Mets Announcer Tournament Elite 8: Lindsey Nelson vs. Ron Darling

by James Kannengieser on Mar 24, 2009 1:30 PM EDT Comment 30 comments

Yesterday's results: Gary Cohen (83%) def. Tim McCarver (17%). No surprise here, but McCarver deserves praise for his time as Mets announcer. The same can't be said of his FOX broadcasting career. You can view the updated bracket here. Today's matchup:

Lindsey Nelson VS. Ron Darling

TV Tenure (1962-1978) TV Tenure (2006-Present)

Poll

Amazin' Avenue Mets Announcer Tournament Elite 8

Lindsey Nelson

183 votes

Ron Darling

178 votes

361 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Murph vs. Kiner should be interesting. I think Cohen steamrolls his way to the finals

The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.

by sireric on Mar 24, 2009 1:36 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I voted Lindsey

I like Darling too, but I had to go with the first guy I ever heard call a Met game

Giants and Rangers fan from the womb to the tomb
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by Jim Schmiedeberg on Mar 24, 2009 2:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

this is sheer presentism, people

Lindsey Nelson spent SEVENTEEN YEARS with the Mets. He called ‘69, he called ’73, and (according to Wikipedia) the motherfucking YANKEES broadcasters put him on the air so he could get the call for Seaver’s 300th win in ’85. Come on, have a little perspective. Ronnie is a nice guy and all, but I bet Nelson had a perfect SAT score too.

by anonymous on Mar 24, 2009 2:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yeah, let's get Nelson some more votes here

There’s no way Ronnie should win this one.

We've got ourselves a ball club, the Mets of New York town!

by kingcritical on Mar 24, 2009 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I voted for Nelson

Ron just does not have the years in yet. And besides, he is the third best guy in the booth. Gary is smart and loves the game, Keith complains and – if it is a blowout – will tell you about his plans to eat steak. Ron is the retired pitcher. I would not miss him if he was exchanged for someone else.

"The people of Houston are spending money like oil's selling at $40 a barrel."

by IanB in MD on Mar 24, 2009 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Disagree

Ed Kranepool spent SEVENTEEN YEARS with the Mets. He played in ’69, he played in ’73, and (according to Wikipedia) the motherfucking GILLETTE marketers put him in a national ad campaign in ’78.

Does any of that make Kranepool’s 17 years with the Mets better than Olerud’s 3? I think not.

To say Nelson deserves it because he called the Mets for a long time is, IMO, not a very good reason. McCarver and Fran Healy called the Mets for 15 and 19 years, respectively. McCarver called ’86, Healy called ’99 and ’00.

Now, I really never heard Nelson, but I’m sure he was a very good announcer, and if you think he was a better announcer than Darling, that’s a good reason to vote for him. But don’t give me some “he did it longer” reasoning, and imply that the only reason a person could possibly vote for Darling is b/c he’s more recent. I happen to think Darling is a fantastic broadcaster, and fits in perfectly with Cohen and Keith. I also think he does a very good job when he calls TBS games w/o Cohen and Keith. I almost voted for Nelson b/c of his reputation, but I decided it wouldn’t be fair to Darling to vote for someone based on the opinions of others.

by cjmulrain on Mar 24, 2009 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I get your point, but Nelson was also a damn fine announcer.

That wasn’t supposed to be an exhaustive list of reasons to vote for Nelson — and in fact I do strongly believe, from what I’ve seen of him (most of which is lost in the mists of childhood), that he was a better announcer than Darling (who is really not anything special). But I also think the sheer number of years should certainly be a factor — just like it is in the list of best Mets players that Eric’s putting together, where Kranepool had damn well better be high on the list just by virtue of being good-ish for a long time for the team. Lindsey Nelson devoted most of an entire (good) career to the Mets. That has to count.

by anonymous on Mar 24, 2009 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The problem with these cross-generational tournaments

I have to abstain from voting in rounds like this one, because I never heard Lindsey Nelson.

by djbutler73 on Mar 24, 2009 2:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Nelson

I know James posted it in some Applesauce last week, but for anyone interested in finding out a bit more about Nelson, I wrote a profile on him at MetsGeek on Friday.

by Alex Nelson on Mar 24, 2009 2:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Also, for anyone interested

Alex’s profile is awesome.

by Eric Simon on Mar 24, 2009 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I voted Nelson

I’m too young to have ever heard him, but it was a protest vote against Ron Darling, who seems like a nice enough guy but is tremendously overrated. I just think he’s bland and to the extent he brings technical, former player-type insight it never strikes me as especially interesting. He’s just there.

by Straight Flushing on Mar 24, 2009 3:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I completely agree

