3 best and 3 worst NY Mets play-by-play broadcasters in team history

1) Gary Thorne did New York Mets radio broadcasts for the 1985-1988 seasons, and then TV for the 1994-2002 seasons.

While Bob Murphy could give lessons on how to broadcast a baseball game, Thorne was just a slight notch above for the Mets, in my opinion. Thorne is a LOT like Murphy in his accurate, direct, consistent descriptions of a game, but there is just that little something extra, that I always thought gave Thorne that edge as the top play-by-play talent in New York Mets history. While Murphy was old school and sometimes overly conservative, Thorne had a touch of exuberance that made him a bit more appealing.

Much like the three best, the three worst at play-by-play in New York Mets history are tough to put in any order, but what the heck:

3) Steve Albert did radio AND TV for the 1979-1981 seasons, replacing Lindsey Nelson when he departed for San Francisco.

Putting a member of the Albert family on a “worst list” seems a bit odd. After all, Marv, Al, and Steve Albert were New York broadcasting icons. It seemed like a natural fit to have one of them join the Mets when Nelson decided to move west. But it was not a smooth transition. Albert just never seemed to fit in. While Steve and his brothers may have been great at hockey and basketball, baseball was just not a good fit. He never seemed to bond or gel with the older Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner. There was often very awkward banter between them and the play-by-play itself was just as awkward. The Mets cut Albert after three season.