Getty Images/YES Network
New York Yankees broadcast Michael Kay has taken issue with SNY, the network that broadcasts New York Mets games, airing an ad that says their booth of Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling is the best in Major League Baseball.
Speaking to co-hosts Don La Greca and Peter Rosenberg on The Michael Kay Show the following day, Kay threw a bit of a fit over SNY’s ad, particularly over the fact that it ran on YES Network airwaves, the home of the Yankees.
“Their ad, which ran during the last break, ‘Enjoy the Subway Series with the best booth in baseball.’ I mean, do you expect me to just take that lying down?” Kay defiantly said.
“I think our booth is the best booth in baseball. You know who the host of the show is…I’ll take O’Neill, Cone and me over Gar, Ron and Keith. I would. I mean, they’re great, but so is our booth. The way you want people to watch is to say, ‘Join the best booth in baseball?’ I’m sorry, I think we’re the best booth in baseball.”
SNY’s claim isn’t arbitrary nor fabricated: outlets such as The Athletic and GQ have named the Mets’ trio of “Gary, Keith, and Ron” as the best booth in MLB in recent years.
The Mets also have the power of the eye test (in this case, ear test) on their side: you take a listen to Michael Kay’s signature home run call of “See ya!” versus Gary Cohen’s famed “It’s outta here!” and tell me which you enjoy more.
Need a bigger moment to make up your mind? No problem — here’s Kay calling Aaron Judge’s record-setting 62nd home run and Cohen’s call of Bartolo Colon’s infamous homer.
Kay’s logic, on the other hand, lacks any real sense, as the ire he’s directed at SNY should be pointed at his own network for selling ad time to a competitor.
“I think they should feel that way. And I feel that way [about the Yankees booth]. But you also have to be somewhat out of a mindset of being completely clueless to run that on The Michael Kay Show… I’m a big fan of Gary, Ron and Keith. I think they do a great job. But to say, ‘Best booth in baseball’ when one of the hosts of the show that you’re running it on is in the other booth.”
SNY’s reasoning for putting ads on YES Network makes complete sense: they know baseball fans in their market are going to be tuning into a game they’re broadcasting and are trying to entice them over with the offer of a superior product. Seems pretty reasonable to me.
YES Network, on the other hand, not only sold SNY ad time but had the ad run DURING Kay’s show. Why? For money. So not only is YES’s booth inferior to SNY’s, but their wallets may be, too.