Watchdog

Keith Hernandez has no memory of witness' story in Gotti trial

Thursday September 24, 2009 8:50 AM By Neil Best

In case you were wondering about that peculiar moment in John Gotti Jr.'s trial this week when a witness dragged Keith Hernandez's name into the story by saying Hernandez loaned him money in 1984 when the witness was deep in gambling debt . . .

Hernandez said through a spokesman Tuesday that he has no recollection of the incident.

Mark Sanchez gets advice from Derek Jeter, and listens

Monday September 21, 2009 11:45 AM By Neil Best

More random football stuff from Sunday:

I asked NBC producer Fred Gaudelli last week about how he would balance covering Sunday night's football game with covering the new stadium. He said this: "It will be woven in naturally and not at the expense of what's happening on the field."

There were times NBC risked crossing that line. But hey, give Jerry Jones credit as a marketing man, even if his team hasn't won a playoff game since before I had dial-up Internet access. It will be interesting to see whether the new Giants/Jets stadium gets this kind of network TV hype next September.

Good line from NBC's Rodney Harrison on Brandon Jacobs: "I played 15 years in this league and I went up against many backs big, small, fast, whatever. And Brandon Jacobs is the most intimidating running back I've ever had to hit. I can't lie to you, a couple times I was afraid to hit him."

NBC's Peter King on his post-game chat with Mark Sanchez: "One of the things he said was his best advice all offseason coming into this year came from Derek Jeter at a Yankees game one night. He said, 'Do not believe the headlines.' So he hasn't believed them, hasn't read them."

Fox' Terry Bradshaw before the Jets game on Rex Ryan's public, um, confidence: "I'm totally against it. You can get the results you want from your team without going public. You can do it in the locker room. For example, Chuck Noll never said a bad word about anybody [publicly]. But in the locker room one time before we played the Raiders he said, 'We're going to go out there and kick their you-know-what.' It had the same effect but he didn't take it public."

SNY's Jets studio team gang tackles Glauber

Monday September 21, 2009 10:34 AM By Neil Best

Speaking of SNY's Jets postgame (see post below) . . .

Newsday's Bob Glauber, one of the most experienced football scribes in America, asked Darrelle Revis the final question in his news conference:

Glauber: "Do you think your name's going to start to get out there now, or do you care?"

Revis: "It really doesn't matter. I just go out and do my job and be a team player."

This seemed like a reasonable question, given that Revis' national profile among casual fans is modest.

Until this season I was aware of him but was not aware he is among the NFL's elite corners.

Yet back in the studio, SNY's Jets crew jumped all over the question.

Brian Custer: "I don't know what that guy was asking."

Adam Schein: "Start to get out there?!"

Custer: "I don't know who that was."

Schein: "Do people follow football?"

Custer: "What is it, amateur hour out there?"

Schein: "Apparently so."

Ray Lucas also was saying something derogatory that I couldn't quite make out.

Amateur hour? Yikes. Glauber will be in the Jets locker room more times this month than Custer, Lucas and Schein will all season - combined.

Photo: AP

SNY dissects Jets victory over Patriots thoroughly

Monday September 21, 2009 9:48 AM By Neil Best

One more thing about Sunday's twin killings of the much-disliked Patriots and Cowboys:

After a victory such as that, SNY's nearly 90-minute postgame is an invaluable service for avid Jets fans. (The network wisely waited until after the football talk was over to get around to its wrapup of an irrelevant Mets victory.)

The fact the Giants still do not have a comparably thorough, consistent postgame outlet on local television is unfortunate.

But it's good for newspapers, I suppose. So I shouldn't complain.

Speaking of newspapers, here is Rock's blog summary from DFW, including links to our game story and column and to another excellent tweet from the great Dan Jenkins.

It's been a great football season in New York so far. In a couple of weeks it will go on hiatus for the month of October, then return in November after the Yankees' dramatic seven-game World Series showdown with LAD.

Photo: AP

Jets roster moonlights on SNY

Thursday September 17, 2009 11:17 AM By Neil Best

SNY sent a news release regarding Kris Jenkins, Bart Scott, Kerry Rhodes, Damien Woody and Brandon Jacobs having regular roles this season on various shows on the network.

When you add those hirings to the bounty of weekly appearances by Giants and Jets on WFAN and 1050 ESPN, any local football player without a paying media gig really should consider hiring a new agent.

Gary Cohen discovers another side of Keith Hernandez

Wednesday September 16, 2009 10:48 AM By Neil Best

The SNY Guys spent some time in the bottom of the fifth Tuesday discussing my sleepover last week at Keith and Kai Hernandez' house and the ensuing newspaper article.

Gary Cohen: "What struck me was he made your life, which I think is a very interesting life, sound very mundane."

Keith Hernandez: "I made it sound very mundane. I was the maestro."

Gary: "So you're saying that may not quite jibe with reality?"

Keith: "Neil doesn't know half of it."

Hmm. I did forget to mention this in the story:

Hernandez is a big Strat-O-Matic fan, and said he twice has replayed the entire 1964 season. He has been replaying the 1967 NL season since June.

So, see, he really is an exciting guy!

Photo: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara

Keith Hernandez didn't watch baseball for five years in 1990s

Monday September 14, 2009 11:51 AM By Neil Best

I hope you found our feature and video about a day in the life of Keith Hernandez to be informative and interesting, but I fear it failed adequately to capture the essence of the Hernandez vibe.

Let’s put it this way: Even at age 55, a grandfather of two and a married commuter with three cats and a dog, he’s still at heart the same Hernandez cool enough to have inspired the most famous man-crush in TV history in a 1992 “Seinfeld” episode.

That includes his eclectic tastes in culture – from high to low. Example: a 1960s vintage Danny Kaye song about the Dodgers for which he has an original 45. The record was at his home in Florida, so he found a YouTube version above and played it for me.

Below are random leftovers that didn’t get into the newspaper.

I could have broken it all into smaller blog posts, but then I’d risk annoying Yankees fans. And we can’t have that, now can we?

On his six years between retiring and starting to work as an analyst for MSG: “I was just passing time. I don’t get bored. I just really enjoyed New York City and not having to get to the ballpark. I was able to go to theater, dinner, movies, and really, really take advantage of Manhattan and all it has to offer.

"Plus I lived at Elaine’s [Restaurant], too. I lived up there quite a bit. I had a wonderful six years . . . I had enough money put aside where I was going to be comfortable. I wasn’t worried about [my next career].’’

On his lack of passion for watching baseball after retirement: “I didn’t watch baseball for five years, didn’t watch until the Sosa-McGwire thing. Then I started watching a little bit. Not an All-Star Game, a World Series, nothing. And I did not miss it. And I honestly feel when I retire doing this, whenever that is, I will not watch a baseball game again.’’

On becoming an announcer: “When I got back in the booth I rediscovered my love for the game. Because no matter how the game has changed, whether you like it or not, it’s still a beautiful game. Now I just don’t have to get up in the ninth inning down a run with men on base and have to get a base hit anymore. Why should I be tense? It’s all on them now. It’s not on me.” 

On his image as a player being serious and his image as an announcer being playful: “People didn’t see what goes on in the clubhouse. On the field I can’t joke around and be a clown. In the clubhouse I was very much how I am in the booth. We grew up in clubhouses where there was a lot of needling and sharp wit. If you had a thin skin, you better get a thick skin.

“It was a real tough sense of humor. That’s what I was on the bus, certainly with my teammates. There is a lot more than just what the fans see for nine innings. If I were as serious as I was when I played and had to have my entire focus on the game pitch by pitch I’d have a nervous breakdown doing that 24/7. This is the real me.”

On his famous 1992 “Seinfeld” appearance and whether that reflected his sense of humor: "The 'Seinfeld' thing was contrived. I had lines. I was so nervous. It wasn’t the real me. I delivered my lines, which were memorized. I said, ‘I’m not Marlon Brando here. I’m not going to research my character and play someone different.’

"There were some things that were written how I wouldn’t say it, because it’s another person putting words in my mouth. Jerry and Larry David said, ‘If you don’t feel comfortable and it’ll make you nervous, say it your way.’ It was a great experience. It was nerve wracking, but it was a great experience.’’

On whether traffic from Sag Harbor to Queens ever has made him late for work: “You always have to be careful on Fridays because people get off early. Friday tends to be the day. I’m always going against traffic, but Friday you can get caught. And it’s always the rainy day, that big thunderstorm late afternoon. I very rarely leave at 4. If I leave at 4 I’ll get there around 6. 

“One time I got there around 6:40. There was rain and an accident. I tried service roads, went to the Northern State. Nothing was working. I was very nervous.’’ 

On rarely interacting with active players before games: "I should probably go get more information from the players, how they're feeling, etc. I just don't like to invade their preparation . . . I don't want to become another guy they have to deal with before they have to play a game."

On his experiences with the East End before moving there: “I never came out to the Hamptons when I played. When I retired I had a friend who had a home in Shinnecock Hills. And another friend had a place in Amagansett. I loved it. They were all weekend warriors.’’ 

On his commute: “I never had a car in Manhattan. It’s nice to drive. But by the end of the season I’m ready to bag it . . . It’s murderous. But people do a lot worse. I can’t complain about my circumstances. But I do like to bitch about it.’’ 

On adjusting to life after baseball: “I can never replicate that. It’s a part of my life that is gone. If I were to go into the business world and make 100 million dollars, it would never be as exciting as playing baseball. It would never be as fulfilling. But you must go on. You’ve got the second half of your life to live.’’

The Hernandez’ faithful dog, Duncan, has a brother, father and grandfather who were champion show dogs, but he was not suitable for that world because of an underbite. (No, really.) So the Hernandezes took him in as a pet.

Keith’s wife, Kai, a freelance pastry chef, usually has a midnight snack waiting for him when he returns home after a game. On Tuesday night, it was shrimp cocktail and crab salad. For breakfast, she served homemade cake, fresh berries, granola and yogurt. Then, for a snack after lunch at the American Hotel in downtown Sag Harbor, homemade ice cream.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that, unless you’re looking to lose 20 pounds, as Keith said he is.

Keith, Kai Hernandez bonded after tragedy

Monday September 14, 2009 9:55 AM By Neil Best

Here is a story I wrote about how Keith and Kai Hernandez were brought together by tragedy after Kai's previous husband, Glenn Thompson, was killed in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

(It accompanied our Sunday feature and video about my visit last week to the Hernandez' home near Sag Harbor.)

To honor Thompson, Kai each year sponsors a search and rescue dog for a handler who could not otherwise afford its training and certification. She was inspired by the dogs she saw working at Ground Zero in 2001 and by her own dog, Duncan.

This year's recipient, announced Friday, was Patrick Reilly, a deputy in the Palm Beach County, Fla., sheriff's office.

For more information on the sponsorship and on opportunities to get involved, click here.

More from Kai, much of which was not included in the newspaper version:

"[Keith] was in Florida and I was in New York and we started talking on the phone on a regular basis. We were talking every day, then a couple of times a day and finally he said, 'How would you feel about me coming up to New York and taking you out to dinner?'

"I looked around my empty apartment and couldn’t think of a single reason not to. We’d been talking so much at that point it didn’t feel like he was just some guy taking advantage of my vulnerable condition.

"He was such a wonderful friend to me. I was no picnic in those early weeks. I had nightmares every night and woke up screaming. One of the best things he did was say, 'I think you and your son need to get out of the city,' and he invited us down to Florida.

"It was this huge weight lifted off of me. Everyone was so kind and so concerned and checking on me all the time. I’m a very private person. We went down to Florida and I didn’t know anybody. And nobody knew my situation. And it really helped me come back to life again.

"We ended up staying for spring training and by the time we came back to New York we were very comfortable together. I had really done a lot of healing by being away from the context.

"It was smothering and overwhelming. I felt like I had to take care of everyone else who was concerned about how I was doing and I had to reassure them that I was doing fine.

"I’m always interested in other people’s stories about that time. I think the human mind is very self protective. I don’t remember a whole lot of the big picture. I remember my own personal part of it. Everyone talks about how the whole city came together. I don’t remember it. I just remember what I was going through.

"I feel very, very blessed. My husband who was killed was an extraordinary, wonderful person. I’ve been fortunate twice. It doesn’t always happen even once . . . [Thompson] was outdoorsy and just had a true moral compass. He was just a good, good, good person.

"I’m so grateful to Keith for having been such a good friend to me at a difficult time. I was under 100 pounds and I was crying all the time. He was just perfect. My one word for him is is always 'teammate.' I could not ask for a better teammate and I know his teammates feel the same way."

Kai on their life in Sag Harbor and on being married to Keith:

"It just kind of evolved. I had a small place [on the East End] when we met. It became clear pretty quickly it was too small for Keith and my son and me. It was 450 square feet. After that first summer he said, 'Why don't you think about putting your place on the market and we can find a place together?'

"We bought this after seeing it once."

"I was a huge Mets fan my whole life. I came back to New York for grad school [after graduating from Cornell] in August of '86. I felt like they [won the World Series] just for me."

"I'm used to [fan reactions] to  Keith. He's my husband and my best friend. I don't necessarily think of him as Keith Hernandez. In public, yes, he attracts attention, but I think it's wonderful how many people remember and like him and love that team. It's all good. No one comes up and says obnoxious things. It's all very respectful."

Ron Darling talks '69 Mets with Seaver, Koosman, Ryan

Monday September 14, 2009 9:31 AM By Neil Best

Today's free programming notes:

SNY will debut "Amazin' Aces of of '69," in which Ron Darling sits down to talk about the good old days with Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Nolan Ryan, at 7 p.m. Monday (Hmm. That or Tom Brady on "Monday Night Football?")

CBSSports.com and USOpen.org will offer live streaming of the Open's men's final at 4 p.m. Monday for those fortunate enough to have an office with high speed Internet access and a boss who doesn't pay attention to how you pass your time.

On the HBO "Real Sports" debuting at 10 p.m. Tuesday, Frank Deford will examine the troubled state of America's newspaper sports sections.

Oh, joy!

Photo: AP

Keith Hernandez settles in on Long Island's East End

Saturday September 12, 2009 10:38 PM By Neil Best

Slept at Keith Hernandez' house Tuesday, then wrote a story about it.

Plus, Keith gave Newsday a video tour of his home here.

Photo: Newsday/Tom Ferrara

SNY announcers teach U.S. history in season's final weeks

Thursday September 10, 2009 12:51 PM By Neil Best

The Mets' dismal season hasn't been any more fun for their announcing team than for their fans, but as they slog through the final weeks the SNY guys are trying to keep themselves mildly amused with a little on-air game. (It's even educational!)

At some point during every game, they work the name of a state into the telecast, one per night in order of their admission to the union - from Delaware to Hawaii.

It's been very hush hush (until now).

I am not even sure where they are on the list and I am unwilling to watch tapes of the past few games to decipher it.

I think they might be up to Texas.

Watch Thursday for yourself if you want and try to figure it out. (Jeter has the night off. What else do you have to do? Oh, the NFL opener. Forgot. Never mind.)

TV ratings tell two tales of one baseball city

Thursday September 10, 2009 11:31 AM By Neil Best

Derek Jeter and the Yankees attracted an average of 6.3 percent of area homes on YES for Wednesday's come-from-behind victory over the Rays.

Pat Misch and the Mets attracted an average of 1.4 percent of area homes on SNY for Wednesday's fall-way-behind-early loss to the Marlins.

Photo: David Pokress

Mets' first first was 40 years ago

Thursday September 10, 2009 9:17 AM By Neil Best

SNY's Keith Hernandez told me he buys Newsday every day to check out his favorite feature in the sports section this season: the daily box scores of the 1969 Mets.

Speaking of which, today is the 40th anniversary of my first sports memory: the Mets beating the Expos in the first game of a twi-night doubleheader (in 12 innings) to move into first place for the first time.

What's your first sports memory?

Discuss among yourselves. I will be busy in the meantime writing a feature about Mr. Hernandez.

Mets announcers will be at a loss for words Tuesday night

Tuesday September 8, 2009 10:39 AM By Neil Best

For the first time in the history of baseball-team-owned regional sports networks in New York - YES since 2002, SNY since 2006 - one of the aforementioned RSNs is facing a September full of games featuring a hopelessly out of contention home team.

Hence: gimmicks.

Tuesday night, SNY's announcers will not say a thing during the sixth inning of the Mets game, letting the action speak for itself.

Wednesday night, play-by-play man Gary Cohen will be told to take the day off and let analysts Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling handle all of the talking in the booth.

Thursday night, SNY will pass a microphone around the upper deck in leftfield and let random fans call a half-inning each.

(Unless the ball is hit to deep left and they can't see it, in which case a random fan in right will take over.)

Just kidding about that Thursday paragraph.

But the Tuesday and Wednesday stuff is true.

Photo: Newsday/Kathy Kmonicek

Erin Andrews tells Oprah Winfrey video was 'nightmare'

Monday August 31, 2009 10:41 PM By Neil Best

Erin Andrews opted for Oprah over me for her first post-peephole-video sitdown. It was taped Thursday and will appear on TV Sept. 11 - eight days after Ms. Andrews returns to the ESPN sidelines later this week.

Erin called the experience a "nightmare." I think Deitsch broke the story on Twitter of Oprah landing the interview.

The Jets have sold out of the season ticket and half season ticket packages they were offering for 2009.

The Yankees announced playoff ticket prices for 2009, and lo and behold, they haven't gone up much if at all from the regular season. Then again . . . how the heck could they have?

Tennis Channel CEO Ken Solomon was on CNBC this morning talking about the channel's ongoing absence from Cablevision.

