The Global New York Mets Blog: E-Mail Bag: Gary Keith and Ron

Friday, September 14, 2007

E-Mail Bag: Gary Keith and Ron

Global NYM reader Anthony writes...

As an ardent Mets fan, I would like to watch a game without the many nonsensical remarks made by Keith Hernandez & Ron Darling. I've noticed so often that Gary Cohen remains silent giving me the impression that he's quietly saying, "Alright guys just knock it off." For example, the Mets-Reds game, Hernandez needs to tell us about his divorce. That's not baseball. Yes, I understand being light, however if I need a comedy show I'll know what channel to tune into. I have already heard my friends watching the game in silence while listening to the radio. What does this say guys?

-Anthony

Wow, my general impression from Mets fans has been that Keith and Ron are two of the better color commentators in the game today.

As we all know, Gary Cohen is one of the great announcers of the game, and other than Howie Rose, who broadcasts games on WFAN, the Mets haven't really been able to find anyone else to fill the shoes of the legendary Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner.

The Mets and SNY brought Keith and Ron in last season to coincide with the year long 20th anniversary of the 1986 World Championship team. They did a similar thing with Tom Seaver in 1999 for the 40th anniversary of the 1969 team.

Ron won the Emmy for Best Sports Analyst in New York last season, and while I personally don't think he was necessarily the "best" analyst in New York last year, he certainly is better than Al Leiter over on YES. In general, Ron has a lot of useful things to say, especially when it comes to how pitchers are throwing certain pitches and such.

I think it's pretty much understood at this point that the only reason Keith is even in the booth is for comic relief, while he occasionally makes a good baseball related point, his existence on SNY is solely to entertain the viewers between pitches. In this aspect I believe he has actually done a decent job.

As our readers over at the facebook group know, one of our most popular threads showcases over 100 of some of the most memorable quotes by Keith while on the air. If you are a facebook user, I strongly recommend you check it out.

for more on Keith, look no farther than

If you find Gary, Keith and Ron nauseating, check out MLBTV, TBS, or ESPN sometime, because you'll find that most baseball announcers out there are much worse. See Michael Kay or John Sterling.

...and in case you didn't know... tonight is Keith Hernandez Mustache night out at Shea. Get your tickets while they're still available people...