For the team’s famous struggles over the years, the New York Mets undoubtedly have one of the best broadcast teams in baseball, with Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling. During the first part of today’s doubleheader against the Miami Marlins, Cohen gave a very well thought-out take on the recent issue between fans and star infielders Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez.
The Mets added Lindor in a big splash deal ahead of the 2021 season, a move that served to ring in the new ownership with hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen at the helm. They followed it up by signing the former Cleveland superstar to a huge 10-year, $341 million deal on the eve of the regular season. At the trade deadline, they traded for Baez, a long time friend of Lindor, to form a very talented tandem in the middle of the infield.
Things haven’t gone as hoped for either player. Lindor has been as good as advertised with the glove, but has struggled mightily at the plate. His .224/.316/.370 slash line are all career lows. Baez has been similarly disappointing, striking out in a full third of his at-bats with the Mets entering today.
The two players have not taken well to the boos at Citi Field, and in recent games, took to doing a “thumbs down” gesture after big plays, which Baez admitted was his way of “booing” the fans back, something he walked back today. Cohen and the booth have discussed the issues pretty openly during this afternoon’s game, and he brought up some very astute observations about how players are “more nurtured” by coaches and others today, while fans, especially those on social media, have drifted even more negative, making it more jarring for players when they do encounter something like boos from home fans. He also thinks that, as a result, clubhouses are more insular than ever, and players have a hard time distinguishing between what is said on social media, and legitimate criticism coming from the media.
Gare on the Mets battling the media and the fans. pic.twitter.com/OnZ2qAVnW7
— Meditations in Panic City (@MedInPanicCity) August 31, 2021
Cohen’s comments have been making the rounds on social media today. His popularity helps, but based on the reaction, it does look like Mets fans and others in the sport believe he hit the nail on the head here.
These are excellent, excellent points by Gary Cohen. https://t.co/Pia4h21y4y
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) August 31, 2021
You don’t get this type of insight with most local #MLB broadcasters, but it’s what we’ve come to expect from the talented #Mets booth https://t.co/m6tI0L8fPP
— Jake Kline (@JakeAKline) August 31, 2021
this is so wonderfully thoughtful and excellently expressed. less hot takes and more commentary like this. https://t.co/8QLNTO9LaR
— scott (@scottfernandez) August 31, 2021
I was interested to see how the SNY booth handled this latest bout of Mets stupidity. As good as they are, GKR could get on their high horses over things like this but you can tell Gary spent a lot of time thinking about this and what to say. Some good stuff here https://t.co/Uve3FqHLez
— Kevin (@Kpower90) August 31, 2021
Keith Hernandez also raised a good point, in that COVID-19 has mandated an insular clubhouse, which has driven a further wedge between players and the media, and in many cases, fans. While many players, like the Mets’ Trevor May, have strong online presences where they interact with fans directly, the media can often be a strong tool with which players can effectively get their points across. Hernandez hopes that things go back in the other direction as we near new CBA negotiations.
Man, the Mets’ @SNYtv team is so good. Gary, Keith and Ron with some nuanced, sensible conversation about the impact of pandemic-related changes in media access and how it’s made it so much harder for both players and media to understand each other. 1/2
— Tyler Kepner (@TylerKepner) August 31, 2021
Keith Hernandez: “I know they’re gonna do a new CBA next year. We’ve heard whispers they want to keep the clubhouse insular. I would hope that they would let the reporters and the media in the clubhouse.”
— Tyler Kepner (@TylerKepner) August 31, 2021
This has become a specific issue for the Mets in recent days, but the issues Cohen and Hernandez bring up are ones that impact basically every team and their fans across sports.
The post Mets Announcer Gary Cohen Weighs In On Team’s Situation appeared first on The Spun.
Leave a Reply