Gary Cohen to MTV

[G-Fafif]

Edgy DC wrote: The Mets do a lot of things I suggest they do. Anybody who believes me if I try to claim a cause/effect relationship is a sucker.

You suggested I come to this forum and I did. I think you're underestimating your powers of suggestion.

[Valadius]

I don't want Gary Cohen to leave radio. He's PERFECT on the radio.

[metirish]

Some news on who will be Cohen's partner...a "rotation of analysts" ..

] BY ANTHONY RIEBER STAFF WRITER November 10, 2005 Gary Cohen, the Mets' lead radiocaster on WFAN, was named Wednesday as the play-by-play man for the team's new cable network, SportsNet NY. Cohen, 47, has been a Mets radio broadcaster for the last 17 seasons. The Queens native and unabashed Mets fan is known for his smooth announcing style and his willingness to criticize the team he loves. Cohen said he has no worries Mets brass will attempt to muzzle him on the approximately 125 games that will appear on SNY in its first season of existence. The Mets are partners with Time Warner and Comcast in the network. "The fact that I'm sitting here right now speaks volumes about what this network intends to be," Cohen said. "In 17 years of doing Mets baseball on the radio, I have never been told what to say and what not to say. I have every confidence that will continue." Cohen was not SNY's first choice. Dave O'Brien, who called Mets games on Ch. 11, turned down the job last month in favor of a five-year deal with ESPN. "We had a lot of first choices," SNY executive producer Curt Gowdy Jr. said. "We delighted we're here today announcing this." SNY president Jon Litner called Cohen "the signature voice of our network." "Gary grew up in Queens, went to Mets games as a young boy, attended Columbia University," Gowdy said. "He's a heart and soul New Yorker, and that's important to us. I'm absolutely confident Gary will easily transfer his talents from radio to television like many past great ." Cohen's partners in the TV booth and his replacement on WFAN are yet to be announced. Gowdy said SNY would use a "rotation of analysts" to work with Cohen, who will do all nine innings of play-by-play.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Cool.

Inning one: Keith Hernandez
Inning two: Rusty Staub
Inning three: Dave Kingman
Inning four: Brian Kingman
Inning five: Brian Boitano
Inning six: William F. Buckley Jr.
Inning seven: Oliver Sachs
Inning eight: Joan Jett
Inining nine: Ralph Freakin' Kiner

[metirish]

LOL..yeah some freaking crazy stuff might happen...Kiner for the ninth is not good, he's at the bar by the seventh....Tom Waits would be a great ninth inning guy, especially if the Mets are getting beat...

[Guest Edgy DC]

Ralph is untenable because if his boozing, but Tom Waits is your closer?

[Guest Edgy DC]

"That there, Gary, is a pitch we used to call the egg sandwich. It's over easy with a little bit of mustard, heh-heh. Now, if I'm not mistaken, he'll follow up with a pitch we used to call the Puerto Rican backstabbing bitch. You want to know why we'd call it that, Gary?

"I think I've learned quite enough for one evening, Tom."

[metirish]

Yes but only if we are losing....if we are winning then I say drag Fran away from the bar..

[metirish]

LOL..Edgy your killing me..

Gary - :well Tom another Mets loss"
Tom - " Gary, tonight we sail for Singapore"
Gary - " ahh, Tom tonight we have to fly to freaking Chicago"
Tom " damn, dude did you bring the gutair?"

[Guest Edgy DC]

Ted Robinson supposedly has severed his connection to the Mets.

[Guest Iubitul]

Edgy DC wrote: Ted Robinson supposedly has severed his connection to the Mets.

Good - sometimes I thought he was still covering the Giants...

[Frayed Knot]

I've hear that a lot from Met fans; that Robinson's "when I was in SF" lines bothered them. It never particularly irked me and I found him to be a reasonably good p-b-p man.

The snag w/Ted is that he's committed to working the tennis majors - which means not only three different stints of missed games but particularly that one of those involves Sepetember games - and the Mets wanted a full-time guy as their lead voice. So once Gary as the full-time voice was on board there's little reason to keep another p-b-p specialist around.

[seawolf17]

I enjoyed Ted too. Funny-looking dude, but I liked his voice.

[Theoldmole]

I'd like to see them get Gary Thorne back.

[Valadius]

I submitted Gary Cohen for Hall of Fame consideration. He's the most exciting broadcaster to listen to.

