Going to take a half day Thursday and want to watch the 12:35 Mets game somewhere around Grand Central without having to sit in a cubicle with earbuds. I know it's a weekday matinee, so I'm not expecting a packed house or stadium audio. But it would be nice to find one place that doesn't treat the game as an afterthought.

My normal lunch spots are either too corporate, with all TVs on CNBC and captions off, or they open at 4. The Irish bars on Third Ave will put SNY on if you ask, but the audio only comes on if there's a bigger draw later, and the bartender usually shrugs. Last season I sat through two hours of a Mets game with the screen muted while the house speakers played a 2000s playlist, which is a very specific kind of annoying.

So my question: is there a bar, tavern, or even a coffee counter near Grand Central, Midtown East, or Murray Hill that reliably has a TV on the Mets for weekday afternoon games and either plays the game audio or doesn't mind if you're running the WFAN radio call on your phone? I'd prefer actual audio, not just captions. I know the radio delay issue is its own problem, but let's start with the basics. Not looking for a rooftop or a place with a line. Just a counter seat, a burger or a beer, and a game with sound.

If you've done this and found a good spot, I'd appreciate the name. If the answer is 'no such place exists,' I'll buy a battery pack and stop asking.

astoria_arch, I feel this. Weekday day baseball might be the hardest watch in the city. Midtown places just don't want to touch the sound when office people are eating. I went to a spot on 39th last year for a Yankees game and asked the bartender to put the audio on. He said sure, then a minute later some guy in a tie asked for captions and golf, and the bartender changed it back. No loyalty lol.

If you're already near Grand Central, try one of the old Irish bars east of Lex, but don't ask at noon. Wait until the lunch rush thins out, like 1:30, then ask for 'the game sound at the end of the bar.' Sometimes they'll do a small speaker or give you a remote.

Wait, hold on, why is there a delay between the TV and radio at a bar? I noticed this at home too, but I figured my internet was bad. I tried watching the Mets on my phone in a bar once and my reactions were a full batter behind everyone. I thought maybe the app was just slow. Is the cable box also delayed? Do some places use an app instead of cable? If they do, can they even put the radio call on? Sorry, I'm new to trying to watch day games outside my apartment. Also, does anyone actually have a pocket radio anymore, or is that just something people say?

fresh_off_metro, it's not just your internet! The cable TV feed has processing delay. Sometimes the radio call can be ahead of the TV by a good 10-20 seconds, sometimes the app is even worse. I have spent way too many nights pausing my DVR to match Gary Cohen with the WFAN call. At a bar, you will never get them to pause the TV to fix sync, because that requires touching the remote and confusing everyone else.

Your best bet is not your phone, it's an actual AM/FM pocket radio with a headphone jack. WFAN is on 101.9 FM and 660 AM, depending on where you are. The battery lasts forever and you don't need data. The old-school radio call also just hits different. Have you tried The Long Room? They used to care about day baseball audio, but it's been a minute.

RiverdaleRambler, I used to do the same DVR sync thing with the radio call, and it's the only reason I hesitate to just ask for 'the radio.' You're right that no bartender is going to pause a bar TV to align with WFAN. The Long Room is a maybe, but I've had mixed luck there when there's no group asking; if a few people want it, they'll turn on the game audio, but a solo lunch guy isn't moving the needle.

I think the eventual answer is the pocket radio plus a small Bluetooth speaker? No, not the speaker in public. Earbuds. I already look weird enough checking the score on my phone under the bar.

EastHarlem_E, the 'game sound at the end of the bar' framing is smart. I'll try that after 1:30 and report back. If the small speaker is out, I'll just take earbuds and a battery pack, because you all have confirmed I'm not missing some secret spot.

Respect to the Mets but I'm going to be the heretic: if I'm watching a random 12:35, I don't need the broadcast sound. Give me a diner counter with the TV in the corner and I'm good. I used to sit at a Greek coffee shop on 2nd Ave near 34th, and they always had SNY on with the volume low enough nobody complained. It wasn't 'game audio,' but when it's quiet you can hear enough, and you can nurse a cup and a turkey club without side-eye.

If you're dead set on real sound, try Standings in the East Village, but I think they open later. Maybe call ahead? They'll actually put the game audio on if more than two people ask. But again, random Thursday day Mets, you might be the whole crowd.

I did this exact run two weeks ago for a Yankees 1:05. The trick is absolutely timing. Midtown spots are all lunch service until 2, but after that the staff gets bored and the manager goes in the back. I was in an Irish pub off Lex in the 30s, and the bartender initially said no to sound. By 2:15, he clicked the MLB feed to a smaller TV at the corner of the bar and let me move. Didn't even have to tip extra, just asked once, then waited.

Also, keep it simple: don't say 'can you sync the WFAN audio' because they'll look at you like you asked them to fix a router. Say 'can the game audio go on this one?' If there's no one else watching, sometimes they'll do it. For the Mets, maybe not, but it's still your best play. There are a few places around 35th that have a back TV, just walk in and look for the one near the service well.

I'm getting flashbacks to that earlier thread, 'Late-night Q train is a rolling nap pod—how do you not miss your stop?' Same underlying problem: the city's public systems are built to move you along, not to let you settle into a specific experience. For daytime baseball, the environment is built for office lunch, not audio. The move is to bring your own listening setup and pick a place by whether the screen is actually watchable. That's how I landed on a battery pack, wired earbuds, and a spot with a corner TV. If you want real sound, ask after 2, mention the small TV, and don't say 'sync.' Thread probably won't solve it, but it saves you three bad lunches. Late-night Q train is a rolling nap pod—how do you not miss your stop?