Gary Cohen could’ve had a career in news — though not everyone wanted to hear about it, apparently.
During Wednesday’s Mets-Marlins game, the Mets announcers poked some fun at other career paths they could’ve chosen — the type of aside that comes when a team has long been out of the pennant race.
Gary Cohen and Ron Darling, two-thirds of the SNY broadcasting crew with Keith Hernandez, were broadcasting the Mets’ thrilling 15-14 win over the Marlins at LoanDepotpark when their conversation became about what life would be like if they had gone a different route.
“For my age, I still think I would be one of the better water skiers,” Darling said. “I can still waterski. I can still one-ski. I’d be a good water skier for someone that’s 66 years old.”
Cohen followed up with another path he saw Darling pursuing.
“If you spent a lot of time on it… golf could be something that you could pursue.” Darling brushed off the compliment saying, “the guys that are my age are Fred Couples, some of the greatest players ever, I’d have to compete with some of those guys.”
Later in the conversation, Darling flipped the question back to Cohen about his alternate career path if he weren’t broadcasting games for the Amazin’s.
“I think I could follow in the footsteps of my old friend George Stephanopoulos,” Cohen said after some thought. “I could be a political operative.”
George Stephanopoulos has been at ABC News for 29 years and was formerly the White House Communications Director under Bill Clinton in 1993. Potentially due to his comments, Cohen may’ve upset his other longtime broadcast partner in Keith Hernandez if he chose newscasting instead.
“You could lose Keith [Hernandez] as a friend,” Darling said jokingly of their third boothmate, who leans right politically.
“I’m not saying in what manner I would be operating,” Cohen followed, “but I feel as though I have a good handle on the issues, and know how to call the right people to put things in place.”
“You really do,” Darling said. “And that started at a young age, right? In your house, your mom was really keen on politics?” “Yeah,” Cohen followed sarcastically, “I was out stumping in the 1972 election when I was 14.”
The comments upset OutKick host and “Fox Nation” host Tomi Lahren, who married current Mets catching coach J.P. Arencibia since October 2022.
“Nobody wants to hear Gary Cohen on the Mets SNY broadcast talking about how he would be a good Democrat political operative,” Lahren wrote on X. “Barf.”
The SNY booth is no stranger to awkward conversations. Last September, Cohen was baffled by Matt Shaw skipping the Cubs game for Charlie Kirk’s memorial.
Hernandez and Cohen have a history of quibbling with each other, especially recently. Earlier this season, an inning-ending double play narrowly saved both from an on-air tangent about the old Milwaukee Braves logo.
“The screaming Indian… That was a great logo,” Hernandez said.
“Well some people might not think so,” Cohen replied as the inning ended.
