Mets Analyst Takes A Different Approach To Playoff Broadcasts

When it comes to local announcers, Ron Darling is as good as it gets. The New York Mets analyst features sharp insights backed by plenty of homework, and he’s part of one of the best broadcast teams in baseball, as the combination of Darling, play-by-play man Gary Cohen and fellow analyst Keith Hernandez are an entertaining watch in their own right. 

So how does Darling address the issue of moving up to the national stage for postseason games? Tim Britton of The Athletic took a dive into this with Darling, and he learned some interesting things that are well worth passing along. 

Start with the preparation. It starts well before the season ends, and Darling had an edge in that department this year because the Mets were so bad he could have gotten a jump on this back in June. It starts with talking to other broadcast teams, and Darling says he focuses on trying to find out about “those special moments that I certainly could not know.”  

But he often does know about them. Darling sees every team in the league, and he’s been observing them for years. He’s also thorough in doing his homework, as he talks to managers, scouts and players throughout the season. 

Darling also focuses on different kinds of storylines. When he’s broadcasting a Mets game, he says he’s “writing a tome,” but when he goes national he’ll focus on a specific story for one of the two teams/franchises. It might be a comeback, a failure or a legendary player, but Darling also knows about that bench guy who’s a beloved figure for a specific franchise. 

One big adjustment Darling has to make is about the chemistry in the booth. Mets broadcasts often turn into trips down memory lane, complete with analysis, details and history, but playoff broadcasts are usually the opposite of that. 

So is the dynamic between announcers. Prime time broadcasts often feature bro ex-players who often take a frat-boy approach, yucking it up about velocity, home-run distance and other things that are a secondary aspect of Darling’s normal approach. 

He handles it with aplomb, however. Darling knows it’s best to fade into the background a little when this starts to happen, and it occurs frequently. He also knows his audience is waiting for that big insight that only he can deliver because of his knowledge, approach and pitching career, and he’s a huge asset on these national broadcasts.