Slightly Fishy

The Mets closed out their season series with the Mickey Mouse Marlins by losing a sleepy affair, 4-3, in a game where they fell behind early and didn't hit enough to catch up.

Though the Mets did end up winning the season series from the Marlins, 11 wins against 8 losses, this particular series sort of speaks to the inconsistencies the Mets have shown this season. Monday night, they hit enough to put themselves in position to win, but the bullpen blew the lead. Tuesday, they bludgeoned the Marlins en route to a 9-1 victory. Last night, they pitched reasonably well, behind Dillon Gee and 4 relievers, among them Jeurys Familia, who rebounded from his poor outing Monday with a fine inning, and Jenrry Mejia, who pitched a scoreless 9th, but try as they might, they couldn't get enough key hits to scratch across a tying run, in spite of the fact that they had opportunities to do so.

The Marlins went up early against Dillon Gee, and with the Mets not accomplishing much against Henderson Alvarez, the story of the game then turned to Kevin Burkhart, who was given a rousing sendoff after 8 seasons with the team on SNY by The 7 Line crew, among many others. Kevin is, of course, moving on to much greener pastures on Fox Sports, having established himself as an excellent play-by-play guy on NFL Broadcasts and has also done some studio work for their overproduced Baseball games as well. Perhaps he's in line to unseat the painfully boring Joe Buck, but not likely—Burkhart, for his talents, doesn't possess Buck's lineage or matinee-idol looks, so he's likely going to remain in a second-fiddle role with Fox, but that's OK. Burkhart established himself enough on Fox's NFL coverage that he earned himself a playoff game, a high honor considering the number of broadcast teams they have (although I've gone into how none of them are that good—Burkhart by comparison is Gary Cohen). But Burkhart's contribution to the SNY team has been invaluable over the years. We at The Ballclub will miss him and wish him the best as he moves on to a new chapter in his career, and it's well and proper that SNY gave him proper acknowledgement on the day of his final Home Game broadcast, and the fans did as well.

It's unfortunate that the Mets couldn't send Ol' Kevin off with a victory, but, hey, I guess you can't ask too much from the Mets. So their penultimate Homestand of the season is now over and it's off to Atlanta and Washington for the season's final road trip.

We're On TV!

Being a 49ers fan in New York can often be frustrating. Rarely do I get the chance to watch them play on TV, unless they play one of the New York teams or are on one of the Nationally televised prime time games. But sometimes, there are odd instances where I happily find that the game is televised here. It usually happens on a day where the Giants or Jets are either on a bye or playing one of the aforementioned Prime Time games themselves. But in most of those cases, the 49ers are bypassed in favor of a game with more "interest," usually involving the Cowboys or Eagles or Broncos or Packers (or, more appropriately, any of the NFL's most masturbatory teams). But sometimes, there are those random weeks where the schedule breaks just right, and certain teams play at certain times, and the 49ers end up being televised in New York. Sunday was one of those days. With the Jets on at 1 and the Gnats playing Monday night, and the Eagles, Cowboys and Packers playing a bit of hopscotch, the 49ers game against the Tennessee Titans ended up being Fox's lone game at 4pm, and thus was televised in New York.

I know the game wasn't televised nationally. Fox usually sends their "A" team, the great Joe Buck and his sidekick Troy Aikman, to the week's marquee matchup. This game featured Fox's "G" team, Chris Meyers and some other weird guy with a deep voice. In fact, I think Chris Meyers intentionally spoke in a voice a few octaves lower than his normal timbre just to fit in. There was also a token disproportionately hot sideline reporter, trying to pull off a pale Cybill Shepherd look. When you're the "G" team, I guess you're just sort of winging it. The broadcast certainly felt that way. Meyers seemed more interested in speaking in his bizarre deep voice, while the color guy kept calling wrong players and making bad jokes and terrible predictions.

