Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay spent the weekend making absurd statements about Red Sox fans. And yet, he’s seemingly surprised they’ve responded.
Thanks to social media, commentators can no longer rip fan bases and organizations with impunity. They must answer for their words.
Apparently, Kay takes issue with that.
The back-and-forth all started on a YES broadcast last weekend, when Kay likened Fenway Park to a movie theatre.
“Now, the Red Sox crowd is very quiet,” Kay said. “Players that have played for the Red Sox — and I’ve spoken with them — they say the difference between a Red Sox crowd and a Yankee crowd is, the Yankee crowd at Yankee Stadium will get loud to try and spur the team on to do something. And the Red Sox crowd reacts to something good. And they’re being shut out right now, so it’s kind of a quiet situation at Fenway Park.
“That’s long been the scouting report on the Red Sox crowd — not a knock on them. They’re reactive, rather than being proactive.”
Kay’s hypothesis didn’t hold up throughout the weekend, as the Red Sox took three of four from the limping Bronx Bombers. The crowd appeared to play a big role in at least two of those victories.
Take Thursday night, for example. Pitching at Fenway appeared to intimidate young Yankees reliever Brooks Kriske, who uncorked a record-tying four wild pitches in the decisive 10th inning. It was a throwback to the old days, when emotions and resilience mattered more than launch angles.
“This is baseball when baseball was baseball,” remarked Dennis Eckersley.
Following the game, Kike Hernandez, who ripped the game-tying double, said it was as loud as he’s heard Fenway all year.
Alex Cora issued a rebuttal of his own on Saturday, hours after Rafael Devers had brought everyone to their feet with a two-home run performance.
“It wasn't a movie theatre,” Cora said. “It was Fenway Park and it was fun."
Then on Sunday, the Red Sox stormed back for their 32nd come-from-behind win of the season, breaking up Domingo German’s no-hitter in the eighth inning, and subsequently scoring five runs.
Fenway was buzzing throughout, but Kay wouldn’t know. He was calling the series from YES' studios.
When the Red Sox come from behind at home, it seems as if the crowd wills them to victory. For decades, the Red Sox have always been a more dangerous team at Fenway.
This year’s club is living up to that reputation. When the Red Sox play at Fenway, they’re usually going to win, oftentimes in spectacular fashion. Look no further than Alex Verdugo’s go-ahead blast against the Blue Jays Monday night.
"Obviously, this is a tough place to play,” Cora told reporters afterwards, including WEEI’s Rob Bradford. "You can feel the energy.”
There’s no disputing the Red Sox’s record in front of the home crowd. They’re 32-20 at Fenway, but perhaps most notably, 17-7 since the ballpark was opened to full capacity.
That might be a coincidence, but it probably isn’t. Numbers don’t lie.
Kay is wrong.
On his radio show Tuesday, he took issue with the blowback he’s received, including from this radio station.
“They’re hurting my feelings,” Kay said mockingly. “I couldn’t care less. I will still lovingly walk down Newbury Street, because I love that town. I love that ballpark. The fans have always been great whenever they see me on the street. I just made a statement. They are not ‘preactive’ fans, they are reactive fans.”
For someone who couldn’t care less, Kay sure spent a lot of time making insinuations about the Red Sox last weekend. During one telecast, he indicated the Red Sox could be stealing signs.
“Yankees have to think something is going on with multiple signs and no one on base,” he said.
That’s a pretty wild allusion for Kay to make, considering the Yankees’ battle to keep court documents pertaining to MLB’s investigation into their alleged sign stealing secret. Fantasy baseball bettors are suing MLB for minimizing subterfuge, and pointing to the Yankees as an example.
Back in 2017, the Red Sox alleged the Yankees were using YES cameras to steal signs. The investigation reportedly addresses those accusations.
Of course, the Red Sox have no moral ground to stand on. They were implicated in a sign-stealing scandal of their own.
There’s also Cora’s history in Houston.
But the Yankees aren’t clean, either. If I implied the Yankees were cheating on a Red Sox telecast, I would expect pushback from their fans, and even from radio hosts.
It’s all part of the fun.
Kay claims to be in on the joke, but is he? Typically, hosts don’t open radio shows with topics they don’t care about.
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Comparing Biles to Brady is asinine: Blockheads and fake tough guys are ripping Simone Biles for withdrawing from the Olympics due to mental health reasons.
And they’re using Tom Brady in their arguments.
How ridiculous.
“Tom Brady doesn’t go in for the Super Bowl for the second half because of the mental pressure he feels,” said Clay Travis. “LeBron James takes himself out of the NBA Finals game 7 because of the mental pressure he feels. What would the reaction be compared to Simone Biles? Debate, discuss.”
Pencil-neck politico Matt Walsh also weighed in. “So if Tom Brady left the game in the third quarter of the Super Bowl because he was frustrated and wasn’t having fun, you all would defend it as a brave decision?,” he asked.
Oh, and Charlie Kirk didn’t invoke Brady, but he called Biles a “sociopath” for focusing on her mental health — and opting to not risk serious physical injury.
OK, then.
Biles and Brady aren’t alike in any way. Let’s start here: was Tom Brady ever sexually abused by one of his coaches or team doctors?
No? Argument over.
Biles’ decision to compete in Tokyo was brave. She was the only survivor of Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse to compete in these Olympics. "I had to come back to the sport to be a voice, to have change happen,” she said this year, via CNN.
That’s pretty incredible.
If you want to learn more about what Biles and her teammates went through, watch “Athlete A” on Netflix. The physical and emotional abuse levied on these girls was disgusting, and USA Gymnastics ignored it all.
The FBI didn’t follow proper protocols, either.
These girls were failed on every level. And people really think that’s comparable to a little big-game pressure?
Please.
Barstool’s football coup: Barstool Sports is expanding its media empire. On Tuesday, the company announced it will be the title sponsor for the Arizona Bowl on Dec. 31, and just as importantly, hold exclusive broadcasting rights for the game.
Barstool doesn’t hold TV rights, but it has incredible reach in the digital world. The game will air on Barstool’s website, app and social media platforms.
The Arizona Bowl will undoubtedly garner more eyeballs with Barstool than if it were buried on ESPN 2 sometime on New Year’s Eve. The game is usually between teams from the Mountain West and Mid-Atlantic conferences.
Expect this to be the first of many Barstool-exclusive broadcasts. TV executives can’t like this development.
Why is NBC making it hard to watch Team USA?: It was Sunday morning, and I felt like I was 85 years old. I was desperately trying to find the men’s basketball game, but my efforts failed. Unbeknown to me, the game was airing on Peacock, which I don’t have.
So I bought it!
That anecdote is exactly why NBC is making it difficult to watch men’s basketball and other Olympic events. They want more people to subscribe to their streaming service.
It’s the same reason why Fox used to put MLB playoff games on FS1. They wanted to entice cable companies to carry the channel.
Patriotism takes a back seat to profit.
