Few sports markets have as passionate a fan base as New York. Sometimes, that passion brings borderline irrationality, as fans tend to stick by their favorite teams or players regardless of outcome – and Desus and Mero both proudly fit that mold when it comes to their beloved New York teams.
The Showtime late-night talk show hosts joined Moose and Maggie on WFAN on Monday to talk about what hills they chose to die on when it came to defending some of their favorite players, even when deep down, they knew it was a losing battle.
For Desus and Mero, those polarizing figures were Carmelo Anthony and Alex Rodriguez, both of whom carried plenty of material to debate during their time in New York.
Anthony is one of the top scorers in Knicks history, but his defensive play was often criticized. By just his third year with the Knicks, the team's defensive efficiency dropped to 24th in the league. The following year, it was down to 28th. But Mero doesn't want to hear any of that 'Melo slander, regardless if it was justified or not.
"Listen, remember Jon Snow in the Battle of the Bastards in Game of Thrones when he pulls out that sword to fight off an army of horses or whatever?" Mero asked. "That was me saying 'Melo can play defense, guys! Trust me! 'Melo's entire tenure was me on Twitter getting banned because I was defending his honor and his ability to play defense, or his defensive prowess."
Anthony's defense was a consistent topic of conversation during his Knicks days, as the forward was often accused of being disinterested on that end of the floor, instead focusing on his scoring totals. If you ask Mero, the Knicks superstar was just saving his energy for when it mattered most.
"I used to say all the time: when this guy goes up against LeBron, he leaves it all on the floor," Mero said. "He saves his best for the best."
Anthony and the Knicks often gave LeBron James and the Heat troubles during the regular season, but that defense consistently failed to show up against Miami in the playoffs.
Speaking of failing to show up in the playoffs, Rodriguez was consistently criticized by Yankees fans for failing to show up in October, and tensions with the fan base boiled over after Rodriguez confessed to taking steroids. For many, that was the final straw in their support for the superstar infielder, but not for Desus, who was ready to welcome A-Rod back to the Bronx with open arms when he made his return.
"Remember there was a weird period where Yankees fans were proud of A-Rod after his steroid confession?" Desus asked. "I remember being at Yankee Stadium for A–Rod's first return after the steroids, and he got a standing ovation – and I was one of those people. I still have my A-Rod jersey, it had a mustard stain on it from 2009, and I was clapping and looking at everyone around me doing that thing you do where you tell people to stand up, and they were all looking at me like I had lost my mind."
Who knows, maybe Desus' support helped. Rodriguez went on to reverse his playoff narrative, leading the Yankees to their first World Series title in nine years, though there was plenty of controversy still to come. But any future criticism wasn't coming from Desus.
Check out Moose & Maggie's full interview with Desus & Mero below for more goodness!
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