This is kind of a long-winded way of saying that the San Francisco 49ers/Tennessee Titans matchup isn't exactly a hotly contested game. The 49ers and Titans, being in different conferences, meet once every 4 years to begin with. They didn't play at all between 1999 and 2005 thanks to realignment, and yesterday was only the 4th time the 49ers have played the Titans at all, since they were the Houston Oilers prior to 1997. The Titans seem to be kind of stuck in the middle of the NFL landscape. Not bad enough to be a punchline, but not quite good enough to be a serious threat. The 49ers, having won 3 in a row, figured to have a relatively easy time of things, and for the most part they did, breaking out to a 24-0 lead en route to a solid 31-17 victory to run their record to 5-2.

It was one of those games where the 49ers were once again slow in getting going on offense, but their defense never allowed the opponent to take advantage of it. A lengthy first drive ended in a Phil Dawson Field Goal, but pinned back at their own goal line on their next possession, the 49ers could only muster a few yards before punting. Colin Kaepernick wasn't playing poorly; in fact, he'd gotten off to a better start in this game than he'd had in several weeks. But it wasn't until the 3rd drive that the 49ers really kicked into gear. Starting at their own 20, Kaepernick spread passes around to Frank Gore, Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis, and even mixed in a little running of his own. The drive appeared headed for a disappointing end when Kaepernick was intercepted by the notorious assassin Bernard Pollard, but the pick was negated by a penalty on the Titans. Given new life, Kaepernick found himself in the End Zone for the first time this season 3 plays later on a nifty read option rush, where he picked up a block, juked a couple of defenders and raced down the left sideline virtually untouched. He then took a dramatic pause before his first "Kaepernicking" pose of the season.

The 49ers got the ball back quickly, as a Jake Locker pass on the ensuing drive was intercepted by Tramaine Brock. This time, the 49ers raced down the field mostly on the ground, with Kaepernick and Gore sharing the load before Gore punched it in from 1 yard out. This put the 49ers up 17-0 as the game moved to Halftime, with the Titans barely making a dent against the 49ers defense.

The 3rd Quarter was pretty much a continuation of the first two. Gore scored his second TD of the game on the 49ers first possession, which ate up about half the clock in the quarter. The Titans could generate nothing, as the usual suspects, Patrick Willis, Navorro Bowman, Justin Smith et al basically wreaked havoc all afternoon. The Titans didn't even cross the 49ers 45-yard line until Locker hit Nate Washington on a deep bomb at the end of the quarter.

To their credit, the Titans did try to make it interesting. After getting a Field Goal to make the score 24-3, the 49ers, who had moved to a run-heavy attack once they took a big lead, kind of called off the dogs on offense and had begun to put in some backups on defense. The Titans took advantage of this as Locker and Chris Johnson turned a short screen pass into a 66-yard Touchdown. The Titans had an opportunity to get even closer, forcing a punt on the 49ers next possession, however Darius Reynaud, who earlier fair-caught a punt with nobody near him, had the bright idea of not calling a fair catch with Darryl Morris bearing down on him. Reynaud muffed the punt, got his clock cleaned by Morris and the ball ended up getting kicked into the end zone where Kassim Osgood fell on it for a Touchdown. The Titans got an academic late score from old friend Delanie Walker to close out a 31-17 game that probably wasn't as close as the score might lead you to believe.

There was no particular standout performance from anyone in this game. Kaepernick broke out the read-option more, which was good to see, although I have to believe this is one of those things that the 49ers are only going to break out in certain instances. Anquan Boldin had a fine game, making multiple highlight-reel catches, including one in which he basically snatched the ball out of the air with one hand and held it cleanly all the way to the ground, which managed to confuse Chris Meyers. The Special Teams, which is always the least-appreciated unit on the team, continued their usual stellar level of play, particularly out of guys like Anthony Dixon and C.J. Spillman, who continually stifled the hotshot Reynaud from getting any sort of consequential return yardage, in addition to the Osgood TD.

