts, ESPN Radio, Phillies Spanish Radio, The Orlando Magic and the New Jersey Nets.
The Yankees recently held a fundraiser for Silva after he expressed his concern for the financial toll his illness was taking on his family. Those that wish to help the Silvas can send a check to SVG Sports Broadcasting Fund. Please mark the checks “To The Carlos Silva Family” and mail them to:
SVG Sports Broadcasting Fund
℅ Bryant Bank, Attn: Heike Harris
1550 McFarland Boulevard N
Tuscaloosa, AL 35406
Goodbye Carlos, and on behalf of Yankees fans that grew to know your story, thank you. You will be truly and sorely missed.