Cohen is just an all-around good announcer, Hernandez is hilarious, and Darling kind of goes along for the ride. He does a real good job being the #3 guy in the booth, and plays his role very well, but I can’t vote him over Nelson, given the good things I’ve heard about him (Nelson, that is), as well as the 17 year tenure.

by yellomellojello on Mar 24, 2009 10:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

1982 Opening Day

I’ve never heard Lindsey Graham’s voice, so I went to YouTube. Though he’s not in it, I found this footabge from Opening Day 1982. Crazy to see. It’s awesome though!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhLekUOdarU

The 2009 NY Mets: WE GOT K-ROD! OMG, Putz, too! Sign Lowe! Lowe's a Brave. Sign Manny! Tim Redding, WTF? Sign Manny! Sheets or Perez? SHEETS! Perez?? Oh, Sheets is hurt -- good job, Minaya! WTF?! SIGN MANNY!

by ZaBlanc on Mar 24, 2009 3:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Best part of that video

Was the blooper video on diamond vision. I was half expecting to see a player get mauled by a Bengal Tiger.

by Reg Dunlop on Mar 24, 2009 5:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

How about the fact that that clip was taken in 1982!. The guy who took that footage wasn’t using his phone or a tiny camera that would fit into his pocket. He had to be using some kind of giant camera that made people this he was making a motion picture or something.

The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot is me.

by sireric on Mar 24, 2009 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Or a dude's head getting lopped off at the fence?

'Oh yes, I know all about that duty-of-a-citizen stuff. It doesn't go. There are exceptions to every rule, and this was one of them. When a man risks his liberty to come and root at a ball-game, you've got to hand it to him. He isn't a crook. He's a fan.'

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Mar 24, 2009 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

HAHA

I had the same thought! Ah, Naked Gun. I liked how everyone was wearing Islander apparel. That was obviously during a different time. :-)

by ZaBlanc on Mar 24, 2009 9:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ron beat Lindsey ?. No Way

Linsdey was one of the best… and he wore those ‘way too colorful’ sports jackets too. Even the jackets were better announcers than Ron D.

by Jim Agneta on Mar 24, 2009 4:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Polls are open until 12:00 Eastern Time

by James Kannengieser on Mar 24, 2009 5:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Unless you live in Minnesota...

by ZaBlanc on Mar 24, 2009 9:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Incorrect

12:00 Eastern Time = 11:00 Central Time

Minnesota is on Central Time. My statement may as well say “Polls are open until 11:00 Central Time”.

Oh, and wow, Nelson in a photo finish.

by James Kannengieser on Mar 25, 2009 12:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

"All Star, Gold glove and a championship ring, you might say I'm the complete package."

I still voted for Nelson

by Sokojoe on Mar 24, 2009 4:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

looks like we've got a close one going

Ron up by six votes as I’m typing this

by JoshNY on Mar 24, 2009 5:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm voting for

by HotChipWillBreakYourLegs on Mar 24, 2009 5:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I guess I’m keeping it a secret.

by HotChipWillBreakYourLegs on Mar 24, 2009 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow, this one is close!

I can’t vote for Lindsey simply because he was gone before I was born. I heard he was pretty cool, but I just don’t know it for myself.

Plus, Ronnie does a fine job. He ain’t Michael Kay.

2009 Mets: maybe its the Phillies turn to have a terrible bullpen?

by Greenpoint Ian on Mar 24, 2009 6:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I fear that people have been guilted into voting for Lindsey

I don’t mind if this contest reflects the generational prejudices of this site’s readers. I think its results reveal more about the people who read this board than it does about who is objectively the best broadcaster in Met history.

Nevertheless, I voted for Lindsey even though I don’t even know what his voice sounded like; I have no backbone.

"Since we became accelerated readers, we never leave the house." - Los Campesinos

by Shomov on Mar 24, 2009 7:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I Knew This One Would Be Close

Ron Darling has been real good but Lindsey is Classic. I think Murph will win it all. He used to do an entire Radio broadcast alone.

by mysterylizard on Mar 24, 2009 7:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

LN

Being 39, Lindsey was a big part of my Met childhood. He, Murph and Ralph were classic. Homers, but fair in most ways unlike so many announcers (Skip Caray I’m looking at you). Linsey wasn’t honored by baseball with the Ford Frick b/c he was pretty good. It was b/c he was superb. I throughly enjoy RD today, and in fact he performs such a different role than Nelson did that really it’s a hard comparable. But this was an easy vote for me.

Though it seems a long shot, I hope Ralph earns him some Ford Frick love along with Murph and Lindsey one day. As it is, the Mets have more announcers in the HOF than they do players.

by whynot on Mar 24, 2009 8:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs