John Flaherty, now 52, was a catcher in the major leagues from 1992 to 2005. He started his career with the Boston Red Sox and played his final three seasons with the New York Yankees. Flaherty also played for Detroit, San Diego and Tampa Bay. He has remained a part of the Yankees organization since retirement as a color commentator and studio analyst for the YES Network. He lives in River Valley, New Jersey, and is the father of three grown children: daughter Kristen and sons Brian and Logan. Flaherty grew up north of New York City in West Nyack and attended Saint Joseph Regional High School in New Jersey and George Washington University in Washington, D.C., graduating with a degree in speech communications.
Flaherty's pro baseball career began in 1988 with the Elmira Pioneers, then a member of the short-season New York-Penn League. As a 25th-round draft pick out of George Washington that summer, he batted .235 with three homers and 16 RBIs in 162 at-bats. Elmira was also where Flaherty was tagged with the "Flash" nickname so many people know him by to this day.
Flaherty talked about his Elmira days and his career along with the return of major league baseball this summer amid the coronavirus pandemic. As of July 14, the Yankees were still finalizing their broadcast plans for the 60-game season. Flaherty said a likely scenario will have Yankees announcers at Yankee Stadium for home games and in the Connecticut studio for road games. Plans were also being finalized for pregame and postgame studio coverage.
What stands out about that first year in Elmira?
For me it was pretty special, growing up in Rockland County, New York, to be able to sign my contract and drive upstate to Elmira and play. But I think the biggest thing I kind of remember on that drive was not knowing what was going to be ahead. I wanted to get there and kind of size myself up against everybody else and see if I could play at that level. That’s really what I remember the most is those first couple of workouts when you’re out on the field with everybody else who got drafted and you’re kind of sizing yourself and how you compare. ‘This guy looks really good. I think I’m all right here.’ A lot of self-evaluation.
That first summer of professional baseball was eye-opening. It was more business than it was in college. There was some success and there was also a lot of failure, but I think at the end of that summer I left there thinking I held my own and I wasn’t overmatched, so for me that was the biggest thing moving forward.
What do you recall about the night your family and friends essentially took over Dunn Field?
One of the reasons I was excited I got drafted by the Red Sox was because a lot of their minor league cities were on the East Coast, close for my family to get back and forth and see some games. That first summer I think there was a group of maybe 70. I don’t even remember how many, but a lot of my relatives and friends came up there for I think it was a weekend night. That tradition actually continued all the way through my major league career and my minor league career. They would make stops at every minor league stadium someplace on the road. I remember them going to Camden Yards in Baltimore, Fenway Park, all these places. It was a tradition that kept going year after year and it started in Elmira.
How did you get your nickname?
We were put up at Elmira College. I was bringing my bag into the dormitory and I pressed the elevator button and a left-handed pitcher from Boston College by the name of John Dolan was coming out of the elevator and we kind of introduced ourselves to each other. I said ‘John Flaherty.’ He said, ‘Flaherty? Do you know a Timmy Flaherty from Boston College?’ I said that I didn’t. He said ‘We call him Flash Flaherty’ for a bunch of different reasons.
I didn’t think anything of it. No big deal. We had our first workout the next day and John Dolan called me Flash that day, first workout at Dunn Field. That nickname stuck from that first workout until today. A lot of people still refer to me as Flash Flaherty and it’s all because of the original Timmy ‘Flash’ Flaherty from Boston College.
Did you ever meet Tim Flaherty?
Yeah, I did. I went up to Boston College actually that first offseason to watch a Boston College football game and got to meet Tim Flaherty. He turned out to be I think a district attorney in Boston at some point, so the original Flash Flaherty had some success as well.
What else do you recall out about your season in Elmira?
I lived at Elmira College and it was that first summer of pro ball, where it’s all baseball all the time. You’re basically getting your sleep and traveling. Just the business part of it was what I remember. Bill Limoncelli (also a longtime area high school and college coach) was the manager and he was old school, he was hardcore. He would yell and scream. It was a quick transition from college baseball to pro ball. So it was eye opening, but it was something I enjoyed.
Anything else stand out about Bill?
I just remember that he did a good job of letting you know this is more business than your college or high school experience. It was one of those, let’s rip the Band-Aid off and let you know this is pro ball now and you go out there and if you produce you’re going to play. If you don’t, you’re going to spend time on the bench. He was very good at the transition from college or high school ball to pro ball and the reality of it.
As the MLB season gets set to start, what is the biggest question or concern in your mind?
I think from the players’ standpoint they’re all at their home stadiums now and they’re getting their work done. They’re kind of isolated a little bit is I guess the best way to put it. I think the biggest concern is when the regular season starts. From the Yankees’ perspective, you travel to Washington and you’re kind of out of your home element. Now you’re at a team hotel, you’re on the team bus, you’re in a different clubhouse. How are all of those logistics going to work? And just trying to keep everybody safe away from the field. Once the players get out on the field and they do their thing, it almost feels like it’s business as usual except there won’t be any fans there. But it’s all the traveling and different parts of it that are going to be concerning on keeping everybody safe. As good as the numbers have been right now with the testing, it’s going to be interesting to see when the regular season gets going and all the traveling starts.
Have you thought about what your response might have been as a player?
Absolutely. I would be one of those guys I think would have felt like it was our responsibility to get back out on the field. Obviously in the safest way possible, but to give baseball fans some distraction from what’s going on. Obviously making sure with my family, trying to keep them healthy, and getting back out on the field would be something I would be 100 percent for.
When I played during my career, there was always a certain amount of trust and you had to trust the guy next to you that he was going to be doing his best to win a game. Now it’s at a whole different level. You have to trust the guy next to you that he’s going to do the right thing away from the field, not only to keep each other safe but to keep your family safe as well. In a weird way it probably is going to bring these guys even closer knowing that they’ve got to do the right thing for themselves and their families.
