Professional sports announcers undoubtedly enhance the quality of the games they cover.
Whether it's a top-flight NFL game, an NBA Finals broadcast or Game 7 of the World Series, broadcast talents have the ability to provide viewers with added insight and colorful opinions during various sporting events.
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During Monday night's New York Mets broadcast, however, Mets color commentator Keith Hernandez used a poor choice of words to describe an out in the first inning of the Mets' 2-1 win over the rival New York Yankees.
After Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy grounded out in the bottom of the inning when a pitch from Yankees starter Phil Hughes jammed him on the inside, Hernandez described the broken bat out as a "dead soldier laying on the infield dirt," a common phrase used in the game of baseball to describe plays such as the groundout.
While Hernandez clearly did not mean to offend anyone, his choice of words received a negative outcry from fans of the sport because the phrase was used during a game played on Memorial Day, a day where those who followed through with the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect the freedom of the United State of America are remembered.
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Echoing the sentiment that Hernandez did not intend to dishonor the longstanding American holiday, the SNY Network in New York -- the station that carries New York Mets contests -- released a statement regarding the situation.
"We'll address the matter with Keith," an SNY spokesperson said. "It was an honest mistake and a poor choice of words."
Keith Hernandez is considered one of the greatest players in Mets history, playing 7 of his 17 professional seasons in New York. While he will be remembered for guiding the club to the 1986 World Series title, Hernandez's individual statistics are certainly worthy of recognition.
Along with a career .296 batting average, the San Francisco, California native recorded a total of 2,182 hits, well-over 1,000 RBI, 426 doubles and 162 home runs in 17 seasons.
Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1971, Hernandez would make his Major League debut with St. Louis in 1974 and remain with the team until he was traded in 1983 to the Mets. He'd stay in New York until 1989 before finishing his career with the Cleveland Indians in 1990.
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Hernandez joined the SNY Network in 2006 where he works alongside Mets play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen and former teammate Ron Darling, who serves as another color analyst.
While Hernandez's choice of words during the Mets' Memorial Day win over the Yankees was surely inappropriate, folks should take it easy on the announcer since he clearly didn't mean to be disrespectful. Hernandez certainly has a deep appreciation for those men and women who serve our country on a day-by-day basis.
WATCH AND LISTEN To Keith Hernandez Describe The Play From Memorial Day:
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