Mid Season Review - SNY

Most bloggers by now (present company included) have done their mid-season review of the Mets. Now for something a little different, a mid-season review of the new Met network, SportsNet New York.

Well, after some fits (on the part of Met fans when it was not available when launched) and starts (technical issues), the channel was launched. As per usual, the Dolan’s tried their best to not air a competing channel to Fox Sports and MSG. Thankfully for Met fans; it did not take as long to get SNY carried as it did for YES.

There are of course both good things and bad things about SNY. Time to break it down.

The Good –

Encore telecasts of day games. This did not happen in Dolan land. If the Mets played in the afternoon during the week, and you were like me and stuck in the office, you had to get your highlights on Sportscenter or the news. On MSG you got to watch a scintillating WNBA game, or perhaps Canadian Football. Now, thanks to SNY, day games are repeated that same evening, in their entirety.

The lack of Fran Healy. This is possibly the biggest plus. No longer do we have to listen to old stupid clichés like “can of corn”. We instead have Gary Cohen, along with either Ron Darling or Keith Hernandez. There were concerns about Ron in the beginning, as he did not exactly set the world on fire last year while working for the Nationals. He has actually become quite good. As for Keith, well, Keith is honest, and tends to fall into clichés as well, but as an analyst, it is not as bad as with Healy. Occasionally, Howie Rose will sit in for Gary. While I personally hold “Matteau, Matteau, and Matteau” as one of the most hated phrases of all time, Howie does a good job. Plus, we get Ralph Kiner every once in a while, for old-times sake.

The fact that it is the Mets network. Look, I know it is not all Mets all the time, but the fact they own it allows them to put on wonderful specials, like the “Simply Amazin’” special. No chance the Dolan’s allow that on the air. Plus, we fans no longer have to go hunting for a Met game on MSG23, due to there being a Ranger, Knick, Liberty, and Soccer game that the Dolan’s wish to air on the main channel, meaning Met fans have to flip through 200+ channels to find their team. (In case you have not figured it out, I hold the Dolan’s in the same esteem I do Boss George.)

I actually like the TV Head guy commercials. They are funny. My favorite is the one where he is painting the nails of the female Yankee fan, and the female Met fan walks in. Is it just me, or is the Yankee fan just a tad bit more, how shall I put this, trashy than the Met fan? C’mon, you know you’ve noticed. If you haven’t, watch it more closely next time.

The Bad –

Well, Chris Cotter. The man annoys me. He brings nothing to the table, yet he must be on the air several times a game. He reported once from the upper reaches of a park they were visiting, with no one nearby. Better they should have left him there at the end of the game. About the only good thing he did was mention LastingsMilledgeFacts.com on the air once.

The commercials. I watch the pre-game show while exercising, and I have seen way too many Aqua-Velva commercials for my taste. They are cheesy. Same for the “Just for Men” commercials, though at least they are not airing those with Keith and Walt Frazier. Painful. Of course, for a while we had the anti-smoking ads. Now, I’m all in favor of getting people not to smoke, but the commercials were on every time there was a break. Trying to explain to a young child why a man has a hole in his throat is not an easy thing to do. Lastly, there were the myriad of Ford commercials starring Derek Jeter. Now, I know Derek is a good player, and he has a lot of endorsements, but did I need to see him touting Fords during a flipping Met game? Am I really supposed to think that Derek drives around picking up chicks in a Ford 500? The Mustang, yeah, he would have one of those, but not a Focus. I have tried to eradicate the commercial with Jeter and Spike Lee from my memory. Let’s pretend it never happened.

Gieco SportsNite. Since this is supposed to be the home of the Mets, it would be nice if they led off with the recap of the Met game. I know, they just finished the post-game, but if you missed that, why should you have to look at Yankee highlights to get to the Mets? They have their own damn network, show your team first. Then move on to the rest of the NL East. Then the Yankees.

Other News –
Rumor has it that the Mets may be about to make a trade. Jeff Keppinger may be moving on. Various reports have him going to KC, or to Pitt. If he is traded, I wish him luck. While he might not be a starting second-baseman, he never really got the chance last season due to injury, or this season, due to the Mets owing Kaz Matsui a salary that exceeded the value of many small countries. He fell off the radar. Good wishes to Kepp.

Philip Humber has been working at Port St. Lucie, pitching well for a guy coming back from Tommy John surgery. His control, which is usually one of the last things to come back, is apparently pretty good right now. I hope the Mets are able to catch a break here. They do not have a good history with young guys who blow out their arms. Maybe the worm is turning.

Until tomorrow….