Leiter kowtows to Kay too much for a man who’s accomplished as much on the field as he did.
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Maybe, but Leiter’s in Kay’s domain now. Perhaps he’ll become assertive once he gets more time behind the mic?

I agree he brings insight but it’s always of the “what he’s doing right” type. I don’t remember a “what he’s doing wrong” type. I prefer both sides presented.

And I totally disagree about Leiter kowtowing to Kay – I find it the totally opposite, it’s as if kay idolizes Leiter. There’s plenty of room for improvement.

Last year’s game that Singleton did solo was so nice. Last night I was trying to figure out if you could mute one voice and not the other. I ended up turning off the sound (as I often do)for lots of the game.

I don’t agree at all, RICH. I think Flaherty does a great job. He was a catcher, a starter and then a role player, which puts him in a good position to have insight into just about everyone on the field. Even more the Leiter, he brings good info about pitching and, more importantly, pitch selection and how a pitcher thinks on the mound.

I’m trying to remember a situation where I felt like Flaherty was being a homer, but I really can’t. Flaherty was actually the only guy in the booth who wouldn’t call the team a playoff contender until they got to .500. He gets on the pitchers all the time when they aren’t pitching well. And, being a recently retired player, I think Flaherty is someone who talks positively about all players. If anything, the one thing that annoys me about Flaherty is that he overhypes other teams.

I like Kenny, and I think he should take over for Kay as the main guy in the booth, but I enjoy listening to Flaherty’s insights on the pitchers. Leiter needs to polish his broadcasting skills — half the time he talks so low and mumbled I can’t hear what he’s saying. He also takes too much shit from Kay, which drives me nuts.

My favorite exchange between Leiter and Kay:

Kay (who never knows one pitch from another): Looks like a high splitter there.
Leiter: I think it was a slider, Michael.
Kay (incredulous): You think so?!

At which point Leiter should have said: I pitched for over a decade, I pitched a perfect game, I won a World Series, I was the ace of the Mets and brought THEM to the World Series in 2000, and you wouldn’t be able to identify a pitch if it was about to hit you in your big, fat, ugly nose.

But he said nothing. Because Leiter never does. And that sort of ruins their relationship in that booth — Leiter kowtows to Kay too much for a man who’s accomplished as much on the field as he did.

Flaherty is becoming the best booth guy? I know it’s not tough to be the best booth guy but in my opinion he’s the worst analyst of them all.

He might make some valid analysis but he’s a cheerleader. He’s yet to be critical on any play I remember this season. Last night he was gushing how intentionally walking Arod was going to be good for Matsui and when Matsui took a pitch during the at bat it showed how (paraphrasing) he’s working his way back. After he couldn’t move the guys on base he didn’t mention it.

I enjoyed not having Kay on the air but I don’t think Flaherty added much, to me he also took away from the production.

I guess I still miss Kaat. Of the present analysts I probably like Leiter the most but the trouble with him is he comes with Kay attached to his hip.

I don’t know about muttering to himself, but whenever Kennedy gave up a big hit, the camera would focus in on him and he would scream “FUCK!” That certainly warmed my heart.

I think Kennedy is basically exactly the guy he was advertised to be: doesn’t have overpowering or GREAT stuff, but he has good control and a nice arsenal of pitches. John Flaherty, who is quickly becoming the best YES booth guy, made some interesting points early on about what Posada was calling for. Clearly Kennedy’s change is better than his curve, but it looked like they were going with nothing but fastballs and curveballs — as if Posada thought he was catching Hughes.

The Harlan Chamberlain thing… Yeah, it’s an overcooked story, but, as Raf pointed out, EVERY story gets beaten to death by the press. I get so sick and tired of hearing the same damn stories about the players. Kay is the king of repetition. Though I have to say last night it was pretty moving to see his father weeping at the sight of his son playing in the big leagues, and his reaction to that long fly ball was priceless.

I didn’t think we were STILL hearing from Harlan Chamberlain so much as we are hearing from him again. we heard the Joba story when he was first called up, and now this is the first game his family could come to, so we heard from them all again. Every time Jeter’s parents are in the Stadium, the camera pans to them. When A-Rod’s brother is around, and when they first reconciled, we got that story on the pregame.

i agree, it is sensationalized, but I think give it a bit of time before you declare it overdone. Well, any MORE overdone than anyone else’s story. They very well could not shut up about it. I’m sure they’ll do it again when he comes to the Bronx for the first time.

He’s also very personable–very willing to talk to the medial. Maybe the families of the rest of the players aren’t so willing.

Glad to see Mo back, I’ll say that

Yeah, I was away for a bit, and when I checked in around 11:30, I was surprised to hear the game still going on; especially given the score.

As for Papa Chamberlain, the only reason you hear so much of him is because of the unique angle of the story. And because Joba’s doing so well. Yes it probably borders on sensationalism, but that’s the way the media works; take something, then proceed to beat it into the ground… Michael Kay has a habit of doing that as well.