A.P. Discuss SNY Thread

[MFS62]

Amen to dat.

I felt the very same feelings last night.
But I think that football team was from South West Mississippi A & I Male Nurses College.

Later

[Guest KC]

FK: >>>And God forbid if T.O. sneezed or actually uttered something<<<

Or farted, or he farted and Parcells smelled it and it smelled like he wasn't
practicing his farts properly enough to fart in an actual game yet ...

[MFS62]

The guy who covers sports media for the Daily News had a fun article about Gary Cohen today.
Unfortunately, my local LAN speed is turgid today, and I can't get the daily news site to download/open.
If someone has better luck geting to the article, can they please post it?
Thanks,
Later

[stevejrogers]

I love a good "Then to Now" promo and certaintly the SNY McGraw-Orosco-Wagner one is fun, but a few things need to be said:

1) Tug would not inherit the "THE GUY" label untill 1971-1972. Ron Taylor was the main guy out of the committee they had in 1969, and even then the role of a closer was still nebulous as the Save Rule had JUST been created that year

2) This goes along with KC's point in an IGT a few days ago about Bobby Valentine's ommission in a Best Manager All Time poll, but the curious ommission of Franco/Benitiez (and even current Brave pitching coach Roger McDowell) does smack of a "clue" for conspiracy theorists looking for SNY's pro-current Met personel and those who still have good relations with the Mets bias. Course they were going for guys on World Championship winning teams, but still, no Roger? Hmmmm

[Guest Edgy DC]

McGraw-Orosco-Wagner is an all-lefty continuum, so that may explain the absence of Benitez and Taylor (Lockwood, Allen, Sisk, etc.). The absence of Franco (and, less-so, Randy Myers) is far more curious.

But McGraw and Orosco are championship closers (even if McGraw shared the primordal closer job with Dr. Taylor) and potentially Wagner is also.

At least, that would be my spin if I worked in the Met PR department.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

]New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com In TV booth, Cohen gets the picture BOB RAISSMAN Friday, September 15th, 2006 While the fate of Western civilization did not rest on whether Gary Cohen could make the transition from the Mets' radio booth to being the team's TV voice on SportsNet New York, inquiring minds were asking whether he could. Cohen was talking about this the other day. With the end of his first season on television closing in, Cohen arrived at a conclusion that must be disappointing to those insisting that some sort of mystical power, and a thorough knowledge of thermography, are necessary to describe Jose Reyes scoring from first on a single down the right field line. "It (going from radio to TV) is not nearly as difficult as some people make it out to be," Cohen said. Still, this does not mean Cohen's rookie TV season has been Charmin soft. After all, working with Keith Hernandez can be ... well, let's just rewind the tape to Wednesday night. Mets-Marlins. Bottom of the third inning. Director Bill Webb had SNY's cameras focused on three empty hot tubs in an area of Dolphin Stadium known as "Bud Beach." "You figure it's the last game of the home stand. The Marlins will soon be out of town," Cohen said. "You would figure some group would be hanging out down there." Hernandez, overcome by a "Caddyshack" flashback, responded by saying: "Maybe they found a Baby Ruth floating in there (the hot tubs) or something." Cohen reacted appropriately. He just laughed. A really long, loud laugh. Working with Hernandez is challenging. Remember when Mex ripped the female trainer stationed in the Padres' dugout? While that incident was extreme, it served notice that this booth would be freewheeling. SNY's offering would not be a Popular Mechanics version of baseball. No seamhead-itis here. Personality and conversational analysis would take precedence over pitch counts and on-base percentages. Hernandez unplugged may not be for the weak or faint of heart, but it shows a guy realizing his full potential. It also showed just how miscast and misused Hernandez was by the blundering suits at MSG Network who made Fran Healy their featured Mets analyst in 2005. By no means a wallflower, Ron Darling also has made his personality a major part of SNY's Mets telecasts. So, the true transition Cohen made from radio to TV is not about having a producer talking in his ear. Or having to pay more attention to the pictures on the monitor rather than looking out at the field. Cohen has shown great skill in mixing it up with Hernandez, Darling or both. He has brought the best out of both of them. "The biggest thing with Keith - and Ron too - is we've had a great time together. And having a team that's had such a huge lead over the past couple of months has allowed us to loosen up even more," Cohen said. "Keith has fully invested himself in being a broadcaster. Ron has improved by leaps and bounds. He is in a position where he can be considered one of the elite guys in our business." The type of interaction between Cohen and his partners is certainly different from his radio days when he only worked with other play-by-play men. Yet Cohen disagrees, saying he and Howie Rose engaged in a similar style when they were paired in the WFAN Mets radio booth. "Maybe more people are paying attention now because the Mets are good and I'm on television rather than radio," Cohen said. While Cohen has taken advantage of the benefits of TV, there is one important thing only Mets radio can provide. Once the regular season ends, so will Cohen's play-by-play ride. The playoffs are a national-TV-only affair. Unlike the years when Cohen worked the playoffs - and one World Series - on WFAN, he will find himself in a different role, which will be working on SNY's pregame and postgame shows. "It will be different, but it was not something I wasn't aware of when I signed up (with SNY). I knew when I decided to make the move that was part of the deal," Cohen said. "What I'll try to do is enjoy my role in SNY's coverage and be as big a part of that as I can." And when the ride ends for the 2006 Mets, Cohen can look back at a memorable year. Besides having to deal with this new TV spotlight, he missed part of the season after undergoing an emergency appendectomy. There also was that day in Washington when his off-air mocking of Willie Randolph and Victor Zambrano leaked on the air through an open microphone. Yeah, now more people recognize him. And he is stopped more often to sign autographs. Still, with one season of TV under his belt, Gary Cohen can find comfort in one undeniable fact. "The subject matter," Cohen said, "is still the same."

