Let me first say that I am a believer that a dad of a newborn, whether is the first or fifth child, has an obligation to be with the mom at the point of the birth of their child and the days following that birth. Yes, the mom and the baby will generally be in the hospital for two or three days, but the way it is done now where the baby spends the day in the room, the dad will certainly be a big help. I can assure you that hospitals were moving the post-natal process to “rooming in” back in the 1980s.
Once mom and baby come home, having dad there to help out, even for a few days is a big help for mom. Major League Baseball has recognized this concept for many years. That is why I was surprised to learn in Wednesday's late online edition of the New York Post that the Great Windbag, Mike Francesca was having a rant about the New York Mets' Daniel Murphy taking the first three days of the season off due to the birth of his and his wife's first child.
First of all, Mike, the Mets has no problem with Murphy missing the opener on Monday and Wednesday evening's game. I am sure that as a good employee, he gave them plenty of notice, I am sure before Spring Training began. Second, it is a part of the CBA that MLB has with the Players' Association. So, Mike, just shut up already.
For those of you who do not know who Francesca is, he is a host on New York sports radio station WFAN radio and the new FOX Sports channels 1 and 2. For years, he was simulcast on “The FAN” and YES cable TV channel, Monday to Friday.
Lucky us. Now he is national.
Why should this concern him? I am sure when his children were born, he took time off to be with his wife and children. Why does it matter to Francesca if Murphy took a few days off?
- Daniel Murphy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Apparently, he still needs to cause controversy to draw a midday audience. He just started his simulcast with FOX, so what better way to draw an audience to a new gig than by acting and sounding like a huge jerk. Yeah, that's the ticket!
For those of us who have lived in New York and the surrounding broadcast area, for the last 23-plus years, we have had to listen to Francesca shoot his mouth off about nonsense. When his program was simulcast on YES, it was regional, probably more than NY, Connecticut and New Jersey, but not at all like FOX Sports is. Now, I can say that, unlike its parent, FOX Sports will be "annoying and unbalanced". What was Roger Ailes thinking here?
I had been a listener of The FAN and Francesca for years. I had to stop listening because I grew tired of his boring self-aggrandizing and pontificating, like the know-it-all he really is. The Murphy rant was just the latest in a series of stupid commentaries on his part. As a former listener, I am sure he went on and on and on and on for at least the better part of an hour, more so, because he loves the sound of his voice, much like another famous American who thinks he is at a pulpit rather than a podium. As I had said before, generally the blowhard has a lot to say about nonsense. The proof is in the Nielsen ratings which were abysmal last week. It is time to give it up, Mike, and allow somebody else entertain the listeners, because you no longer do.
You need to realize, Mike, no one cares what you say anymore; you are not the center of everyone's attention. When NASCAR, (NASCAR, for heavens’ sake!) beats you in radio ratings, that says you are horrible. Why not hang it up and let someone else have a try. You, sir, have become irrelevant.
It really is time to go.
No comments:
Post a Comment