SportsNet New York (SNY) is the flagship television station of the Mets and has some non-terrible Mets-related programming. Mets Yearbook and Mets Classics are included in that category. Mets Hot Stove is sometimes useful. Despite this, it's safe to say that there's room for improvement. The "who can scream dumb things louder?" shows should disappear. Keeping in mind that SNY covers all sports in New York, and isn't as team-specific as the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (YES), here are some legitimate suggestions for Mets-related programs. And thank you to crazyremy for the inspiration.
Fireside Chat With R.A. Dickey
The name of the show might change but for now I'll go with mistermet's suggestion. Dickey has proven himself quietly charismatic, possessing a soothing voice and distinctive look. This is a weekly half hour talk show, with 10 minutes devoted to a Dickey monologue and 20 minutes with a guest. It's similar to The Daily Show, but with less comedy and more knuckleballer philosophy. It's more suited for the offseason.
Get After Gary Cohen
I love game shows, especially those involving trivia. SNY's current trivia show Beer Money has run its course. It was intriguing at the outset -- a New York sports trivia show featuring the man/woman-on-the-street as contestant. But each contestant can only answer a maximum of three questions and there is no finale, like Jeopardy!'s Final Jeopardy and the eventual Tournament of Champions. Plus there is no vetting process for the contestants. It's frustrating to watch Big Johnny from Bayside, the self-proclaimed die hard Mets fan, fail to answer correctly something like "Who hit the groundball that went through Bill Buckner's legs?"
Enter the Stump The Schwab-inspired Get After Gary Cohen. Gary seems to have a Rain Man-esque memory of Mets history. Put him up against three contestants in a Mets trivia show, with an eventual championship between Gary and the best players from the multiple episode series. The exact format can be finalized at a later date. An initial entry test and personality screening take place before a contestant is put on-air. Big Johnny wouldn't make the cut.
[untitled Mets superhero cartoon] - WatchMets, perhaps?
Picture a group of Mets as a superhero team. The villains are past Met nemeses -- think Roger Clemens, Chipper Jones, Mike Scott, etc. I'm not yet sure if the series should be geared towards a more mature demographic, or designed for the Saturday morning cartoon viewer (Saturday Morning WatchMets?).
DocuMetaries
ESPN's 30 for 30 series has produced some terrific documentaries. My favorites are Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks, The Two Escobars, and Once Brothers. The SNY version focuses on compelling and specific Mets stories. Instead of broad recaps like the Mets Yearbook series produces, topics for DocuMetaries might include the 1986 Mets Houston bar incident, the Tom Seaver trade, or the John Rocker/Mets saga. They need not be feature length either -- one hour might suffice. Commission some filmmakers for the project. This could work across all New York sports as well.
A Life In The Day
When discussing others' jobs, I often ask them to recap an average day at work. It's a great way to get to know someone. Especially for those with cryptic job titles like "internal auditor" or "systems analyst". The job description of a baseball player is more obvious than these examples but I would nonetheless love to watch a half hour show following a player during his daily grind. What is his workout schedule like? How about nutrition? How much sleep does the player get? One series would cover the season and another would cover the offseason. Mets front office members, television/radio employees, and Citi Field workers could also be featured.
Please share any other ideas.