My Favorite Cigar
Ron Darling • Mets Announcer • Cohiba Pirámides Extra
Long before he pitched in the Major Leagues, Ron Darling was drawn to cigars by their aroma. “I had a grandfather who smoked cigars and pipes. I was just so fascinated by the smell.” He had the occasional smoke in his college days at Yale, but his cigar smoking really took off when he was playing golf. “After a round, you would have a cigar. Then it started to come back to the house . . . sit outside, have a glass of red wine or a Bourbon and a cigar.”
Today, he smokes most often on the course or, perhaps, by the fireplace in his backyard. “Whenever we play golf, the first nine holes we are adamant about having the best round of our life—and once that goes by the wayside, we break out the cigars on hole No. 10.” He smokes a variety, but Cohibas are his favorite.
Darling was the most effective pitcher on the Mets roster during their last victorious World Series, when they beat the Red Sox in 1986. Darling started three games for the Mets in that seven-game series, pitched 17 2/3 innings (more than any other Met) and had a 1.53 ERA. He retired from playing in 1995, and today he’s the voice of the Mets, calling games on SNY, WPIX and also TBS.
