LET’S CALL IT WFRAN
Mike’s latest maneuver shows who runs station
When Mike (Sports Pope) Francesa took a break from his summer retreat to alert the unwashed masses, via Twitter, he would not be doing a show from Giants training camp “for the first time in my WFAN career” when he returns to work, it again provided evidence of who runs the radio station.
And it is why the call letters should change from WFAN to WFRAN.
Long ago the suits at FAN, now joined by their cohorts at parent company Entercom, gave Francesa what amounts to unlimited and unchecked power.
There are plenty of examples. Here’s just a few: 1) Francesa stages a phony retirement, embarrassing the company. Yet the suits roll out the red carpet hailing his return after already signing contracts with his “successors,” Chris Carlin, Maggie Gray, Bart Scott. 2) The suits allow Francesa, and only Francesa, to broadcast regularly from his home studio. 3) The suits continue allowing the Pope to work without a signed contract. 4) Entercom partners with Francesa on his app, which directly competes with FAN. 5) Management requires all WFAN talent to attend a recent Fan Fest in the Bronx, except Francesa.
And now WFAN, the Giants rightsholder, allows Francesa, and his highly rated afternoondrive show, to blow off a Giants camp remote because GM Dave Gettleman, who the Sports Pope once called “a loser,” said he would not do a training camp interview with him. Francesa, trying to make himself the martyr here, accused Gettleman of “hiding.”
Considering how His Holiness has verbally beat up on the GM, there is no doubt a Francesa-Gettleman tango would be entertaining. At least until Francesa started answering his own questions. Then he would wind up making nicey-nice to Gettleman. We’ve seen that movie too.
Still, it’s surprising Gettleman, who is fearless behind the microphone, will not give Francesa access. On those occasions he engages with boss scribes, Gettleman dishes it out. Could it be he can’t take it? Does the Giants brash GM have a glass jaw?
Now, it really doesn’t matter. If Gettleman wants to deny access to Francesa, whose rip job on the Giants (it made for sizzling radio), their GM, and their coowner John Mara, got ugly and personal, that’s his right. None of these cats are obligated to talk to the media. But then they can’t
beef when they are accused of “hiding.” Or subscribing to the media blueprint of James (Guitar Jimmy) Dolan.
Francesa should aim for higher ground. Yet time and again he’s showed he is incapable of doing such. In this instance he owes it to his large audience to do that show from Giants camp. If Gettleman doesn’t want to appear there are still players and coaches’ fans want to hear from. Francesa, on the scene, could make his point by reminding listeners (several times) about Gettleman’s reluctance to appear.
That’s not going to happen. For once again Francesa has put his personal issues ahead of doing what’s right for his audience. His collaborators are the suits who continue enabling him.
They are spineless.
DON’T DO THAT
When the Mets were struggling mightily, they had no defenders in the media.
That was highly understandable. Nonetheless it’s now comical to hear Valley of the Stupid Gasbags feeling compelled to defend themselves for their previous opinions.
Instead of getting highly defensive, as ESPN-98.7’s Dave Rothenberg and Richard W. DiPietro did when a caller referred to them as “frauds,” they should say only a moron — or Mickey Callaway and Brodie Van Wagenen — would have defended the Mets before they embarked on their winning streak.
MICHAEL KAY’S SUB
Bob (Rapping Roberto) Costas brought his insight, sardonic wit, and mellifluous tones to the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network booth last week. That’s no surprise.
Still, Roberto threw one major curve ball while filling in for Michael Kay, who is still on the mend following vocal cord surgery. For reasons known only to him, Costas decided to enlighten viewers on the difference between doing a national telecast and a local one.
Was Costas, who grew up a Yankees fan, trying to explain why it was cool for him to see things through pinstriped spectacles, if only for a day? If not, there was no need for the explanation. Even those who appreciate Costas for his decades of being an independent voice know the difference between a YES telecast and an MLB Network production.
SPILL THE TEA
It was only the first exhibition game on the sked, but Carl Banks was cooking.
Especially before Giants rookie QB Daniel Jones entered the game Thursday evening. Banks, working with Bob Papa on the Ch. 4 Jets-Giants telecast, flat out said those who killed the Giants for picking Jones sixth in the draft “don’t know football.”
Then, noting how some of the skeptics had begun changing their tune after seeing Jones work in camp, Banks said: “These geniuses now have their erasers. They have erasers so they can flip-flop.”
Only thing missing was Banks identifying these “geniuses” by name. That would have really been hot stuff. Oh well, Banks still has plenty of time to get specific. Will he?
BON VOYAGE
Is Norman Julius Esiason finished telling the Free World he is leaving Showtime’s “Inside The NFL,” where he toiled for five seasons?
Esiason first spilled the beans on his WFRAN morning show. Then he took to Twitter to say he and Showtime “mutually agreed” to a parting of the ways. When we hear the words “mutually agreed” we automatically think either the two parties couldn’t stand each other or couldn’t settle on the financial terms of a contract.
Anyway, the Twitter world was quite supportive of Esiason, praising him for his work on the show. We will miss Norman too, if only for his incredible chemistry with Phil Simms. Hopefully, they will turn up the heat on each other when they return to their gigs on CBS’ “The NFL Today.”
Who will replace Esiason? “Inside the NFL” had a revolving cast that worked with Simms and host James Brown. So, look for cats like Ray Lewis, Michael Irvin, Brandon Marshall or recent Hall of Fame inductee Ed Reed to appear.