NYDN: Harvey Should Do SNY Broadcasts

Matt Harvey, as you may have heard, will miss the 2013 season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News had an interesting take on how Harvey could spend his time away from the field productively:

With Sandy Alderson finally throwing gas on his hot stove with the signings of Curtis Granderson and Bartolo Colon , it’s time for suits at the TV home of the Mets to make a move too.

And that would be involving Matt Harvey in some of SportsNet New York’s Mets telecasts, whether it be in the booth or studio. Naturally this all will be predicated on whether Harvey, coming off Tommy John surgery, would be inclined to go behind the microphone...

If Harvey has the time, what better way for the Mets organization to keep him connected with the fan base than allowing SNY suits to put him on the air. We are not talking a major schedule here. Maybe a few games or studio appearances during the regular season.

Clearly, Bob did not see the Qualcomm interview...

Photo by Michael Baron

As much as it would be a good thing for Harvey to stay connected to the team and fan base, this has disaster written all over it. The predatory New York media would hang on every word out of Harvey's mouth, waiting for him to write their headlines for them. Additionally, I think that Harvey would run the risk of overexposing himself while not playing. The Jimmy Fallon stunt where he interviewed people on the streets about himself? Very, very funny stuff, but only so long as he's pitching as well as he was. Fans, or at least myself, wouldn't take as kindly to Harvey making the same number of appearances this year while he is on the shelf.

Now to be fair this is all the rambling of a newspaper columnist, not Harvey. But if he wants to stay in touch, I'd love to see him travel with the team frequently and spend time with the other pitchers. Joining the broadcast booth seems ill-advised.