One potential FA loss averted

[Frayed Knot]

With all the Cespedes anxiety around, it had pretty much flown under the radar that Gary Cohen's deal ran out with the end of 2016.
Well Gary has now officially re-upped with a new "multi-year contract" to stay with SNY. So thus begins the twelfth season of G, K & R.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/gary-cohen-staying-sny-mets-play-by-play-voice-article-1.2883416

[Benjamin Grimm]

Well, that's good news. I never really thought he'd leave, though.

[Centerfield]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Well, that's good news. I never really thought he'd leave, though.

Where would he go? He's a lifelong Mets fan. If he weren't announcing the games, he'd have to watch them anyway. Which can make announcing for another team difficult.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Yeah, geez Howie and Gary are living their dream jobs. Darling would probably
be the first to break up the trio but seems happy enough doing both Mets and
keeping active on the national front too.

I know we say it all the time but we really are spoiled broadcasting wise.

[Centerfield]

d'Kong76 wrote: Yeah, geez Howie and Gary are living their dream jobs. Darling would probably be the first to break up the trio but seems happy enough doing both Mets and keeping active on the national front too. I know we say it all the time but we really are spoiled broadcasting wise.

We are owed this. We lived through FXH.

[Benjamin Grimm]

And Lorn Brown!

[Guest d'Kong76]

Centerfield wrote: We are owed this. We lived through FXH.

True, but without Fran we wouldn't have the kahnfidence to post on...

[Frayed Knot]

I have this vision of Fran where, although his contract was not renewed all those years ago, he just kept on randomly announcing Mets games anyway to whomever has the misfortune of being within earshot of him. Not only that but he's probably still on the same run-on sentence as when we last heard him.

[Guest d'Kong76]

I saw Fran over the weekend on one of the sports channels when flipping,
I think it was one of the MSG channels, doing his this-guy-in sports-type of
show. Looks good, dude doesn't really age, he must be close to 70 by now.

[Edgy MD]

I'd still like to see them develop other voices if they're going to give Keith and Ron a third of the season off.

Stick Nelson Figueroa in there when Ronnie's doing the networks. Stick Brian McRae in there when Keith is hiding in Florida. Three-man booths rule. Two-man booths drool.

Seriously, half of what they talk about when Keith is away is heh-heh-heh what Keith must be up to.

[Centerfield]

I think similar thoughts were expressed 30 years ago about giving Magadan some AB's over Keith.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Long-term deals are risky, but Gary's Words Above Replacement was league-leading, and he proves with his deep knowledge of random Mets that his Range Factor is also elite.

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy MD wrote: Three-man booths rule. Two-man booths drool.

I much prefer two man booths to three.
GKR works, first of all because it's really only a 3-man act for maybe 1/3 of the time, but mainly because voices 2 & 3 have known each other for so long and have no inclination to compete for air time and act like they're getting paid by the word. And while I don't want to pretend that those should be the only voices allowed on the air for the rest of time, I'd also hate to see them fill up the booth just to fill it up. That's what the networks do (and even they are backing away from that trend) and it's what the Yanx do where their TV booth consists of Michael Kay plus two out of a rotating cast of what seems to be a few dozen over the last decade or so.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Edgy MD wrote: Stick Nelson Figueroa in there when Ronnie's doing the networks.

Figgy is pretty good in his SNY seat I have to say. I don't really know why
I was skeptical at first, but I was, but I like him a lot now.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Todd Zeile has done a nice job on Mets Hot Stove the past week. I wasn't aware that he was with SNY. Is this something new? Or is this yet another way that I'm out of touch?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Todd Zeile has done a nice job on Mets Hot Stove the past week. I wasn't aware that he was with SNY. Is this something new? Or is this yet another way that I'm out of touch?

Gah! I didn't know he was in New York (basically, across the street from me). I am trying to track him down for an interview and went thru the SNY people to get his "people." (His person has the request NOW!!!!)

The SNY guy explained (this was several weeks back) that he's not on a regular schedule but he's an "important contributor" -- they do shows when their schedules align.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Bonus Quiz: Can anyone name Todd Zeile's ultimate dubious achievement?

[Guest themetfairy]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Bonus Quiz: Can anyone name Todd Zeile's ultimate dubious achievement?

That he hit a home run in his final at bat?

[Benjamin Grimm]

My favorite fun fact about Todd Zeile is that he's descended from John Adams and John Quincy Adams.

Not sure that qualifies as "dubious", however.

[Edgy MD]

He produced a teen grossout movie called Dirty Deeds and played the small role of a character known as "Mullet."

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Those are good guesses but no. He has the most career hits (2,004) of any player never named to an All-Star team.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

This is the first year that I've purchased the video portion of the MLB ap, and was able to hear the television guys for the first time. They really are good, but sometimes I have trouble telling Ron and Keith apart. Their voices are more similar than I thought.

Now, check this out. The video access -- which is HD and looks amazing on my iPad -- is $24 a month, which is a lot but my wife let me do it. I assumed that they only would charge you for the season, since that's the only time there are actually games to view. Then October came, and all the games were blacked out because they were all on national television.

Then I got a bill for November, and I thought, "What the heck? There is no baseball of any kind? What exactly I'm I paying for?"

So I went in the fine print and is says they will charge you every month unless you go into the settings and tell them not to. How can they justify charging you for five months when they are not giving you the project you are paying for? Crazy. I figured out how to cut it off and will re engage in April.

Anyway, I really enjoyed watching the broadcasts this summer and the guys really are good.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I don't think that Ron and Keith have the same voice (Ron's voice has a bit more of the stuffy-nose sound) but they do have a lot of the same inflections. And I suspect that that's Ron being influenced by Keith.

[MFS62]

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Long-term deals are risky, but Gary's Words Above Replacement was league-leading, and he proves with his deep knowledge of random Mets that his Range Factor is also elite.

This.
I love those new stats.

And a thumbs up to giving Nelson Figueroa more in-game air time, too.

Later