Cablevision, which owns Newsday, issued this statement on the matter:

"We have a valid agreement that will immediately make the Tennis Channel available to any Cablevision customer who wants it. Thus far, the Tennis Channel is claiming a technicality allows it to delay the launch by a few weeks, and is refusing to do the right thing by authorizing Cablevision to receive its signal. Any further delay by the Tennis Channel is at the expense of New York-area tennis fans. Fortunately, Cablevision customers can already view more than 130 hours of the best live U.S. Open coverage on CBS and ESPN."

NBC's ratings for Sunday night's Bears-Broncos game were the best for a preseason game on any network in five years - 7.3 percent of homes in major markets. Thanks, Jay Cutler.

CBS's ratings for Sunday afternoon's final round of the Barclays were up 106 percent from last year, to 3.7 percent of homes in major markets. Thanks as always, Tiger.

To answer a reader's question: SNY will indeed replay the 1969 Mets ceremonies - at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Up to 12 teams could have games lost to the NFL blackout rule this season, including the Jaguars, who might be 0-for-8 on home sellouts.

Against my better judgment, one last crack at my take on general sports columnists: 

Of course there is a place for well-written and/or well-reported columns by non-specialists.

On the whole, though, I still say these days most readers are more thirsty for expert insights and information than general opining.

I'll leave it alone now. You're welcome.

Photo: AP

Eric Bruntlett, Johnny Neun forever paired

Monday August 24, 2009 10:38 AM By Neil Best

Nice job by SNY's Gary Cohen capturing the bizarreness of the Phillies-Mets finish Sunday, after which he speculated - wrongly, it turned out - that it might be the first time in major league history a game ended on an unassisted triple play.

We now know it happened once before, of course, by Johnny Neun in 1927.

Later Sunday, ESPN's Jon Miller said he knew Neun personally and recounted the details of the former Tiger's triple play, which - interestingly - came as a first baseman.

Miller also told of how Neun milked the moment for the rest of his long life in baseball, including 14 games as the Yankees' manager in 1946.

This was after Miller had corrected his partner, Joe Morgan, when Morgan recalled working the game that featured the previous game-ending unassisted triple play.

In fact, Morgan presumably was recalling one from a 2003 Sunday night game by Rafael Furcal, who achieved the feat in the fifth inning.

Photo: AP

Friday comment contest winner

Friday August 21, 2009 9:41 AM By Neil Best

This week's winner is Gene Towba of Plainview, who emailed this excellent wisecrack:

"So the SNY broadcast team is taking phone calls during blowout Mets games. Why not just invite Rickey Henderson in to deal a few hands of cards!"

Photo: Getty

Can MLB's deal with Topps revive the baseball card biz?

Monday August 17, 2009 11:53 AM By Neil Best

Random stuff:

An interesting story in Slate about the history and business of baseball cards in the wake of Topps' exclusive deal with MLB.

Why was Sam Ryan not on SNY's "Jets Nation" Sunday night, as had been reported? Contractual complications with CBS, a person familiar with the situation said.

Twitter demon and Bellmore JFK grad Adam Schefter starts at ESPN today.

Sam Ryan to leave WCBS, Katie Strang to join Isles beat

Thursday August 13, 2009 2:42 PM By Neil Best

Just got off the phone with Sam Ryan, who confirmed what I heard earlier today: 

That she will be leaving her gig as Ch. 2's lead sports anchor at the end of the month to focus on her national CBS duties.

Those include the NFL, the Final Four and starting this season studio work for CBS College Sports' football coverage.

Ryan also will work on a freelance basis for SNY, starting with Friday night's late "SportsNite," then hosting "Jets Nation" Sunday night, then hosting "Daily News Live" Aug. 24.

"It's a win-win for my family and my career," she said.

Elsewhere in local sports media, Newsday has a new Islanders beat writer.

It's . . . (Spunky) Katie Strang. (Her predecessor, venerable, veteran scribe Greg Logan, will be redeployed within our vast web of sports coverage.)

(Islanders Point Blank scooped me on the story. Dang.)

Photo: That's Katie Strang, not Sam Ryan

It's not easy to walk Kevin Kouzmanoff on four pitches

Sunday August 9, 2009 1:18 PM By Neil Best

The only reason left to watch Mets games is for the morbid curiosity of observing the frustration/exasperation of SNY's announcers.

Ken Davidoff tipped me off to a good one on his Twitter feed. Top of the eighth Saturday night, Mets down a run, man on first, Sean Green pitching to Kevin Kouzmanoff.

Take it away, Gary Cohen: "Kouzmanoff, who's impossible to walk, walks on four pitches. That's UNbelievable."

Mets take early lead, fans in best seats seek a.c. comfort

Wednesday August 5, 2009 1:49 PM By Neil Best

SNY's Kevin Burkhardt just interviewed Zach Braff in one of the premium seats at Citi Field.

Mr. Braff seemed to have most of the row to himself.

Photo: AP

Mr. Met has bigger anger issues than Tony Bernazard

Wednesday July 29, 2009 10:29 AM By Neil Best

I hope Mets fans appreciate what I've done for them. Much like the Yankees rallied from a 21-29 start in 2007 after I wrote a column wondering what the heck YES would talk about all season, the Mets are 4-1 since I wrote a column wondering what the heck SNY would talk about all season.

During that period they also produced one of the strangest news conferences in New York sports history, which gave SNY something else to talk about. I had nothing to do with that.

I forgot to mention this Tuesday, but even after all the attention Monday's Omar Minaya meltdown got and even with an exciting victory on the field, the Mets game that night was outrated by the Yankees' ho-hum victory - 5.0 percent of area homes to 2.9.

(UPDATE: Tuesday night the Yankees won more narrowly, 4.4 to 3.5.)

SNY announcers criticize Omar Minaya's news conference

Tuesday July 28, 2009 1:15 PM By Neil Best

SNY again showed Monday that its on-air talent has more freedom to criticze the Mets organization than their counterparts at YES when it comes to the Yankees or MSG on the Knicks and Rangers.

(MSG, the Rangers, the Knicks and Newsday all are owned by Cablevision.)

Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling bluntly criticized Omar Minaya before the game. (Not ownership, though.)

Later, the SNY boys landed a more subtle jab.

The announcers are not big fans of their booth in Citi Field, which Gary Cohen seemed to hint at in the fourth inning when a popup by one of the Rockies landed in the stands.

After Keith Hernandez asked Cohen whether he had lost the ball in the overhang, Cohen muttered, "I'm not sayin'."

Pause. "Maybe we can get it on the blimp shot," he added.

Mets mess highlights relationship between writers, teams

Tuesday July 28, 2009 7:52 AM By Neil Best

Tons of stuff on the Web site today about the Omar/Tony/Adam bizarreness, of course, including my take on the matter here.

Here is the fantastic SNY split screen of the infamous news conference.

There are all sorts of related issues I didn't get to in the column, including whether Adam Rubin can continue to cover the Mets as a beat writer after all this.

The short answer is "yes." One example is in his own department, where long-time Knicks beat writer Frank Isola for years had a toxic relationship with the Knicks yet continued to cover them.

In a 2007 article in The New York Observer about life on the Knicks beat, Isola said this:

“I leave the Garden sometimes and think, ‘Should I look under my car before I turn the ignition?’”

Anyway, that decision is up to the Daily News. Here is Rubin's take from today's paper, including the disclosure that he inquired about work at Mets-owned SNY.

As for the central charge Omar Minaya made against Rubin, that he "lobbied" for a job in player personnel, Jeff Wilpon seemed to support Rubin's version that his inquiries were casual and general, which if true is no big deal, really.

Editors and readers might like to believe beat writers walk around all day with a virtual wall between themselves and the teams they cover, but in the real world spending that much time around people naturally leads to casual personal interactions - both positive and negative.

After 10 years covering the Giants on a daily basis, I knew the people in the Giants front office better than I did the people in Newsday's office.

So if I wanted "career advice," as Wilpon said journalists frequently seek from him, it would have seemed perfectly natural to reach out to, say, John Mara to look for it.

Sorry, purists, that's reality.

Photo: AP

Omar Minaya drops bombshell on Mets beat reporter

Monday July 27, 2009 4:05 PM By Neil Best

Did Omar Minaya just accuse the Daily News' Adam Rubin of having an agenda in his reporting on Tony Bernazard because he wanted to land a player personnel job in the Mets' organization?

OMG!

Nice job by SNY doing a split screen of Rubin's shocked reaction as Minaya spoke . . . minutes after Rubin had appeared on SNY to discuss the Bernazard story.

Now Rubin and Omar are debating this in the middle of a news conference, which has taken its place already as one of the strangest in the history of New York media!

Back in the studio, Jon Heyman - with whom Rubin has had issues of late (10 questions down) - expressed his shock, and Bob Ojeda said the last time he witnessed something that uncomfortable was the infamous Strawberry-Hernandez fight of many moons ago.

Kevin Burkhardt just said on the team-owned network that Minaya bringing Rubin into the story in this manner was "kinda nuts."

Why do the Mets continue to let Mr. Minaya serve as their spokesman in these news conferences when he is so consistently bad at it?

Rubin, who called Minaya turning this into a story "obscene," wondered afterward how he is going to cover the team after this incident. Good question.

Photo: Daily News

Mets' ineptitude challenges SNY announcers' patience

Saturday July 25, 2009 4:53 PM By Neil Best

Most of us have the luxury of turning off Mets games whenever the comedy/tragedy becomes too much to bear.

SNY's announcers have no such luck. Is the relentless horror starting to get to Gary Cohen?

With the Mets down a run in the eighth inning Friday night and Angel Berroa up with one on and no one out, Berroa popped his first bunt attempt high into the air and foul.

Cohen, clearly exasperated, eventually said, "I mean, he's gotta show SOMETHING!"

Alas, Berroa did not, eventually bunting just poorly enough to get the runner thrown out at second by Not-So-Pudge-Anymore Rodriguez.

Oy. And there's still amost a week left in July!

Photo: David Pokress

Mets quickly fade into obscurity in NL East, on TV

Friday July 24, 2009 10:03 AM By Neil Best

Here is my Friday newspaper column, in which I discuss the long, hot late summer confronting SNY as the first team-owned New York baseball channel ever to be confronted with its favorite team being hopelessly out of contention come late August and September.

There are other business implications of the Mets collapse that the story does not address. For example: ticket sales.

With the novelty of the new stadium now old news and prices crashing on the secondary market, it appears likely many current season ticket holders will choose not to renew for 2010.

At least the lines at the Shake Shack will go down.

Photo: Howard Simmons

Tom Seaver recalls Game 1 loss in 1969 World Series

Friday July 17, 2009 9:13 AM By Neil Best

Hey, kids, check it out: My first newspaper column in three weeks!

It concerns the fact SNY will show Game 1 of the 1969 World Series Saturday night, the first time YES or SNY has shown a loss as part of its "Yankees Classics" or "Mets Classics" packages.

Thus SNY will complete the third of the tasks I assigned it a couple of years back: HD for road games, closed captions for the hard of hearing and being brave enough to replay a famous Mets loss.

MSG, which like the Knicks, Rangers and Newsday is owned by Cablevision, beat the baseball-team-owned channels to the punch on several occasions.

Among the losses the network has shown in the past are Game 5 of the 1971-72 NBA Finals (the Knicks lost to the Lakers, with Wilt compiling 24 points and 29 rebounds) and Mark Messier's final game at the Garden in 2004 (a Rangers loss to the Sabres).

I'm well past the point of being starstruck by jocks and ex-jocks after nearly three decades in the business, but I have to admit this on behalf of my formerly 9-year-old self:

The fact that I now have Tom Seaver's cellphone number is both too cool and too weird.

Photo: AP

YES, SNY notch impressive ratings through break

Thursday July 16, 2009 2:04 PM By Neil Best

New York? A baseball town? Do tell.

YES has averaged 4.6 percent of area households for its Yankees telecasts, a record high for a New York cable sports channel through the All-Star break.

SNY has averaged 3.2 percent of area households for its Mets telecasts, a record high for the Mets on a cable sports channel through the All-Star break.

YES also is up 33 percent of its "batting practice" show and 24 for its pregame show. Its Mike Francesa simulcast also is way up.

Thanks for reading. More Friday.

Photo: AP

Breaking news: SNY to add captions for Mets May 1!

Thursday April 23, 2009 9:11 AM By Neil Best

Fantastic news for Mets fans who suffer from hearing loss:

Effective May 1 (when the Mets visit the Phillies), SNY plans to offer closed captioning - for Mets games only.

It is a belated move three-plus seasons after the network launched, and it would have been nice to have all programming captioned.

But it is much better than nothing, and will serve as a bridge to March 16, 2010, when FCC rules will require the network to be all-captioned.

Thank yous are in order for those who have aggressively pursued this matter with SNY, me and others over the past three years to make this happen - and especially to those who were quoted in my column on this topic last month, which helped kick-start the process.

Now I can check of the second off my three SNY goals - HD for all Mets games, and closed captioning for Mets games.

Next and last:

Prodding SNY to show Game 1 of the 1969 World Series, thus becoming the first baseball-team-owned cable network in New York to show a loss by its favorite squad.

(Unless YES beats them to it.)

(UPDATE: So sorry about ongoing problems with our commenting function this Thursday. People supposedly working on it.)

Ralph Kiner ties baseball history to present on SNY

Monday April 20, 2009 7:15 AM By Neil Best

I turned on the Mets game Sunday in the sixth inning, and within five minutes Ralph Kiner had told stories about Marty Marion and Rogers Hornsby that were interesting and relevant to the action in the game at hand.

At age 86, the guy remains a sharp story teller. At the risk of sounding like a nostalgic baby boomer . . . SNY really should use more of him.

Jon Stewart, avid Mets fan, to interview Ron Darling

Tuesday April 14, 2009 12:08 PM By Neil Best

SNY's Ron Darling is to appear on Comedy Central's "Daily Show" Tuesday night.

SNY draws healthy audience for Mets' home opener

Tuesday April 14, 2009 11:18 AM By Neil Best

SNY announced Monday night's Citi Field opener averaged 4.65 percent of area homes and 434,500 viewers, making it the highest-rated and most-watched Mets home opener on a regional cable sports network.

It helped that the opener was in prime time, which most are not. On the other hand, the game also was on ESPN, which attracted 1.1 percent of homes, drawing away some viewers that otherwise would have watched SNY.

(UPDATE: SNY's 2.26 rating for its pregame show surpassed YES' 2.08 game rating Monday night.)

The NFL Network will devote two hours Tuesday night to the announcement of the '09 schedule. When I was a Giants beat writer in the olden times of the 1990s, we received this information in the form of a simple news release. Sigh.

Interesting commentary on Lance Armstrong from Bryant Gumbel on HBO's "Real Sports" that debuts Tuesday night. Bryant uses some French words. Click below for that."Finally tonight a few words about Lance Armstrong, the cyclist whom many Americans view as a champion and many Frenchmen have labeled a tricheur, or cheater. Having won the Tour de France a record seven times under a never ending cloud of suspicion, Armstrong is saying that he may not be allowed to compete for an eighth title this July as a result of his latest run-in with the drug police.

"The run-in happened a month ago when a French anti-doping official paid Armstrong a surprise visit and demanded some samples. Lance, in what French officials say is a violation of the testing rules, then disappeared for 20 minutes. During that time, while he had an aide supposedly confirming the official’s credentials, Armstrong found it oh so convenient to take a shower. That shower may or may not have helped Lance pass the test, but it did nothing to cleanse Armstrong of the scent that’s defined him for a decade.

"In a sport notorious for the pervasiveness of doping, Armstrong, throughout a series of accusations and denials, has always claimed that he was what the French would call drogue librement, or drug free. Like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens and assorted other suspected dopers, Armstrong has never failed a drug test…but he’s also never quite passed the duck test. That’s especially fitting for the French, who see Armstrong’s entire act as a canard.

"Those who buy his act and think Lance is being victimized by foreigners who can’t stomach an American’s superiority, will no doubt see his exclusion from this year’s Tour de France as patently unfair. Others will surely see karma at work and feel that his banishment has been a long time coming. Either way, it seems that Lance Armstrong may have finally given French officials good reason to tell him not just au revoir, but also bon debarras. That’s French for good riddance.”

Mets-Marlins to start at 6:25, minimizing blackout issue

Friday April 10, 2009 7:00 PM By Neil Best

Sources close to Dave Lennon tell me the start of Saturday's Mets-Marlins game has been moved from 6:10 to 6:25 p.m., meaning only the first 40 minutes will be blacked out to protect Fox's exclusive broadcast window.

MLB says it will look into avoiding such situations in the future.

I'm no expert on the legalese when it comes to the intricacies of schedule making, but here is a wording I would suggest that just might take care of this:

Yo, teams of Major League Baseball: No scheduling games that start between 4 and 7 on a Saturday! Thank you.

Problem solved.

Mets fans, SNY root for 50-minute rain delay Saturday

Wednesday April 8, 2009 5:57 PM By Neil Best

When I inquired last week about the possibility of MLB getting the Marlins to move the start of their game against Mets from 6:10 p.m. Saturday to avoid having the first 50 minutes of it blacked out on SNY, MLB left open the door a crack to that possibility.

It since has slammed shut officially.

Anything that can be done to prevent this sort of thing henceforth?

"We're looking at how we can best avoid such scheduling conflicts in the future," an MLB spokesman said.

First hour of April 11 Mets game could be blacked out

Saturday April 4, 2009 7:16 AM By Neil Best

The Mets and their fans have had some unfortunate experiences with the Florida Marlins in recent seasons. Now they are facing another early in the 2009 campaign.

Here's the problem: The Marlins have scheduled their meeting with the Mets next Saturday for 6:10 p.m. to accommodate a post-game concert.

But Fox has exclusive national rights to MLB from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays, except for games scheduled early in the afternoon that happen to run past 4.

That means that as it now stands, the first 50 minutes or so of the game cannot be televised by SNY, or anyone else but Fox. (It is not scheduled to be shown in south Florida at all.)

