GKR @ Five

[G-Fafif]

Neil Best in subscription/Optimum-only Newsday covers the big three as they start their fifth season:

For Mets fans of a certain age, Bob Murphy, Ralph Kiner and Lindsey Nelson forever will be the voices of their youths - a trio that reigned on TV and radio for the franchise's first 17 seasons. But SNY's Gary Cohen, Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez are well on their ways to filling the same role for a new generation of fans. Cohen and Hernandez signed new deals after last season, so now all three are under contract to SNY at least through 2013, which would be their eighth season together. "I think it's fantastic for all concerned," said Cohen, who unlike his partners grew up listening to the original broadcasters. (The only surviving member is Kiner, who still contributes to SNY.) "The way the players change, managers change, general managers change, in many cases the one thing that remains stable is the announcers." That theory works only if fans actually like the announcers, and SNY's have received mostly good reviews as they begin their fifth season at 1 p.m. Tuesday when the Mets play the Braves in their exhibition opener. Said Darling: "We all have our strengths and weaknesses, but together, it kind of makes sense." Cohen recalled a similar dynamic among Nelson, Kiner and Murphy, although in that era, they rarely were heard together because they divided TV and radio duties. (Speaking of which, Howie Rose brings a long history of his own with the team to Mets radio.) "Let's call it for what it is," Cohen said. "This really works, and we're all really happy . . . Where are any of us going?" Cohen noted that in addition to the on-air team, SNY has kept the same well-regarded game production leaders in producer Gregg Picker and director Bill Webb. Although no one at SNY seriously worried that Hernandez would leave, he did raise the issue publicly after the 2009 season finale. "It's something that I probably shouldn't have said; it just kind of came out," he said. Now that the deal is done, he is "very thrilled." "We've been together so long, we know our moods and idiosyncrasies, and it's quite a little comfort level," he said. "We know we've got each others' backs." Darling also works for TBS on its national package. Cohen could be in the TBS mix, too, perhaps for a wild-card series. But even more so than Darling and Cohen, Hernandez is irreplaceable, thanks both to his quirky humor and his status as one of the most important players in Mets history. Thus it was a big story when he tutored first baseman Daniel Murphy last month. Might that put him in an awkward position if Murphy messes up while Hernandez is in the booth? "I don't believe it compromises me at all or puts me in a tough position," he said. "There is no reason, if he makes a mistake, physical or mental, that I cannot objectively comment on it." And if the subject of how well Murphy was taught comes up during a game, Hernandez can guess how the conversation will go. "There would be a little comedy," he said. "We'd joke and have fun with it."

Bonus material from Keith:

Leftover stuff from Keith Hernandez that I didn't get into the newspaper version of my story about SNY's Mets announcers: Hernandez said he gets along well with Gary Cohen and Ron Darling. That's quite an accomplishment after spending many months every spring and summer sitting very close to them in the comically small home-team TV booth at Citi Field: "I would say 99.9 percent of the time [there are no problems]," he said. At worst, someone might say or do something that rubs someone else the wrong way. "And 'rubbing the wrong way,' might be an extreme way to put it," he said. "Sometimes you might be sick or not in the most patient of moods, but we're not spending 24 hours a day together." It helps that every game is unique. "It's not like doing a rock concert and playing the same songs in a different town," he said. Here's Hernandez on the Mets' prospects for 2010: "I always like a team that's come off a bad year and players that have come off a subpar year and have track records, because they'll work hard in that offseason to have a bounce-back year. "The Mets have five guys with the potential to be the Comeback Player of the Year. "I think this team is going to hit and score runs and be fine offensively. But health is important. "To me it all boils down to pitching. If I could have both, I'd take a team like the '69 Mets with great pitching as opposed to an offensive team with mediocre pitching." Hernandez on the challenge of working meaningless games late last year: "It's much more fun when they win and they're competitive and it's down to the wire, and we had that three of the last four years. When you're playing it out like last year, there's not the intensity and you can be more relaxed. "Guys in the truck would say, 'These are the games now where you have to hold the audience.' But ultimately we're not going to bring the audience. The team is what gets people to sit down on their couches and come to the ballpark." Former Cardinal Hernandez on Mark McGwire and steroids: "I don't think he should be banned from baseball and coaching. If that's what he wants to do he should be doing it, and good for him. "But you know know how I feel about guys who did steroids, and my opinion will never change on it. I feel they knew what they were doing and why they were doing it and it was dishonest. "They put a stain on the record book that will forever be a brown spot on every page. They should never be under consideration for the Hall of Fame."

[Frayed Knot]

"It's something that I probably shouldn't have said; it just kind of came out"

-- I think Keith had this phrase made into a rubber stamp so it's easier to trot out on a press release every few months as needed.

[metirish]

They should never be under consideration for the Hall of Fame."

Could be a whole lot of guys when all is said and done.

We are fortunate to have a great TV crew and a great radio crew. I do like me some Howie but I just wish he had a partner I liked more. I always feel like Howie is carrying the load in that booth.