[metirish]

Mole, Thorne was canned I believe because the Mets didn't like him being critical of the team IIRC..plus Gary is one of those that works numerous sports,although I have no idea what he is at now that he's not doing ESPN and FOX hockey games, and he won't be the NBC voice of hockey either.

Thorne is a great hockey p b p guy...

[Theoldmole]

I had remembered him being canned for not being willing to give up hockey. I thought he was good, tho.

[Theoldmole]

Cohen deserves it. But Ralph first.

[Guest Beenso]

ive been out of the loop.

when exactly does the network begin airing? im a cablevision customer, am i gonna have the same problem as yankee fans had a couple years back.

[Guest mlbaseballtalk]

Beenso wrote: ive been out of the loop. when exactly does the network begin airing? im a cablevision customer, am i gonna have the same problem as yankee fans had a couple years back.

Feb-March 2006 it goes online

I'm thinking you will be considering the both the mess with the Yanks and recent mess with Time Warner

You don't leave Dolanville without a fight

By the way, anyone know when the Icelander deal with MSG/FSNY is up? That would be a crucial pick up with the Nets and Devils wrapped up for a while with YES

Steve

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

SNY has eye
on Sutton

Are executives of SportsNet New York, the new home of the Mets, looking inside an archrival's booth to find a partner for play-by-play man Gary Cohen?

All signs point in that direction. Atlanta baseball sources say Hall of Famer Don Sutton, the longtime Braves analyst on TBS, is on a short list of SNY candidates.

Sutton, sources said, has already talked to SNY brass about the possibility of becoming the network's primary Mets analyst.

Last week, after he signed Cohen, SNY boss Jon Litner said the network could name its Mets analyst within two weeks.

Sutton just finished his 16th season in the Braves' TBS booth. The past six years he also worked Braves games on Turner South, a regional entertainment network. Sutton has also served as a reporter on TBS' PGA coverage.

Among other analysts under consideration for the Mets' job are Keith Hernandez and David Cone.

Meanwhile, as earlier reported in the Daily News, the Mets and WFAN agreed on a new three-year deal that will keep the team on its longtime flagship station through 2008.

[metirish]

I hope this doesn't happen, I have always found Sutton hard on the ears..

[Elster88]

Beenso wrote: ive been out of the loop. when exactly does the network begin airing? im a cablevision customer, am i gonna have the same problem as yankee fans had a couple years back.

I think I'm fucked with DISH network.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Sutton has been smart and informative. He's seemed short in the personality department, but that may just be something that unfolds over time. If you get too much personaltiy the first time you hear somebody, you get a booth full of Tony Danzas.

Anyway, he's occasionally seemed sweaty and shakey.

[Lundy]

New TV network, but the same ol' radio station:

Mets and Sports Radio 66 WFAN sign new multi-year partnership for radio broadcast rights

FLUSHING, N.Y., Nov. 14, 2005 -- The New York Mets and Infinity Broadcasting's Sports Radio 66 WFAN, New York's sports talk radio leader, today announced an extension of their broadcast partnership for live play-by-play coverage of Mets pre-season, regular season and post-season games through 2008. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Under the new agreement, WFAN will produce exclusive Mets programming with players and coaches, daily highlight packages, and pre-game and post-game reports. The three-year extension is slated to begin February 2006 with live coverage of the team's training camp from Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

"We are delighted to extend our relationship with WFAN, our long-time flagship radio partner," said Dave Howard, Executive Vice President, New York Mets. "WFAN's extraordinary coverage, programming and promotion commitment, and signal strength will bring the excitement of the Mets to fans in the tri-state area - and well beyond."

"Our 18-year affiliation with the New York Mets has been a true success story," said Lee Davis, Vice President and General Manager of the station. "This partnership is not only valuable to the station but also to WFAN's listeners, and we're thrilled to provide them with extensive coverage of their favorite baseball team."

Mets broadcasts have been a staple of WFAN's marquee programming since the station's inception in 1987.

[Valadius]

They ought to put the Steve Somers Show from the FAN on SNY.

Heheh... Icelanders...

[seawolf17]

Steve Somers... well... let's just say he has the perfect face for radio. Let's leave him there.

Glad to see they're sticking with the FAN.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I've kind of never really cared what a guy looks like in the booth.

[seawolf17]

Me neither; I'm just saying that if you're going to air Somers the way they air Mike & The Dog...

(Not that Mike & The Dog are Esquire cover models either, but you know what I mean.)

[Guest Beenso]

i love somers....greatest dialogue