Major League Baseball issued this statement when asked whether anything can be done about it:

"The game is scheduled for 6 p.m. The matter has been brought to our attention and the entire issue is under consideration."

It appears if there is to be a change, it will have to be made by the Marlins, as Fox has no incentive to give up the New York market from 6 to 7 p.m. by waiving its exclusivity.

Is there anything MLB can do to avoid such scheduling problems before they occur in the future? It's not as if it's a secret the Marlins' schedule states the game is at 6:10.

Said MLB: "This is a scenario that we will continue to explore."

Bob Ojeda, Chris Carlin are SNY's new Mets studio duo

Friday April 3, 2009 10:19 AM By Neil Best

The main element of my Friday newspaper column is a look at SNY's new Mets studio team of Bob Ojeda and Chris Carlin.

You can read about that here if you are interested.

Due to a technical glitch, the other elements of my page in the preview section do not appear on the Web site, so I can't link to them.

Click below for the original, unedited versions preserved in my laptop of items about Steve Phillips joining the ESPN Sunday night booth, John Sterling's seniority among MLB announcers and the MLB Network's studio show plans.Best’s bets:

Phillips joins ESPN booth

ESPN has been making a big deal about its 20th season televising MLB – just check my inbox – in part out of pride but surely also as a reminder it has been around much longer than the MLB Network, its new sort-of competitor.

While MLB Network has an edge over ESPN in the hours it can devote to its studio shows on baseball, ESPN still has the far bigger inventory of live games, notably its Sunday night centerpiece.

The big news there this season is the first change in the game booth in the two decades since Jon Miller and Joe Morgan were paired.

Joining them will be Steve Phillips, who to this point primarily has been a studio presence but also has analyzed Monday night games.

Miller said Phillips’ perspective as a former executive would complement Morgan’s as a Hall of Fame player.

Was there any resentment about adding a new voice to an old team after all these years?

Miller suggested the comfort with Phillips helped avoid that. “We might not have been as excited,’’ he said, “if it were someone else they were talking about moving in.’’

Strange but true:

Baseball voices are evergreen

It might seem as if John Sterling has been calling Yankees forever, but in fact he is a relative newcomer on the list of longest streaks of consecutive seasons as an announcer for one baseball team.

Sterling’s 20 years ranks only 14th overall and seventh in the American League.

The leader, of course, is Vin Scully, entering his 60th season with the Dodgers.

Others far ahead of Sterling include Denny Matthews of the Royals (40 seasons), Bob Uecker of the Brewers and Harry Kalas of the Philles (38) and Mike Shannon of the Cardinals (37).

.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Yrs. Announcer, team Started

40 Denny Matthews, Kansas City Royals 1969

32 Dave Niehaus, Seattle Mariners 1977

30 Eric Nadel, Texas Rangers 1979

27 Jerry Howarth, Toronto Blue Jays 1982

26 Joe Castiglione, Boston Red Sox 1983

22 John Gordon, Minnesota Twins 1987

20 John Sterling, Yankees 1989

NATIONAL LEAGUE

59 Vin Scully, Los Angeles Dodgers 1950

38 Bob Uecker, Milwaukee Brewers 1971

38 Harry Kalas, Philadelphia Phillies 1971

37 Mike Shannon, St. Louis Cardinals 1972

*36 Jerry Coleman, San Diego Padres 1972

35 Marty Brennaman, Cincinnati Reds 1974

24 Milo Hamilton, Houston Astros 1985

*spent 1980 as manager, returned to booth in 1981

Just wondering:

MLB Network will take peeks

The three-month-old MLB Network is off to a promising start, but the true test begins next week.

That is when the real games begin, and thus the channel’s ambitious plans for a nightly studio show that could run for seven or eight hours, through the last pitch on the West Coast.

(The show will be preempted for live Thursday night games.)

Features will include highlights, analysis and interviews from dedicated cameras in every ballpark. But one of the most intriguing elements will be the use of live cut-ins to games in progress.

Regional sports networks want their rights to games protected, so there will be elaborate rules covering how much MLB Network can show – rules that still were being discussed at press time.

“Our goal is to establish somewhat of a live baseball experience without cannibalizing live broadcasts,’’ spokesman Matt Bourne said. “It’s kind of a drop in and see what’s going on."

The network would be happy to have fans bounce back and forth between their team’s game and the studio show.

“If we can be the second choice for baseball fans on a given night,’’ president Tony Petitti said, “that would be pretty good.’’

Matt Yallof says former role on SNY was his 'dream job'

Tuesday March 31, 2009 6:21 AM By Neil Best

I have nothing against Chris Carlin as the host of the Mets' studio shows this season, but then again I had nothing against the job Matt Yallof did in that role before SNY decided to replace him.

What did Yaloff - a distant cousin of mine - think of the move?

He took the high road:

"As a New York kid who lived for the Mets from the day I was born and worked my way up in the business and back to New York, this was a dream job.

"I believe that the fans knew I was one of them, because I did share the pain of the brutal losses and also enjoyed the amazing wins. It was fun."

Yallof's old boss, Curt Gowdy Jr.: "Matt Yallof and Lee Mazzili did a very good job establishing our pre and post. We just saw a window where we could try to improve it with Chris and Bob . . . I want to reiterate there was nothing lacking, but anytime we have an opportunity to improve you pursue that."

Chris Carlin does not miss rising at 4 in the morning

Tuesday March 31, 2009 6:04 AM By Neil Best

I spoke to Chris Carlin last week about his new gig co-hosting the Mets' studio shows with Bob Ojeda as well as appearing on SNY's "Loud Mouths" and "Beer Money," the latter with new co-host Alexi Panos (right).

"I'm just kind of like every guy out there watching sports; I mean, look at me," he said. "If they were looking for a classic TV anchor, they barked up the wrong tree . . . Not only physically but in terms of what I say I relate to the fan because I’m just an average guy."Carlin will be in the potentially awkward situation of ripping the Mets as a commentator on "Loud Mouths" then walking five feet to the Mets set, where he presumably will offer a more measured take.

"Occasionally my opinions are going to be in there," he said. "It’s not going to be me yelling at Bobby. At the same time part of being yourself is to say what you think. But it’s not going to be me yelling at him like I yell at [Adam] Schein."

Carlin said he quickly got used to no longer being on the air at 5 a.m. after he left WFAN.

"I adjusted on the first day - 9:50 is when I woke up on Day One . . . The transition, schedule-wise, has not been hard. I’m more of a night person to begin with."

Keith Hernandez would not have played in the WBC

Tuesday March 31, 2009 5:39 AM By Neil Best

I spoke to SNY's Keith Hernandez last week about a variety of topics, one of them the World Baseball Classic.

I assume at some point Hernandez has offered his thoughts on whether he would have participated during his playing days, but you don't expect me actually to watch spring training games, do you?

"I would not have played," he said. "I would not have risked it. I’m getting paid to play for the New York Mets and I just think that’s what you’re paying me for."

"The timing’s all wrong and it gets in the way of preparation for the season and that's ultimately what it’s all about. Suppose I had a career-ending injury? I would not have played."

LeBron James, Ron Darling and a 5,000-calorie burger

Friday March 27, 2009 9:02 AM By Neil Best

"60 Minutes" loves to feature sports figures on Sunday nights when it has just gotten through televising a major sports event. Hence, NCAAs=LeBron!

With 1:18 left in the Clippers-Knicks game Wednesday, MSG replayed Al Harrington's T for hanging on the rim Feb. 11 against the Clippers. Less than a minute later, he did it again, live, probably costing the Knicks the game. Now THAT'S TV production, people.

Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez will work Friday night's Mets-Nationals game on SNY . . . without a play-by-play man. Just an experiment. It's spring training. Why not?

Darren (Roslyn) Rovell eats a 5,000-calorie burger.

Interesting stuff from a Lighthouse project rally Thursday night. Momentum is building, Long Island. This thing might yet come to pass before DiPietro's contract expires.

Big weekend of St. John's and Manhasset High lacrosse action, available for viewing on the Internet. Check it out here.

SNY enters fourth Mets season without captioning

Friday March 27, 2009 4:34 AM By Neil Best

I finally got around to writing my long-planned newspaper column on the ongoing lack of closed captioning at SNY.

At one point I promised to dwell on this subject on the blog every day of the Mets' regular season, but I've decided to break that promise so as to avoid unnecessarily annoying readers.

As of now, it is what it is. SNY is sensitive to the complaints of viewers who are hard of hearing, but evidently not sensitive enough to do something about it.

That leaves fans one more frustrating season to endure before FCC regulations force the network to do the right thing and provide captioning.

Brandon Tierney, Colin Cowherd, Chris Carlin, Bob Ojeda

Wednesday March 25, 2009 11:49 AM By Neil Best

1050 ESPN made it official this Wednesday: Brandon Tierney is the new 10 a.m. to noon man, in advance of two hours of Colin Cowherd's national show.

(Uh, oh. Colin and bloggers not playing nicely again!)

SNY is close to announcing its new studio team for Mets games, but I'd advise betting the house on Chris Carlin and Bob Ojeda, as I attended their rehearsal today at SNY's studios.

SNY's Julie Alexandria exchanges beer for baseball

Friday March 20, 2009 8:36 AM By Neil Best

Julie Alexandria, best known as Chris Carlin's much better half on SNY's "Beer Money," will take over this season for Jocelyn Pierce - Antonio's Mrs. - as host of "Mets Weekly."

I'm assuming this counts as a promotion.

Ms. Alexandria debuts at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, with encores at 5:30 p.m. Sunday and 6:30 p.m. Monday.

Alexandria's successor - according to industry sources I have been pestering for weeks, because I have too much time on my hands: Alexi Panos.

That is Ms. Panos in the picture.

The second season of "Beer Money" starts later this spring. (Yes, Carlin will be back. No picture available. Well, none that I care to use.)

Woody Johnson hosts free agents, won't let them leave

Friday March 20, 2009 8:06 AM By Neil Best

SNY had the misfortune to strike its partnership with the Jets just in time for the famously loquacious Herman Edwards to leave and the famously tight-lipped (and restrictive) Eric Mangini to arrive.

Now that Rex Ryan is in the house, there already are signs the media reins are loosening around Gang Green, including for SNY, which lately has gotten more access than usual.

Speaking of which, owner Woody Johnson sits down with Adam Schein on the "Jets Nation" episode debuting at noon Saturday.

SNY sent a transcript, the most intriguing part of which is Mr. Johnson's take on the advantage the new training facility provides in free agency:

"Well, I think that anybody that comes out to Florham Park, doesn't leave the premises."

Let's hope he meant no one leaves without agreeing to a contract, as opposed to players being detained against their will.

CLICK BELOW FOR MORE FROM THE INTERVIEW. FOR SOME REASON SNY SENT THE HIGHLIGHTS IN ALL CAPS. I DIDN'T HAVE THE PATIENCE TO CHANGE IT TO UPPER AND LOWER CASE!

Photo: GettyON HOW NEW STADIUM HAS CHANGED THE FACE OF THE FRANCHISE:

"WELL, WHEN WE ENTER THE STADIUM, I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE FOR THE JETS FANS AND FOR THE GIANTS FANS, FOR THAT MATTER. BUT, ON JETS GAME DAY, IT'LL BE A GREEN STADIUM. YOU CAN GET THERE BY TRAIN DIRECTLY FROM MANHATTAN AND OTHER PARTS OF NEW JERSEY. THE INTERIOR OF THE STADIUM WILL BE MUCH, MUCH BIGGER AND HAVE A LOT OF TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANTAGES AND ADVANCES THAT NO STADIUM, TO DATE, HAS HAD."

ON HOW HE THINKS THAT'S HELPED, IN TERMS OF AN ADVANTAGE IN FREE AGENCY:

"WELL I THINK THAT ANYBODY THAT COMES OUT TO FLORHAM PARK, DOESN'T LEAVE THE PREMISES. IT'S BEEN A TREMENDOUS ADVANTAGE. IT'S A TEACHING FACILITY THAT'S EQUAL TO THE BEST IN THE FIELD."

ON WHERE HE IS IN TERMS OF PSL SALES, AND IF THE PLAN WILL BE MODIFIED DUE TO THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY:

"WELL, THE PSL PROGRAM IS GOING WELL. WE'RE WORKING THROUGH OUR CURRENT LIST OF SEASON SUBSCRIBERS ON A HISTORICAL BASIS. WE'RE PRETTY COMFORTABLE THAT THERE'S A PRODUCT FOR EVERYBODY IN THE BUILDING RIGHT NOW. THERE'S A HIGH PRICED PSL OR A LOWER PRICED PSL, DEPENDING WHERE YOU SIT IN THE STADIUM AND THERE ARE SOME SEATS THAT DON'T HAVE PSL'S AT ALL. THERE'S TWENTY SEVEN THOUSAND SEATS WITH NO PSL AT ALL. AND WE'RE ALSO OFFERING FIFTEEN YEAR FINANCING, WHICH A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK IS PRETTY ATTRACTIVE."

ON THE DECISION TO FIRE ERIC MANGINI:

"WELL IT WASN'T JUST ONE THING. I THINK THAT MIKE AND I, AND OTHERS IN THE BUILDING, REALIZED THAT IT WAS REALLY A TIME TO CHANGE AND WE THINK THAT ERIC IS A GOOD COACH. HE'S GOING TO BE A GREAT COACH. HE'S DOWN AT THE BROWNS NOW. WE'RE HAPPY FOR HIM, BUT WE THOUGHT IT WAS TIME TO MOVE ON."

ON IF HAVING BRETT FAVRE WOULD'VE HELPED WITH SELLING THE PSL'S:

"I DON'T BELIEVE SO, BECAUSE I THINK, BASED ON THE CONVERSATION THAT I'M HEARING, THAT PEOPLE ARE BUYING THESE SEATS AND THESE PSL'S FOR MUCH, MUCH LONGER TERM THAN JUST ONE YEAR AND ONE OUTCOME AND ONE QUARTERBACK."

ON WHAT ATTRACTED HIM TO REX RYAN:

"WE WERE LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY WHO WAS A NATURAL LEADER AND THAT BECOMES VERY APPARENT WHEN YOU TALK TO REX RYAN, A SECOND GENERATION COACH. HIS FATHER COACHED FOR THE NEW YORK JETS DURING THE GREAT SUPER BOWL III, AND WAS PART OF THAT. SO, HE'S SECOND GENERATION. IT DOESN'T TAKE MORE THAN TEN SECONDS AFTER MEETING REX TO REALIZE WHAT KIND OF PERSON HE IS. HE'S AN ALL INCLUSIVE GUY. HE UNDERSTOOD AND DESCRIBED WHAT TEAM BUILDING WAS, IN AS MUCH DETAIL AS I'VE EVER HEARD ANYBODY TALK ABOUT TEAM BUILDING. EVERYBODY IN THE BUILDING HAS THE FEELING THAT, 'BOY I'D LOVE TO PLAY FOR REX.' YOU KNOW, REX GOES TO THE BUSINESS OFFICE, INTRODUCES HIMSELF, AND TALKS TO ANYBODY, KIND OF AT RANDOM. YEAH. I THINK THE PLAYERS WILL RESPOND TO HIM VERY WELL. HE KEEPS HIS SYSTEM OF TEACHING, THE DEFENSE, I THINK, IS GOING TO GO OVER EXTREMELY WELL."

ON IF THE STARTING QUARTERBACK FOR THE NEW YORK JETS CURRENTLY ON THIS ROSTER:

"WE THINK HE IS. WE THINK THAT KELLEN, KELLEN CLEMENS AND BRETT RATLIFF, THEY'VE BEEN IN THE BUILDING, ONE THREE YEARS, KELLEN FOR THREE YEARS, BRETT FOR TWO YEARS. THEY'VE HAD SOME PRETTY GOOD QUARTERBACKS TO LEARN UNDER AND ERIC AINGE IS COMING ALONG AS WELL. SO WE THINK THAT ONE OF THESE PLAYERS, PARTICULARLY THE FIRST TWO, ARE CAPABLE OF STARTING."

ON WHAT HIS EXPECTATIONS ARE FOR THIS SEASON:

"WELL, I'M GOING TO GO ALONG WITH REX ON THAT. YOU KNOW, WHEN WE GO INTO A SEASON, WE EXPECT TO WIN GAMES. WE DON’T COME INTO ANY GAME THINKING WE'RE GOING TO LOSE THAT GAME. SO, OUR EXPECTATIONS, GOING INTO THE SEASON, ARE ALWAYS POSITIVE AND THAT WON'T BE ANY DIFFERENT THIS YEAR."

Updating SNY, YES talk show ratings. Why? Why not?

Thursday March 5, 2009 4:15 AM By Neil Best

Recently I bored and confused readers with ratings data comparing YES' "Mike'd Up" simulcast with SNY's three debate shows during the 5 to 6:30 p.m. period.

Here is an update from the February numbers:

Mike Francesa's show remains ahead of SNY's lineup among all 7.4 million or so households in the New York area, averaging 0.24 percent relative to SNY's 0.16.

But SNY's slate was ahead in February in the key demographic of men ages 25-54, attracting 0.45 percent of the viewers in that group relative to YES' 0.27. (If you include both men and women ages 25-54 the gap was larger, 0.29 to 0.14.)

It would appear that based on these numbers Francesa's YES audience is relatively older than SNY's.

Francesa's simulcast continues to show gains relative to last year, when Chris Russo still was around.

For the entire 1 to 6:30 p.m. period his household average was up more than 41 percent in February compared to last February.

YES is believed to be paying around $13 million over five years under the terms of its recently renewed contract with WFAN for Francesa's show.

(UPDATE: Francesa still not feeling well, apparently. He's out this Thursday for a second day in a row after leaving early Tuesday.)

