Guys In Baseball I Wish We'd Hear From A Lot More, Part I

By Deb McIver
Posted Tuesday, November 13, 2007

I think all the negativity generated by the Baseball People I Just Wish Would Shut The H*ll Up series (all of two columns, by yrs truly) has gotten to me.

Never mind that I started it! Shame on you for reminding me!

Let’s explore the other side of the coin, though, shall we? Here’s my list of Guys In Baseball I Wish We'd Hear From A Lot More, Part I.

I say Part I because I’m sure I’ve left off guys that I shouldn’t have, and will amend it in some column at some point in the future, so I’m pre-supposing a Part II.

Or Part Deux, as they say in the movies.

Anyway, let ‘er rip:

1. Joe Torre. Honestly, I could listen to Joe speak every day. He’s genuine, makes an honest effort to answer every question with intelligence, offering answers that lack entries straight from the gobbledy-gook book of baseball clichés, and even when he uses one, somehow, from Joe’s mouth, it doesn’t sound cliché-ish.

Is that even a word, cliché-ish?

Anyway, Joe’s A-OK in my book, always a good interview, always well spoken, articulate, and overflowing with intelligence and thoughtfulness.

A rare breed in today’s sports media, for sure.

2. Lee Mazzilli. And I know our very own DingoMets is probably gonna KILL me for this one, since when Lee made his debut on SNY this past year, we nicknamed him “Yankenstein,” as much for his strange and oddly weird facial gestures as for his longtime Yankee association.

But hear me out, Dingo.

Despite his rather inauspicious beginning in my book, you know, the Yankenstein thing and all, I have to admit he’s made a believer out of me in the last year; a believer in his intelligence, command of presence, command of facts, his ability to talk intelligently and offer insights into the game of baseball, and I can even stand his weird facial anomalies, which continue to this day, I think. I don’t know for sure, since the season’s now over, and Lee, presumably, is doing something other than SNY Mets pre- and post-game broadcasts.

In fact, I wouldn’t mind seeing him take over the Mets. Not like a hostile takeover or anything, just a nice managerial change with the approval of the board, lol.

That’s how much of a turnaround I’ve made on the Yankenstein thing.

See, there is hope. Even for me, an avowed Yankee-hating crabby…well, you know!

3. Eric Byrnes. This guy is such an unabashed California-surfer-dude wingnut you just have to love him for his outrageousness, complete and utter lack of guile, wild and crazy long blonde hair, and his obvious passion for the game.

He’s entertainingly funny, easy on the ears and undeniably unique.

I know a lot of guys don't like him; maybe it's a woman thing, who knows?

He’ll be in the booth, somewhere, some day, on a daily basis – count on it!

And I’ll be watching unless, of course, it’s the YANKEE booth (snicker).

Which brings me to:

4. Kevin Kennedy. How nice is this guy, really? How professional is he, and how much would you like him to be your next door neighbor?

I find him very knowledgeable, very passionate in a somewhat understated way, very genuinely nice and probably a guy who got booted as manager because he was TOO nice.

He’s a nice (there’s that word again!) complement to Lady Jeannie and Whacko Byrnes in the Fox booth, and a keeper, for sure.

5. Keith Hernandez. Can I say anymore about Keith than I did in my recent FU homage to the Mets’ broadcasters? Sure I can, and I will! He is without a doubt an heir-apparent to the McCarver Chair of Fox; let’s enjoy him before somebody wakes up and smells the tootsie pop, and steals him from us.

This guy is the real deal. He’s smart, without seeming overly intelligent or bookish; he’s funny, without really trying to be; he has a diverse number of interests, which he deftly flits into the broadcasts here and there; he’s honest, and you know he’s just dying to tell you more; he’s not afraid to go where other broadcasters haven’t gone before, and you just plain never know what’s coming next.

My hero *sigh.*

6. Ron Darling. Maybe even better than Keith, in a totally different way. This guy’s perceptiveness and ability to articulate his thoughts and feelings about pitching and the game of baseball have no equal in today’s media, as far as I can see. He’s the heir-apparent to the Joe Buck Chair of Fox.

Could you just imagine, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling doing national baseball broadcasts?

I can, and they both deserve it, greatly.

7. Jerry Koosman. Who knew? This guy could do stand-up, I swear. When I see him approach the booth, I start to smile. Here’s a guy who loves life, clearly loves the game, clearly has lots of stories to tell, and clearly needs a forum from which to tell them.

Somebody hire him, willya?

8. Ralph Kiner. Last but not least. A man who will live forever in the hearts of every Met fan I know, and every Met fan I don’t know, for sure. The Chairman of the Board himself; an original Mets’ broadcaster, a true gentleman, a man to whom no anecdote is a stranger; a wonderfully diverse and keenly intelligent baseball treasure.

I’m positively sick of all this positivity, now. See what I went and made me do?