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Best Team in Baseball

G-Fafif Sep 05 2013 01:59 PM

No better broadcasters than ours. Anthony DiComo with a fine profile of Gary, Keith, Ron and Guys! Talk to industry types about Cohen, Hernandez and Darling, and the conversation inevitably drifts to chemistry. It seems obvious now, 7 1/2 years after the network's launch, that the three of them genuinely like one another. But understand that this did not necessarily have to work; at its birth in 2006, SNY was at risk of all the same pitfalls that can hamper local broadcasts. Gowdy's mission at the time was to hire a team that could "educate, enlighten and entertain," in his words, and his first stop was Hernandez. Wanting a former player with whom the fan base was familiar, Gowdy turned to a man who had been contributing color commentary to Mets broadcasts since 1999. Hernandez represented Gold Gloves and "Seinfeld" cameos and local glitz. He was an obvious choice. The next piece was Cohen, who grew up rooting for the Mets, began calling games alongside Bob Murphy in the radio booth in 1989, and did so comfortably for the next decade and a half. Murphy's retirement allowed Cohen to score his dream job as lead radio play-by-play man in 2004, which lasted two seasons. That is when SNY came calling, and despite an affinity for radio, Cohen could not say no. Darling's hire was more unexpected. In what he remembers as a frustrating year commentating on Nationals games for the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, feeling stunted in his growth as a fledgling broadcaster, Darling impressed Gowdy with an analytical side that did not always translate well on camera. Watching tape of Darling's MASN broadcasts shortly after his hire, Picker remembers being "stunned" by how much work he thought Darling needed. Seven years later, the producer says, "I have never worked with an announcer who has improved as dramatically and as quickly as Ron." Prior to its second season, SNY filled out its core staff by hiring Kevin Burkhardt as its sideline reporter -- a job Burkhardt has, in some ways, modernized through his seamless booth communication and textured reporting, both from the home and visiting clubhouses. Cohen, Hernandez, Darling, Picker and director Bill Webb are now in their eighth season as a team, with Burkhardt there for seven, giving the broadcast uncommon fluidity. Often, they dine as a group on the road. They log hours together before and after games. "I think there have been plenty of people in this industry that don't like each other, yet still have good broadcasts," Burkhardt said. "But us, our whole crew that travels, we all see each other way more than we see our families or friends. So the fact that we all really like each other is a big bonus." The group also believes such chumminess translates to television, freeing each member -- and it's a cliché, they freely acknowledge -- to be himself. If that means Hernandez launching into a discussion about who mows his lawn, so be it. If that means Darling running down next year's Oscar contenders, all the better. If that means guest analyst Ralph Kiner drifting into a half-century-old anecdote, fantastic.

Zvon Sep 05 2013 02:02 PM Re: Best Team in Baseball

Yep, we are spoiled. At least we have the best of something these days.

Edgy MD Sep 05 2013 02:15 PM Re: Best Team in Baseball

Check out that thread on Laggy's arm. We have the best of a lot of things, depending on how broadly or narrowly you define "things."

G-Fafif Sep 05 2013 02:21 PM Re: Best Team in Baseball

Edgy MD wrote: Check out that thread on Laggy's arm. We have the best of a lot of things, depending on how broadly or narrowly you define "things." If we stay away from W-L records, we certainly have it goin' on.

Edgy MD Sep 05 2013 02:30 PM Re: Best Team in Baseball

For instance, we have a damned impressive disabled list.

batmagadanleadoff Sep 05 2013 05:39 PM Re: Best Team in Baseball

G-Fafif wrote: No better broadcasters than ours. Anthony DiComo with a fine profile of Gary, Keith, Ron and Guys! Darling's hire was more unexpected. In what he remembers as a frustrating year commentating on Nationals games for the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, feeling stunted in his growth as a fledgling broadcaster, Darling impressed Gowdy with an analytical side that did not always translate well on camera. Watching tape of Darling's MASN broadcasts shortly after his hire, Picker remembers being "stunned" by how much work he thought Darling needed. Seven years later, the producer says,"I have never worked with an announcer who has improved as dramatically and as quickly as Ron." I know this to be true from firsthand experience. I got to watch a few Nat games with Darling behind the mike, and I thought to myself that Darling was perhaps the worst announcer I'd ever heard. He's come a long way.

Edgy MD Sep 05 2013 06:46 PM Re: Best Team in Baseball

Hard to say worst, but yeah, he was terribly uncomfortable and disappointing. I didn't think he had a future at all.

Frayed Knot Sep 05 2013 07:03 PM Re: Best Team in Baseball

Darling himself admits as much, although, in fairness to him, he was hired at the last minute during the upheaval of the move from Montreal to Washington and so went into the job totally unprepared on account of it. They log hours together before and after games. Except for Keith who, starting around the sixth inning, is plotting ways to beat the fans out of the parking lot.