Scott Ferrall no longer a regular on SNY 'Wheelhouse'

Tuesday March 3, 2009 4:27 AM By Neil Best

I hadn't noticed this until an alert reader pointed it out, but Scott Ferrall no longer is on SNY's "Wheelhouse," a debate show that appears at 5:30 p.m. daily.

A network spokesman declined to comment other than to confirm Ferrall is off the show.

From what I understand, the scratchy-voiced Mr. Ferrall's contract was up, and SNY decided to explore other personalities for that role.

No permanent replacement has been named yet.

Glad I could clear that up. Carry on.

Breaking: SNY to offer postgames for every Mets game

Monday March 2, 2009 8:04 AM By Neil Best

SNY will produce a postgame show for every Mets game this season, including those on Ch. 11, Fox or ESPN.

The network's new main studio team is Chris Carlin and Bob Ojeda.

MLB Network offers bonus Yanks, Mets practice games

Friday February 27, 2009 5:16 AM By Neil Best

My Friday newspaper column mentions that the MLB Network will offer two Yankees and one Mets game that won't be carried by YES or SNY.

They will feature the opposing team's telecast and be seen on the following dates:

March 22, Yanks-Rays; March 24, Mets-Astros; March 28, Yanks-Braves.

(For all you HD types out there, all of YES' preseason games will be shown in hi-def. SNY's are in standard. I still am not sold on the necessity of getting myself set up for HDTV. And I am not yet convinced that this color TV fad is here to stay, either.)

Thursday's Yanks-Rays game drew 1.19 percent of New York-area households, which YES said was the "highest-rated weekday daytime spring training telecast ever on YES." Is there a category for that in the Guinness Book of World Records?

Click below for more from Ron Darling on his rapid rise up the TV analyst ranks.

I will take a break now to do my expenses. It turns out that unlike newspapers (see three posts down), companies that operate trains and gas stations and restaurants expect customers to pay for stuff, and the customers generally understand that they must do so in order for those products and services to exist.

Radical concept!

Photo: GettyOn the evolution of his career: "I’ve been so blessed throughout this whole process because things came to me, and they always came to me at the right time . . . I did some [Athletics] games where it was, 'Ray Fosse is sick; do you think you can fill in?' That kind of thing."

On the SNY job: "The year prior to SNY [2005], Keith Hernandez came in the booth in Washington, where I was working, much to the dismay of most of the D.C. area, and said, 'Can you imagine if you and I worked together?' As soon as he said it, the light went off.

"I had been out of the New York market for so long, it was a longshot. But they called me to the big leagues before I was ready, and it was like I won five straight."

On the challenge of calling exhibition games: "Gary [Cohen] has a very difficult job because of the possibility of 140 different kinds of names that could somehow participate in the game. The first year we had an extra-inning game at Vero Beach and No. 99 or No. 90 for the Dodgers was pitching. And he was replaced by No. 90, the same number!"

Keith Hernandez lives in Florida six months, one day

Thursday February 26, 2009 8:53 AM By Neil Best

There was no surer sign TV baseball was back Thursday than when SNY’s (and Sag Harbor’s) Keith Hernandez threw out his first official, not-so-veiled reference to living in Florida more than half the year for tax purposes.

“I was here 183 days, as a matter of fact,’’ he said after complaining early in the Mets-Marlins game about a colder-than-normal winter in Florida.

Said Gary Cohen: “That would leave only 182 to be anywhere else.’’

This caused much laughing among SNY's booth trio.

Added Ron Darling: "That's kind of an inside joke."

Yes, Mike Francesa simulcast is doing well on YES

Friday February 13, 2009 7:18 AM By Neil Best

During Mike Francesa's bulletin-board quality ratings rant aimed at 1050 ESPN Wednesday, he dared people to check the facts, saying, "As Yogi once said, you could look it up."

I thought it was Casey who said that, but no matter. Challenge accepted!

I have written before about Francesa's WFAN and Ch. 4 ratings, which generally have been and remain strong. But I could not recall looking into his simulcast on YES, which recently re-upped for five years at somewhere around $13 million.

From the time Chris Russo left in August through the end of 2008. Francesa averaged 0.22 percent of the roughly 7.4 million households in the New York area, up 15.8 percent from that period in '07.

In January, Francesa's show averaged 0.17 percent, up 31 percent from the same period last year.

That covers the Russo factor. What about SNY? Understandably, Francesa squashes SNY from 1 to 5 p.m., with original programming going against mostly canned stuff.

The real battleground is from 5 to 6:30 p.m., when SNY offers three original shows in a scheduling pod it introduced nearly a year ago: "Daily News Live," "Wheelhouse" and Loud Mouths."

In December, Francesa averaged 0.29 percent of homes from 5 to 6:30, compared to SNY's 0.09 from 5 to 5:30, 0.14 from 5:30 to 6 and 0.13 from 6 to 6:30.

In January, he averaged 0.17, compared to SNY's 0.11 from 5 to 5:30, 0.10 from 5:30 to 6 and 0.07 from 6 to 6:30.

Photo: AP

SNY to televise Red Sox-Mets tilt at Citi Field April 3

Thursday February 12, 2009 11:17 AM By Neil Best

SNY will show 12 Mets spring training games and WPIX four, beginning Feb. 26 on SNY against the Marlins, a team that played a bit of a role late in the Metropolitans' past two regular seasons.

The highlight: The first game at Citi Field, against the Red Sox April 3.

Keith Hernandez wants no steroid users in Hall of Fame

Wednesday February 11, 2009 3:56 AM By Neil Best

Here is the small story I wrote for the newspaper about Keith Hernandez's harsh words for A-Rod and other performance-enhancing-drug takers. He believes none should get into the Hall of Fame.

Hernandez also wonders whether taking steroids might have bulked him up just enough to put him over the top as an HOF candidate.

Yes, I am aware of Mr. Hernandez's own sordid history with drugs. But the ones he took in the 1980s were performance detractors, not enhancers.

Neither is a good idea, but it's two entirely different topics.

Friday comment contest winner

Friday January 23, 2009 5:09 AM By Neil Best

My favorite suggestion for a make-believe TV show on which Rex Ryan should make a cameo appearance was my own, "Meet the Pressure."

But I can't name myself the Friday comment contest winner.

My second favorite was Tom Rock's: "The Rex-Files" where special agents Mulder and Scully search out strange ripples in the cosmic fabric, such as a Jets coach talking about winning multiple Super Bowls.

But I can't name Newsday's own Mr. Rock, because it's bad enough I gave him the award last week.

So I'm going with the obvious but still deserving "Rex in the City," courtesy of first-time winner "SNY TV Head."

The poor guy deserves a break, what with being stuck going through life with Big East basketball games appearing where his face normally would be.

MLB Net to replay Endy Chavez catch, Beltran whiff

Friday January 9, 2009 5:58 AM By Neil Best

SNY and YES still won't show us losses for the good guys, but MLB Network has no such allegiances and thus will replay a certain Game 7 of a certain NLCS from a couple of years back at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Be strong, Mets fans. If you prove you can handle this, SNY might relent and show us some classic defeats in the future.

Where have you gone, Mike Scioscia?

Boston College beats North Carolina, falls to Harvard

Thursday January 8, 2009 3:35 AM By Neil Best

Interesting week for BC coach (Malverne) Al Skinner, beating No. 1 North Carolina Sunday, then losing to Tommy Amaker's Harvard squad Wednesday. At least he didn't get fired for talking to the Jets.

(It was kind of like the Knicks beating the Celtics, then losing to Oklahoma City, only different.)

In other college sports news . . . the BCS Championship Game is on Fox tonight! This will be Fox's last title game, as next year it will be on ABC from the Rose Bowl.

In other college news, I watched SNY's new Big East studio analysts, Tim Welsh and Charles Smith, the other night and am going to give Welsh a pass on repeatedly calling Providence "we," as it's been less than a year since his 10-season term as the Friars' coach expired. He's got until Feb. 1 to stop doing that.

Welsh was born the day after I was. Cinzia de Ponti, Miss Italy of 1979, was born on the same day as me.

Don La Greca named co-host for Michael Kay's show

Tuesday January 6, 2009 9:54 AM By Neil Best

I forgot to mention in my earlier scribblings about 1050 ESPN today that in addition to expanding Michael Kay's show to five hours next week, the station officially named Don La Greca, Kay's long-time associate, co-host.

Also, YES Network personality Michelle Beadle will join the station Jan. 19 to present the afternoon updates.

For now, 1050 still is using ESPN's national radio programming from 1 to 2 p.m. Key words being "for now." Not sure exactly what the plan there is.

At one point before Chris Carlin landed with SNY and with his deal at WFAN expiring, 1050 explored Carlin and La Greca as a possible pair.

That didn't happen. But WFAN operations manager Mark Chernoff said Monday Carlin's deal with SNY leaves open the possibility of him filling in at his old station during the baseball offseason.

Chernoff said he was "saddened" by Carlin leaving.

"But he's good, and I think he'll obviously do well there," he said. "He was a great employee for the radio station for 13 years. He's done an amazing job with his career. I'll miss him."

I asked Chernoff how the economy has affected business.

"It's a tougher world," he said. "We have to be willing to do promotions and things for the advertisers to make them want to support us. It's much more of a two-way street. You have to fight for every dollar."

Chris Carlin leaves WFAN for SNY after 13 years

Friday January 2, 2009 5:14 AM By Neil Best

This morning was Chris Carlin's final shift at WFAN after 13 years. Give the guy credit: He has fashioned quite a nice career for himself.

I even admit to feeling a chill or two 3:30 into the above video.

It will be very interesting to see what he brings to SNY's Mets pre- and post-game gig come April.

Eli, Peyton Manning will have family reunion in Tampa

Tuesday December 30, 2008 10:33 AM By Neil Best

New York-related sports media predictions for 2009:

1. Eli and Peyton Manning will face one another in Super Bowl XLIII, drawing in even more casual fans than usual and lifting the average viewership over 100 million for the first time.

2. 1050 ESPN will move to 101.9 FM, improving its signal and ending the era of after-sunset interference from CHUM, an oldies station in Toronto.

3. SNY will add closed captioning for the hearing impaired (and for sports bar patrons) in time for the Mets' opener, lest it read about its failure to do so here every single day.

4. SNY also will show the 1969 World Series in honor of that event's 40th anniversary - including Game 1, thus beating YES to the honor of being the first team-owned cable channel in New York to present a classic game that resulted in a loss.

5. Mike Francesa will announce a sidekick (and jingle) for his afternoon radio show sometime in February.

6. MSG will develop a discussion show featuring sportswriters from Cablevision-owned Newsday, not hosted by Mr. G or by me.

7. At least one local newspaper will ditch baseball box scores other than those involving the Yankees and Mets, another body blow to sports media traditionalists.

8. 1050 ESPN will develop a local show for the early afternoon slot currently occupied by national fare.

9. Barack Obama will name Jon Heyman the official Sports Journalist of America, allowing cash-strapped media companies to avoid employing anyone else. Heyman quickly will improve WatchDog page views total.

10. Newsday will send me to the Super Bowl, and tell me to do nothing but blog and get coffee for Mr. G.

Eric Mangini: one playoff berth, one 'Sopranos' cameo

Monday December 29, 2008 4:49 AM By Neil Best

SNY will carry the Eric Mangini firing presser live at 10 a.m.

I assume WFAN and 1050 ESPN will, too.

Newsday will have reporters on the scene as well.

Red Wings, Lions both seek victories in great outdoors

Friday December 26, 2008 4:59 AM By Neil Best

My Friday newspaper column includes items on the second annual NHL "Winter Classic" in Chicago, on the fact Fox will show only 6 percent of the nation the Lions' attempt to win a game Sunday and on the upcoming personnel changes at SNY

Click below for NBC's news release after its conference call to preview the Red Wings-Blackhawks tilt.

By the way, this morning WatchDog's all-time tally of comments passed the 20,000 mark. But I can't make a big deal about it because ever since we got that problem with rejected comments fixed a few weeks back, the system has been overwhelmed with spam comments that attach to old posts.

I'm sure La Monica is working on that as you read this.Bob Costas will host NBC's coverage from Buffalo, joined by Mike "Doc" Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst), Mike Milbury (studio analyst), Pierre McGuire (inside-the-glass reporter) and Darren Pang (inside-the glass-reporter). NBC's NHL coverage is produced by Sam Flood, the former captain of the Williams College hockey team.

COSTAS ON LAST YEAR'S CLASSIC: "It really was fun last year no question about it. It would have been fun just because of the atmosphere with that whole snow globe look on television and then the game goes to overtime and Sydney Crosby ends up winning it. You couldn't ask for anything more perfect than that."

COSTAS ON THE BUZZ FACTOR: "The rating is one thing and that is measurable and a very, very good number for hockey, but buzz is a different thing. And for the week after that, everywhere I went it seemed people were remarking about the game. How different it seemed, and how it kind of jumped out from the sports landscape. Wrigley Field gives us a setting and a chance to do some historical stuff there, which is pretty much my job -- not to be a hockey expert but to set the scene."

MILBURY ON THE BUILDING EXCITEMENT: "People are starting to talk about the outdoor game: 'Are you going to be at Wrigley, are you going to do the outdoor game?'"

MILBURY ON THE ORIGINAL SIX MATCH-UP: "The Chicago Blackhawks have a great group of young players and have created the kind of buzz about hockey in Chicago that hasn't been there for more than a decade, against the defending Stanley Cup champions, who are always entertaining and always fun to watch. Not only is the setting great but the two teams couldn't be better. It's two Original Six franchises that have a long tradition of a fierce rivalry and should be a tremendous hockey game as well as a tremendous event."

CHICAGO NATIVE OLCZYK ON BEING PART OF THE EVENT: "Being a Chicago native my whole life and growing up a diehard Cubs fan, to be a part of this on New Year's Day is going to be one of those moments in my lifetime that will be very special. The buzz has been at a fever pitch since the announcement. With the way the team has played and transformed over the last year, going up against the template in any sports franchise in the Detroit Red Wings.

"To be able to be at the game at Wrigley Field...I'm so envious and jealous of the guys that get that opportunity to play in that game in arguably the greatest sports venue there has ever been."

OLCZYK ON THE EXCITEMENT IN CHICAGO: "The people of Chicago are really, really excited. It's such a small venue and people are going to be right on top of the rink. If you can't get there you better be watching on television. This event could be the toughest ticket ever for a regular season event when it comes to sports in the city of Chicago. That's saying a whole heck of a lot when it comes to some of the teams and games that they've had in that city."

FLOOD ON PRODUCING THE GAME: "This is a very exciting event for all of NBC in particular. To think that I've done 10 Olympics, been involved with NBA Finals, World Series', Daytona 500s, -- this is the one that is closest to my heart. I love hockey, I love playing outdoors. I grew up on an outdoor rink outside Boston and there was no cover on the rink until I was a sophomore in high school, so playing under the stars and playing under the lights is the greatest form of hockey."

MCGUIRE ON BROADCASTING THE OUTDOOR GAME FOR THE FIRST TIME:

"While I didn't have the privilege of working on the crew last year I'm unbelievably excited to have a chance and the opportunity to work with the crew this year especially in Eddie Olczyk's hometown in Chicago in Wrigley field which is an unbelievable place."

FLOOD ON BUFFALO AND WRIGLEY: "It was a special event to be around. The players were so into it during the entire game. It's unique to get an event outdoors and now we're in a venue that is the perfect place for a hockey game, Wrigley Field. It's a baseball field of dreams and now the hockey guys get to take it over."

FLOOD ON BEING UP AGAINST THE MICHIGAN STATE BOWL GAME: "Last time I checked Detroit is called Hockeytown. You can't see the Red Wings play outdoors every day."

FLOOD ON PRODUCTION ELEMENTS: "The most important 'cool tool' we have is the airplane again – you never see a hockey game from that perspective. But this isn't about toys it's about the event. We have a ton of cameras, we have cameras everywhere from high up in the right field bleachers to a camera in the scoreboard to rink level cameras to a roving camera that can go to some of the great parties on the roof tops across the street. We're covered everywhere. We're going to blanket this thing with camera work. This is a game you want to shoot wide so you see the whole spectacle."

OLCZYK ON WHAT THIS GAME MEANS FOR THE BLACKHAWKS FRANCHISE: "I think it helps reestablish and reconnect with the strong fan base that has been there, and then reaching out to hundreds of thousands of people who maybe have never seen a game before to let them know the team has moved up the sports totem pole in the city of Chicago."

Jon Heyman of SI/SNY/WFAN to join MLB Network

Wednesday December 24, 2008 5:16 PM By Neil Best

One more thing . . .

WatchDog has learned that former Newsday scribe Jon Heyman of SI, SNY and WFAN will be joining the MLB Network as an "insider."

Heyman is expected to keep the SI gig, but at this early stage of this news development I am not clear on what it means for his roles as a contributor to SNY and WFAN.

No wonder the unemployment rate is rising. Heyman is taking all the jobs!

Yankees add Mark Teixeira to pantheon of $tar$

Tuesday December 23, 2008 10:23 AM By Neil Best

Loyal WatchDog reader / former Newsday columnist / long-time chronicler of Scott Boras signings Jon Heyman of SI, SNY and WFAN just reported Mark Teixeira will sign with the Yankees. Wow.

Maybe it's time for me to stop rooting for the Pirates and Royals and get with the program.

I need some time to digest this. See you Wednesday.

Enjoy Nets Magazine at 11:30 p.m. on YES.

Is Chris Carlin bound for Mets' pre and post gig at SNY?

Tuesday December 23, 2008 10:10 AM By Neil Best

TV industry elves tell WatchDog that Matt Yallof won't be hosting the Mets' pre- and post-game shows in 2009, joining former partner Lee Mazzilli on the sidelines.

