Watchdog a Best bet
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- May
- 8
It’s customary in the blogosphere to pay somebody back who writes something nice about you. But this time I actually mean it.
Neil Best writes the Watchdog blog about sports media and other entertaining things over on Newsday.com. He called me “venerable” yesterday, which is very kind of him. But isn’t somebody like Dave Anderson venerable?
Anyway, Neil had a good post the other day about Michael Kay. It seems that Kay was critical on his radio show of Joe Torre for calling several of his former players, including Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte.
Posada said that Torre called him to ask about his injury. Torre has known Posada since 1996 and considers him a friend. Whether you manage a team in another league or not, it would seem reasonable to call your friend to ask how he is feeling.
I would assume if WFAN’s Chris Russo were hit by a bus, Mike would inquire about his health. OK, bad example. But you get the idea.
Torre also speaks to Joe Girardi fairly often as it turns out. I realize baseball is a competitive business, but people who have been friends for years should not pretend otherwise because they wear different uniforms. I mean, it’s baseball. Calm down.
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on Thursday, May 8th, 2008 at 2:36 am by Peter Abraham.
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Peter Abraham
If Kay were hit by a bus, I’d send my best wishes along with a pocket protector.
I’d send Kay a written letter
Peter,
About the Torre issue…I agree…This whole thing borders on the ridiculous…If there are going to be criticisms leveled at Torre they should at least be substantive…
I can’t believe that anyone would consider what Joe Torre did as inappropriate…
Since when is it wrong to be concerned about a friend…it’s called being human…
Can’t sleep Pete?
Maybe he meant venereal? Oh, that would be Nomaas. Just kidding, Pete. You deserve all the kudos and more for your work here.
Michael Kay has a huge head.
Kay had a slow day. Who cares?
As much as I’d love to join in with the Kay bashers, he had a point. When A-Rod was struggling in his first years with the Yanks, he called Lou Pinella for advice. He had a long standing relationship with Pinella and considered him a father figure. Pinella wasn’t even a manager at the time, he was working for Fox as an analyst. Torre took great umbrage at this and reports were he was furious about it.
But now Torre gets to do this when the roles are reversed? Somebody explain that one to me. If it was wrong when Pinella did it why is it OK for Torre to do it?
This Michael Kay rant should not surprise anyone. He’s hated Joe Torre for a long time. Many times it’s thinly veiled, but since Torre’s been gone he hasn’t said ANTYTHING nice about him.
If there ever was a plant for ownership, this guy is it.
ha!! i could not believe he suggested that Joe Torre should write a written letter to Jorge Posada. you kidding me with that? ugh.
i really, really, really despise the fact that the only two shows we have to choose from in NY if you want to listen to sports talk on the way home from work is M&MD and Kay.
Kay is so full of it.
Chris Russo hit by a bus! That’s a thought that will be tough to stop thinking about.
His ratings must be so low that he needs to create a non-story about Torre. I can barely tolerate Michael Kay and this only reinforces my opinion of him.
HA! Pete you forgot the side note: Only Alex isn’t allowed to have contact with former coaches (because it looks like a diss on his current manager).
PS: Michael Kay just needs to be quiet he talks way too much (and doesn’t know as much as he think he does).
Let me clarify for you, Pete:
He’s referring to your VENERABLE disease.
You’re welcome!
But seriously, folks…
Michael “If You See” Kay, the Giant Head, is a buffoon who should be writing for the Poughkeepsie throw-on-your-lawn weekly Gazette. If that…
He’s a big mouth, a trouble-maker, a jackass and a blow-hard.
Does not belong on the air. Should not be doing play-by-play for the Yankees.
But that’s just my opinion. You may love him. You might think he’s great.
If so, GET HELP NOW!
I like Singleton, though. Where’d he go?
Torre called Kay out one time for being a soap opera kind of journalist (which he is — he loves the nasty gossip), and Kay has never forgiven him. This “take” the other day by Kay was ridiculous. Like Posada and Girardi are giving away all the Yankee secrets while they’re talking to the “enemy” now in Dodger blue.
I’d like to say it was just for talk radio purposes, but I really think Kay just wanted an excuse to rag on Torre.
