If he won't, his bosses will. In less than three full seasons with TBS, Darling's become as good as McCarver, Joe Morgan of ESPN or anybody else, says Turner Sports executive producer Jeff Behnke.

The ex-pitcher for the 1986 world champion Mets calls 10 regular-season and 10 or so postseason games for TBS. He also calls over 100 games for the New York Mets' SNY regional sports network.

"We feel Ron is right there with those guys. Ron is not afraid to criticize players. He's not afraid to talk about umpires or managers in the course of a broadcast," Behnke says.

The TV up-and-comer had a rocky first stint with the Washington Nationals in 2005. But SNY executive producer Curt Gowdy Jr. saw something in his tape and hired him for SNY's inaugural season in 2006. "We talked about keeping it simple — and zeroing in on his focus, which is pitching," says Gowdy. Teaming him with Gary Cohen and ex-teammate Keith Hernandez, Darling developed quickly. TBS tapped him for the 2007 playoffs, then hired him to work the full 2008 season with announcer Chip Caray and analyst Buck Martinez.

Darling says he cut his teeth listening to McCarver, Jim Kaat and Tony Kubek. He also likes the work of ESPN's Orel Hershisher, Rick Sutcliffe and Steve Phillips.

During a benefit for the Urban Dove program in New York, the outspoken Darling noted current ballplayers have a "hard time" with criticism. "This is the generation where everybody got a trophy in Little League," says the author of The Complete Game.