Every Mets fan knows that the quality of the broadcasts we enjoy is second to none. Whenever we are forced to endure a nationally televised game, or worse, whenever we are held hostage to a game with a team other than the Mets, we see the stark differences between the discussions we hear every day and the awful content others call baseball broadcasting. Mostly, what we get when we watch/listen to Mets games is objectivity. From the first days of the Mets, the goal of the broadcasters was to say what was and not be "homers" like so many other announcers. That critical analysis elevates all of the games we watch and listen to above everything else in baseball. The men who have occupied the booth and shared Mets games with us have been almost as important as the players themselves. Most have been really good. Some have been great. With that said, here is a List of the Top 10 Mets Broadcasters of All-Time. (In the interests of brevity, I will break this count-down into rankings 10 – 6 for now and 5 -1 at a later time. Feel free to disagree!)
#10. Ed Coleman
Even though he's a Red Sox fan, Eddie C. has been a
stalwart performer for the Mets, mostly on WFAN, for twenty years. His laconic style sometimes bothers fans who
confuse it with a lack of interest. His most
annoying habit is responding to whatever topic comes his way by saying,
"there's no question . . . " when obviously there is a question or he
would not be talking about it. Still, he
maintains his credibility by not rooting for any team on the air. When a player makes a mistake or the team is
playing badly, he says so. Coleman makes
the top ten by beating out such "notables" as Lorn Brown, Steve
Albert, Ted Robinson, Dave O'Brien, Tom McCarthy and a cast of dozens not
otherwise worthy of mention. From here,
the list gets noticeably stronger.
#9. Gary Thorne
Perhaps the best voice the Mets broadcast booth ever had
belongs to Gary Thorne. He did a great job, especially when he was teamed up
with Tom Seaver. He had the good fortune to be in the booth during some of the
best years the team ever put together, and he was first on the radio with Bob
Murphy, which made both of them better.
#8. Howie Rose
Howie Rose loves the Mets, but he is a pro's pro and he
does as good a job on the radio as anyone in broadcasting. His signature phrase, "Put it in the
books!" is distinctive and only the inflection in his voice tells the
listener whether the Mets won or lost.
Among his most famous calls was Mike Piazza's home run in the first game
in New York after 9/11. "This one has a chance! Home run!" Classic.
#7. Tim McCarver
McCarver joined the Mets in 1983, when the team was
awful. He was just the opposite. He brought an insight and an intelligence
about the thinking part of the game fans had never heard before. When to hit and run; how a hitter can set up
a pitcher; what pitch selection is all about; who covers second on the throw
from the catcher with a runner on first and no outs; who takes the relay throw
from the right fielder on a play at third.
If you were listening, you learned the game from Tim McCarver. After one
Mets victory in 1986 (the stadium music blasted out "New York, New
York") he exclaimed, "they're spreading the news all right. These Mets are the dominant team in baseball
- in either league!" About as close
to a homer call as he ever came. I know there are some for whom he wore out his
welcome. His second guessing of Bobby
Valentine was legendary. Still, he was a terrific announcer and he made Ralph
Kiner better every time they shared the booth.
#6. Ralph Kiner
For 52 seasons Ralph Kiner has done at least some of the
broadcasting duties for the New York Mets. Followers of the team from the
beginning remember that we was the "player" voice in the booth,
giving that perspective a voice the others did not have. His foibles were
endearing, once referring to the change in time zones on a trip to California
as adjusting to "Pacific Coast League Standard Time." Notwithstanding his temporary lapses, Kiner
made Mets baseball more enjoyable to watch and listen to for decades. He was always a gentleman and when the games
were tough to watch, he was never at a loss for a good story. In the 50's when he was still playing, he
once dated Elizabeth Taylor. Yes, that
Elizabeth Taylor. He told a story about
how after their date, when they finished dinner he thought he valeted the
car. It was only after about an hour,
(and some screaming at the parking attendant), that he realized that he had the
car keys in his pocket the whole time. That was the stuff that got us through
some really bad baseball in the 70's.
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