The biggest difference I see with Pinella/Arod situation was that Arod wasn’t injured at the time of their convo; just in a bad slump. Posada IS injured and on the DL for the first time in his career and was extremely upset about his mysterious shoulder injury. Torre’s a father figure to Jorge. Also, at the time, there were a lot of planted stories by the Steinbrenner camp about how Pinella would make a better (read: fiery) manager for the team than Torre. That didn’t help matters.
Kay hates Torre. Fact.
first things first, longtime reader of the blog first time commenter. keep up the great work Pete!
But on the Kay/Torre issue. I happened to be listening to Kay both times he addressed this (Tues and Wed) and while he had a valid point regarding improper contact he did go completely overboard. At one point even suggesting that the Yankees should (but wouldn’t because he’s “St. Joe”) contact the Commissioner’s office with a formal complaint. Now I more or less enjoy Kay, moreso on his radio show than on the games, but he got completely carried away.
Everyone knows that Kay’s beef with Torre goes all the way back to ‘96 when in a packed clubhouse Torre told him “Don’t you f*** with me” (Olney wrote about this incident in his book). Kay kept his mouth shut for the next 12 years and the minute Torre left town it was open season.
Maybe Kay had a valid point, maybe he was ranting. But to think that the whole reason for him even bringing this up in the first place is something other than a personal animosity towards Torre is just plain naive.
Just one of the reasons I rarely listen to Kay anymore. He conjures up a topic like that just to stretch into 2 hours or so, then he tries to move onto something else to act like his show is multifaceted.
Torre isn’t even in the same league, nor is his team scheduled to play the Yankees this season. As far as any advantage he could possibly gain, I don’t see it. The whole world knows Posada is on the DL with a shoulder problem. That’s enough scouting report right there to know that when he returns to catching, you should test his arm out. I have zero problem with Torre calling his former teammates. Hell, he could call Curt Schilling for all I care. What harm is it doing?
I wonder if they have to custom make a headset to fit around Kay’s head.
Some how I have trouble seeing the words “Wu-Tang Clan Fan” and venerable applied to the same person.
Keep up the great work Pete!
Whitey Fraud said it all! no need for me to comment now!
Wang- there is no difference to me. Both players were/are going through diffcult times and former managers that they were comfortable with reached out to them and they accepted the help. It has been referred to numerous times in the media that Lou was like a father figure to Alex. Whether it was a physical injury or pyschological problem (trying to get out of a major slump and deal with the NY media/fans at the same time) makes no difference. Both players were/are trying to get better to help the Yankees.
Don’t you love the irony, my people?
Michael Kay has the audacity to imply Joe Torre is guility of the “appearance of impropriety” and a “conflict of interest” because as the Dodgers manager, he called Posada and Pettitte to inquire about their health.
(The sound of it is so petty and paranoid, in fact, one suspects Randy Levine and Hank Steinbrenner prompted Kay’s pious tirade.)
Yet following Torre’s dismissal, Michael Kay, Yankees announcer and organization loyalist, used his forum at 1050 radio to justify the Yankees’ decision, to tarnish Joe Torre’s reputation, and to deflect the backlash Randy Levine and the Steinbrenners suffered for their inept handling of the Torre departure, and had the intellectual dishonesty to claim it his own entirely individual opinion.
If that’s not base hypocrisy, what is?
Kay was being ridiculous imo
He needs a chill pill
Michael Kay does some pretty good work on things like Center Stage, and he also was good when he was on the radio doing play by play. Now that he has a sports talk program, he has morphed into a sports talk guy on game broadcasts. He is very annoying on the YES game telecasts. He always has former player color commentators at his side, but he constantly injects his personal _not professional_ opinions. Just do some play by play and let Ken, Flash, Bobby, Paul, or David give us their insights…. and leave your talk radio personna at the radio station – puhlease!
A good example of this is the postgame comments from the booth. He always speaks first, and usually says more in quantity than even both other guys when there are two more. You are not a former player, Mike, and your opinion is that of someone who watches a lot of games and talks a lot – nothing more.
I enjoy the games more when Ken does them on the road and Mike is back in NY doing his radio gig.
Bob
PETER YOU ARE MAKING A GRAVE MISTAKE!!!MIKEFRANCESCA WOULD STAND IN THE WAY OF THAT BUS AND TAKE THE HIT FOR RUSSO THUS DESTROYING THE BUSAND PROTECTING THE BELOVED SAINT RUSSO