I also want offer a sincere congratulations to Michael Kay on his show being simulcast on the YES Network. Mr. Kay is a class act. He is a true professional and I am a fan.
Now, all that being said, I want to give my take on the YES Network and Mike Francesa.
I am not a one to sing the praises of “NEW YAWKS NUMBAH ONE” Sports Talk Radio Host. I have always found Mr. Francesa to be very knowledgeable, but also, at times, an egomaniacal blowhard. He knows his stuff, there is no denying that, but he can be a bit much…and, in my opinion, not nearly as good as he was with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo at his side. Since that “Dynamic Duo” split, Mike has no one put him in check. He speaks to callers as if they were children or cuts them off outright if they disagree with him. It’s not the most interesting way to run a show, but he somehow pulls it off.
I myself have always had a pretty short fuse (I’m working on it.) Therefore there are many names I could be called that I would take great offense to. One of them is “A Company Man”. Don’t get me wrong I don’t mean “A Team Player”. That is something that everyone should try to be in all walks of life. Being a person that always has his/her friend’s back and will do what is needed for the benefit of all is great thing to be. No, what I am referring to is a “Company Man”. We’ve all come across them in our lives. They are the folks that will do or saying anything to remain in the good graces of their superiors…even if deep down they know it’s wrong. A Company Man lives a life pushing someone else’s opinions or agenda. They smile and nod robotically making sure they never step a toe out of line. They live life in conformed silence. Their mission is to be what the higher ups want them to be. They will often times act one way when out of the workplace and then transform into android, making sure their opinions are the mirror image of those in charge. These folk are also the first to throw you under the bus to get ahead so watch yourself.
It is my feeling that Mike Francesa is in NO WAY a Company Man. You can call him a lot of things, but he lives a life out loud. I put a lot of stock in that expression. It’s an old piece of wisdom I got from a Punk Rock singer. Live a life out loud. Be who you are. If you see something that you don’t agree with say something. Walk your own path. These are tenants the Company Men will never adhere to. They will smile and tell you that it is better, and more beneficial, to give up your voice for a secure and stable existence...in the words of the great Joe Strummer, “BOLLOCKS!”
I don’t know the exact reasons why the YES Network broke ties with Francesa. It certainly wasn’t his ratings (which he touts on the hour). I will say that I firmly believe that his allowing Alex Rodriquez to come on his show and tell his side of the PED case certainly played a role. I am not and will not defend ARod with regard to his alleged steroid use. Again, I don’t know that he took PEDs, but there is enough smoke to believe a fire is close by. Alex is most likely guilty of what he is accused of. He absolutely makes it very difficult to root for him, but is he being treated unfairly? I believe he is… uh oh. You can almost hear the Company Men frantically whispering can’t ya?
Mike Francesa brought to the forefront the absolutely disgraceful behavior Major League Baseball has displayed in their pursuit of the Yankee 3rd baseman. He took Commissioner Selig to task and was right in doing so. If ARod took PEDs and thumbed his nose at Baseball than he should be gone. However, what about the others? And more to the point, what about when Bud and Company turned their heads to the rampant use of illegal substances in the late 90’s like Casey had pointed out here on BYB so often? That was okay because the game was making money?
Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire were superheroes! They were packing stadiums! They sold jerseys and video games! And now…well, they won’t be Hall of Famers because Bud is cleaning up the game…starting with Alex Rodriquez…the man that insulted King Bud the most. But he’s extremely unpopular…so, “Crucify him immediately! LET’S CLEAN UP MY…I MEAN THE GAME!”
This whole preceding isn’t about baseball as much as it is about Selig’s legacy and ARod’s ego. It’s shameful and you know that if Alex were popular, likable and stuffing stadiums, the Company Men would be singing another tune. That is a fact in my opinion.
Mike Francesa saw this and called it out. I’ll admit that Mike also has his favorites and ARod might be one, but giving him a soapbox to voice his side of the argument was the right thing to do. He should be given the right to defend himself. We’d all want and deserve the same. Again, Alex is probably guilty. I see that. What he did is awful for the game and a horrible example for kids looking up to him. But so is what Selig is doing. He is saying drugs to make money for the business are okay…but when he decides to clean up the game on the way out, then they’re bad. They’re ALWAYS wrong, kids. ALWAYS. Neither one of these men are to be admired.
So Mike gave ARod the microphone and YES (The Yankees) pulled the plug on them both. It’s hard to spin that any other way, folks. It makes me sad to know that. It makes me sad that the Yankees, who gave Rodriquez that awful contract, couldn’t take their medicine on this one. They signed a guy who is less than honorable and when he broke the rules they silenced anyone that would dare bring attention to it. It might not be that way, but it looks a hell of a lot like it right?
So Francesa is gone. Problem solved. Enter Michael Kay. I won’t call Mr. Kay a “Company Man”. Yes, he is obviously in great standing with the Yankees as he is the lead broadcaster on YES. He is also the host of the Center Stage with Michael Kay and the moderator of The Joe Girardi Show…in fact; Michael is basically the face of the network. Why not move his very successful ESPN Radio show to a simulcast on YES? He is extremely good at what he does…and he isn’t necessarily known for rocking the Yankee boat. He is a logical choice and in my opinion a great one…but I’d feel strange taking that gig seeing how the job opened up.
I also thought the gesture of throwing the bottle of Diet Coke (Francesa’s iconic beverage of choice) in the trash was a bit, “Na Na, Na Na, I got your job”. Watch that above. Does Francesa deserve it? I don’t know what his personal relationship is with Mr. Kay. It seems Mike’s fans are few when it comes to his peers…but still. That made Michael Kay look small in my opinion. Better not to mention Francesa at all and move right on through. That was a “Company Man” move in my opinion.
Once again I am a Michael Kay fan and won’t miss the Mike’s On show much, but the way he lost his show was wrong. It’s just another example of how those who live a life out loud will always have to keep their hands up. They’ll always have to fight and struggle. They will never have it easy…but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
--Mike O'Hara, MLB Fan Cave Host, Season 1
Twitter: @mikeyoh21
"Paulie was always my favorite player."
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