BARBECUE PLAY-BY-PLAY
It’s a tale of one city and two baseball teams and their radio broadcasts.
The New York Mets are in St. Louis. The New York Yankees are in Seattle. On Monday, the Yankees lost and the Mets won. Tuesday it was the other way around.
On the road the Yankees have a broadcast team whose experience is exceeded only by their charisma and cred. Suzyn Walman has been doing color on Yankees radio broadcasts for 21 seasons. She covered the team for even longer. David Sims is in his second season doing play-by-play for the Bronx Bombers, but he spent 18 years as the Mariners play-by-play announcer on television. His roots are in New York as a sportswriter for the Daily News starting in 1975 and weekend sports anchor at WCBS from 1995-98 before heading to Seattle.
They are a winning team who do more than fulfill their audience’s expectations – they represent Yankees fans, they are the voice and the heart of New Yorkers in midnight and white gear.
On Monday, the Yankees and Mariners were knotted up at 1. Leo Rivas singled.
“The bunt is in order,” Sims said as the next batter swung away and flied out.
Brandon Donovan singled and Rivas went to third.
Up came struggling Cal Raleigh.
“Gotta believe they’re going to walk him,” Sims said as Paul Blackburn delivered his first of four pitches before Raleigh connected.
“The Mariners walk it off,” Sims said. “Cal Raleigh is the hero off the bench and that’s just his third hit of the season.”
Earlier in St. Louis, Howie Rose is the adult in the booth for the Mets, but he is not traveling. The Mets broadcast team in St. Louis Monday evening was Keith Raad and Pat McCarthy, both in their inaugural year behind the mic for New York’s National League team.
The two rooks took a field trip in St. Louis for lunch. There, stereotypically, they met friendly Midwesterners.
“You know what else moved nicely today, that line at Pappy’s Barbecue here in St. Louis. The three of us walked in and there were about 17 people on line ,” Raad said.
"Walked in and there were about 17 people on line. It smelled so good.
“It was really good. It wasn’t knock-your-socks-off good.
“Burleson cuts and misses. That chewed him up majorly. On a pitch from Holmes.
“I was all geeked up to get the burnt ends because burnt ends are so good. I think they’re such a delicacy and they usualy run out of burnt ends before they run out of anything else. And I forgot to order them.
“The pitch to Masyn Winn is in for a strike, nothing and one.
Mets broadcast booth approved
Photo from Pappy’s Smokehouse Facebook feed.
“They come out, the lady with the tray, ‘OK Keith, the brisket. And I go, no, I got the burnt ends and Pat goes, ‘Yeah, you didn’t get the burnt ends you ordered the brisket.’
“O-1. Winn slams this ball to centerfield. Benge going back, slows to a jog and makes the catch.
“I know you enjoyed your lunch, Pat, and Maj actually took a picture. When celebrities go to Pappy’s they will sign a big menu, this big, long, tall menu and Pete Alonso was actually in there, had to be, what, two years ago?
“Pitch to Nolan Gorman, a little high, one ball no strikes.
“But Pete, big Sharpie, he’s up on the wall. David Freese is there. David Ortiz is there. Adam Wainwright, you know some local baseballers.
“Holmes is ready with the 1-0. Swing and a miss. Good off speed, 1 ball 1 strike.
“If you were to go back would you do anything differently?”
“I had the chicken and the brisket,” McCarthy said.
“The 1-1 coming,” Raad said. “Gorman hits a high, high, deep drive out to right field. Baty back at the track, at the wall, it’s gone. A majestic, arch-like home run here in St. Louis for Norman Gorman into the St. Louis bullpen in right. The Mets lead cut now to 4-2. That was a no-doubter off the bat for his second homer of the year and it will end up being the last pitch Holmes throws.”
And the last we’d hear about barbecue in St. Louis. Raad, by the by, is 100 percent correct in his judgment of the merits of overhyped dry-rub, Memphis-style barbecue.
It’s about more than baseball.
The Mets won 4-2.