3 best and 3 worst NY Mets color commentators in team history

Broadcasts of baseball games can fun and entertaining, or dull and boring. The New York Mets broadcasts over the years have had their share of both ends of the spectrum. The play-by-play person is important, of course, that’s the person who describes the action. And that’s all well and good. But it’s the sidekick that can make or break the broadcast – whether the team is good or bad, whether the team wins or loses.

The Mets have started out with three broadcasters – Lindsay Nelson, Bob Murphy, and Ralph Kiner. Nelson and Murphy were professional broadcasters. Kiner was not. KIner had been a professional player. Nelson and Murphy…never. Yet, the three would rotate doing play-by-play in an era where there weren’t many on-air talents who were strictly analysts. But when the Mets finally got the idea that assigning a specific play-by-play person and designated color person, they made some very good choices, and there were some awful choices.

The three best color analysts are no doubt all tremendous talents and pretty much interchangeable with regard to the order in which they should be viewed.

3) Tim McCarver was the New York Mets TV analyst for 1983-1998 seasons.

McCarver arrived on the scene when the Mets were bad. He brought a real thorough analysis and great stories that made for a nice listen. He was the first real breath of fresh air after years of the same three people whose act got stale. And McCarver was a huge part of what was entertaining about the Mets powerhouses of the mid to late 80’s teams. However, once the Mets went bad again, McCarver’s act was a bit tiresome. It all seemed “forced.” He made attempts to be funny and it all just fell flat…just like the Mets of the 1990’s. Instead of being what made him a great guy in the booth, he tried too hard to be like Bob Ueker. But only ONE guy gets to sit down in the front row.