Mets announcers forced to call game from different booth as possum ‘makes a home’ at A’s stadium
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - APRIL 23: Cole Irvin #19 of the Oakland Athletics pitches against the Baltimore Orioles in the third inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 23, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, Calif. - The New York Mets' television announcers had a last-minute change to their broadcast in Oakland Saturday.
SNY's Gary Cohen and Ron Darling called the game against the Oakland Athletics from a different booth because a possum "makes a home" in the visitors' broadcast booth.
"So, when we came here last September, we were told the tale of the ‘RingCentral Coliseum Possum,’ who apparently makes a home in the visitors' TV booth," Cohen said in the top of the second inning.
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Cohen said former Mets radio broadcaster Wayne Randazzo, now the TV voice for the Los Angeles Angels, told the SNY crew that while he was calling an Angels' series against Oakland earlier this season, the possum "made an appearance during the game in their booth."
"So they set traps for this possum, but he's proved elusive," Cohen said.
It seemed like the plan for Saturday was to have Cohen and Darlng, a former Mets pitcher, call the game from the normal visitors' booth despite nobody having "been in that booth for a few days."
But when SNY staff entered the booth Saturday morning, they were forced to make the change due to a foul odor.
FILE IMAGE - Pete Alonso #20 of the New York Mets during the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Sept. 26, 2021, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)
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"They walk in the booth and immediately were met with the stench of the possum having … done his business in the booth," Cohen explained. "Apparently, the booth reeked so badly of possum leaving that an executive decision was made to move us to this booth."
"I came here and went to the booth, and people grabbed me, almost tackled me, and pushed me into this booth," Darling added.
Cohen joked that there is a pole in front of his view, saying he "chose pole" over possum, and said his college basketball play-by-play skills will come in handy.
"I can bob and weave like the best of them," Cohen said when discussing how he'll call the game with a restricted view.
The stadium opened in 1966, and the A's have been a candidate to move to a different city if they cannot get a new stadium. A new stadium in the Oakland market seems unlikely.
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New York (9-6) won the game, 3-2, and Oakland fell to an MLB-worst 3-12.