Call it a homecoming of sorts.

Former Mets manager Bobby Valentine is reportedly close to joining SNY for a handful of Met games this season. Valentine, the volatile skipper, led the Mets from 1996 to 2002. In 2000, he piloted the Amazin’s into the Subway World Series against the Yankees.

A spokesperson says, “SNY has had conversations with Bobby [and his reps], but nothing is finalized at this moment.”

However, there was official word from the Valentine camp yesterday about his co-hosting an NBC Sports Radio show. He’ll rotate with Chipper Jones and Stan Van Gundy on the midday show starting April 1.

Somewhere between snowstorm and snow melt, pitchers and catchers arrived in Florida. Spring Training begins in earnest on the YES Network on February 24. It’s a record 19 Grapefruit League telecasts for the YES Network this year.

Among the highlights on the exhibition schedule, a matchup with the Dominican Republic World Baseball Classic team on March 6, the Washington Nationals in D.C. on March 29, and the Army at West Point on March 30.

Over on the Mets and SNY side of the ledger… the sports network announced plans to expand coverage of the Amazins this season. SNY has added Mets First Pitch and Mets Insider to the lineup.

Among the elements of First Pitch are Mets manager Terry Collins‘ pre-game press conference and exclusive one-on-one interviews with players from both dugouts.

Insider, which debuts on March 31, will be produced in a magazine-style format. It will feature shows on a variety of topics, including episodes focused on the Mets draft and prospects, player profiles, and “Where are they Now.”

As for the game coverage, Gary Cohen, Ron Darling, Keith Hernandez, and Kevin Burkhardt return to provide fans the action all-season long on SNY. Hall-of-Famer Ralph Kiner returns to the broadcast booth for his 52nd season covering the Mets as a contributing analyst.

Think of the New York Yankees of the 1940s and 1950, or to a lesser degree the Joe Torre era of the late 1990s. All the teams did was win. Well, Bruce Beck has become a local TV news dynasty.

For the sixth consecutive year, the WNBC sports anchor has been selected as the New York State Sportscaster of the Year. Beck shares the honor with SNY/Mets announcer Gary Cohen.

There’s no truth to the story that the annual award recipient chosen by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association has been renamed the “Beck Award.”

In all seriousness, he says being recognized for the award a half-dozen times in a row is the mark of consistency.

“We strive for that in our field — just like the athletes we cover,” Beck tells FishbowlNY.

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The NFL season kicked off with the Giants falling to the Cowboys. Next up, the New York Jets unwrapping the 2012 season Sunday.

SNY plans another season of comprehensive Jets coverage. The “All-Access pass” includes SNY’s Jets Post Game Live debuting after Sunday’s opener against the Bills. Jets Post Game Live will continue to feature priority locker room access with Coach Rex Ryan’s closed-door address to the team, post game press conferences, exclusive on-field interviews and reactions from key Jets players.

On-air talent will include former Jets stars Joe Klecko, Kris Jenkins, Ray Lucas as well as NFL Insider Adam Schein, Jets reporter Jeané Coakley and host Brian Custer.

That only scratches the surface for all things Gang Green.

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The Baseball Hall of Fame is starting the cycle for the Class of 2013. The Ford C. Frick Award, given each year as a baseball announcer lifetime achievement, is asking fans to select the Top 40 from the Hall’s Facebook page.

The Facebook ballot includes 222 radio and television broadcasters. Among the list are several with notable careers behind the mic in New York. For example, Ken Singleton, the longtime Yankee analyst (and occasional play-by-play man), from MSG Network and YES Network, since its inception in 2002, is on the ballot.

Yankee fans can also choose veteran radio voice John Sterling, calling game every since 1989. His former on-air partner Charley Steiner is on the first ballot. Steiner now handles the Los Angeles Dodgers radio play-by-play work.

Vintage Yankee announcer Bill White is back on the list. White, as he was affectionately known by Phil Rizzuto, was joined in the booth by Rizzuto and Frank Messer throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

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Celebrating a half-century of golden memories, the Mets are about to name their All-Time Team. SNY, the TV home of the Mets, will honor the ballclub’s 50th anniversary with a gala at the 92nd Street Y. The Sunday, June 17th event, although sold out, is being shown on SNY, Thursdsay, June 21st at 7 p.m.

