Who else is this cool?

He’s Keith Hernandez.

Photo via MetsBlog.

Keith is coming back to SNY

As I wrote on Saturday, Keith Hernandez is returning to SNY, likely on a three-year deal.

Marty Noble has a near carbon-copy of what I wrote a few days back.

Sources: Keith Hernandez returning to SNY

Keith Hernandez will return to the SNY booth next season.

According to sources who wished to remain anonymous, one very high up in the SNY brass, Hernandez and SNY agreed on a new three-year contract very recently and it should be announced in the coming weeks.

Hernandez’s previous deal ended at the end of the 2009 season, and even had him on air saying, “I've enjoyed the four years and, hopefully, I'm in the middle of negotiating my new contract, hopefully, I'll be back (next season).”

Hernandez will reunite with play-by-play man Gary Cohen and his fellow analyst Ron Darling in calling games for SNY.

I’m sure Mets fans will be thrilled to have Hernandez back in the booth next year and beyond. He’s an absolute character with great insight into the mind of a player. And you just never know what he’s going to say next.

Glad you’ll be back, Keith!

The Mets and Sesame Street [Videos]

Happy 40th birthday, Sesame Street.

Watch Keith Hernandez, Mookie Wilson and Ron Darling on the classic TV show.

Awesome.

Happy birthday, Keith Hernandez

On Oct. 20, 1953 in San Francisco, Calif.,
Keith Barlow Hernandez was born. 
Happy birthday, Keith!

Is Keith done at SNY?

Bob Raissman brings us very chilling news about our beloved SNY trio.

Keith Hernandez may not be back.

From Raissman…

"I've enjoyed the four years and, hopefully, I'm in the middle of negotiating my new contract, hopefully, I'll be back (next season)," Hernandez said.

Darling, eyebrows raised and totally surprised, looked at Hernandez and asked: "Are you doing that (negotiating your contract on TV) now?"

"Hopefully I'll be back," Hernandez said. "If not, it's been a great four years."

Gary Cohen, Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez were one of the few bright spots for Mets fans this season.

Keith is a fan favorite and is always entertaining.  I’d be very sad to see him go.

Newsday: A tour of Keith Hernandez’s house [Video]

He’s the best.

And here is the Neil Best column about sleeping at Keith Hernandez’s house and how Hernandez goes about life nowadays.  He’s come a far way since the 80’s.

SNY getting creative to keep fans tuning in

In a dismal season, the Mets are getting creative.  From meet and greets with fans to gimmicks on TV, the team is hoping people keep tuning in even if the team isn’t winning.

The gimmicks on TV will come into play tonight and tomorrow, both giving Gary Cohen some well deserved time off.

Tonight, during the 6th inning of the game, the SNY broadcast will go completely silent.  No announcers will be on – at all – during the entire inning, rather letting the actions on the field speak for themselves.

I wonder if Cohen has his fingers crossed that no spectacular play will occur during this inning of play.

Tomorrow, Cohen will get the entire day off.  Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling will be at the helm for the entire game.

You may remember that Cohen had a day off earlier in the year with Kevin Burkhardt taking over the play calling duties.  Tomorrow, though, is all Darling and Hernandez.

I like these little things SNY does to keep the TV feed fresh.  Last year we saw Hernandez sitting behind home plate and discussing the game from the field perspective.  We also saw all three broadcasters move up to the upper deck level and call an entire game from that perch.

I dig it.

A look at Citi Field’s new additions [Photos]

I was at Friday night’s Mets game at Citi Field and snapped a few grainy photos of the new additions around Citi Field.  Take a look…

The new video board in the RF corner…

The new banners on the LF wall…

The new photos viewed from the Field Level…That was all I saw as I walked around.  I didn’t get a chance to look at the improved sightlines, but I’m going back Monday, so I will see if I can spot any changes.

Introducing the new Twitter pastime: #Keithism

We all know and love Keith Hernandez.  He was a spectacular player in his day and helped the Mets to their 1986 World Series victory (among other things).  We also know him as a color guy for SNY.

During his time in the booth, Hernandez provides some interesting commentary on hitters, baseball and a lot of the time, food.  He’s also been known to put his foot in his mouth on occasion.

So starting tonight, with the use of Twitter, we will attempt to track and highlight some of the best things that come out of Keith Hernandez’s mouth.

Every time you hear Keith say something funny, silly, crazy or just “normal” Keith-talk, type it up on Twitter (in 130 or so characters) and tag it with #Keithism.

Examples:

• “What a great player.  And he could fly...” on Roberto Clemente.  #Keithism
• “Oh man, great camera angle, eh, Gaer?” #Keithism
• “Women don't belong in the dugout” #Keithism

And on and on and on…

So tonight, and in the future, as you watch our beloved Mets, be sure to keep a keen ear on Mr. Hernandez, and be sure to pass along your favorite #Keithism.