Their replacements? Bob Ojeda widely has been assumed to be a leading candidate to step in for Maz and, well, the station just hired Chris Carlin away from WFAN full time and needs something big for the big guy to do, so . . . draw your own conclusions, people.

Hmm. I always thought Yallof did a good job. (Full disclosure: He is my cousin.)

Former Imus staffers Sid Rosenberg, Chris Carlin talk

Monday December 22, 2008 5:28 PM By Neil Best

Chris Carlin spoke to Sid Rosenberg this morning and confirmed my story from over the weekend that he is leaving WFAN for SNY.

Chris Carlin to leave WFAN, join SNY

Saturday December 20, 2008 8:30 AM By Neil Best

Chris Carlin, a fixture at WFAN for the past 13 years - first as a producer for "Mike and the Mad Dog" and later as an on-air personality - will leave when his contract expires in two weeks and join SNY full time, an industry source familiar with his plans said.

Carlin served as a morning update man for both Don Imus and the show that replaced it, starring Craig Carton and Boomer Esiason, while also hosting a 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. show and serving as a fill-in host at other times of the day.

He has been the co-host of two SNY shows, "Loudmouths" and "Beer Money." He is expected to continue with those shows and add other appearances.

He also is expected to continue in his role as the radio play-by-play man for Rutgers football and basketball.

Carlin's last scheduled show at WFAN is Friday morning, Jan. 2, alongside Kim Jones.

(UPDATE: It appears the New York Radio Message Board first reported this Friday night.)

'MSG, NY' officially is no more in existing format

Tuesday December 16, 2008 6:15 AM By Neil Best

You are forgiven if you didn't notice, because, after all, that was part of the problem in the first place, but "MSG, NY" as we have known it over the past two-plus years closed up shop Sunday on MSG.

The finale included a four-minute highlight reel featuring interviews of sports and entertainment celebrities - from Angelina Jolie to Magic Johnson to Slash to Shaq to Jack Black - illustrating the unusual hybrid the show tried to be, a concept that never caught on with enough viewers.

MSG will beef up its Rangers and Knicks post-game shows on game nights, which is a good thing. But its departure from the nightly sports news show business after all these years - remember "SportsDesk?" - is a milestone worth noting, and leaves the genre entirely to SNY in the New York market.

Former SNYer Julie Donaldson leaves Boston TV

Thursday December 11, 2008 7:51 AM By Neil Best

The Boston Herald (via Fang's Bites via Boston Sports Media Watch) reports former SNY reporter Julie Donaldson has left Ch. 7 in Boston after a difficult period in her personal life.

SNY fires up hot stove, puts UConn on back burner

Friday December 5, 2008 5:24 AM By Neil Best

An apoplectic reader asked a very valid question about Thursday night's much-closer-than-it-was-expected-to-be game between UConn and Buffalo:

Why the heck was it on an hour tape delay on SNY?

An SNY spokesman explained thusly:

At 7 p.m., the network's priority was showing "Mets Hot Stove" live in its regular time slot. For technical reasons, it then delayed the UConn game by another half hour and inserted a "Beer Money" episode.

The decision would have seemed less awkward had not Buffalo put a scare into the Huskies.

Then again, it would have seemed much more awkward if Buffalo actually had won.

By the way, SNY next week will have "Hot Stove" shows every day Monday through Thursday to cover the winter meetings.

SNY debuts Big East hoops slate, YES talks money

Friday November 14, 2008 9:55 AM By Neil Best

So sorry to be slow in posting this Friday.

Chicago Norm of The Final Score, who moonlights as our Sunday editor, gave me an extra assignment for the newspaper in a cynical attempt to slow down my pace and give his blog a chance to make some headway.

So I will share a couple of free ads for our local TV friends regarding offerings Friday night, then get back to other duties:

SNY will debut its Big East hoops slate with Kevin Burkhardt calling Northeastern vs. St. John's women and LIU vs. St. John's men as the Red Storm warms up for Monday's showdown with Cornell.

(WatchDog kudos to first reader to identify the St. John's player in the picture, with bonus points for explaining the significance of the picture.)

YES, meanwhile, debuts "Forbes SportsMoney" after the Nets game, which covers topics of interest to, well, me, because it's my job to follow sports business stuff. Among the subjects to be discussed is the impact on sports business of the larger problems with our economy.

Have a nice weekend. Enjoy Ray Lewis trying to tackle Brandon Jacobs.

And Saturday night's Islanders pregame show on MSG Plus 2, of course!

Bob Ojeda, Bob Knight in; Kenny Smith, Lee Mazzilli out

Friday November 14, 2008 4:20 AM By Neil Best

In addition to my look at Bob Papa and the NFL Network, my Friday newspaper column includes interesting items on Bob Knight's expanded role with ESPN, and Kenny Smith's and Lee Mazzilli's expired roles with MSG and SNY.

Thanks for reading all this stuff.

Starting Sunday, Newsday is going to offer a selection of WatchDog items from the week to enlighten old-school loyalists who continue to purchase and read only the print edition and enable me to continue paying for poodle food and dark beer.

You are excused from reading that roundup because of your diligence all week, but you still should read my newspaper articles - online or in print - as well as those of all my capable Newsday sports colleagues.

Gotta go now. Enjoy "Xtreme Hunts" on Versus at 3:30 p.m.

Reminds me of the beefy beetles I sometimes have to track down behind the dehumidifier in the basement.

Lee Mazzilli out as SNY studio analyst; Bob Ojeda in?

Thursday November 13, 2008 3:31 PM By Neil Best

SNY will replace Lee Mazzilli as its lead studio analyst next season, industry sources say, and fellow 1986 Met Bob Ojeda appears to be the leading candidate to replace him.

Maz spent the past two seasons in the role alongside Matt Yallof, performing capably but not exactly breaking through as a TV personality.

Ojeda coached with the Brooklyn Cyclones and Binghamton Mets earlier this decade.

Ron Darling aspired to own a Cadillac . . . in 1982

Friday October 31, 2008 7:21 AM By Neil Best

One more thing related to my Friday newspaper column, which includes an item on 22-year-old Ron Darling saying this about a post-playing career in broadcasting:

"Maybe when I'm 70. I like to think I'll have more useful things to do from the time I'm 40 until I'm 70."

Another line from Darling in that 1982 Newsday article, in which he discusses the money that might be in his future if he gets promoted from Tidewater to the big club:

"The money is secondary, really. I'm a pretty frugal guy, although in New York my frugalities might include a Cadillac."

Roger Angell, Joe Wood, Ron Darling, Steve Scafa

Friday October 3, 2008 6:10 AM By Neil Best

My Friday newspaper column has items about Ron Darling and Steve Scafa, the latter of whom is best known for his heroics against Darling in the St. John's vs. Yale NCAA regional playoff game of 1981.

Scafa broke up Darling's no-hitter in the 12th, then stole second, third and home for the game's lone run.

This is the famous story that Roger Angell wrote about watching the game with Smokey Joe Wood, who went 34-5 for the 1912 Boston American League club. He later coached at Yale.

Angell refers to Scafa as a "stubby, ebullient second baseman."

SNY credits unnamed 'publication' with Sheppard story

Wednesday September 17, 2008 2:24 PM By Neil Best

Jonas Schwartz said on SNY this afternoon that Bob Sheppard had told "a publication" he would be unable to attend the last game at Yankee Stadium Sunday but that he hoped to be there for the opening of the new stadium in the spring.

Hmm. I wonder if Jim Baumbach works for the "publication" in question?

(By the way, the SNY graphics crew misspelled Bob's name "Shepherd" as Schwartz spoke.)

On what show did Schwartz say this? "A Publication Live," of course!

Carlos Delgado is so hot he might incinerate Queens

Tuesday September 9, 2008 5:38 PM By Neil Best

Nice line on SNY Tuesday night from Ron Darling regarding the improbably, insanely, ridonkulously hot Carlos Delgado:

"Maybe Carlos did not get the memo that you cannot implode a stadium [according to city regulations]. He's going to try to implode it himself, knock it all down."

SNY limits commercials for Sunday's Phils-Mets game

Saturday September 6, 2008 1:56 PM By Neil Best

The Phils-Mets tilt that was supposed to be on Fox Saturday afternoon now is on SNY Sunday afternoon.

The wrinkle is that SNY hadn't been planning on showing any of the games in the series, and now has had one dumped into its lap. What to do?

The network will show the first 5 1/2 innings with limited commercial interruption and from the bottom of the sixth on with no commercial interruption.

SNY will fill the gaps with additional content such as Gary Cohen and Ron Darling answering viewer e-mails.

No word yet on whether ESPN plans to go commercial free for the Sunday night game between the teams.

Kevin Burkhardt bites tongue, but keeps talking

Tuesday August 26, 2008 3:24 AM By Neil Best

Really, it's time for the major sports league to direct teams to include announcers on their injury lists, lest fans not understand and appreciate the context of their performances.

Take Monday night's Mets game. A source in the Shea Stadium press lounge said SNY's Kevin Burkhardt injured his tongue by biting it during the pregame meal, negatively affecting his ability to pronounce the letter "S" all night.

It's a good thing Santana didn't pitch for the Mets.

Burkhardt battled through the injury, making his the third most impressive effort of the night after Pelfrey and Delgado.

Ron Darling talks to Tom Seaver, Johan Santana

Monday August 25, 2008 9:25 AM By Neil Best

Ron Darling sits down with Tom Seaver and Johan Santana for a joint interview that will debut at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday on SNY.

Click below for extensive highlights from the show that SNY was kind enough to send along.

Nothing controversial here, alas. Darling should have asked them about Strahan (see post below).Excerpts from SNY Spotlight "Mets Aces"

Darling: Asking about their "greatest professional moment"

Seaver:

"Enjoy the journey. It's the enjoyment of the journey and all of a

sudden it comes with the last out."

Santana:

"I would say, coming from a Latin country, Venezuela, and being the

first one to win a Cy Young, I thing that was the greatest moment ever.

Because, all the things that you represent for your home country. And

then when I went back home, to see the happiness, the joy, in the

people's faces, it was really nice. It makes you appreciate what you

do, and makes you better... because its not just for you - you are doing

it for a whole country that loves you. It's a great feeling."

Darling: Asking about the toughest hitters they ever faced?

Seaver:

"Wille McCovey, San Francisco, we still talk about it...bases loaded, 3

balls 2 strikes to Willie McCovey, I throw him a changeup, he strikes

out. Jerry Grote meets me half way to the mound and says, "nice pitch,

and says what was it?" I said it was a changeup, he says, "you don't

have a changeup." I threw a pitch I didn't have, I made it up right now

and if I walk him, go to first base and let one run cross, I am not

giving up four!"

Santana:

"One of my toughest hitters I have faced was Edgar Martinez, he was a

great hitter. I remember facing him in Seattle, I threw him, I don't

know, 12 pitches, and that's the thing, you have to be mentally

strong...because they can frustrate you like this...if you go by one

pitch or one at bat. It was a full count and I threw him a fastball

away and he hit it in Safeco Field way out there in right field."

Darling: Asking about their father's influence on their

competiveness in sports...

Seaver:

"My dad would play a game of golf like I would pitch, or vice-versa. He

would play gold in a certain way, and when a hitter comes up, we already

have in our mind what we are going to do, and you also have in your mind

what is going to happen when you don't get to where you want to go.

Your game-plan starts here, and if it goes this way you have a plan or

if it goes that way, that's what pitching is, its not called throwing,

it's pitching."

Santana:

"My dad never talked to me about baseball, how he played the game. I

just wanted to be like him, because he played the game, and he used to

take me and my brother to his games - and that is how everything

started."

Darling: Asking about their thoughts on the media and athletes?

Seaver:

"I think on the whole they do a good job, until there are things that

are personal that are brought into it, or things that people have hidden

agendas, ect."

Santana:

"It's part of the game, you just have to learn how to play with it,

learn how to deal with it and you know...and the fans have the right to

know what is going on in the game, as long as they are doing it the

right way, it should be fine."

Darling: Asking about their pitching mentality?

Seaver:

"I think it came with the job description - that was part of it - the

game is different today. One because of the finances, you have an arm

like this, and you are paying the amount that Johan is making, and you

dont want to jeopardize that. I think that has diminished or changed

lets say of what a starting pitcher is. It just was expected that on

days that you were really good, you would finish the game."

Santana:

"It's everyday, every time I go out there, I don't want to come out.

That's the way I approach the game. But I also, like you said, the game

has changed, so we adjust to all of that. A pitching staff is prepared

to work the whole game, my mindset is that I want to throw the first

pitch and the last pitch of that game...."

Darling: Asking about how they mentally prepare for your starts?

Santana:

"In the beginning of my career I was in the bullpen, and to be honest

with you, I had no clue, I was just a little kid happy to be in the big

leagues...and trying to overpower hitters. Everything is a learning

process and that is how it goes, that is how everything is taught for

you."

Happy Birthday, Ron Darling!

Tuesday August 19, 2008 7:41 PM By Neil Best

Ron Darling was born 48 years ago today.

So was Morten Andersen.

So was Bobby Hebert.

So was my best friend Ira.

SNY's Jets programming just got way more compelling

Thursday August 7, 2008 5:53 AM By Neil Best

Squarely in the winners column in the aftermath of the Brett Favre trade is SNY, which offers plenty of Jets-related programming but last season was stuck with an awful, eventually irrelevant team.

Not anymore! Well, the Jets still might be awful, but they're not irrelevant.

SNY staffers plan to take a break from celebratory dancing in the newsroom to produce a special edition of "Jets Nation" to be seen at 6:30 p.m. today.

Earlier this afternoon the station will be busy with some sort of baseball game. They still play baseball in New York? Who knew? We're a football town now! Sort of.

SNY's Mets schedule dreams of games that last 2:20

Wednesday August 6, 2008 8:59 AM By Neil Best

I have the answer to one of the excellent questions posed on the live chat (see below) that I initially was unable to answer:

Why does SNY's program guide list Mets games as lasting only 2 1/2 hours - usually from 7 to 9:30 p.m. - when in reality it is rare for a game to end by 9:30? It's weird, and an annoyance for DVR users, who have to remember to extend time or record the post-game and beyond to make sure to capture all of the action.

Turns out the reason is that SNY wants to keep the starting time of its "SportsNite" news show consistent year round - not counting nights when the Mets play late games in other times zones - and thus prefers to list the show officially for 10, even though in summer it rarely starts at that hour.

That's it, really. If you don't have a DVR or VCR, this problem is irrelevant. If you do but don't know how to record things with it, ask a child.

Keith Hernandez makes huge boo-boo, quickly recovers

Saturday August 2, 2008 5:14 PM By Neil Best

SNY's Keith Hernandez came perilously close to ruining my weekend in the seventh inning of Saturday night's Mets-Astros game, but he dug a politically incorrect ball out of the dirt and (I assume) saved himself a lot of grief and me a lot of work.

While discussing how depressing the visiting bullpen in Houston is, Hernandez said, "They're caged, and they have lights over them. It's like they're in a concentration camp or something."

Um . . . after a brief pause Hernandez quickly corrected himself: "Prison camp, prison camp," he said.

Whew.

Gary Cohen, Damion Easley both know Florida ballpark

Thursday July 31, 2008 5:20 AM By Neil Best

Wednesday night, top of the seventh, two outs, one on for Damion Easley.

SNY's Gary Cohen: "Easley, who played here a couple of years ago as a Florida Marlin, knows this ballpark well and knows the place to hit a home run is right down the leftfield line, with that short fence."

Three seconds later: "Two-oh, line drive deep leftfield, right down the line, that ball is outta here! Damion Easley with a pinch-hit, three-run homer and he gets the Mets back to within a run. It's 5-4 Florida. I guess he remembered."

Larry Andersen suggests planting ball in Jose Reyes' neck

Thursday July 24, 2008 8:17 AM By Neil Best

Nice to see Jose Reyes making new friends in Philadelphia.

On Thursday's pre-game, SNY played the Philly TV and radio accounts of Reyes' post-home-run antics from Wednesday. Both crews hammered him, especially radio analyst and former pitcher Larry Andersen, who said, "Somebody ought to put one in his neck."

Yikes! Jamie Moyer apparently wasn't listening. He struck out Reyes in the first. Maybe later.

Speaking of SNY, it recorded its best Mets rating of the season for Tuesday night's tilt againt the Phils, attracting 4.9 percent of area homes, then surpassed that Wednesday with a 5.0.

SNY promises big news, invites Big East types

Tuesday July 22, 2008 10:27 AM By Neil Best

SNY sent out a media advisory saying that Wednesday it will be making a "major programming partnership" announcement. Hmm.

And that Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese and Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano will be on hand. Hmm.

OK, people, I'm going to go out on a huge limb here and using my powers of deductive reasoning and vast network of industry informants jump to this conclusion:

The autumn-and-winter-sports-challenged network likely will be showing more Big East football and basketball after the supply of Mets game runs out.

That would be a good thing. An even better thing would be for St. John's to someday return to hoops prominence and put the Big East back at the center of New York attention.

Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, Lee Mazzilli rally today!

Tuesday July 22, 2008 6:27 AM By Neil Best

All of my Mets-branded clothing is in the laundry, darn it, otherwise I would definitely be there waving my blue and orange pompoms at noon today when Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, Lee Mazzilli and Kevin Burkhardt appear at an event outside SNY's studios at 51st and Sixth to pump you up for the Phils-Mets series.

The boys will take questions and sign autographs.

I only have asked directly for two autographs during my 26-year professional career: Bonnie Bernstein for my daughter, because the two attended the same gymnastics school, and Ron Jaworski for my brother-in-law, because he grew up rooting for the wrong NFC East team.

That's it. It's unprofessional to be doing that sort of thing.

As a kid I got a Ron Johnson autograph when the Giants running back appeared at the opening of some sort of health club. But I digress.

