In honor of Kevin-B-Illin from last night’s Willie Randolph press conference…

You Be Illin - Run DMC

Head over to Mets Blog for the full scoop.

This recent stretch of bad road for the Mets has been hard to take. Enduring the losses can really wear on ones patience. Part of being able to cope with all the losing comes with having someone to put it in perspective and also try and add a little levity to the situation, along with keeping it interesting. The SNY booth has done just that, with their solid analysis by Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling and Gary Cohen.

I especially enjoyed Keith moving down to sit directly behind home plate, giving him a unique perspective on the game than the one he usually sees up in the booth. Keith was able to give us a better feel for how each pitcher was throwing, and in his own special way that we have come to know and love.

I also appreciate the fact that SNY is so open to trying new things, such as the calls to the booth, and allowing Gary to fulfill his dream of broadcasting a game from the upper deck behind home plate. Their willingness to do something different makes watching Mets games, whether or not you are a Mets fan, a unique and enjoyable experience.

While the losses mounted, I felt like I had an old friend there in Keith, Gary and Ron to rationalize and endure the losing with. I feel pretty lucky as a fan to have these guys calling the games and lending their entertaining personalities to what has been a rough two weeks.

Keith Hernandez had some critical remarks during today’s Mets broadcast regarding Gary Carter expressing his desire to take over the Mets managerial job from Willie Randolph,

“I have great respect for Gary as a player,” said Hernandez, “He’s a Hall of Famer. When Johnny Bench left the game, he was the premier catcher in the National League.

“But, that being said, and I’ve kept quiet for such a long time, but for the people out there listening, just go in the dictionary and look up ‘unconscious’ and you’ll find a picture of Gary Carter.

“I know that’s strong, but it just happens too many times and it’s just, you’re walking around unconscious.

Before Keith’s comments, Gary Cohen was equally critical of Carter.

“Regardless of what happens, you can’t be any more indelicate or graceless than Gary Carter was in saying the things he said about being available to take over the job. I just cannot believe that Carter said what he said.”

If you read any of the accounts of the famed 1986 Mets, you’ll find that many teammates found Carter to be a bit overbearing, which led to his nickname “Camera Carter” as he often seeked out the press for his own self-flagellation. Keith seems to still bear some of that annoyance of Carter, and wasn’t shying away from expressing it in light of him undermining Willie Randolph.

Be sure to tune into Mets Weekly tomorrow at 12:30pm ET to catch Hot Foot’s Anthony De Rosa talking about Mets cornerstones, David Wright and Jose Reyes.

I’ll be joined by Matthew Cerrone of Mets Blog, Ted Berg of SNY.tv, Coop of My Summer Family, and Joe Janish of Mets Today.

Other topics on this weekend’s episode of Mets Weekly include Pedro’s favorite Shea moment, fans remember Mike Piazza, and the return of the Mets version of Tenacious D : Kuff and the Butthead.

Matthew Cerrone at Mets Blog reports that Harold Reynolds has joined SNY as a baseball analyst during the Mets pre- and post-game show featuring Lee Mazzilli and Matt Yallof.

Reynolds’s first appearance on SNY will be in-studio on Friday, April 25 at 6:30 pm when the Mets face the Braves.

No word on if Harold has been asked to refrain from hugging anyone.

Tune into SNY at 12:30 today to catch Anthony De Rosa of Hot Foot on Mets Weekly, along with Matthew Cerrone of Mets Blog, Ted Berg of SNY.tv, Coop of My Summer Family, and Joe Janish of Mets Today.

This week we will be discussing David Wright and his ascendence into becoming the Mets all time greatest hitter. We will also be talking about Angel Pagan’s hot start and if given the opportunity, could he keep it up.

Look for Anthony De Rosa from Hot Foot on this week’s “Say Goodbye to Shea, Hello to Citifield” segment on Mets Weekly premiering tomorrow, Saturday, April 12th at 12 pm.

Joe Janish from Mets Today, Ted Berg from SNY.tv, Coop from My Summer Family and Matthew Cerrone of Mets Blog will all be part of the blogger’s roundtable on the show and throughout the season.

I will be making appearances throughout the year on various topics.

The theme of the show is the last home opener at Shea where they will look back at memorable openers at Shea. Marlon Anderson and Carlos Beltran will share their favorite moments at Shea. Pedro Feliciano will teach Jocelyn how to Salsa. Fernando Martinez will be profiled in the “On Deck” segment with comments from Matthew Cerrone from Mets Blog.

In addition to being an outfield coach and special ambassador to the Mets, Darryl Strawberry can add SNY contributor to his list of responsibilities.

The Mets have added Strawberry to broadcasts on SNY starting April 28th, Bart Hubbuch reports on his blog for the New York Post.

Strawberry will work primarily with Matt Yallof on SNY’s pre- and post-game shows.

Ted Berg on SNY.tv writes a great column of how he came to forgive Ron Darling for a formative moment in a Mets fan’s life. Darling discusses how even the best teams and players can falter at the most inopportune times, and how for all our endless analysis, “Baseball games and seasons are often decided by good timing or dumb luck”.

Darling not only reminded me that anything can happen in baseball; he demonstrated that baseball is as redeeming as it is damning. That he could move on from his bad start in 1988 and the Mets could move on from their tragic finish in 2007.

The Mets, and Darling, broke my heart too in 1988. It was the first time I felt real, soul-aching pain as a fan of my beloved Mets. It was like the first time a girl broke your heart and you never forget that feeling.

I too have since forgiven the Mets, and Darling, and its what allowed me to get some perspective about last year. Baseball is a funny game, and nothing is promised to you, no matter how perfect things appear to be. 

There are moments of great joy and tremendous pain, but winter ends, spring begins and we start all over again.