What is your assessment of the Yankees and what are the keys to them reaching the postseason?
Obviously when you bring Gerrit Cole in and what he’s done so far ... he hasn’t even pitched a regular-season game, but he’s made such an impact, not only in intrasquads but his leadership and everything he says in the clubhouse and to the media. The expectations are high. They have the best team in baseball on paper, they have the best bullpen even with (Aroldis) Chapman going down with his positive test. They have so much depth out there and I think especially early on in these games in the season the bullpen is going to be such a factor. They have such an advantage. But I think they’ve said it themselves that there’s got to be a mental focus about this year because there aren’t any fans in the stands, it’s a quick season. You have to be ready to go from game one and try not to put yourself behind the eight ball by getting off to a tough start.
I think the team that stays the healthiest obviously – not only with baseball injuries but COVID – and the team that mentally is able to kind of get themselves to another level without the fans being in the stadium probably will be the most successful.
As a kid from Rockland County, what did it mean to be a part of the Yankees organization as a player and now as a broadcaster?
It’s been special. Obviously the last three years of my career trying to win a championship and coming back home to New York and playing for the Yankees was a dream come true for me. Not only from the baseball part of it, but I talked about my family and all the trips that they would take. Coming back home and playing in front of them for three years and being a part of that was great.
Then the post-playing career with the Yankees and YES kind of keeping me involved. The one thing the Yankees do with their retired players is they really treat us like family and keep us involved. It’s been a great three years as a player and now maybe going into 15 as a broadcaster, it’s been amazing. Very lucky.
What was the biggest challenge making the transition to the broadcast booth?
I think obviously the biggest challenge is that first couple of years when you’re up in the booth and some of your best friends are going through tough times. You have to be honest about what you see on the field and that wasn’t the easiest thing for me with somebody like Jorge Posada, who I was very close with. But I think growing up in New York, you realize that you have to be honest with these fans and kind of call it like you see it. It’s gotten a little easier as I’ve gotten a little older. My relationships with the players are obviously different than they were when I actually was teammates with some of them. Not that you ever look to be critical of a player, but you’ve got to call it like you see it.
What's the key to making Yankees broadcasts work, especially with the lineup changes in the booth throughout the season?
I think that’s the part I enjoy the most. I might go do a game with David Cone and Michael Kay and then the next series I’m doing a series with Ken Singleton and it’s a completely different feeling. I know from a personal standpoint it kind of keeps it fresh, where it doesn’t feel like it’s getting stale because it kind of changes series to series. Obviously dealing with David Cone with the pitcher/catcher part of it is something that I really enjoy. Paul O’Neill, the perspective he brings. And Kenny. That’s the thing I enjoy is every night I do the work I feel like it’s a little bit different depending on who I’m working with. We get criticized sometimes for that. There are fans who would like the same combination day in and day out and I understand that. But this is what we have and we kind of go with it and I think it works, especially for me.
With leagues shutting down, the draft condensed and youth sports being up and down in terms of playing, it's a challenging time for the younger baseball generation. How big of a concern is that for the sport?
First of all, I feel terrible for these kids in the minor leagues who are trying to not only fulfill their dreams but keep working and getting better and rising up through the system. To have a complete season taken away is terrible. Then you go to the college level and I have a nephew who’s a catcher at Hofstra and how are they going to do with seniors coming back and freshmen coming in? It’s just a tough situation all the way around. I just think you obviously try to do the best you can. The one thing about pro ball especially is the mental part of the game and keeping your focus moving forward and concentrating on getting better and worrying about the next game. It’s going to be an incredible challenge for these kids now because of the situation that they’re in.
How has the game changed since you retired?
I was taught from a very young age as a catcher to have my pitcher keep the ball down. Keep the ball down, keep the ball on the ground. With the analytics and the high spin rate on fastballs things have changed so much that pitchers pitch up in the zone so much more now than they did when I played. I just think it’s one of those things that as you’re playing you kind of evolve with how the game is changing. It’s changed so much from when I started to now as a broadcaster that I think players just kind of adapt. The information that’s out there, it might be overwhelming, but I think organizations, especially the Yankees, do a good job of condensing it to each individual player, what they can handle and what works for them. You take that information and you try to get better.
What pitcher stood out in terms of stuff among those you faced?
Pedro Martinez was obviously a tough couple of at-bats when you would face him. You always had in the back of your mind that he wouldn’t be afraid to drill you if he wanted to. Pedro was as intimidating as there was and he was also the total package, with control, velocity, great off-speed pitches. He could embarrass you on certain nights.
Are there times you look back and appreciate your long relationship with baseball?
There have been moments, especially when I retired as a player in ’06, when you’re able to kind of separate yourself from your career. By that I mean I felt like from day one in Elmira until the last day of my career I was kind of just grinding and trying to prove that I belonged. I never had that feeling like, ‘OK, I’ve made it and I’m going to be able to play for a long career.’ It was always, ‘Am I going to get released? Who’s coming up behind me?’ And I always kept working every day to keep my job. When you have that kind of mentality and then finally after 13 and a half years you can kind of take a deep breath and take a look back at what you did, I’m proud of first of all how long I lasted. Second of all, I turned myself into a decent offensive catcher. Never anything dominant, but I was able to hold my own.
Proud of that and then the broadcast booth, to be honest with you, is nothing different. My attitude is I always want to be prepared and work at it and enjoy it and try to get better. Maybe that’s a fault of my personality, but it’s just the way I’m kind of wired, that it’s day to day and keep preparing and don’t take anything for granted. You’re going to have to earn it. It’s kind of worked out in my baseball career.
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