Julie Donaldson testifies against abusive boyfriend

Wednesday July 9, 2008 3:25 PM By Neil Best

A reader e-mailed this link to disturbing news about former SNY reporter Julie Donaldson, who now is working in Boston.

It's about an abusive boyfriend who fortunately is facing legal consequences now.

Producer pulls minor league baseball show from SNY

Saturday June 28, 2008 1:33 PM By Neil Best

If you had been watching the series "Playing for Peanuts" on SNY, you aren't anymore. The producer has pulled it in a dispute with the channel over its lack of promotion for the show.

SNY says as a matter of policy it does not promote any "barter shows" - shows in which air time is given free to a producer in return for programming. It also says that "Playing for Peanuts" was given more exposure than any previous barter show in SNY history.

(By the way, the team and league depicted in the series no longer are operational.)

Mike Francesa, Chris Russo saga comes up on SNY

Saturday June 28, 2008 11:34 AM By Neil Best

SNY garnered Friday comment contest honors during Game 1 Friday (see two posts down), then wrapped up the twin bill by mentioning moi in Game 2!

Click below for a transcript of Gary Cohen, Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez after a shot of WFAN's Mike Francesa watching from behind home plate in the seventh inning.

Note what sounds like it might be a shot from Darling at Michael Kay's frantic 1050 ESPN/YES work schedule.

Unless I'm imagining things . . .Cohen: Noted Yankee fan Mike Francesa, at the ballgame tonight. He looks so serious, doesn't he? It's just a ballgame, Mike.

Hernandez: He was on vacation last week, wasn't he?

Cohen: He's had a long day today. He did his show from Yankee Stadium this morning and then from Shea between games.

Hernandez: Wow.

Darlng: Those guys are pretty amazing, I tell you. I mean, they're on, what, five-and-a-half hours a day, every day?

Cohen: For now.

Darling: Yeah, I read the Neil Best column myself.

Cohen: Rumors abounding that the partnership may be in trouble. [Doing an imitation of Chris Russo:] I don't know, Mikey!

Darling: You could do the afternoon block, Gary. They'll give you a half hour to prepare for the game, that's enough, isn't it?

Cohen: I think Keith would be perfect for that.

Hernandez: No!

Cohen: You could do it in the car driving in from Sag Harbor.

Hernandez: I do listen coming in, because you find out what's going on around the league. Once they get off on basketball or football I'll turn it, but when they focus on what's going on around the league, they make me look good. Because I sure as heck don't follow it.

Cohen: You could talk just as well as you could listen.

Hernandez: No. I'm happy with you guys. That's enough.

Cohen: I wasn't suggesting you abandon us.

Hernandez: I'd have to abandon my nap.

Cohen: It would add to your repertoire. You might just have to have the shrimp cocktail at a different hour.

Switch pitcher and switch hitter do an unusual dance

Friday June 20, 2008 8:30 AM By Neil Best

Here is SNY's video of that weird situation in which an ambidextrous pitcher for the Staten Island Yankees causes a switch hitter from the Brooklyn Cyclones to play an amusing game of musical batter's boxes with him.

(Bonus WatchDog kudos to the first reader to identify the guy in the picture. Say something funny, because I don't have a winner for the Friday comment contest yet.)

Columnists and radio hosts lining up to hammer Mets!

Tuesday June 17, 2008 10:28 AM By Neil Best

No time to blog today . . . too busy consuming all the Mets-bashing on our local media outlets.

This is the second day in a row the big news is taking place on a weekday afternoon.

Makes life much easier. Thank you, Tiger and Omar.

SNY thoroughly covering its flagship team so far

Tuesday June 17, 2008 7:55 AM By Neil Best

I guess this qualifies as the best test yet of SNY's objectivity - and freedom to criticize the bosses.

So far so good. SNY had Willie Randolph's firing on its crawl by 3:30 a.m., had Steve Overmyer on camera from the newsroom just after 4 (talking by phone with Kevin Burkhardt) and at 6 a.m. had a complete new show on the topic (with Burkhardt on the phone again).

After a replay of Monday night's game, Burkhardt appeared on yet another edition of the show at 9 a.m., this time on camera from California.

Burkhardt wasn't shy: "To fly these guys to the West Coast after a doubleheader on Sunday, then to make them go about their day like it was a normal day and everything was going to be all right, and to come back and do it in a hotel room a midnight? I can't fathom it being done at a worse time, to be honest with you. I think it was brutal timing. I think the guys deserved better, I really do."

Interesting.

Will SNY have anything to talk about come August?

Friday June 13, 2008 9:18 AM By Neil Best

Uh, oh. Loyal WatchDog reader Jon Heyman says Willie is on the brink again, which given who Heyman's sources probably are means that Willie most definitely is on the brink again.

(UPDATE: Here is more from our guys on this subject.)

I was going to make the point in my Friday newspaper column that SNY could be facing the first late summer in its three-year history with a team out of contention. But I was talked out of it, in part because I remember writing that about YES last year when the Yankees seemed to be hopelessly out of it in late May.

So I will wait until the All-Star break, then write a column about SNY facing the first irrelevant August and September in its history.

Please don't tell Milton Bradley where SNY booth is

Friday June 13, 2008 5:32 AM By Neil Best

I wrote nice things about SNY's Gary Cohen in my Friday newspaper column, but the day might not end as well for him as it began.

Milton Bradley and the Rangers are in town tonight, and after Bradley went after the Royals' play-by-play man for comments he made about him earlier this week, how is he going to react if he watched Gary this morning on SNY's encore presentation of Thursday's game?

Or maybe Milton will read about it in WatchDog.

It happened in the top of the eighth, with the Mets leading, 4-0.

Click below, Mr. Bradley. And let's be careful out there, Gary.Gary: "Just a little update on that Milton Bradley story: You know, Nolan Ryan is the Rangers' club president, and he made what I would consider some very disappointing comments today . . . This is what Nolan Ryan said: 'We're disappointed that things were said that upset Milton. From my observations since spring training he's really tried to change the part of his life that's plagued him during his career. We're really supportive of that and feel as if he's made great strides. It's an incident that came up and I think it was handled properly. Milton was upset and disappointed but I'd like to think this is behind us and we'll move on.' Is he kidding me!? He charged from the clubhouse four flights up to the broadcast booth and was set to confront the TV announcers and that was handled properly?"

Ron Darling: "It should have been, 'We are very disappointed in Milton's actions. When he gets back to Texas I will immediately confront him about this and we will have some action after his reaction.'"

Gary: "When you get a player, or a person, in any walk of life who continually behaves in an egregious manner and he is enabled in that behavior, that's how the behavior perpetuates and that's what Nolan Ryan just did in those comments. Because all that Milton did with his actions is just perpetuate exactly the things that were being said about him on television: that he is an out-of-control personality. And regardless of the reasons for that that has been the case from the time that Milton began his professional baseball career."

At that point, the Diamondbacks scored their first two runs, and Gary got back to the latest Mets meltdown.

Keith Hernandez joined Mets 25 years ago Sunday

Friday June 13, 2008 5:08 AM By Neil Best

Speaking of Keith Hernandez (see post below) and my Friday newspaper column, I referenced the fact Sunday is the 25th anniversary of the Cardinals trading him for Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey.

Here is the complete transcript of what he said when I asked him in April about the upcoming milestone:

"It seems like more. I didn't realize it. I remember every moment. I remember Whitey [Herzog] calling me off the field into his office. He sent the clubhouse kids out after me. 'Whitey wants to see you.' I was like, 'Where am I going, where am I going?'

"The New York Mets? What? But then '84 was a fun year. We really didn’t draw. I remember the second half of July we were still right there with the Cubs and I said in the paper, 'Mets fans, we have a good team, come on out and watch.

"It was like Mets fans were afraid to come out and be hurt again and then they started coming out in August and we filled it up and and had great crowds and it was the beginning of a love affair for the whole decade."

Keith Hernandez takes on owners, Michael Kay 'amazed'

Friday June 13, 2008 4:32 AM By Neil Best

In my Friday newspaper column, I reference a segment on Michael Kay's 1050 ESPN show Monday in which he expresses shock at SNY's Keith Hernandez for taking issue with the Mets scheduling a charity event for the day after a West Coast trip.

It's an interesting take, especially given Kay's strange, dual role as a YES man and a sports talk host. In this case I'm pretty sure the Wilpons agree more with Steinbrenner's man than their own.

If I had any clue about what readers actually care about, I would have made a bigger deal of it in the newspaper.

As a service to loyal WatchDog readers, I have fully transcribed it, and you can read it by clicking below.Kay: Now, Don, did you watch the game yesterday?

Don La Greca: Sure.

Kay: I am amazed that Keith Hernandez can keep his job. I don't know if you thought the same thing I thought. The Mets today have a big charity function that Jeff Wilpon puts together every year in Greenwich. Now Jeff Wilpon, for those who don't know, is the owner of the Mets. And he puts together this big charity function, and it's a really nice thing that he does, and he insists that his team is there. So the charity function is put together on an off day, and it was today. OK? Now Keith Hernandez says to Gary Cohen, this is about the seventh inning, 'Hey Gary, the Mets have to go to that charity function tomorrow?' And Gary said yes, and Gary starts pumping it up, because it's the owner's thing. And Keith Hernandez comes out and says, 'It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life.' He goes, 'Why would you do that to a team? When you come back from the West Coast you desperately need that time off, and then to schedule a charity function that everybody has to go to on that day is beyond me.' And I'm going, 'Wow!' I understand being objective. I understand that. And I understand there has to be a separation of church and state, but when it comes down to a charity . . . the well-rested Mets lost four in a row to San Diego! I was surprised. I'd be surprised if Keith Hernandez was not called on the carpet. Because one thing: There was total silence - total silence - from Gary Cohen. He didn't know what to say. I mean, are you going to throw the owner under the bus? Do you remember what I'm talking about, Don?

La Greca: Yeah, I do, and it's shocking, because as you said, he didn't get any support from Gary. You would say Gary, let's say, if it was a completely neutral broadcast and it wasn't something owned by the Wilpons, I would think he would go out there and defend his partner so it didn't seem so harsh. But I think Gary knew to stay away from something like that.

Kay: Gary can't say anything. If anything if he defends it he makes Hernandez look bad, and then if he supports Hernandez, and maybe he doesn't even believe that, well then the Wilpons are going to . . . I mean, you have to save your job, too. I'm not saying you have to be a toadie for the owners, but Keith Hernandez attacking that? Again, it's for charity.

La Greca: You could say, listen, there's a lot of charity things that go on and I think it's a great idea. It's such a shame, though, that the Mets had such a bad road trip and have to travel right home and instead of getting an off day they have to do something, that's one thing. But to say what he said is a complete shot at ownership and I would think is a fire-able offense.

Kay: You know what, he's probably got a very good guaranteed contract.

La Greca: That's probably it, and I don't think the Wilpons want the outcry of firing a very popular Met.

Kay: Amazing, just amazing. As a broadcaster of a team that owns the network, or at least part of the network, boy, that's not where I would make my stand. It's just not. I mean, you have to be honest about what's going on on the field, but why would you attack that? I mean, good for Keith if he thinks he could get away with it, but boy, if I'm the Wilpons and I'm watching at home, I'm throwing a shoe through the set.

La Greca: I'm not going to defend Keith, because what he said was ridiculous, as far as ripping the owner of your company like that. But it is such a loose broadcast. It's not a bad broadcast. It's a very good broadcast. But if you watch them, and I watch them a lot more than you do because they're up against the Yankees most times, it's a very loose and casual broadcast. And I could see a comfortable Keith Hernandez kind of throwing it out there, thinking that's just what he's paid to do and not thinking through the ramifications.

Kay: I mean, the guy who signs your paycheck is pretty important.

Sporting News: Ron Darling, nay; Hank Steinbrenner, aye

Wednesday June 11, 2008 7:01 AM By Neil Best

I linked the other day to a story in The New York Times that said Ron Darling would be joining the revamped, every-other-week Sporting News as a contributor.

I since have been told that that information was the result of a series of misunderstandings too boring to detail here. As of now, Darling will not be adding that gig to his busy schedule.

But Hank Steinbrenner will be.

I'm going to stop goofing off now and get to my job, which is writing a newspaper column. But you should continue goofing off at work. If you didn't, blogs wouldn't exist.

Jordana Spiro, Ron Darling on TBS in same week!

Tuesday June 10, 2008 4:00 AM By Neil Best

Three small items were cut out of my Tuesday newspaper column for space reasons. I heard the problem was some sort of chart Glauber sent about the 10 best Giants of all-time.

No worries. This is why God created blogs. Below are the items in question, including one in which Ron Darling takes a gentle shot at the overabundance of baseball talk in Our Town, of course including on his own station, SNY.

TBS’ “My Boys,’’ the best show about a sportswriter who rarely seems to work since “Everybody Loves Raymond,’’ returns Thursday. It’s a warm, well-written sitcom that should appeal to humans of all genders. Check it out . . . YES is averaging 4.4 percent of area homes for Yankees games (423,000 viewers), which it said is the best average rating for Yanks games this early in a season since at least 1995 . . . Ron Darling on TBS Sunday during Phillies-Braves, talking about scrutiny Willie Randolph faces: “A lot of frustration seems to build in a town where there’s more TV shows than actual players talking about baseball.’’(Speaking of SNY, I did not watch or tape Sunday's Mets game, but sources tell me Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez had some blunt opinions about the handling of Ryan Church's head injury and that Keith had some blunt opinions about the Mets having to attend a charity function Monday after returning from a West Coast trip. For the most part in its first three seasons, SNY seems to be living up to its promise to cover the Mets objectively despite being owned by them.)

Keith Hernandez visits his Northern California hometown

Wednesday June 4, 2008 6:21 AM By Neil Best

Here is the video of Keith Hernandez' visit back to his hometown of Pacifica, Calif., with Kevin Burkhardt that was shown before Tuesday night's Pedro-Giants game.

Seems like quite the bucolic sports childhood.

And more scenic than my Senior League games at Northport High School. More fog, at least.

Keith Hernandez watches Mets tilt from behind plate

Wednesday May 28, 2008 10:42 AM By Neil Best

Those wacky guys at SNY unveiled another wrinkle Tuesday night, putting Keith Hernandez behind home plate to observe the Mets game from a different angle. It yielded some interesting observations and banter with his partners in the booth.

Do you like this sort of stuff, which is an SNY trademark - Burkhardt in McCovey Cove, Cohen in the upper deck, in-game interviews, etc. - or do you prefer the far more straightforward approach at YES, which says good-bye to reporter Kim Jones at about 6:40 p.m. and usually doesn't call upon her again until the game is over around midnight?

Reasonable minds can disagree. Discuss among yourselves.

Today's collection of posts is one of the strangest in memory. I will be blogging lightly through the rest of the week due to newspaper commitments. It's just as well. I don't want to set a monthly page views record so high I will not be able to break it anytime soon.

Willie Randolph presser tonight not like dental surgery

Tuesday May 27, 2008 3:08 PM By Neil Best

Reiber reports that Willie seemed much less miserable than usual when meeting with the media before tonight's Marlins-Mets tilt.

Hmm. What's up with that?

Maybe he got some advice from an old friend who will bring his new team to Shea this weekend.

(UPDATE: Willie was smiling and loose again after the game, too!)

Mex rips Kid for lobbying for Willie Randolph's Mets job

Monday May 26, 2008 3:52 AM By Neil Best

Here is the small newspaper article I wrote about Keith Hernandez (and Gary Cohen) taking issue Sunday with Gary Carter's remarks on Sirius Satellite Radio Friday.

Hernandez called Carter "unconscious" for openly lobbying for the managerial job currently occupied by Willie Randolph.

I'm not precisely sure what Hernandez meant by "unconscious." I'm assuming he meant "clueless," in the sense of talking without thinking.

That sounds about right.

Lee Mazzilli comes to defense of fellow Brooklynite

Thursday May 22, 2008 5:43 AM By Neil Best

Lee Mazzilli and Willie Randolph both are 53-year-olds who grew up in Brooklyn and spent the early parts of their careers playing in their hometown.

Yet, strangely, neither is ready to teach New York Sports Journalism 101. Or any kind of journalism, for that matter.

On SNY's post-game show Wednesday night, Mazzilli suggested columnist Ian O'Connor was wrong for not double-checking with Randolph to make sure their Sunday night conversation was on the record.

Technically, it's supposed to happen the other way around. It's up to the subject to make that clear before he starts speaking.

In fairness, it does not always work that way in the real world.

Journalists with a close, long-term relationship with a subject do sometimes give him or her the benefit of the doubt by asking whether a seemingly casual conversation is meant for publication.

But Randolph is the manager of the Mets, was standing in the middle of a clubhouse and had a tape recorder in his face.

Click below for a transcript of Mazzilli's comments, as well as those of Harold Reynolds, which were more to the point. The point being this: Until the Mets win a game, the Randolph saga will not go away.Here's Maz: "I had a problem with that article, because he felt that it was kind of off the record. I know what Willie was going through by just chatting with this writer. I feel that there's an obligation for the journalist to ask that person if you really want to say this.

"Because if he said a quote and he wasn't sure about that, I think the writer has to say, 'Are you sure you want to say this?' And I think that's why there is a problem with athletes and writers because they don't trust them right now, because this is what happened up there.

"Willie says he didn't say that. I take Willie's word, and maybe that he should have asked Willie, 'Do you want me to print this?' And he didn't do that. And that's what started this. I think sometimes you say things and you shoot yourself in the foot and you don't want it out there, but I think this whole thing could have been avoided, I really do."

(I don't know where Maz got the notion Randolph claimed he didn't say something O'Connor quoted him saying.)

Harold Reynolds: "Here's my point: If they win, we've got interviews. Here comes David Wright! Here comes Delgado! And we're talking baseball. Tomorrow morning we're going to open up the newspaper and it's going to be, 'Willie addresses the media,' and, 'Here's what Willie had to say.' And they're still losing. So Santana has to win tomorrow to turn the cycle. It will not turn until they win. That's just my opinion."

