What’s Going on with Mets’ Broadcasts?

By Nicholas Stix

The Mets have not just been a disappointment on the field, having been eliminated last night from the playoffs. About a month ago, my chief of research read me stats that said that with a good bullpen, the Mets would have run away with the best record in the league, and with a merely mediocre BP, they would have run away with the Eastern Division. But they have had a dreadful bullpen, caused largely by the failure of since (unofficially) deposed closer Edwin Diaz.

Several times this season, and at least three in the past two weeks alone, the broadcast got back late from a commercial break. Earlier in the game currently under way against Miami, when the game returned from a commercial, the first pitch had already been hit on the ground by the Marlins’ Starlin Castro, and was on its way to Mets third baseman Todd Frazier.

(Miami just went ahead, 3-2, in the top of the eighth, on a two-run dinger by the rookie Tyler Heineman, after ump Eric Cooper blew a strike three call on Mets starter Zack Wheeler, and a back-to-backer by ex-Met Curtis Granderson, pinch-hitting for the Marlins pitcher.)

Mets’ broadcasts had been directed forever by Bill Webb, whom the guys in the booth for the past 14 seasons, Gary Cohen and retired Mets greats Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez, were forever praising.

During all of those years, I don’t recall Webb ever missing the timing on returning to the game.

The broadcasters also used to talk about how Webb had a roomful of Emmys for his directorial excellence.

Unfortunately, the Big C got Webb, who worked a reduced schedule in 2016, while getting treatment, and who fell in March 2017.

I just had to search the Web to learn the name of their current director. His name is Dan Barr. I have never heard the Mets announcers praise Barr, or otherwise mention his name. It’s no mystery why. What is he, somebody’s idiot brother-in-law?