SNY analyst Ron Darling spoke with the Post’s Justin Terranova about the Dodgers and Mets, who meet in Citi Field this weekend, and the dangers of trading Jose Reyes.
Q: Is it weird to see these proud franchises in such desperate situations when it comes to ownership?
A:
If you are a fan of both organizations, this is not the rosiest of times. As a Mets fan, you don’t know what is going to happen and Dodgers fans have to wonder what the heck is going on. But if you are in the Mets clubhouse every day, I don’t think there is ever a discussion about the Bernie Madoff situation. It’s a real serious story for both franchises, but it does not affect the players one iota.
Q: Before the season, Fox analyst Tim McCarver said it would be hard for the SNY booth to do its job because of the Madoff situation. Have you found that to be the case?
A:
I saw Timmy a couple of weeks ago and he apologized. I don’t think he wanted to put us behind the 8-ball certainly, but I don’t find I have to tiptoe around anything.
Q: What are your thoughts on how Carlos Beltran has played in his return from the knee injury?
A:
Defensively, he’s definitely been challenged because of the arthritic knees, but offensively he’s been their most consistent hitter, except for Ike Davis. That says to me that if the Mets can play really good baseball, Beltran would be a great veteran offensive player for that team. If they don’t, I think he’s proven to the other 29 teams that there is a lot left offensively.
Q: Some of those 29 other teams would also be interested in Jose Reyes, you would think?
A:
As far as Reyes is concerned, I’ve really grown to appreciate how much Mets fans love Jose Reyes. I don’t know if there’s anyone more exciting. That is something that ownership and (GM Sandy) Alderson will have to take a look at because a popular, good player doesn’t come around that often.
Q: What did you see during the Mets’ six-game winning streak?
A:
The chances of you going on a roll starts and ends with your starting pitching and it was outstanding. The health factor is what concerns me. Chris Young has been great every time he’s been on the mound, but he’s missed a couple of starts. But if you go around the National League, there’s only a handful of teams with winning records. If the Mets can somehow play the good teams semi-even and beat up on the mediocre ones, then that is a recipe for a good year.