Keith Hernandez, Burkhardt brave Braves' cheap seats

Wednesday May 21, 2008 6:23 AM By Neil Best

Philosophically, I have no problem with SNY's aggressive use of in-game reports from Kevin Burkhardt and willingness not to take itself too seriously.

(YES rarely goes to Kim Jones during a game and is less apt to yuk it up in the booth.)

Still, this kind of thing requires care, lest it tick off passionate fans.

So when Keith Hernandez kibitzed with Burkhardt in the last row of the stadium Tuesday mid-way through the nightcap of an endless, day-night doubleheader in Atlanta, it was fine with me, because I didn't much care who won the game.

But I could see a hard-core fan not being in the mood after watching his team get suffocated by Tom Glavine in the afternoon then trail 4-0 while Keith and Kevin were enjoying the breeze in the cheap seats.

Speaking of Bob Uecker . . . Did you see that shot of him in a swimsuit in SI last week? Yikes. I hate it when 73-year-olds look better shirtless than I do.

Willie Randolph keeps talk radio, blogs, SNY booth busy

Tuesday May 20, 2008 5:49 PM By Neil Best

Here is my Wednesday newspaper article about the SNY announcers discussing Willie Randolph's controversial comments earlier in this long, long day.

I checked back in at 9:30 and Randolph still was a topic of conversation, but the edges seemed to have been smoothed over a bit from when I first heard the boys talking about him at 12:30.

There could have been more that I missed, of course.

Whatever. The interesting thing is Randolph seemed most upset with SNY for the shots of him that it chooses, which primarily is the responsibility of highly respected, veteran director Bill Webb, who also directs Fox's most important games, including the World Series.

SNY voices unamused by Willie Randolph comments

Tuesday May 20, 2008 8:59 AM By Neil Best

Willie Randolph took some pointed shots at SNY in Ian O'Connor's column in The Record of Hackensack, N.J., Monday.

SNY's four game announcers got to point back on Tuesday's pre-game show.

Here is how it went:

Kevin Burkhardt: "The comments are mystifying, to be honest with you . . . It's out of leftfield . . . Now he has to answer a lot of questions about some very strange comments."

Gary Cohen: "Again, the Mets are having to deal with another self-inflicted controversy."

Keith Hernandez: "You've got this now to deal with. It’s hard to believe, but it’s happened and I’ll be very curious to see how this team responds."

Ron Darling: "One of the things you hate is when a reporter comes up to you and says, 'Did you see what happened in the paper?' Or, 'Did you read what happened?' No, I didn’t. And he tells you the comments and then you have to make a comment on it. You know what it’s doing? It's stopping you from doing what you're supposed to be doing: getting ready for the game. That’s part of the problem we have now is that the manager has chosen to make comments about things that you would think that for him should be water under the bridge. Who cares what anyone says? You care about wins."

Here is Lennon's latest blog post on this.

One of the strangest things about this story is how slowly it unfolded, given the fact the original column appeared in Monday morning's paper.

"Most of the New York papers kind of ignored it today," Cohen said during the second inning this afternoon. Yo, Gary, not Newsday!

(UPDATE: Here's more from during the game itself:

“Why is Willie wasting any time watching us, for one, and two, I just think it’s wrong,’’ Darling said. “I think his comments are wrong. I think some of the best things we do are watching not only Willie, but also his staff, go about their business educating these young men on how to play the game.’’

Said Keith Hernandez: “In my 17 years of major league baseball and 10-plus years of being up here in the booth, I’ve just never heard of a manager make those kinds of comments before, and I’m really quite surprised that Willie made those comments. It absolutely took me completely by surprise.’’)

Willie Randolph agitated about perception he is calm

Monday May 19, 2008 5:15 PM By Neil Best

There were times Joe Torre was not a huge fan of the YES Network.

It appears his old pal Willie Randolph is following in his footsteps when it comes to the Mets' SNY.

Here is my Tuesday newspaper column that is partly about that subject, which is based on this column that is partly about that subject.

Also, I weigh in on the performance of the ESPN announcing duo Sunday night.

Ron Darling used to sit in the cheap seats at Fenway

Friday May 16, 2008 7:06 AM By Neil Best

This is a picture taken by Marc Levine of the Mets Thursday that looked much, much better before my clumsy attempts to make it small enough to fit on a blog post.

If you look very closely you can make out the top of my black SportsChannel hat (with a red bill) in the row in front of Gary Cohen. I wore it as a nod to the nostalgic feel of the telecast, and I suppose as a nod to my soon-to-be new employers.

Thanks to everyone for the comments and e-mails sharing your own Shea memories, by the way.

Click below for a bunch of leftover stuff from Thursday. I have to write my Sunday newspaper column now.

Enjoy the 1988 PBA "Hammer Open" on ESPN Classic at noon.Howie Rose recalling taking the bus to games at age 12 with his friends from Bayside:

"We'd have a bag full of salami sandwiches. For a 2 p.m. game we'd get here before 12 and sit in Section 1 right behind home plate, in the first row behind the boxes. Until about the early '70s the entire upper deck was general admission except for the boxes. You could get a pretty good seat as long as you moved quickly."

Gary Cohen recalled sitting in the extreme upper leftfield corner for Game 3 of the 1969 NLCS, where "you could see straight down into the visitors' bullpen. Somehow that day when they won I managed to make it all the way down to the field and took home my piece of turf that I saved."

Cohen said he first encountered Shea driving by it en route to the World's Fair. "This ballpark, when it was built, was state of the art,'' he said. "The fact it was so huge was considered an asset at the time. The sensibilities have gone in the other direction over the past 40 years and people want a more intimate setting, which they’ll get at Citi Field. But when this place is full and it's humming and the stands are shaking and the team is playing well, it’s a great place to watch a game."

Cohen on his most memorable game sitting in the upper deck: "Tom Seaver's return to Shea after he got traded to the Reds in '77. I know a lot of people remember Giacomin's return to the Rangers [with the Red Wings], but this was very similar. The entire stadium was rooting for Seaver as opposed to rooting for the Mets. That struck me because it was so different from anything I’d ever experienced here."

Ron Darling on going to Fenway as a child: "The only place we really could sit in Fenway was rightfield, where it was $2 or $1. Our seats were always up top, where you could barely see the rightfielder in front of you."

Keith Hernandez on the view from the upper deck: "These guys don't look very big from up here. They look tiny. They look like field mice down there."

Hernandez said when he was a child his father usually bought good seats at Candlestick, but Hernandez did recall once watching a game from the very last row of the Oakland Coliseum.

Gary Cohen keeps shirt on while calling Nats-Mets tilt

Friday May 16, 2008 5:47 AM By Neil Best

No, Gary Cohen did not copy Harry Carary by taking off his shirt during SNY's telecast from the upper deck at Shea Thursday.

Yes, part of Cohen's inspiration for doing a game from the stands came from Caray.

"I remember when Caray did games from the bleachers; I think we were there [in Chicago] at least once when he did that, and I thought it was a really cool thing,'' Cohen said.

"That provided some inspiration for thinking about doing this, no question."

SNY executive Curt Gowdy Jr. said he has a picture of his father calling a Red Sox game at Fenway from the stands.

I told the SNY people that if they really had guts they'd send the announcing team to the bleachers at Yankee Stadium to call Friday night's game.

No dice.

Bet your sweep bippy: Keith Hernandez is a boomer

Friday May 16, 2008 5:26 AM By Neil Best

I sometimes worry about making too many baby boomer references that go over the heads of younger readers.

Keith Hernandez does not seem to have such concerns, and if he does, it doesn't stop him.

During Thursday's telecast from the upper deck at Shea, he used the term "bet your sweet bippy."

And he described the funk the Mets are in this way: "As Jimmy Carter would say, 'malaise.'"

And in the top of the fifth, he said, "There's all these pigeons flying by. I feel like Rod Taylor. I'm looking for Tippi Hedren, or for Hitchcock to walk by walking the dog or something."

I turned to Hernandez after that one and he waved his hand over his forehead, indicating he knew the reference went over the heads of most viewers. ("The Birds," 1963.) But that's Mex being Mex.

Hernandez did find time during the game to make pointed observations about the game, calling Luis Castillo's failure to run hard on what would be a dropped fly ball "embarrassing," and criticizing Jose Reyes' base-running by saying, "You just can't run yourself out of an inning when you're down by a run."

WatchDog joins Mets voices in boomer nostalgia-fest

Thursday May 15, 2008 9:50 PM By Neil Best

Here is a story based on my afternoon in the upper deck at Shea with Gary Cohen and his SNY pals.

It was a pleasant experience on a lovely day.

The timing for such a warm-hearted piece would have been helped immensely had the Mets not base-ran themselves into a 1-0 loss, and had Billy Wagner not thrown lighter fluid onto the fire afterward.

Oh, well. Much more on all this in the blog on Friday, where I will include quotes and observations for which there was no room in the paper.

For example . . . 40 years from now, will middle-aged fans be as nostalgic about the cheap seats in the upper deck as people like Gary Cohen, Howie Rose and me are about Shea?

Citi Field has only 42,000 seats, and they are designed to be more scarce (and thus more costly) than Shea's ever were.

Sigh.

Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling join Cohen in cheap seats

Wednesday May 14, 2008 4:17 PM By Neil Best

I keep forgetting to mention that SNY's Gary Cohen and his analyst friends from the 1986 Mets will call Thursday's Mets game from the upper deck at Shea.

It's a tribute from Cohen to his own past as a kid who sat there long ago - and to fellow Mets fans - as the old ballpark prepares to be shut down.

Fellow long-time Mets fan Howie Rose is expected to join Cohen at some point from the radio side, and there will be special guests dropping by.

If you're at the game, you should wave.

Obvious question: Has Keith Hernandez or Ron Darling ever sat in the upper deck at Shea before?

'Seinfeld' signed off 10 years ago Wednesday

Monday May 12, 2008 10:26 AM By Neil Best

Just in time for Wednesday's 10th anniversary (!) of the series finale of Eli Manning's favorite TV show, my Florida "WatchDog" counterpart, Dave Darling, has weighed in with his Top 10 sports-themed episodes of "Seinfeld."

Discuss among yourselves.

Wally Backman is back on 'Playing for Peanuts'

Sunday May 11, 2008 5:15 PM By Neil Best

Sorry for the short (40-minute) notice, but I finally got around to screening the debut episode of "Playing for Peanuts," a new documentary series about the South Georgia Peanuts that debuts at 6 p.m. Sunday on SNY.

(It will be shown three more times this week, so don't worry if you neglect to check WatchDog every five minutes and thus didn't read this post in time.)

It appears the series will cover the long-familiar territory of life in the minors, but some of the stuff that happens in the bush leagues never fails to amaze, such as an Opening Day parachutist who misses actually landing on the field by thismuch.

Perhaps the biggest draw of the series for New York baseball fans is Mr. Peanut himself, manager Wally Backman, seen here in his first baseball job since his dismissal by the Diamondbacks in 2004, less than a week after being hired to manage in the bigs.

(By the way . . . the independent league in which the Peanuts play has suspended operations for the 2008 season.)

Keith Hernandez, Cornell professor? Sort of

Thursday May 1, 2008 6:47 AM By Neil Best

A couple of spring trainings ago, Keith Hernandez taught a class for Cornell Adult University in Port St. Lucie.

Apparently it went well, because the university invited him to teach a class on the history and culture of baseball after last season, his wife, Kai, Class of '86, told me.

"They wanted him to come up and give a couple of lectures on broadcasting and baseball,'' she said.

Said Keith: "I was so tired at the end of the season we called and gave them plenty of notice and bailed."

What did he talk about in those Port St. Lucie sessions?

"The first was about my baseball experience, historically the ins and outs of being a professional ballplayer,'' he said, "and the second was about the transition to the media. It was fun."

Gary Cohen, Ron Darling to take your angry phone calls

Wednesday April 30, 2008 12:08 PM By Neil Best

Just when I thought the sports media fun was over for the day . . . Gary and Ron will be taking calls in the booth on SNY in the eighth inning!

What if the Mets mount a comeback and it gets interesting? It's only 13-1.

Our Mets are not quitters!

Sports talk is at its best when the talkers have a clue

Friday April 25, 2008 10:11 AM By Neil Best

Well, heck, if I'm going to make a big deal about all the national coverage of the draft, I might as well tell you what SNY has planned for Our Jets.

Click below to read the news release. (Read Newsday all weekend, too, obviously.)

Speaking of SNY, I've gotten a lot of feedback on my Tuesday column about the channel's new sports talk shows, and about sports talk in general.

Some thought I was too harsh, some not harsh enough. But one theory is that I'm just another print reporter jealous of my TV and radio counterparts. (Granted, it's a distinction that gets more blurred by the day.)

Jealousy is not the word. But there is no doubt an element of resentment on the part of unsung print reporters who man the front lines in the locker rooms and on the road, interviewing people and gathering the raw material that fuels the sports babble industry.

That's why the best local sports debate show was the late, great "Giants On-Line" on MSG and later YES.

It featured four journalists, one radio play-by-play man and one hyperactive public relations man with an important thing in common: They actually were around the team on a daily basis.

(Full disclosure: Yes, I was one of the stars of the show, which carries on - kind of - as an element of the Giants' TV and Web content. Sigh.)

Now I'm really done for the week. Enjoy the Shockey trade.SNY, the television home of the New York Jets, will kick off its comprehensive two-day Jets Nation: Draft Day 08 coverage live on the network’s plaza – located directly across the street from Radio City Music Hall – on Saturday, April 26 at 2:00pm.

SNY’s all-access Jets draft coverage will feature exclusive one-on-one interviews with every Jets draft selection, player profiles and live interviews – before and after the draft – with Head Coach Eric Mangini and GM Mike Tannenbaum from outside the draft room at Hofstra University.

Jets Nation: Draft Day 08, hosted by Brian Custer, will showcase in-depth analysis on the Jets draft needs and player selections from NFL Insider Adam Schein, former Jets and current SNY football analysts Ray Lucas and Greg Buttle and SI.com draft contributor Tony Pauline. Cornerback Darrelle Revis, the Jets 2007 first round draft pick, will also be live on the plaza participating on the shows. Steve Overmyer will report live from outside the Jets draft room at Hofstra.

Jets Nation: Draft Day '08 will air live on the following dates/times:

â–ºSaturday, April 26: 2:00pm-3:00pm (Live on SNY’s Plaza)

â–ºSaturday, April 26: 9:30pm-10:00pm

â–ºSunday, April 27: 9:00am-10:00am

â–ºSunday, April 27: 9:30pm-10:00pm

Here is another post about Harold Reynolds and ESPN

Friday April 25, 2008 6:18 AM By Neil Best

Did I mention there was some interesting give-and-take between Harold Reynolds and ESPN in my Friday newspaper column today?

Well, there was.

Ciao. I have stuff to do.

Enjoy Manchester City vs. Portsmouth at noon on MSG Plus.

Harold Reynolds, ESPN not 100 percent on same page

Thursday April 24, 2008 6:49 PM By Neil Best

Here is my Friday newspaper column.

Check out the back-and-forth between Harold Reynolds and his old friends at ESPN. I guess their legal settlement hasn't settled everything.

Biggest question is why I didn't put that stuff higher in the story.

I'm assuming that once he takes over Mr. Murdoch will not stand for backing into the juicy stuff like that.

Breaking news: Harold Reynolds joins SNY

Thursday April 24, 2008 5:02 AM By Neil Best

Harold Reynolds, formerly of the Alaska Goldpanners, Seattle Mariners and ESPN, and currently of MLB.com, has joined SNY as a part-time studio analyst, the network will announce this morning.

Reynolds will make his debut Friday night on the pre- and post-game shows for Mets-Braves, the first of about 20 appearances this season.

Lee Mazzilli, the network's lead studio analyst, works about 85 games. Darryl Strawberry, who was hired earlier this month, will handle 15-20.

Reynolds, a popular studio analyst for ESPN from 1996-2006, was fired amid allegations of sexual harassment.

Later, he sued the network. The sides reached a settlement last week.

Reynolds has worked for MLB.com since last summer.

SNY offers 90 minutes of loudmouths . . . every day!

Tuesday April 22, 2008 5:45 AM By Neil Best

Here is my Tuesday newspaper column about the latest step in the long march toward every American having his or her own sports talk radio or TV show or blog.

It's your chance to take your own shots at SNY's new debate shows, and at me! That's what we're all here for.

Have you noticed of late that my newspaper columns are more apt than in the past to be about one topic rather than be divided up by subheads and ellipses? That's OK. I'd be scared if you had.

The reason is that a lot of the smallish notes I used to put in the paper now end up on the blog.

People who care about the stuff I write really should read both the newspaper and the blog. Tell your friends. Thanks. (And remind them to click on the ads on the blog, too. Thanks.)

SNY blabbers nail Mets-Nats series

Friday April 18, 2008 5:59 AM By Neil Best

Just in case anyone at SNY thinks I'm not paying attention . . .

I did notice that Tuesday on "Wheelhouse" Scott Ferrall guaranteed the Mets would sweep the Nationals. Then Adam Schein did the same thing on "Loud Mouths." (Or is it "Wheel House" and "Loudmouths?" I can't keep straight which is two words and which is one.)

Anyway, both guys obviously nailed it, so good for them, even if it took 14 innings Thursday night.

Speaking of which . . . nice of the Mets to make me look mildly silly by taking 4:45 to finish their game, knowing I had an item in my Friday newspaper column that discussed the long lengths of Yankees-Bosox games. The Yanks needed only 3:20 Thursday, a sprint for that rivalry.

(Rockies-Padres lasted 6:16 and 22 innings. But that's another story.)

