A Thought for Ron Darling

New York Mets broadcaster Ron Darling announced during last night's Mets-Braves game that he will be undergoing surgery next week to remove a mass in his chest and will take a leave of absence. Doctors have told him he could return to the broadcast booth in a month's time if all proceeds as planned. 

Darling who pitched primarily with the Mets during a 13-year big league career which also stops with the Montreal Expos and the Oakland A's has been a fixture on TV since 2000 and has been part of the Mets broadcast crew since 2006 along with former teammate Keith Hernandez and play by play man Gary Cohn. 

Recently, Darling made headlines earlier when his former teammate Lenny Dykstra sued him for claiming he had made a racist tirade at Boston Red Sox pitcher Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd during the 1986 World Series in his forthcoming book 108 Stitches. Upon learning of Darling's illness, Dykstra sent out a tweet stating "karma is a bitch", but deleted it after a backlash. When you consider their respective character and reputations, I must go with Darling in this dispute.

That mess aside, it is always a pleasure to hear Darling in the broadcast booth. In an era where baseball broadcasters discuss almost everything under the sun except for the game, it is refreshing to hear someone so knowledgeable and well spoken discussing baseball. Put him in with the curmudgeonly Hernandez and the straight man Cohn and you have baseball's best broadcasting trio. 

Darling is not the first broadcaster to deal with cancer. Longtime Boston Red Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy has been dealing with cancer for over a decade having been diagnosed with the disease four times. Yet somehow he continues to do what he loves. If Darling has any challenges in the course of his recovery, Remy can show him the way. 

Needless to say, I hope Darling makes a speedy recovery and returns to the broadcast booth ASAP.