When Mike Breen is at a sporting event, he’s usually got the best seat in the house—but not on Wednesday night in Queens.
As ESPN’s lead NBA play-by-play broadcaster (just don’t call him “the voice of the NBA”), Breen is used to sitting as close to the action as possible, with nothing to distract him from the action but the occasional bickering between Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy.
Breen, fresh off calling the NBA Finals, was at Citi Field on Wednesday for the Subway Series and didn’t have the greatest seat. While he’s sat in the front row behind home plate while watching his favorite team in the past, Breen was a little farther from the action this time. That would have been fine, if not for one of his rowdy neighbors.
Mike Breen, in the stands for Yankees-Mets, looking at this Mets fan with the same vibe as one of his classic “way offs.” pic.twitter.com/ASEQklJssQ
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) June 15, 2023
ESPN’s cameras didn’t find Breen in the stands until the game was tied with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. As the rest of the stadium waited with bated breath to see if Eduardo Escobar would win it for the home team, the guy in front of Breen jumped around and flapped his arms like a bird. He looked like he was having a great time, but the people behind him—Breen included—had to have been wishing he’d sit the hell down.
Hopefully the guy wasn’t blocking Breen’s view when Brandon Nimmo won the game with a walk-off double.