Breaking: SNY hires Strawberry as analyst; more later

Tuesday April 8, 2008 7:07 AM By Neil Best

For the studio, I mean. Not the game booth.

Update: I had a nice chat with Straw this morning at the Big Dump in Queens.

Here is the news release about his hiring:

SNY, the television home of the Mets, today announced that former New York Mets All-Star Darryl Strawberry has joined the network as a baseball analyst. Strawberry will primarily work with Matt Yallof on SNY’s Mets pre- and post-game shows. Strawberry’s first appearance on SNY will be in-studio on April 28 when the Mets take on the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“As a former All-Star, Darryl is revered by Mets fans and we’re excited to have him join our critically acclaimed broadcast team,” said Curt Gowdy, Jr., Senior Vice President of Production and Executive Producer of SNY. “Darryl will bring candid analysis, a deep understanding of the game as well as an outfielder’s perspective to our telecasts.”

“It’s great to be home and to be a part of SNY,” said Darryl Strawberry. “I’ve really enjoyed watching Keith, Ron and Gary from a distance, and the wonderful job they do in the booth. I’m thrilled to rejoin my old teammates, and cover this talented Mets team.”

Keith Hernandez joined Mets 25 years ago this June

Monday April 7, 2008 7:13 AM By Neil Best

One of Keith Hernandez's charms is his old school take on baseball and life, and even his pop culture references.

During the Mets' failed comeback in the ninth Sunday he used the term "Excedrin Headache No. 99,'' reaching back to a ubiquitous ad campaign of his youth.

Did anyone under 40 know what he was talking about?

(I hope Excedrin still isn't using this in its ads, in which case I'm going to look like an idiot. Whatever. I don't care. Blogging is ruining my newspaper column, my health and my sanity. I need a break. I have Excedrin Headache No. 2,091, my number of posts in the past 48 weeks. Thanks for reading. See you Wednesday, maybe. In the meantime, check out all of Newsday's other fine sports blogs, which seem to be multiplying like fruit flies lately. I'm glad if I served as an inspiration to some of them.)

Keith Hernandez chats with fans . . . live on the air!

Thursday April 3, 2008 8:36 AM By Neil Best

Alas, I was not tuned in to SNY late in Wednesday night's Mets blowout. Sorry. I was probably watching "American Idol" or the Knicks or something.

(Did I mention I met Kellie Pickler during Super Bowl week? She was the only celebrity, other than Fox personnel covering the game, who would not give me a prediction for the game. Even Subway spokesman Jared Fogle cooperated!)

Anyway, if I had been watching I would have seen/heard the regular-season debut of a new feature: Fans calling in with questions on the air!

Three of the four callers were from Long Island. I'm not sure whether to be proud or ashamed.

Click below for the best question and answer.Gary Cohen: John from Long Island is up next. John, you are on "Ask the Booth."

John: Hi, how are you doing? Keith, this one is for you. If you were elected into the Hall of Fame, would you go in as a Met or a Cardinal?

Keith Hernandez: Isn't there a new rule, Gary, where I don't have an option?

Gary: You don't get to choose. The Hall of Fame chooses for you.

Keith: I don't think it's ever going to happen, but it's out of my hands. And Major League Baseball makes that choice. But if I do go in, which I doubt, don't get mad at me if they put me in a Cardinals hat.

Gary: Well, if you had a choice? Or do you not want to go out on that limb?

Keith: Well, it's 50-50. I played both places, basically half and half, a little longer in St. Louis. I'd have to, gosh, it's a tough choice. I've got such loyalties to both organizations. I won an MVP in St. Louis. Blue is my favorite color, so I'll go with the Mets.

Gary: Very judicious answer. Very good.

Baseball continues to be popular in NY and nation

Tuesday April 1, 2008 11:00 AM By Neil Best

Another season under way in Baseball Town . . .

SNY reported Monday's late-afternoon/early evening tilt against the Marlins was the highest-rated Mets opener ever on a regional sports network, attracting 4.4 percent of households in the area and an estimated 407,000 viewers.

The rating peaked at 6.4 from 7 to 7:15 p.m.

The Mets averaged a 3.3 rating overall for last season on SNY, their highest on a regional cable sports network.

Fair warning: This will be the first of many posts about high New York baseball ratings this season. Sorry in advance.

The national numbers for baseball continue to be strong, too.

Sunday night's Braves-Nationals game on ESPN drew 2.8 percent of homes that have that channel, and an estimated 3,656,000 viewers, the largest average audience ever for an opener on ESPN or ESPN2.

It was the most-watched regular season game (excluding one-game playoffs) on pay TV since 1998 that did not include the Yankees, Mets or Red Sox.

Ron Darling adds a national gig with Turner

Friday March 28, 2008 7:18 AM By Neil Best

Other than Mike Francesa and Chris Russo discussing ballpark bathrooms, I haven't missed any really big developments during my week off, but I was surprised to return from out of town Thursday night to this news:

Ron Darling will serve as an analyst this season for TBS's new Sunday afternoon package. (It's non-exclusive, meaning if TBS is showing the Mets or Yanks, they will be seen here on SNY, Ch. 11, YES or Ch. 9.)

Was SNY on board with this, given its contractual rights to Darling's services? Yes. He is doing only 10 games, on days when he would have been off from SNY anyway, and he will not work any Mets games.

So . . . good for Darling and good for TBS. Darling has skyrocketed from announcer obscurity to a rising star in a matter of two years.

Buck Martinez also will work as an analyst alongside play-by-play man Chip Caray for the Sunday series, which debuts April 6.

SNY offers 90 minutes of guys yelling about sports

Tuesday March 25, 2008 6:18 AM By Neil Best

Yes, I watched SNY's new 5 to 6:30 p.m. lineup Monday, and I'm not (overly) ashamed to admit it.

Early observations:

"Daily News Live": The show has been reduced from 60 minutes to 30 and given a new-look set. I would advise turning the lights up and moving the table top down. The panelists looked like they were sitting at the little kids' table at a bar mitzvah with romantic mood lighting.

"The WheelHouse": Scott Ferrall managed on three different occasions in one 30-minute show to disparage a New York pro athlete by comparing him to a woman. For this we're supposed to give up "Pardon the Interruption?" Speaking of which, the show includes a rundown of coming topics and declares a winner based on the superior debating points. Why hasn't anyone thought of those gimmicks before? Oh, wait . . .

"Loud Mouths": I kind of liked Schein and Carlin, but by this point I had heard quite enough debate about the talk radio topics du jour, from Georgetown to Andy Pettitte to Isiah. At the end of the show the hosts discussed what they would be watching on TV that night. Why hasn't anyone thought of that gimmick before? Oh, wait . . .

In fairness, it was Day One. And in fairness, I'm off this week. I'll give it all another chance after a week or two, OK, guys? Please don't yell at me.

Johan Santana already is helping to pay the bills

Wednesday March 19, 2008 8:39 AM By Neil Best

Hey, maybe that much-maligned Scott Boras line about A-Rod boosting YES's fortunes wasn't so wacky after all!

Check out this piece from Multichannel News about the Mets' news pitcher and his effect on SNY. (Via Fang's Bites.)

Ralph Kiner, 85, ready, willing and able for 47th season

Tuesday March 4, 2008 3:29 AM By Neil Best

Here is my Tuesday newspaper column on Ralph Kiner.

One of the topics I discussed with Mr. Kiner for which I didn't have room in the paper was the Mets' late-season collapse of 2007. Short story: He was as shocked and amazed as you were.

Kiner said he recently watched a replay of the regular-season finale against the Marlins on his local cable channel in Florida.

Don't look for SNY to show that one anytime soon. But I'm still working on them to show Game 1 of the 1969 World Series and become the first baseball-team-owned regional sports network in New York history to replay a loss.

My first sports memory is the Mets' sweep of the Expos to go into first place on Sept. 10, 1969.

Ron Taylor, whose name came up as the Blue Jays' doctor during the recent unpleasantness on Capitol Hill, was the winning pitcher in one of those games. But I digress.

Johan Santana is very, very good for ratings

Monday March 3, 2008 6:22 AM By Neil Best

This new pitcher the Mets acquired recently seems to be creating a bit of a stir.

Check this out:

Last year, SNY's first spring training Mets telecast attracted only 0.14 percent of area households - understandable on a weekday afternoon.

This season's first spring training game Friday afternoon drew 0.80 percent of homes - more than five times as many as last year.

Today I'm trying to learn how to use the new (actually, less old) laptop the office gave me last week, plus writing a newspaper column for Tuesday, so the pace of blog posts will be relatively slow. Thanks for your patience.

Ralph Kiner to work Mets games again this season

Saturday March 1, 2008 7:11 PM By Neil Best

I didn't have room for this bit of happy news in the Sunday paper, but before someone else beats me to it . . .

SNY is bringing back Ralph Kiner this season for about 20 Mets games (including preseason), starting Wednesday.

Kiner, a Mets broadcast team original, still is a treasure for his ability to come up with a story to fit any occasion. He primarily will work day games, usually for a few innings at a time.

Welcome back, Ralph.

Former SNY reporter Julie Donaldson now in Boston

Monday February 25, 2008 6:00 AM By Neil Best

Former SNY reporter Julie Donaldson is working in Boston now.

Perhaps her most memorable moment in New York was getting doused in the Mets locker room after they clinched the NL East in 2006. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Still waiting on official word of SNY's revamped evening lineup, which will include a couple of new shows in which guys will debate sports stuff.

Kind of like . . . other shows like that, only more of it.

Sweeny Murti covers Yanks for SNY and WFAN

Tuesday February 19, 2008 6:07 AM By Neil Best

Here is a mini-scoop about Sweeny Murti that was bumped out of my Tuesday column for lack of space:

What was Sweeny Murti, WFAN’s Yankees reporter, doing covering yesterday’s Andy Pettitte news conference for SNY?

Turns out Murti also will serve as the official Yanks beat reporter for the TV channel this season.

Murti’s photo and voice still will appear on YES on the “Mike and the Mad Dog’’ simulcast when WFAN does Yankees updates, but he only will be seen actually moving his mouth in SNY.

Willie Randolph might be asked about end of '07 season

Friday February 15, 2008 5:45 AM By Neil Best

SNY will show Willie Randolph's first spring news conference live at noon.

I won't be watching. I have a Sunday newspaper column to write.

See ya later.

Breaking news: Keith Hernandez re-signs with SNY

Monday February 11, 2008 9:05 AM By Neil Best

Well, it's not exactly breaking news, since I reported it (first) a few weeks ago. But it is official now.

Hernandez signed a new multi-year deal that calls for him to make more than 110 appearances in 2008 and to contribue to the pre-game and post-game shows as well as the station's Web site.

"I’m looking forward to calling Mets games on SNY for many years to come,'' Hernandez said in a news release.

SNY lands an interview coup: Willie Randolph!

Monday February 11, 2008 7:31 AM By Neil Best

It is becoming clearer by the day that football season now is over, which can mean only one thing. Well, two things: Congressional steroids hearings and pitchers and catchers reporting.

To kick off the latter, SNY has scheduled what it is calling "Amazin' Monday,'' which is today.

At 6:30 p.m., about-to-be-re-signed analyst Keith Hernandez is expected to make his first apperance on "Mets Hot Stove," via phone, presumably to avoid trouble with the Florida tax authorities.

At 7, the station debuts "SNY Spotlight: Willie Randolph."

At 7:30, it's a new "Mets Classic" featuring Mike Piazza's first game as a Met, against the Brewers.

Click below for highlights of Randolph's sitdown with Kevin Burkhardt.Willie on Jackie Robinson: "I love the game and obviously he was someone I could identify with and the fact that he was just a great player who went through all that adversity, just someone that I wanted to aspire to be. So he's been an inspiration to me all my life."

Willie on the collapse of 2007: "I didn't like the way things were feeling to me, I'll admit that. I could just sense, and I have a good feel for the pulse of my team, so I could sense that we were on our heels a little bit obviously, but to the last day... to the last day Kev, I had a feeling... I knew we were going to win it. I was supremely confident; I've always been that way with my players. They were confident, even though you could see there was a little bit of a different body language, there wasn't as much enthusiasm, but that happens when your struggling so that's natural, but I felt to the last day until Glavine took the ball, that we were going to win that game, and possibly go to Philadelphia for a playoff game."

Willie on Barry Bonds: "Until someone to me is proven without a shadow of a doubt to be guilty, I don't pass judgment. Barry to me before all this stuff came about, was a Hall of Famer."

Willie on starting 0-5 as Mets manager: "It was early. I was looking forward to that first win. We had it that first day until Looper gave up that big home run which kind of kicked me in the stomach a little bit, but you know what I was thinking about Kev? I was really concerned about going back home on a positive note. Over the years we go to those welcome home dinners, and it's tough going to a welcome home dinner when you're oh and six ya know, so I was thinking 'oh my God please lets win a game or two...' but we played well during that stretch, but we just fell short, and going with Pedro in the last day I felt real confident about that. A great game with he and Smoltz going at it, and when Beltran hit that home run it was just like a big weight off your shoulder just kind of 'thank god that we're going to go home with this victory' and get rolling again."

Willie on playing for the Yankees: "I used to pinch myself all the time. I mean just think about that for a second... Twenty-one years old, grew up in the city, played in the city, coming back to your home town to be the starting second basemen for the New York Yankees. I just felt obviously very blessed and very fortunate."

Willie on "The Boston Massacre": "I remember us coming into Boston that weekend with a four-game series, and I remember having a great series, which is probably why I remember it, but everything I hit was just falling in... And we just went up there and just totally bombarded them. We took over the division and really put them on their heels, and that was one of those special weekends, I think it was a long weekend, I think it was one of those special series that you'll always remember because we just totally dominated that team, and made a statement that we were going to take over that division and come back."

Jose Reyes does NOT live in Suffolk County

Thursday January 31, 2008 5:14 AM By Neil Best

I should add the name Adam Schein to the list of guys I mentioned yesterday as likely to have a role in whatever new show(s) SNY is planning. (The others are Chris Carlin, Scott Ferrall and Joe Benigno.)

I'm not quite clear exactly what SNY is going to do with these people and at what time they are going to do it, but one of the half hours could be carved out of "Daily News Live," which always has been an hour long.

I don't know. I do know that the Daily News edition being handed out here features a map of where various New York baseball stars live, to help Johan Santana decide where to go househunting.

One problem: Joe Reyes correctly is listed as living in Manhasset, but the arrow pointing to his home is a lot closer to Riverhead than to Manhasset.

This is why Long Islanders stick by Newsday.

SNY excited about Johan Santana, high school hoops

Wednesday January 30, 2008 8:27 AM By Neil Best

If you were to assume that the people at SNY are juiced about Johan Santana joining the Mets, you would be correct.

What's good for the Mets is good for their TV station.

In the interim, SNY is excited about a more modest bit of news: the inaugural SNY Invitational, a high school basketball event that debuts Friday and Saturday at NYU and features four city basketball teams: Lincoln, Cardozo, Kennedy and Frederick Douglass.

Gary Cohen will handle the play by play alongside analyst John Celestand and with sideline reporter Kevin Burkhardt. The production team is headed by producer Gregg Picker and director Bill Webb, who work the station's Mets telecasts.

The event plans to add a Long Island team in '09.

SNY planning a new show(s), coming soon

Wednesday January 30, 2008 7:30 AM By Neil Best

I'm hearing SNY is planning some sort of new show (and/or shows) that likely will feature Joe Benigno, Scott Ferrall and Chris Carlin, who have become regular personalities on the station.

"I'm hearing'' is a cool-sounding way of passing along (well-informed) whispers and making it sound insider-ish.

I will sort all this stuff out more professionally upon the conclusion of the football season and my return to the cozy confines of the basement.

But changes are afoot.

Rockville Centre twins in second round for SNY gig

Thursday January 17, 2008 5:46 AM By Neil Best

Today is the call back for promising candidates from among the 75 who showed up last weekend for an open casting call to host SNY's "Kids Clubhouse."

(Amanda Cole, the host for the entire two-year history of the program, is moving on.)

All Newsday readers (except for the families of the other contenders) need to get behind the candidacy of twins Mike and John Palladino of Rockville Centre, who originally showed up representing our own "Kids Day."

I asked whether it's possible they could be hired as an entry and was told that it is.

This probably would be a good time to write my Friday newspaper column.

Enjoy "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'' on Ch. 7 at 12:30 p.m.

My first cousin Audrey is going to be on today. I was on her list to be a "Phone a Friend." I haven't seen her since the summer of 1981.

Maz back with SNY

Thursday January 10, 2008 9:33 AM By Neil Best

Lee Mazzilli widely was expected to join Joe Torre in L.A. for the coming season, but in fact he will be back as SNY's lead studio analyst. He will work more than 80 Mets pre- and post-games.

SNY said ratings for its pre-game show rose 46 percent compared to 2006.

The network will produce 16 spring training games, beginning on Feb. 29 against the Cardinals. Some enterprising reader out there really should look up whether the Mets ever have played a game on that date before.

Not me, though. I'm supposed to be writing Giants stuff.

SNY is seeking a perky teen for TV fame and fortune

Wednesday January 9, 2008 3:43 AM By Neil Best

Fans of SNY's "Kids Clubhouse" are in for a difficult period of adjustment this spring. It's true: Host Amanda Coles' two-year reign is over.

(She didn't do anything wrong! She just moved on with her career, apparently. She is in the recent movie "Across the Universe." Relax!)

SNY now is in the market for a replacement and plans to pursue one publicly, starting Saturday.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the channel will hold an open casting call at its studios on Sixth Avenue and 51st Street before three judges, including SNY senior VP Curt Gowdy Jr. and not including me.

Hopefuls must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and be between the ages of 14 and 18. I would strongly recommend being perky and not using any sentence that includes the phrase "seven-game lead with 17 to play."