David Cone not ready for Panic Citi with the Mets' pitching staff yet
ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball" analyst David Cone. Credit: ESPN Images/Allen Kee
For David Cone, “it happened overnight,” that moment when you realize you no longer are a star pitcher in the major leagues and abruptly are not a pitcher at all.
“Sometimes you’re the last one to know,” he told Newsday. “You still think you’re the same pitcher you always were, but unless you are a realist and you can adapt, yes, it can catch up to you in a hurry.”
Cone won 20 games for the 1998 Yankees as a 35-year-old. He went 12-9 and 4-14 the next two seasons, was 9-7 for the Red Sox at 38, did not pitch in 2002 and went 1-3 for the 2003 Mets before retiring at 40 with chronic hip problems.
That sort of thing is common for athletes in their late 30s, and for pitchers more than most.
It’s also the reason Mets fans are concerned about their aging former multiple-Cy Young Award winners, Justin Verlander, 40, who was booed at Citi Field on Tuesday, and Max Scherzer, 38. Both have ERAs over 4.75.
In his role as an analyst on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” crew, Cone will see Verlander and the Mets when they host the Guardians on Sunday night.
His message to Mets fans: It’s too soon to panic.
“I haven’t seen those signs [of decline] with either one of those guys,” he said. “I still see really plus stuff, and in terms of the quality of pitches they are throwing.
“So I haven’t seen anything that raises a red flag as of yet, but certainly when it does happen, it can happen quickly.”
Cone said the first step for older pitchers often is simply getting to the other side of Memorial Day.
“I think they will figure it out, especially when the weather gets a little warmer,” he said. “That’s always what I think about as a pitcher.
“During the early part of the season, if you’re struggling, at least let me get to some warm weather past the holiday . . . Then when June kicks in, that’s when a lot of the veteran pitchers really start to hit their stride.
“As long as their health is in good shape and if they can hold up physically, I think they will both turn it around . . . I wouldn’t bet against those two guys.”
As for the Mets in general, Cone also urged patience. “I would not panic,” he said on Wednesday before the team won three games in a row, “especially considering the fact they have some really good young players that they can call up. They’re starting to do that now.
“Even though the Mets are talked about because of their payroll and spending, their farm system is pretty good, players ready to make a breakthrough impact right now.”
Cone, who spoke to Newsday from Toronto, had a busy week there in his role analyzing the Yankees for the YES Network, given the controversies over Aaron Judge’s wandering eyes and Domingo German’s overly sticky throwing hand.
Cone said the attention paid to Judge looking for an edge did not surprise him because “we’re still kind of in a new era of dealing with the fallout of what happened with Houston in 2017.”
He added, “What happened with Aaron Judge is not even in the same ZIP code as what happened in Houston,” where the Astros were caught using electronic help to steal signs.
Working a game such as Sunday night’s not only is a national showcase for Cone the broadcaster but a welcome change of pace from his weekday job at YES.
On Sundays, he gets plenty of Yankees games, but everyone else’s as well. “The experience has been great for me personally, to sort of get a chance to see the entire universe of baseball, cover more teams, meet more people,” he said.
From left, Buster Olney, David Cone, Karl Ravech and Eduardo Perez prior to 2022 opening day in Atlanta. Credit: ESPN Images/Adam Hagy
This is Cone’s second season with Karl Ravech, Eduardo Perez and Buster Olney in ESPN’s lead booth.
“I think we’ve really become more of a unit this year working together and getting a sense of rhythm, of timing with each other, along with the new rules,” he said.
All broadcasters have had to adjust to the faster pace of games in the pitch clock era, including the time available to discuss replays and tell stories.
“In a three-man booth, it’s even more important that everybody understands when to jump in, when to jump out and allow space for all of us to get our thoughts out there when needed,” Cone said.
“Really there’s no egos in that booth. That helps, because we all want to see each other do well and we all have each other’s backs. And that’s a good feeling.”
Cone, 60, is two full decades removed from his playing days.
“I went down to the Yankees’ clubhouse the other day and almost inadvertently tried to walk into the trainer’s room and was reminded by security personnel, ‘Hey, you’re not a player anymore,’ ” he said.
“So sometimes the old instincts kick in, but I certainly know what I do now.”
He feels “very fortunate” to have had this second career.
“I see it day in and day out when I meet some of my ex-teammates,” Cone said. “They are looking for work or looking for something to do and all of them would certainly love to have the opportunity to be able to be a broadcaster or be able to be involved in the game any way they could.”
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