If you’re a fan of the crosstown team, or just like to read silly things announcers say, check out this Twitter hash-tag, started by my friend @Fletch788, #Kayche.

Help from unexpected places

When your lineup looks like this, you many think you know where you’re going to get your numbers from. Not so much today. Sure, David Wright drove in two runs, but the real story was the obscure players who contributed.

Cory Sullivan and Angel Berroa combined for three hits, two runs scored and three RBIs in the Mets 7-0 win over the Colorado Rockies.

Johan Santana turned in another gem, allowing only four hits over seven innings. He walked only one while striking out eight. Santana retired the first eight batters and the last seven batters that faced him.

The Mets stitched together five straight hits in the second inning (six overall), plating five runs. They added runs in the fifth on a Wright sac-fly and two innings later on a Wright double.

Wright moved into a tie with Keith Hernandez for 10th on the Mets all-time list and now has sole possession of 5th on the Mets all-time RBI list.

An all-around solid game for the Mets fifth victory in a row. If they can pull off a sweep of the Rockies by taking both games of today’s doubleheader, then things really start to get interesting.

Gary, Keith and Ron catch tons of praise in the Observer

There is a gem of article in The New York Observer on everyone’s favorite broadcasting trio.  Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling are fawned over in a must read for any Mets fan.

Here’s an excerpt…

The old adage for a good broadcast is that when things are going well, it’s like you’re having a conversation with the viewer at home.

Keith and Gary and Ron have done just that over the past four years, for 60 games a season, and about another 90 games using some combination of two of them. But the viewer they’re talking to is jaded, and cosmopolitan, and, not infrequently, a little bored with the Mets.

Keith and Gary and Ron don’t pull for their team. They remark, cruelly and accurately, on the Mets’ poor play. They voluntarily discuss the Mets’ horrific collapses of the last two Septembers. They digress.

This wouldn’t work in St. Louis, where approximately 100 percent of the supposed best fans in baseball wear red to the games, or on the North Side of Chicago, where there is a rich tradition of homerism in the booth. Nor would it work in the Bronx or in Boston, where the fans crave reinforcement of a smug certainty that their organization is different, and special, and superior.

What Keith and Gary and Ron do is something less obvious, and more difficult.

For the full article, head over to The New York Observer.

Thirty-one years ago today

Yesterday, I posted a little homage to Tom Seaver being traded away on June 15, 1977.  And if you were alive, you probably remember what happened on June 16, 1978.

If you don’t remember, here’s the painful reminder…

Tom Seaver: W 4-0, 9 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (15 GB, 9 FB)

That’s right.  Seaver threw his first career no-hitter as a member of the Cincinnati Reds exactly one year and one day after being traded away by the New York Mets.  The Reds bested the St. Louis Cardinals that day.

Ironically, Keith Hernandez (who the Mets acquired on June 15, 1983) was playing first base for the Cardinals that day.  He went 0-2 with a walk.

I’m sure we’ll hear about it during tonight broadcast.

June 15 is quite a day in Mets history

Via Baseball-Reference…

June 15, 1977: Traded by the New York Mets to the Cincinnati Reds for Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson, Dan Norman and Pat Zachry.

Ugh.

But also on June 15, this time six years later…

Via Baseball-Reference…

June 15, 1983: Traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the New York Mets for Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey.

Thank you, St. Louis. Thank you.

Think Omar Minaya has something up his sleeve for this June 15? The Mets do need some help. It could happen.

The best SNY commercial: It’s Mustache Day

Pure comedy.  I laugh out loud every time I see it.

Keith blames Latino players for Randolph’s firing

Joe Janish of Mets Today brings us this little tidbit for those still fuming over Will Randolph’s firing.

In case you missed it, Keith Hernandez was a guest on the Leonard Lopate Show yesterday afternoon, talking baseball and promoting a book he wrote with Matt Silverman called Shea Good Bye: The Untold Inside Story of the Historic 2008 Season

---

Lopate:

Was Willie Randolph a bad manager?

Keith:

No, I’m not saying that. There was a lot of issues in that clubhouse. I know that particularly the core Latin players didn’t like Willie, that was pretty much written and it was true …

Lopate:

And why was that?

Keith:

I don’t know. I am not in that clubhouse. You know there’s a code of silence in the clubhouse, and things are kept in house. But I do know that a lot of the Latin players — and the key Latin players — did not like Willie. And that’s why they probably felt the move had to be made. Because they weren’t performing. And all of a sudden Jerry Manuel comes in and it’s like someone turned a light switch on. And all of a sudden Delgado is out of his slump and Reyes is playing like heck. So you know, it’s one of those things.

I grew up in an era when we were grunts. And I played for managers I didn’t like — I played for one that I despised. But I’m not gonna go out there and play and pout or let it affect my performance.

