DA GAWDFADA

NOW THAT Mike (Sports Pope) Francesa has raised the possibility of delaying his December departure from WFAN, what will it take to get him to stay? During his Thursday sermon, His Holiness told the unwashed masses he informed WFAN’s “staff” that “I would not turn my back on the station if I thought it was in trouble.” Coincidentally (tee, hee) , Francesa had already leaked this line out in published reports. With uncharacteristic humility, the pontiff is setting the stage to play savior.

Since 2015, when he announced his plan to leave WFAN, I never believed he would actually depart. I thought his tremendous ego, and his inability to find another gig to satisfy it, would lead him to stay put at FAN. Yet I could never even imagine the arrest and subsequent resignation of his arch enemy, Craig Carton, from FAN’s morning show would provide the impetus for Francesa to change his mind and not leave. Hallelu……not so fast. If the situation between Francesa and CBS Radio (it currently owns FAN) does reach negotiation stage, the normal issues will come into play. With the suits now having to replace the two stars of their most lucrative day-parts (morning and afternoon drive), Francesa would come to the table with major leverage. The Pope’s benevolence stops at the negotiating table.

Does anyone really think he would give CBS a home-team discount? He could 1) Ask for the kind of money he’s making now, about $3 million per. 2) Ask for a raise. 3) Ask to do a shorter show at an inflated price or 4) If he’s really still set on splitting, ask for a 1-year deal and ask to re-name the offering “Lame Duck Pope.”

All this will be hard for CBS to swallow. If anything, especially with Entercom’s purchase of CBS Radio becoming official next year, and FAN station still suffering financially from overpaying for Yankees radio rights, the suits want cost certainty. That means they likely would want to sign Francesa for two years, at a “reasonable” price, which also buys them more time to revive their search for his successor(s).

The level of desperation the suits are feeling could determine if the Pope’s final financial request is a deal breaker. For it’s not a reach to suggest there is a faction at CBS with little use for Francesa. Some of the same people who, in the Spring of 2015, Francesa accused of “doing a good job of running this place into the ground” have not left the building. This is the same management that Francesa said were not giving him the respect he once enjoyed.

Are they going to be thrilled having to now, figuratively, kiss the Sports Pope’s ring? Especially those who see this as an opportunity to blow things up and move on to a future with a different sound, a fresh sound. Are those who invested time searching for an afternoon drive alternative going to feel great about crawling back to Francesa because they don’t have the spine to put afternoon-drive in the mouths of a new team?

Probably not. But business is business. With advertisers perceiving the FAN ship is sinking, with the station’s moral low, with FAN’s credibility an issue because off the Carton case, any further changes at this time will be followed by more questions. There is a need for stability. At least Francesa can provide that.

Will he?

MIKE & YIKES

All the turmoil inside FAN’s morning show is not providing any boost for ESPN-98.7’s “Mike and Mike” extravaganza.

As the countdown to their final program continues, Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic are not exactly rolling. In November, Golic will get a new partner, Trey Wingo. Greenberg moves to his own ESPN TV show in January.

One radio insider said as their nearly 18-year partnership comes to an end, Greenberg & Golic “are limping home in the ratings department.”

For these two cats parting will not be such sweet sorrow.

REGULAR JOE

Joe Benigno wants Todd Bowles fired. And he is convinced with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 Draft, the Jets will make the “wrong” selection.

No surprises there. Still, FAN’s Benigno, who is THE voice of the downtrodden fan, has shown another side in recent vintage rants. While many who think along the same lines as Joey B want the Jets to tank, Benigno wants them to win. How refreshing, a mouth who actually doesn’t waste time offering lengthy soliloquies on the Jets future.

This is a real fan acting like a real fan. This is the guy who invented fine whine saying, he can’t, under any circumstances, root for his team to lose. In a world full of cynical Gasbags, many who contrive arguments based on what’s trending on Twitter, Benigno remains real, genuine.

Enough said.

TONY AWARD

In his CBS debut last Sunday (OaklandTennessee) Tony Romo came out relatively unscathed.

The fact CBS suits kept him away from a bigmarket audience helped; so did CBS Sports boss Sean McManus’ decision to significantly lower his expectations for the rookie analyst.

After getting a chance to watch the game, a couple of elements of the broadcast stuck out. It appeared, at least to our naked ear, Jim Nantz was giving Romo more time (at least more than he usually gave Phil Simms) to speak before the ball was snapped.

This set Romo up perfectly to predict what play was coming. Romo was accurate with his predictions. Could any QB-turned analyst be equally as successful predicting plays if given the time?

Anyway, Romo’s predictions attracted much attention. If they continue to be incorporated into Romo’s broadcast they will narrow the scope of what else he has to handle during a game, which

is not exactly a bad idea for a rookie Gasbag.

FEEL THE ROTH

Once they got cooking together, it was clear ESPN-98.7’s Chris Canty and Richard W. DiPietro Jr. didn’t need a third wheel to hold their hand. So, when the execs moved the handholder, Alan Hahn, to the night shift it seemed like a righteous decision had been made. Instead, the suits tripped over their own stupidity, mucking things up by bringing utility man Dave Rothenberg in to run the mid-day show. Canty and DiPietro had already established their own brand of chemistry. Now they are saddled with Rothenberg and his stories about being a crazy Giants fans. Why?