A blue ribbon panel unveils the cream of the crop in Mets history at each position.  While the list hasn’t been revealed, we can get a hint by expected attendees Tom Seaver, Keith Hernandez, and Darryl Strawberry.

The Mets All-Time Team selection panel includes Mets play-by-play announcers Gary Cohen and Howie Rose, columnists Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post, John Harper of the New York Daily News, and Marty Noble of MLB.com and a senior member of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

And in another milestone accolade, SNY tomorrow will take part in the Nasdaq opening bell ceremony. SNY president Steve Raab rings the bell with former Met players and network personalities Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, Bob Ojeda, and Edgardo Alfonzo.

Here’s a look at what FishbowlNY stories made the most buzz this week.

1. YES Network’s Michael Kay (left) Goes to Blows on Twitter with College Student, June 7
2. Longtime Mets Announcers Howie Rose and Gary Cohen Bask in Franchise’s First No-Hitter, June 2
3. Sue Simmons Final Day at WNBC is June 15, June 4
4. Roger Ailes Cancels Paper Subscription Out of Spite, June 1
5. Gawker Changes Commenting System (Again), Commenters Go Crazy (Again), June 4
6. Jonah Lehrer Departs Wired for The New Yorker, June 5

Keep up-to-date with the latest FishbowlNY news. Click here to sign-up for the FishbowlNY daily newsletter, bringing you our articles each afternoon directly to your inbox.

There’s nothing like a great pitching performance to spark some interest in a team. Of course, Friday night, Johan Santana did the unthinkable, pitching the Mets to their first no-hitter in season number 51.

Santana’s gem against the Cardinals gave SNY big ratings. In the final quarter-hour from 9:45 to 10 p.m. as Santana was about to make history, SNY pulled in 744,000 total viewers. That peak timeframe notched a 7.73 Household rating.

Fans united on SNY, Mets faithful or not, to witness a “Where Were You When?” moment. SNY ranked as the most watched station in New York, among all cable and broadcast outlets, from 7:30 to 10:15 p.m. in Households and Total Viewers.

Delving deeper, Santana’s masterful feat averaged a 4.18 household rating, which represents the highest-rated (non-interleague) primetime game on SNY in nearly three years.

The Mets Post-Game Live garnered a 2.64 household rating, the best post game showing since 2009.

It’s a post 50 years in the making!

Last night, Johan Santana tossed himself into the record books as the first New York Mets pitcher to throw a no-hitter. It was an 8-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

In their 51st season and with more than 8,000 games under their collective belts, the Mets finally got their elusive “no-no.”

The dramatic event was not lost on Howie Rose, who called the game on WFAN. During an extended post-game celebration, Rose invited former boothmate Gary Cohen, who just wrapped up his work on SNY, to share his perspective as a witness to history.

“You and I have been down this road enough times in our lives as Met fans and Met broadcasters that there was no reason to believe that it was possible,” Cohen tells Rose. “And frankly, around the sixth inning with the pitch count the way it was, I was certainly thinking that he wasn’t even going to get the opportunity to do it.”

Adding to the drama was the fact that just last year, Santana was sidelined the entire season with shoulder surgery.

However, with the final strike to David Freese, pitch number 134, Santana placed himself in rarified air.

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It’s a football fans favorite day during the off-season. The NFL holds its annual draft tonight. SNY and MSG are set to bring viewers the most comprehensive coverage.

SNY, the home of the Mets, also has a focus on all things Jets. Therefore, the cable network will air an in-depth program from 6:30 to 7:30 tonight, leading up to the Jets first-round selection. Jets Nation: Draft Day 2012 will feature unprecedented access from inside the Jets draft “war room.” SNY will include player profiles and interviews with Jet draft picks.

The pre-draft special features discussions with team general manager Mike Tannenbaum, head coach Rex Ryan, and senior personnel executive Terry Bradway.

Host Brian Custer will be joined by analysts Adam Schein, Ray Lucas, and Tony Pauline from draftinsider.com. Jets beat reporter Jeane´Coakley has live updates from the team’s draft complex. 

SNY returns with a 30-minute, first-round recap at midnight. The live broadcast is expected to feature an interview with the Jets first round selection.

A look at MSG’s draft plans after the jump.

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