[MFS62]

Thanks,
Later

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

The problem wasn't on your end, 62. The Daily News web site was awfully slow for me, too.

[Guest Rotblatt]

Watching the national crew during the playoffs instead of Gary, Mex & Ron is going to fucking blow chunks.

Whatever schlubs they trot out there aren't going to be nearly as knowledgable as our boys, and I doubt they'll be half as entertaining either.

Sigh.

I suppose there are worse problems to have, though.

[metirish]

I suppose they could have Ron and Keith do studio work, I just hope FOX doesn't have Lou Piniella in the booth.

[Willets Point]

Be on your guard for Curt Schilling, Color Commentator.

[stevejrogers]

Rotblatt wrote: Watching the national crew during the playoffs instead of Gary, Mex & Ron is going to fucking blow chunks. Whatever schlubs they trot out there aren't going to be nearly as knowledgable as our boys, and I doubt they'll be half as entertaining either. Sigh. I suppose there are worse problems to have, though.

Funny example of parachuting during the 1999 NLDS. Chris Berman talking about Timo Perez as a "hot prospect" from the minors!

[Valadius]

This is why they should have had a post-season clause in Gary's contract that would have him do the radio broadcasts when the big networks jumped in on TV.

[Willets Point]

SteveJRogers wrote: Funny example of parachuting during the 1999 NLDS.

I only remember parachuting in the 1986 World Series.

[Centerfield]

Valadius wrote: This is why they should have had a post-season clause in Gary's contract that would have him do the radio broadcasts when the big networks jumped in on TV.

For real. Would anyone even miss Tom McCarthy?

[Guest Rotblatt]

]This is why they should have had a post-season clause in Gary's contract that would have him do the radio broadcasts when the big networks jumped in on TV.

Yes! I would have loved that. Although Howie and what's-his-name are a'ight. I listened to them for the first time this last Saturday, and I think I could get used to 'em.

[Valadius]

Honestly, I think one of the major reasons they selected Tom McCarthy to replace Gary is because he sounds very similar to Gary, but nowhere near as enthusiastic.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

It's funny, but I haven't heard more than an inning or two on the radio all season. I think part of the reason is that I'm watching so many games on TiVo-delay.

By the way, if the Mets clinch tonight I won't know about it until about 9 tomorrow morning! I've really become hooked on Saturday morning baseball. I usually start the game at around 6:30 a.m.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

McCarthy's knowledge is just fine (in fact it's good), he seems to get along with Howie well and he's earnest and honest and concise -- but IMO he just doesn't pull the moving parts of plays together as quickly as I'd like.

When he calls a hit with runners on 1st and 2nd, for example, I need to know in like 5 seconds where the runner on 1st went to, but often find Tom is still telling us that the runner on 2nd scored when that moment comes and goes. The play's all messed up in my head after that, and my mind wanders.

That's something that Gary always provided: A rundown of what happened on the field just as quickly as he (and you the listener/imaginer) processed it.

[soupcan]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: It's funny, but I haven't heard more than an inning or two on the radio all season. I think part of the reason is that I'm watching so many games on TiVo-delay. By the way, if the Mets clinch tonight I won't know about it until about 9 tomorrow morning! I've really become hooked on Saturday morning baseball. I usually start the game at around 6:30 a.m.

How do you work that with kids?

Isn't the wife just up your ass to get out from in front of the tube and 'do something' with the young 'uns?

Oh wise master please enlighten me.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Every family has its own dynamic, I guess. If I tried to watch the game as it aired on Friday evening I'd have a much tougher time.

At 6:30 a.m. my wife is still asleep and my kids haven't shaken off their grogginess yet. I provide them with breakfast, and whatever else they need from me, and then I fire up the TiVo.

The NLDS is going to be a bit of a challenge. My wife is going to be out of town the week of October 2. I'll be a solo parent of two with postseason baseball to absorb me. I'm glad TiVo has a pause button.

[metirish]

I just entered the "best of barbados" vacation givaway on SNY.com....fingers crossed...

[Centerfield]

I just found out that the awful song they play in the Barbados commercial is actually a song released on the radio. And that the girl in the commercial is the real singer and not just a model hired to lip synch.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

The new anti-smoking ad is way more palatable than voice box guy. Hopefully his ads are gone for good!

[Valadius]

Oh geez, the voice box dude is nasty!

[Guest martin]

Centerfield wrote: I just found out that the awful song they play in the Barbados commercial is actually a song released on the radio. And that the girl in the commercial is the real singer and not just a model hired to lip synch.

that kid in the commercial, the one in the cave, i dont like him, he has a little too much 'tude.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

This mornings Mets Fast Forward didn't show us Phil Humber's MLB debut inning from yesterday. I was disappointed about that.

[Frayed Knot]

Discussions during both Sunday's game and tonight's mentioned Darling's wife being in/returning from Seattle for the Giants/SHawks game.
Is this current version of Mrs. D some sort of on-air personality or just a faceless cog in the machine?



What a stupid term: "On-air personality"

[metirish]

Maybe Ron is married to Julie Donaldson,she was out in Seattle covering the game for SNY.

[Frayed Knot]

Bob Raissman was speculating in the NYDN about whether, during the NYM clinching celebration, the SNY directors were going for the cheesy shot by keeping their cameras on the dripping wet Julie Donaldson a bit longer than they did with a soaking Chris Cotter.


Ummm, of course they did Bob!!