The 49ers have gotten into a good groove, winning 4 consecutive games against 4 teams they should be beating, and the general panic and turmoil surrounding the team after the losses to Seattle and Indy has more or less evaporated and the 49ers have re-proven themselves among the NFL's best teams. Indianapolis has to be considered among this bunch as well, having not only beat the 49ers, but also currently sit as the only team to have beaten Seattle and Denver as well (but the NFL being what it is, they've lost to San Diego), so maybe it's not just them. Next up for the 49ers is a trip to London, where the NFL will be holding its annual Cash Grab International Game against the 0-7 Jacksonville Jaguars. I'm sure this isn't quite what the 49ers had in mind for a road trip, but they went straight from Tennessee to London and are across the pond at the time of this writing, so by time Sunday comes around, they should be well-acclimated. Chris Meyers dropped an offhanded comment at the end of the game yesterday that he'd be making the trip to London as well, so that should speak to how well-regarded these London games are. They're sending one of the league's only winless team (assuming the Gnats don't blow their lead tonight) and the low broadcast team on the totem pole. It seems to me the 49ers may be the only draw to this game, simply because they're showing up.

And he's not even getting a Divorce!

In April, 2001, El Guapo and I were taking in a Mets game on a lazy weekend afternoon, when the following exchange took place between Gary Thorne and Tom Seaver.

Thorne: Lemme tell you about Pittsburgh...

(Pause)

(Pause)

(Pause)

(Long Pause)

Seaver: Go ahead.

Truly a watershed moment in Mets History.

It really makes you think about what the qualifications must be to announce a Baseball game. And through the years we have followed the Mets, we've heard some of the best and quite a bit of the worst you can get out of an announcing team. Let's take a look at some of the men who we listen to as we watch, or listen, as some of us prefer, to our team.

Gary Cohen, SNY TV

Now, Cohen sounds just like what a good announcer should sound like. Crisp, clean and to the point. I really feel comfortable listening to him announce games. His calls are never over the top (well, unless Benny Agbayani was involved), and he does an excellent job playing the straight man in the booth to the clown that is Keith Hernandez (Or Ron Darling, depending on the day). For years, he was the radio voice, and as a radio listener, I can certainly say that the Mets Radio broadcast suffers without him.

Howie Rose, WFAN Radio

Let's face it, Rose is and will always be remembered for a certain Hockey call made on May 27, 1994.

Rose is where we start to get into some trouble. Rose is now the #1 man on the Radio. He was, for many years, the host of Mets Extra, the Radio version of the Pre/Post game show, and was fired in 1992 or 93 for being overly critical of the team. He then spent many years on TV, jockeying for time during the Dark Ages of Mets Broadcasting, when the TV team consisted of Rose, Tim McCarver, Fran Healy and Rusty Staub. Now you know why I always listened to the radio.

But Rose seems to be much more at home on the Radio. He doesn't have to fill in with idiotic banter, and as far as being too opinionated, well, some men you just can't reach. But he peaked in 2004/05 when he was teamed with Cohen in the Radio booth. Thoroughly enjoyable listening. He's still decent, but I much prefer him over Tom McCarthy.

But you will never, ever get another moment out of him like "MATTEAU! MATTEAU! MATTEAU!"


Keith Hernandez, SNY TV

I think Keith Hernandez just lives his life in complete "I'm Keith Hernandez" mode. He truly plays the role of the clown on the air, and much of his charm comes from his love of mindless banter and idle chit-chat. Nobody knows more about the game of Baseball, and what a specific player could be thinking about at a specific game moment like Keith Hernandez. As a player, he had the reputation as a thinking man's player, and it came across in his performance. Now, with nothing more to prove, he can just kick back and say whatever he feels.

Well, until he offends somebody...