[Ceetar]

As one of those newer generation of fans (although I'm not that new, I do have a connection to Murphy and childhood that will always be special.), this article was excellent. Gary Keith and Ron really doa great job. They're the right mix of knowledge history and experience, they have a connection to the team, and they're in no way reserved or white-wash things.

Spring Training is great for the 'baseball is back' aspect, but most of the games on tv are kind of boring. GKJ are entertaining in their own right, and if you've never listened to a spring broadcast with them, especially late when they're basically planning their evenings, you're missing out. In season they're obviously on the game, but in spring it's almost like they're just three guys sitting next to you in the stands.

[Ceetar]

metirish wrote: They should never be under consideration for the Hall of Fame." Could be a whole lot of guys when all is said and done. We are fortunate to have a great TV crew and a great radio crew. I do like me some Howie but I just wish he had a partner I liked more. I always feel like Howie is carrying the load in that booth.

I've grown to like Wayne Hagin. I understand what you say about carrying the load, and it's true in some aspects, but Wayne has some surprisingly accurate observations and very interesting insight into what's going on. I feel like he really gets you into the game and thinking about it as he raises some interersting points.

[G-Fafif]

We've just completed the second consecutive offseason during which Wayne Hagin never crossed my mind. Howie and Gary cross my mind every day -- and twice on Sunday. They equal Mets. Keith and Ron equal Mets. Ed Coleman and Kevin Burkhardt equal Mets. Wayne Hagin's an enjoyable enough announcer who happens to broadcast Mets games 150 or so times per season.

He does not equal Mets.

[Ceetar]

G-Fafif wrote: Wayne Hagin's an enjoyable enough announcer who happens to broadcast Mets games 150 or so times per season. He does not equal Mets.

I've always wondered why, given two opportunities recently, they didn't give the job to Ed Coleman. I mean, they have him fill in anyway, especially when Howie's doing Islanders games, so what is it they don't like about him?

[metirish]

When it was Gary and Howie we were spoiled , those two could go back and forth on Mets history or on any number of things. Why do the co-announcer ting on the radio, why not get a good color guy in there with Howie . Wayne is OK and pretty good when the Rockies are the other team.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Total lunchpailer, and he's a little much in spots. But hey-- he's not silence, or Ted Robinson, so he's got those things going for him.

[seawolf17]

Heard ol' Teddy during the Olympics, and I couldn't remember his name at first. I knew I recognized the voice, but couldn't figure out who he was.

[metirish]

Mets Classics featured Fran Healy the other night, I think the game was Piazza's first as a Met. Fran was all about Carlos Baerga and how his personality never changes from slump to slump to hot streak......."It never changes , what a guuuuuuuuuy"

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Ceetar wrote: G-Fafif wrote: Wayne Hagin's an enjoyable enough announcer who happens to broadcast Mets games 150 or so times per season. He does not equal Mets. I've always wondered why, given two opportunities recently, they didn't give the job to Ed Coleman. I mean, they have him fill in anyway, especially when Howie's doing Islanders games, so what is it they don't like about him?

I can't speak for them but Ed tends to bore me and is especially disappointing as a "reporter." His favorite phrase is "you may be right" Dog C used to call him The Enuch, and I tend to agree.

[G-Fafif]

I wanna be in Eddie C.'s corner for the booth, but every "cut on and missed" makes me yearn for whomever he's filling in.

[metirish]

Ed is just not an announcer , he's at least seven seconds behind the play and starts telling stories at the wrong time, like 2 outs.

[Valadius]

I'm surprised they haven't been able to grab someone like Al Leiter for the broadcast booth - a former relatively-recently-retired Met.

[metirish]

Valadius wrote: I'm surprised they haven't been able to grab someone like Al Leiter for the broadcast booth - a former relatively-recently-retired Met.

No thanks , I really dislike the boys club they have going over at MLB Network.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Valadius wrote: I'm surprised they haven't been able to grab someone like Al Leiter for the broadcast booth - a former relatively-recently-retired Met.

YLDB

http://web.yesnetwork.com/announcers/bio.jsp?id=aleiter

[Gwreck]

Coupla thoughts:

Neil Best wrote: But even more so than Darling and Cohen, Hernandez is irreplaceable, thanks both to his quirky humor and his status as one of the most important players in Mets history.

I guess Best means in terms of ratings. I like Keith just fine but they could boot him right now and the broadcasts wouldn't suffer. In many ways the Cohen-Darling broadcasts are the best as the three announcers together can be bogged down by Keith's antics. (The truly irreplaceable person is Gary).

G-Fafif wrote: We've just completed the second consecutive offseason during which Wayne Hagin never crossed my mind. Howie and Gary cross my mind every day -- and twice on Sunday. They equal Mets. Keith and Ron equal Mets. Ed Coleman and Kevin Burkhardt equal Mets. Wayne Hagin's an enjoyable enough announcer who happens to broadcast Mets games 150 or so times per season. He does not equal Mets.

That's a pretty tough standard to meet, no? You've got 2 iconic former players and 2 announcers who have such a long personal history with the team that they're the only conceivable people on whom I *might* bet against if they were in a Mets trivia contest against G-Fafif.*

Wayne has grown on me considerably over the past few years and while I still wish he was quicker to tell me how the runners are advancing on a particular play he has shown to be pretty good at his job. I could certainly see him growing into the role so that he could equal Mets in, say, 10 years or so.


