Q&A: SNY broadcaster Gary Cohen, the Mets’ learned voice

Photo credit: Game Face

Gary Cohen in the SNY booth at Citi Field on a rainy evening before a recent Mets game. (Rj Mickelson/amNY)

By Max J. Dickstein

Here’s a secret: It is possible to stump Gary Cohen, the comprehensively knowledgeable Mets broadcaster.

“Heresy” though it may be, the Queens native and Columbia alum has gaps in his Mets knowledge from the mid-1980s golden age, when the Mets won their second World Series title. From 1982-88, Cohen was an itinerant, small-town radio man working his way back to New York and following the Mets from afar.

Since 2006, the 51-year-old has led a sharp SNY TV broadcast booth with — oddly enough — two 1980s Mets greats, Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez. Cohen spoke with amNewYork recently.

As a lifelong Mets fan, do you favor one era?

Believe it or not, [it’s] one of the worst eras in Mets history — the late ’70s — only because I probably went to more games as a fan during that time than during any other period. It’s when I was in college, mostly, and I would be at the ballpark 50, 60 times a year.

What is special about how a Mets fan thinks as opposed to other fans?

I think there’s a certain fatalistic view that the Met fan takes, but also one of great expectation. Because let’s face it: The Mets franchise, over 48 years, is a history of a lot of failure punctuated by spectacular success. Their first seven years, they finished ninth or 10th every season. And then, when they won, they not only won, they won everything, and they did it in, quote-unquote, miraculous fashion.How important is impartiality in your broadcast — or at least a firm appreciation of the other team?

Well I think ultimately you have to be honest. That’s the way I’ve approached this since the day I arrived in radio in 1989. In other cities it’s probably different, but in New York, there is an expectation on the part of the people listening and a watching, and a sophistication, that requires you not to lie to people. As long as you’re telling the truth, I think that you’re doing your job. And I think that all of us feel that way. If a player for the opposition does something that would elicit a certain response if a Met did it — if we didn't respond the same way, then it would be being dishonest with the audience. So I think that all of us understand that when the Mets play better it makes our job easier, but at the same time, all you can deal with is the reality of what’s happening in front of you. People can see. People are not stupid. There’s no reason to say something that isn't true. And none of us ever intends to do that.

How do you think you differ from the other lead announcer in town, the Yankees’ Michael Kay?

Everybody has their own style. I have great respect for everybody who does this job at the major league level. And every announcer has his own assets and his own liabilities. And I have tremendous respect for Michael.

If you could guest-announce for any team for a year, which would it be?

The Jets. I’ve been an enormous Jet fan since I was a little kid, been a season-ticket holder for over 30 years. That would probably be a cool thing to do.

How did Columbia WKCR shape your New York sports outlook?

It got me started. My first play-by-play experience on the radio was doing Columbia sports, WKCR. Soccer, football, baseball, basketball. I spent many a 35-degree, rainy day at Andy Coakley Field ... At that point, I was playing and having a good time, never knowing that I would up doing this for a living for as long as I have. Those were fun times and helped point me in this direction.

Columbia isn't exactly a “rah-rah” school. How did that help you or hinder you in your early experiences as a sports broadcaster?

I don't think it really had an impact one way or another. I mean, I broadcast a lot of really, really bad football games. I think that prepares you for real life probably better than doing games at Florida or Ohio State. But more so, it’s growing up in New York and listening to people like Marv Albert, and knowing that there’s a right way to do a game. Being honest, having a sense of humor and telling it straight to your audience is the best way to go. If I remember correctly, virtually all the people at WKCR I worked with had the same approach to things. There’s reason to sugarcoat the fact that the Lions lost to Rutgers 69-to-nothing. [Laughs.] That was reality; I did witness that happen. It is what it is, and I think that ultimately it prepares you to deal with whatever comes your way in the real world. That victory and defeat are things that you should describe in their own fashion.

Do you feel like you’re fully adjusted from radio to TV at this point?

I still think in radio, and I have to avoid overtalking on television because I spent 30 years on the radio. It’s my fourth year doing television. I think I’ve learned a lot in four years about how to adjust what I do to best suit the medium. But there’s no question that it’s still a second language to me and I’m constantly learning.

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