On Long Island, Neil Best noted SNY's Ron Darling was back in the booth for last night's Giants-Mets contest, his first game since April 13, shortly before he announced he had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Darling said that it was a "difficult decision to come back, and acknowledged that he is not yet at full strength." Best notes Darling's voice "sounded thinner than usual" during the game. Darling "hopes to require no more than monitoring from doctors until the season is over." He will have a "light schedule the next two weeks, then 'hit the road running'" when the Mets visit the Braves on June 17 (NEWSDAY, 6/5).
SINCERE FORM OF FLATTERY: In N.Y., Mark Fischer wrote ESPN's Jeff Passan's "Twitter bit" during the MLB Draft on Monday night has "shaped into a flop." It "began as a playful ploy and quickly turned tired, with ESPN's go-to baseball news breaker mimicking his basketball equivalent, Adrian Wojnarowski, by tweeting coded language." At one point, Passan tweeted: "The Seattle Mariners are jonesing to take Elon right-hander George Kirby with the No. 20 pick in the MLB Draft, sources tell ESPN." Before long, the "haters rolled in, and Passan soon gave up the shtick" (N.Y. POST, 6/4).
NOTES: Longtime WFAN-AM host Tony Paige will "retire in September after 16 years over two stints" with the station. Paige's last show will be on Sept. 14, "three days after his 66th birthday." Paige said that he "plans to continue writing" for the N.Y. Daily News on a "freelance basis as well as write a book and pursue teaching opportunities" (NJ.com, 6/3)....Fred McLeod will "take over play-by-play" for three Lions' preseason games to be aired on Detroit Lions Television Network. McLeod will be joined by former NFLer Chris Spielman and sideline reporter Tori Petry. McLeod replaces Matt Shepard, who is currently "in his first season" as the Tigers play-by-play man on FS Detroit (MLIVE.com, 6/4).