Ron Darling, SNY TV

Darling's purpose in the booth is mainly to counter Hernandez and provide an ex-Pitcher's perspective to the game, which he does quite well. He and Keith were, of course, ex-teammates, forever bonded by a 1986 World Championship, and they're both lionized by Mets fans because of it. In fact, few remember that Darling was the starting pitcher in Game 7 of the 1986 World Series, and by his own admission, he pitched rather poorly in that game. We hadn't heard much from Darling since his retirement in 1995 until he resurfaced as an announcer for the Washington Nationals, and then was hired by SNY for the '06 season.

Darling and Hernandez in particular seem to have a good rapport in the booth, and as El Guapo noted, they often joke around about their playing days together. It's fun during Spring Training. It can get a little annoying when they start talking about Mentos during a blowout.

Tom McCarthy, WFAN Radio

Because there is usually one announcer who is universally disliked by Mets fans, and the other four are generally liked, it's McCarthy who is the fall guy. His calls aren't necessarily bad, and he seems to get along well with Rose on the radio, but I swear to God when I listen to him announcing, it's almost as if Gilbert Gottfried stepped into the booth. And he came to the Mets after several years of working for the Phillies. That right there should give you bad vibes.

Ralph Kiner, SNY TV (occasionally)

The absolute King of Unintentional Comedy. Kiner has been butchering the English Language for as long as the Mets have been in existence. His quips are legendary. Kiner's Korner is ingrained in all of our minds. His comments page on the UMDB alone tell you how loved and revered Kiner is among Mets fans. Yes, his ability to call a game has been compromised by Bell's Palsy, and his appearances in the booth are always few and far between, but always enjoyed. The Mets are holding a night for him on July 14th this season. Nobody deserves it more.

And those who are gone, but surely not forgotten...

Fran Healy

OK, we all wish we could forget Fran. It's hilarious now, when you turn on FSNY, and there's Fran, randomly interviewing some Lacrosse player on the "Regional Sports Re-Port!" or talking to a retired basketball player on "Halls of Fame."

Every Mets fan has that moment when Fran simply threw them over the edge. For me, it was in July, 2000. The Mets were playing a game in Toronto, and Mike Piazza hit a Grand Slam over an advertisement in the outfield that read "PIZZA PIZZA." And no less than 20 times over the course of the rest of the game, Fran kept repeating, "And Mike Piazza...Hit a Ga-Rand Sa-Lam! And he hit it OVER THE PIZZA SIGN!" And who can forget that "THE NEW YORK METS 22 YEAR OLD SHORTSTOP IS CREATING ALL KINDS OF EXCITEMENT!!!" Fran would never hesitate to beat a fact into your head repeatedly.

Bob Murphy, Emeritus

I was at Murph's last game in 2003, and I admit that I cried. And I cried again when he passed away the following summer. I know I'm going to sound a little cheesy when I say this, but Murphy was the voice of my childhood, and the first voice I remember associating with the Mets. Murphy was the perfect announcer because he always remained positive about the team without being a homer (hear that, Sterling?). You knew he rooted for the Mets, but it was always something gentle, like the Happy Recap. Of course, like Kiner, Murphy had his moments with the English Language, and as a comment on the UMDB said, "If there was ever a man on this earth who looked like Porky Pig it's Bob Murphy," but all of those things just added to his charm. Sultry Summer nights are not the same without him.

I'll close with another anecdote. Again, it's April of 2001. El Guapo and I are watching a Mets game, I believe they were playing Montreal. Fran was announcing, and Keith was in the booth, filling in (so they were in "MUHN-tree-al"). Keith had been talking about the times he had hit 2 Home Runs in a game. He had mentioned that one of the times was the day his divorce was finalized. Almost as if on cue, Lee Stevens of the Expos cranked a HR, his second of the day (most likely off Trachsel). This, of course, prompted Fran to yell with glee, "HIS SECOND HOMER OF THE DAY! AND HE'S NOT EVEN GETTING A DIVORCE!"