Astros (Pecko) vs Mets (Thornton): 08/30/26, 3:10 PM

[Brock Beauchamp]

Thornton takes the ball for the Mets this afternoon at Citi Field as New York hosts Pecko and the Astros.

[MFS62]

Gasp!

We tried to warn you Kase.

Later

[kcmets]

What the fuck is wrong with you, Biff Blowcramp?

[kcmets]

• 
• Jeremy Peña (R) SS
• Yordan Alvarez (L) LF
• Isaac Paredes (R) DH
• Jose Altuve (R) 2B
• Christian Walker (R) 1B
• Daulton Varsho (L) CF
• Yainer Diaz (R) C
• Cam Smith (R) RF
• Nick Allen (R) 3B
• 
• Francisco Lindor (S) SS
• Juan Soto (L) DH
• Bo Bichette (R) 3B
• Carson Benge (L) RF
• Jared Young (L) 1B
• Luis Robert Jr. (R) LF
• A.J. Ewing (L) CF
• Marcus Semien (R) 2B
• Luis Torrens (R) C

[ashie62]

This is on NBC channel 4 in New York at 3:10

[kcmets]

When I go to 4 on my Fios it automatically sends me to 504. Will that work as well? I'll check back here for a broadcasting update in a half hour. Thanks in advance.

[kcmets]

504 is working! Todd Z(ei)le in the booth.

[ashie62]

It should, great!

It's Keith's weekend off I believe

[kcmets]

Keith doesn't work for NBC. *rapp tap tap* is this thing on?

[ashie62]

That's a leadoff homer for Pena

1-0 for the Apollo 1's

[kcmets]

Soto with a boom a loomah ding dong!

[Edgy MD]

I LOVE boom a loomah ding dongs!

[metirish]

Christ, how many people are in this booth ?

[Frayed Knot]

Mets offense starts: HR - HR - 1B ... and then the next six straight make outs.

[Frayed Knot]

1 hour ago, metirish said:

Christ, how many people are in this booth ?

Three in the booth itself, and then CC Sabathia is sitting in the front row somewhere with a headset on chiming in wherever they throw it to him.  NBC, in its first season doing MLB in a while, has opted to go with one p-b-p guy plus a non-permanent rotating crew of color commentators, one each with ties to the two teams playing that particular day. So Zeile is 'representing' the Mets for today with Geoff Blum carrying the flag for the Astros.

For decades this sport managed to present the game, even on network telecasts, almost exclusively on two man booths: Curt Gowdy/Tony Kubek, Scully/Garagiola, Buck/McCarver. Keith Jackson/Cosell, etc.. Now it seems that none of them can survive with fewer than four.

 

[metirish]

Wow yes thanks, FK. I tuned in late so was wondering what this configuration was 

[Edgy MD]

Is this actually a better model?

Does NBC or other telecast outlets try this with other sports?

At least Zeile is a more experienced (and engaged) broadcaster than John Franco, but I'm working from the radio feed and GameDay webcast.

[Frayed Knot]

And of course the real problem with a three+ man booth on the network is that all of them are encouraged to talk all the time. The old phrase 'Silence is Golden' becomes 'Silence is Forbidden'.

G-K-R works well because no one is in competition to out-talk the others. Gary calls the action while K & R defer to him and then chime in if/when they have something to say rather than merely because Gary stopped. It also helps when the two color guys have known each other for 40+ years instead of just meeting earlier this weekend*.

 

* OK, I don't know whether that's true or not but if you told me that Zeile & Blum have worked together even five times in their lives I'd bet the 'Under'.

[whippoorwill]

Nick Allen isn’t very big

[Edgy MD]

14 minutes ago, whippoorwill said:

Nick Allen isn’t very big

Nick Allen is currently tipping the scales at 5'7," 166lb. one inch taller (but one pound fewer) than the official size of Jose Altuve, who just whiffed for the second time in the game, ending the top of the fifth.

On the Mets side of the scales, AJ Ewing (who just walked leading off of the bottom of the inning) towers over both of them at 5'10" (but only 160).

[Frayed Knot]

2 hours ago, Edgy MD said:

Does NBC or other telecast outlets try this with other sports?

Well, the NFL has never been adverse to three-man booths although now it seems they've returned  to two-man crews almost exclusively, most likely because the color man is now a **STAR** ex-player ('We've got Brady, 'We've got Aikman') whom the network wants to feature to the point where he's getting better pay now compared to when he was playing.

That said, football essentially invented the 'sideline reporter' role and now has at least two per game (one on each side) as well as an ex-ref nearby who's called upon wherever there's a rules/replay question (which is about every third play) so there are often five voices chiming in from time to time although the other three only when they're called upon (raise your hand first!!).  Burkhardt was the first time I remember a 'sideline' guy being used in baseball but most local broadcasts have one now.

 

Quote

Is this actually a better model?

Not in my opinion, no..

[Frayed Knot]

A two-base 'steal' without a slide at either base for Ewing. Clearly he's not a 'dirty uniform' kind of guy.

[Edgy MD]

But the NFL doesn't cover, say, a Giants/Patriots game by rolling out Jason Pierre-Paul and Rob Gronkowski or the like, in order to project some sort of broadcast even-handedness?

(It seems awful condescending.)

[Edgy MD]

10 minutes ago, Frayed Knot said:

A two-base 'steal' without a slide at either base for Ewing.

Scoring a go-ahead run without a hit is good baseball.

[Edgy MD]

Losing that lead on a pinch-hit homer off of the face of The Coca-Cola Corner is bleh.

[metirish]

Well that's regrettable,  LaMont with a 2 run no doubter 

[Frayed Knot]

Well that's a kick in the Pintaros. Wade has four, now five, HRs in his last 350+ PAs across 2025 & '26.

Mets still have just three hits after getting three by their first three batters.

[Edgy MD]

AJ Blubaugh on for the Astros.

A longtime favorite of the Camptown ladies.

[Frayed Knot]

Bichette (double) gets the first hit since Bichette got a single two spins of the lineup earlier. But then no one after him can get the ball out of the infield so no runs. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

[Edgy MD]

Jared Young, the spirit of Duda is with you.