According to Newsday’s Neil Best, “Josh Lewin has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Wayne Hagin alongside Howie Rose in the Mets’ radio booth.”

Lewin was the lead television broadcaster for the Texas Rangers for a decade, and was let go by the team after the 2010 season.

Apparently, the decision remove Lewin from the Rangers broadcast was polarizing amongst the fans. Here is what Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News had to say:

Don’t get me wrong, Josh Lewin is not a bad broadcaster. No, that’s not the case at all. All of the time, he’s prepared; most of the time he’s brilliant.

But I think what upset fans most were these factors:

1. He would leave the Rangers to broadcast games for another team in another market.
2. He could be quite ham-handed with his attempts to be funny.
3. His conversations often sounded like he was reading from a script.

These are all pet peeves of mine when it comes to broadcasting. What makes the trio of Gary Cohen, Ron Darling, and Keith Hernandez so great is how naturally they complement each other. Hernandez’s non sequiturs aren’t forced; it is who he is. Their banter reminds the viewer of three guys watching a game at a bar. Also, they never come across as homers despite the fact they have deep Mets ties.

Grant went on to say that  you would get a “feeling from the broadcast, that Lewin was going to force in his reference one way or another, even if it took a ridiculous segue or abruptly changing the subject to do so. It ended up making the broadcast sound forced and stilted.”

So basically Mets fans are going from the monotone Hagin to the rehearsed Lewin? I want two things from a radio broadcast: good play-by-play and color and conversation. The announcers need to know when the story telling is pertinent versus focusing on the game. Bob Murphy and Gary Cohen had that balance; Howie Rose does a fine job. Hagin’s issue was you could never get a grasp on the action because his voice rarely changed from neutral. The worst thing for any broadcast- radio or television- is to be forced or rehearsed. That is part of why Joe Buck and Tim McCarver annoy me. They seem to force humor into the broadcast when it doesn’t fit.

The Mets radio booth was so consistent for years with the voices of Bob Murphy and Gary Cohen. Howie Rose has taken the mantle since Cohen left for television, but the Mets have yet to find any consistency with his partner. Tom McCarthy, who now does television for the Phillies, worked with Rose or two years before Hagin took over in 2008.

Former GM Jim Duquette, Billy Sample, WFAN reporter Ed Coleman, and SNY host Chris Carlin were also being considered.

Is Lewin the answer? Hard to tell until you listen to him on a consistent basis, but the description doesn’t give me a good feel.

Oh, and another FYI – Lewin grew up a Yankees fan despite spending a large chunk of his childhood living outside Boston.

In addition to the Rangers, Lewin has done work for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, San Diego Chargers, Dallas Stars, co-hosted a mid-day show on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, and was part of the MLB on Fox broadcast team. It appears his busy schedule might have been the reason for his dismissal in Texas.

Here is a call of a Josh Hamilton walk-off by Lewin.

Here is a discussion of a Jose Bautista strikeout.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. In addition to being a Sports Media Watchdog he's also host of NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB, New York Baseball at www.nybaseballdigest.com. Contact him professionally at mikesilvamedia.com

Mike Silva

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Tags: Howie Rose, Josh Lewin, Mets Radio Booth, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Wayne Hagin, WFAN