For the full article, please head over to Mets Today.

I know it’s old news by now, but I find this quite interesting.  Most, if not all of these players are still on the team.  How much would it take for them to turn their backs on the current manager?

Clubhouse chemistry is a key to winning, I feel.  Hopefully this movement has been quelled to some degree.

A Keith-ism for the ages

This is just too good to pass up… “What a great player.  And he could fly...”

-Keith Hernandez's poor choice of words
while discussing Roberto Clemente.

Game Recap: Mets 4 -- Nationals 1

Johan Santana was on fire tonight. Enough said.

On The Mound

Santana was in control from beginning to end. There's not much outside of his final line that needs to be said: 7 IP, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 6 K. He was pitching in mid-season form and absolutely dominating batters.

He is too awesome.

Francisco Rodriguez followed Santana, something Mets fans are hoping to see often during the season, pitching a scoreless inning. He did allow two hits, but struck out two in the inning.

I love it. Santana to K-Rod. Beautiful.

Pedro Feliciano pitched the 9th inning, striking out one in a no-hit effort.

With the release of Ron Villone, it looks like Feliciano is the only left hander going into the season. Very interesting.

At The Plate

The left fielder platoon drove in all the runs tonight. Daniel Murphy went 3-4, driving in two runs and Fernando Tatis drove in two runs on one hit.

Murphy has been absolutely raking this spring. He is such an exciting player sometimes.

Los Carloses each knocked a double, with Carlos Delgado scoring twice in the game on two hits. David Wright made his return to the lineup, singling once.

Delgado was hot during the World Baseball Classic, hopefully it lasts through the whole regular season.

Off The Field

Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling called the game on SNY, and did a pretty good job. There were flubs and mistakes, but overall I would say I was impressed at their play-by-play / color combination without Gary Cohen.

On Deck

The Mets welcome the Florida Marlins to Tradition Field tomorrow for a 1:10 p.m. start. The game will be aired on WPIX.

Twitter Poll: If you could have dinner with any Met...

I'm trying a new thing out here on the blog. I've fully embraced Twitter, and I'm going to be occasionally throwing out some questions or polls about the Mets on Twitter, and posting the responses here.

Last night, I asked my Twitter followers: If you could have dinner with any Met, past or present, who would it be and why? Here are the answers...

• letsgoduke said: keith. He's the funniest.
• metschick said: D-Wright because I'm bad
• kierankelly said: Lenny Dykstra, because he was better as a Phillie. :-) haha (ed. note: He's a Phillies fan!)
• mets_geekette said: Pelf. He's a goof-ball.
• ProctorsArm said: Carlos Delgado so I could teach him a thing or two about patriotism. (ed. note: He's a Yankees fan!)
• cselland said: Keith Hernandez - no one else even close. Just a brilliant guy - and he was there for the fun parts
• JD1877 said: Todd Hundley. Always wanted to hear his side of the Bobby V incident, his dad was on the 69 cubs, & he was one of my faves.
• Retire31 said: Jose Lima or Dae-Sung Koo. Why? Just having a conversation with either of them is going to be hilarious, let alone dinner.
• charlieryczek said: Gary Carter because he just seems like such a nice personable guy who could talk about anything at anytime
• MetsGal said: Keith Hernandez. Because he's Keith Hernandez.

It seems Keith Hernandez was the most popular choice, and why not? The man was around for some of the Mets best years, was the leader, the best player and now he's on SNY and he's hilarious and wonderful. I'd pick Hernandez, no doubt.

What about you?

Follow me on Twitter to participate
in the next Twitter Poll!

Twitter Poll: If the Mets had to retire one number this year, which one and why?

I'm trying a new thing out here on the blog. I've fully embraced Twitter, and I'm going to be occasionally throwing out some questions or polls about the Mets on Twitter, and posting the responses here.

Last night I asked: If the Mets had to retire one number this year, which one and why? Here are the answers...

• @fscker said: keith hernandez or gary carter. I'm going to lean towards carter becuase he's in the HOF.
• @JD1877 said: Piazza. The 90's were sooo bad but he carried them to the WS. Perhaps the greatest position player in team history.
• @sdn16182 said: #31 mike piazza because he made them respectable again and carried them for years and to a world series
• @letsgoduke said: 17 for good old keith. or 31 for obvious reasons.
• @jrobelen said: Mets should retire Gary Carter's 8 before any other, considering so many NY fans believed he earned his HOF cap here.
• @Mike_Peters said: ...31 duh
• @metgirl4ever said: i'm biased but pick # 31-fell in luv w/baseball & b/came Mets fan n late 90s & he was/is my fav-despite going blonde
• @BkCyclones said: 17, of course, for Keith Hernandez, the best defensive player ever for the Mets, a great clutch hitter, and THE captain!
  

I can't say I don't agree with all of these sentiments. 8, 17, 31.