THE A TEAM
If YES can find a way, maybe it can hire Cone & O’Neill full-time
Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network suits rotate six different analysts in their Bombers booth. If they put a premium on chemistry and overall performance they would use only two —
Paul O’Neill and David Cone. Their work together during the recent Texas-Yankees series again showed their ability to make each other better. They make it hard to bail — even during a Yankees blowout. This kind of chemical balance can’t be taught. It doesn’t come from a micromanaging producer. And it isn’t the result of being led around by a play-by-play voice.
This all comes naturally for O’Neill and Cone. For example, O’Neill often plays the fool when he goes solo with Michael
Kay. O’Neill’s forced persona, a shticky substance, takes precedence over his edge as an analyst. When teamed with Cone, O’Neill’s sense of humor flows naturally and doesn’t dominate.
The two analysts make Kay better, too. He sticks to his role as third wheel giving his partners room to maneuver.
Cone is most effective playing off O’Neill, counter analyzing. They don’t often debate, but see the game from two different perspectives. Cone, who also talks about the business of baseball, is a smart guy (at least when it comes to baseball), but he never talks down to viewers. He’s got plenty of wise guy in him. When it collides with O’Neill’s bumpkinish approach it produces a very unique insight into the game.
They can be very subtle. It’s an outstanding quality. O’Neill and Cone leave plenty of space for viewers to read between the lines. Like Tuesday night when they were paying tribute to their former colleague Jim Kaat, who was working the game for MLB Network.
They went to great lengths to describe Kaat’s broadcasting genius. It got to the point where their implication was clear: If Kaat is so good why isn’t he still with YES?
Then again, that would add another analyst to the cast of voices. Seriously though, we wonder how good Cone and O’Neill would become if they worked a Big Boys schedule (like Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling on SNY) where they did 80 or more games?
The results could be sensational. Yet the reality is O’Neill likely wouldn’t want to work that many games and, for whatever reason, the brainiacs running YES are allergic to continuity.
And overjoyed because there’s no luxury tax on announcers.
NFL GANGS UP LATE
Never underestimate the motives of the NFL’s schedule Gnomes.
The Jets play four games i n prime time this season, three of them come after Week 11 (one in late November, two in December).
There are two reasons why the schedule makers backloaded Gang Green’s prime time appearances. 1) If the Jets are having a winning season they will be a prime time attraction. 2) By that time, if the they are having a losing season,
Tim Tebow will be quarterbacking the club and the Jets will still be a prime time attraction.
PEREIRA FLIP-FLOPS
Fox’s “Rules Analyst” Mike
Pereira has been outspoken supporting the NFL’s locked out officials. Or so we thought.
The former vice president of officiating was all over the radio (and in newspapers too) the past couple of weeks warning that replacement officials will compromise the integrity of the game. Using them during the regular season, he said, will be nothing short of a disaster. Yet when Pereira joined Ken
ny Albert and Daryl Johnston on national television, in Fox’s preseason (Bengals-Falcons) booth Thursday night, his approach was softer. He seemed to be hedging, saying he felt “sorry” for the replacements.
Wonder if someone got to Pereira and told him to dial it down?
KNOCKED OUT
Poor Chad Johnson. There was plenty of anger directed at HBO/NFL Films for daring to show Joe Philbin cutting Johnson on “Hard Knocks.” Yet anyone familiar with the series knows video of players getting cut has always been part of the show. It isn’t ever a pleasant scene.
Heck, in the first episode of the Dolphins “Hard Knocks,” viewers saw Miami GM Jeff Ireland cutting undrafted rookie Derek Den
nis before he even had a chance to put his shoulder pads on and go to his first practice. In episode two, SI writer Peter
King was seen slumped in a chair in Ireland’s office. We were anxiously waiting to see if Ireland was going to cut him too.
ON YOUR FM DIAL
If Yankees brass want to hear what a Bombers game sounds like on FM radio they should tune in ESPN-98.7 Sunday night. The station is carrying Red Sox tilt minus
Ma Waldman and Pa Sterling. ... 98.7’s Jared Max should get a tape of his Friday show and hear what a dope he sounded like when he urged listeners to: “Just listen to the tone of Mark Sanchez’s voice here.” Now we’re into voice analysis? Unless Sanchez’s arm is connected to his throat his “tone” ain’t going to help him throw the football. ... Evan Roberts (working with Joe Benigno) assumed the role of Mini Pope filling in for
Mike (Sports Pope) Francesa last week on FAN. Roberts tried shouting down a caller who dared say
Cal Ripken Jr. was better than Derek Jeter. Roberts was successful. And like the pontiff he came off as an arrogant Gasbag. ... Peyton
Manning looked like his skin was crawling during an interview with
Erik Kuselias on NBC Sports Net. Don’t know if it was the length of the spot, or questions like: “If not yours, what player’s jerseys would you want your kids to wear?” Manning shot a killing glance when Kuselias asked: “Does Eli razz you with his two Super Bowl rings?” Manning: “No, he doesn’t.” And no, we don’t see Manning having a return engagement with Kuselias. ... SNY’s Mets crew presented an unusual document Thursday night in Cincy — the contract Ralph Kiner signed with a bat company during his playing days. Nice work. Couldn’t quite see what Ralphie was being paid for the endorsement. Maybe he will enlighten us during his next booth appearance.