This Week in SNY: Opening weekend

The Mets’ season is officially underway, and that means it’s time for the return of TWISNY—This Week in SNY, for the uninitiated. This series dates back several years at this point, with Amazin’ Avenue alum James Kannengieser having created and run the series for a long time and Steve Schreiber rebooting it on a semi-regular basis over the past couple of seasons.

For now, I’ll be doing my best to bring you what TWISNY has always sought to be: the best and funniest moments from the Mets’ broadcasting crew: Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, and Steve Gelbs. As Mets fans, we don’t necessarily get the best of everything at all times, but we’re pretty fortunate to have the broadcasters that we do, in both the television and radio booths.

March 29

The season got started with the usual festivities, and things went about as you’d expect from the open through the first few innings of the game. But we got one of the first classic GKR moments of the game in the top of the fifth.

The trio is in the midst of a discussion about starting pitchers going through the opposing batting order a third time. Ron says, “the Cardinals have just taken some really good at-bats.” And then:

Ron: Ohhh, no.

Keith: Oh, boy.

Gary: [extremely dry] Call to the post. Never ceases.

Shortly after that, in the bottom of the fifth, the booth brings up Marcell Ozuna’s neon sleeve, which looks much like Yoenis Cespedes’s sleeve.

Keith: It’s a uniform you’re wearing out there. I’m sorry, wear your team’s colors.

[SNY cuts to shot of a yellow parakeet]

Keith: See, it’s canary yellow! I was always right.

And shortly after that, Gary asks Keith when his book comes out. The answer: May 15. Ronnie gets a good chuckle out of it all. Keith’s book tour comes up, and Ron asks about the signature he’ll be giving.

Keith: I can do it with one hand tied behind my back and blindfolded.

[Gary cackles]

Keith: And give an A autograph. [to Ron] You’ve got a good autograph!

Gary: With the ‘MVP’ piece in there?

Keith: Well, that may cost you an extra seven-fifty.

Have we mentioned that Keith is on Twitter?

In the bottom of the sixth, SNY spent a good amount of time showing a big thumbs up sign during a Todd Frazier at-bat, held up by what appears to be the thumbs down guy from last year and another dude. And Keith had some thoughts on the emoji.

Keith: I don’t do those thumbs up anymore on those websites, whatever you want to call ‘em. On those apps. Too many trackers going out there. Don’t want them to know anything about me. Very covert.

Ron: You’re covert? You better get a little more covert. I know who your barber is already.

Things weren’t quite done for that half-inning, either.

After showing some fancy Verizon promo seats at Citi Field, Keith says he’s been a longtime customer and starts praising the company’s cell network. Gary interjects with “lots of bars?” and Keith is completely thrown off.

Keith: Bars? Ohhh, geez...Yes, Gare. Lots of bars!

March 31

The second broadcast of the season opens. Before throwing it to the second commercial break before first pitch, Keith happily hums along to “Meet the Mets.”

Gary: I just can’t get around Keith’s humming. He’s so inspired! I hope this lasts all year, Keith. I hope you’re just this inspired in the middle of August. It’s still March!

April 1

Keeping with that theme, Gary points out in the first inning that Keith was the first to report to the ballpark—and made sure to notify everyone of that fact by text.

In the second inning of this one, Gary brings up the incoming snow and advises fans to dress warm for the game.

Keith: Yes, I am bringing my Ben Franklin coat.

Ron: Ben...Franklin? What does that even mean?!?

Keith: Well, it’s got the fur on the collar. Also, Thomas Jefferson on the two-dollar bill.

And shortly after that, we gout our 2018 debut of Fashion Tips with Keith, presented here with some choice quotes.

Gary: That looks like the raccoon coat.

Keith: My head! I look like I’ve got a big fat head.

Ron: We could do a little bit bettter with the Photoshopping.

Gary: You skin that leopard yourself?

Keith: No. I’m not a hunter.

Keith: Look at my jewels.

Ron: What?!?!?

With that, we move on to the final segment of this edition of TWISNY: a new segment on SNY called #AskGelbs.

It’s an ambitious project in which Gelbs will answer a question per day from the hashtag submissions and report the best one of each week on the Sunday broadcast.

The first edition of the segment was based on a question about Ruben Amaro Jr., who traded Travis d’Arnaud away as GM of the Phillies, talking to d’Arnaud about that trade. A neat anecdote, but here’s hoping things end up a little more on the avant-garde side as the season goes on.