Gio And Jerry Recco: Is Mike Fiers Criticism Warranted?

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Is Mike Fiers a conscientious whistleblower who should be commended for trying to protect the integrity of baseball? Or is he a snitch who is only interested in speaking out when it's convenient for him? 

WFAN's Gregg Giannotti and Jerry Recco on Friday discussed the situation involving Fiers, who exposed the Astros' sign-stealing scheme by talking to The Athletic. In 2017, when Fiers played for the Astros, the team illegally used a feed from a center-field camera at Minute Maid Park to steal opponents' pitching signs and then alerted batters to the upcoming pitches by banging on a trash can near the dugout.

Former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz on Thursday became the latest big-name figure to blast Fiers.

"I'm mad at this guy, the pitcher who came out talking about it," Ortiz said. "And let me tell you why. Oh, after you make your money, after you get your ring, you decide to talk about it. Why don't you talk about it during the season when it was going on? Why didn't you say, 'I don't want to be no part of it? So you look like you're a snitch. Why you gotta talk about it after? That's my problem. Why nobody said anything while it was going on?"

On WFAN's "Boomer and Gio" show Friday, Recco said he agrees with Ortiz's premise. 

"It's one thing to do what he did," said Recco, who was filling in for Boomer Esiason. "It's another thing to just sit quiet when you're there seeing it. And sometimes there could be financial gain for it; sometimes there won't be. But there is a point to be made, like you were kind of good with it when they did it when you put the uniform on. Why now?"

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Giannotti said it was probably a lot more difficult for Fiers to say anything while he was still playing for the Astros.

"It's a difficult ask, too, for someone who is making money from that organization," he said. "He is not one of the big players in that clubhouse. Basically, if he ends up speaking up about that, he's writing his ticket out of there. When you confront the guys in that Astros uniform about the Astros cheating, you're kind of putting your career in your own hands, too. 

"So I understand that when you're out of there, now all of a sudden you feel a little bit more protected. He shouldn't be looked at as a hero. But when people sort of misplace their anger in this situation with Mike Fiers, I think that's wrong."

Recco wondered if players in other clubhouses will have a hard time trusting Fiers now. "Do they say, 'We've got to watch our back with this guy?'" he said. 

Gio responded: "There could be a few people in there, but the reaction that you have seen from players killing the Astros about this, I feel like most of them are saying, 'Hey, man, thanks because they'd probably still be doing it if you didn't say anything.'"

Giannotti also said Fiers shouldn't be compared to Jose Canseco, who accused many players of using steroids. 

"Here's the difference: Jose Canseco was ratting on everybody to sell a book," Gio said. "So that's a guy who's broke and decides to tell everybody's personal business in the street for his own monetary gain. Mike Fiers told a reporter what was going on and sort of put his neck out on the line with this, and he's not writing a book."

To listen to the open from Friday's "Boomer and Gio" show, in which the guys also discuss Luis Severino's arm injury, click on the audio player above.