*Assuming Gary and Howie were given a 5-question handicap.

[Frayed Knot]

Ceetar wrote: G-Fafif wrote: Wayne Hagin's an enjoyable enough announcer who happens to broadcast Mets games 150 or so times per season. He does not equal Mets. I've always wondered why, given two opportunities recently, they didn't give the job to Ed Coleman. I mean, they have him fill in anyway, especially when Howie's doing Islanders games, so what is it they don't like about him?

If they gave it to Eddie they'd have to find someone else to do his job - and he's not really a p-b-p guy.
He's OK on a fill-in basis but even then you run into the problem of having him wear too many hats.
- his main job has him doing the pre- and post-games gigs where you have to stay on the good side of everybody
- then there's the radio booth where being critical is more allowed
- and then he sometimes has to carry some regular (non-NYM approved) time on FAN where Met-ripping is sport of the day and it all makes for awkward transitions, especially as how those jobs often run back-to-back-to-back.

Howie Rose ran into the same problems when he worked Eddie C.'s job and, although HR handled it better than EC, it still caused some ruffled feathers here and there. Best to keep all those jobs separate.






Hagin's merely OK IMO, but the fact that he essentially replaced Gary and is next to Howie and all their ridiculously deep NYM DNA means that holding him (or any successor) to their standard pretty much assures it that we'll never be satisfied with anyone who occupies that chair.
oe; {see GWreck above}

[seawolf17]

Gwreck wrote: (The truly irreplaceable person is Gary)

Unquestionably. If I'm the Wilpons, I sign him to a thirty-year, $100 million contract now and make sure some owner/broadcaster elsewhere in the country doesn't get any crazy ideas. The loss of Gary Cohen would be as big of a crushing loss for me as the Mets trading David Wright and Jose Reyes for Derek Jeter and the remains of the dead guy from Mariano Rivera's pool. If not bigger. He's a legend to me; I'm openly jealous that SK is FB friends with his wife.

[Guest themetfairy]

I'm sure she'd friend you seawolf. She's a truly sweet person.

[G-Fafif]

Agreed that Gary's the indispensable man in the booth. I love Keith (and like Ronnie well enough) but Gary transcends everything. Radio stopped being wonderful when he left...and I love Howie plenty (lotta love here; I feel like Nicolette Larson).

Wayne technically replaced Tom McCarthy, not a hard act to follow.

[Guest Kong76]

tmf: I'm sure she'd friend you seawolf. She's a truly sweet person <<<

She unfriended me, but I'm obnoxious and generally disliked.

(now I'm going to have that 1776 song in my head all night)

[Guest Number 6]

I'm a picky, opinionated, and generally ornery fan, and bad announcers drive me bonkers; Fran Healy, for instance, significantly and negatively impacted my enjoyment of Mets baseball. Watching Healy's Mets broadcasts was like eating a perfectly prepared steak while being repeatedly poked in the nuts.

Given that, I'm very, very fortunate that the teams I care most about are the Mets and Devils. Doc Emrick and Gary are utterly indispensable as the lead parts of their respective broadcast teams and to their orgs as a whole.

Due to a few jobs I've done I've heard every TV broadcast team in baseball at least twice. That doesn't make me an expert by any stretch, but FWIW I wouldn't trade our guys for anyone.

[Fman99]

GKR are great, I have no problems with any of them. Rose, too.

Wayne Hagin can eat a dick. He's the worst, with his "radio voice" and spotty knowledge of all things Mets. He's got no pedigree.

Fortunately for me, most of my Mets absorption comes over TV and not radio so my exposure to him is limited to weekday matinees and weekend games when I'm in the car traveling.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Fman99 wrote: Fortunately for me, most of my Mets absorption comes over TV and not radio so my exposure to him is limited to weekday matinees and weekend games when I'm in the car traveling.

Yeah, me too. I've heard so little of Hagin that I have no opinion of him at all.

[metirish]

Gary is great but I don't doubt for a second that Howie is and has been just as good in the TV booth.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Lock me in a room and tell me to distinguish Wayne Hagin from Ted Robinson from Ed Coleman, and I'd probably need a few guesses.

Ted was a little slow on the draw, I remember that. But I also remember he did know the team's hist'ry.

[metirish]

I thought Ted was ok, certainly a calm voice to Healy's loud one. Ted did know the history IIRC and his style was one where story telling was part of it all. Seemed to really like the baseball Giants(he called them for years) and loved it when the Mets were on a home stand during the US Open going on in Flushing.

[MFS62]

G-Fafif wrote: Wayne Hagin's an enjoyable enough announcer who happens to broadcast Mets games 150 or so times per season. He does not equal Mets.

I think last year I posted that Wayne has "no Mets soul".
While I had that feeling all season, what finally crystalized it to me was that he said (I paraphrase, its been a while) "Ex- Tiger Dotel is now pitching".
He totally didn't know that Dotel had pitched for the Mets.

Later