27
2009
Francesa Rips Wright and Church After They Snub Him
An article by 
I’ve spent the last two hours listening to Mike Francesa who is broadcasting live from Tradition Field at Mets Spring Training Camp.
Ryan Church and David Wright have struck a big blow today against WFAN’s Mike Francesa.
The two of them decided against appearing as guests on Francesa’s show because of comments Francesa has made against both players since the end of last season. Both were scheduled to appear and had been advertised to be special guests since Thursday afternoon.
The reason they snubbed him was because Francesa has spent a great deal of the off season trying to convince listeners that Ryan Church hates the Mets, a claim that has been disputed many times by Ryan Church.
Wright chose not to appear because Francesa has painted Wright as the reason for the two Mets chokes (his words not mine) and called him the most un-clutch player he has ever saw. Of course the facts paint a much different picture of Wright.
Good for them.
I wanted to hear the full blow by blow from Francesa before blogging this and he appears to have moved on to a new segment of the show.
In explaining the snubs, Francesa said:
“Ryan Church is not a big deal. I couldn’t care less about Ryan Church, nobody does. He’ll be out of New York long before I am, he’s just not that good a player. I won’t lose any sleep over Ryan Church not coming to my show.”
He then went off on David Wright saying he has had it too easy in his ascent to stardom, but the fact is he is not clutch and it’s about time we give him a healthy dose of criticism.
“Wright is not a clutch player, he can’t handle pressure, maybe the Mets should have thought about breaking up the core; Reyes, Wright and Beltran. Wright won’t make it in New York because he can’t handle the pressure, and he is very immature.”
“The Mets have no heart, the whole team has no heart. They have had the two biggest chokes in the history of this city, and David Wright is the big reason why.”
Wow… I’m speechless and I’m a tough person to shut up.
To think this is coming from the Mets flagship station is unbelievable.
This is not just a sportscaster levying a little bit of criticism… Francesa has ripped the organization to shreds, and spit on the face of the franchise.
Francesa has shown himself to be the scumbag we all knew he was. His arrogance and biased coverage of the Mets is well known, but this is entirely a new low.
I am shocked by his comments and I would think the Mets are going to address this unprofessional performance and unprovoked mud-slinging at a team that helps pay his salary.
And there is even a crazier twist to of all of this… Brace yourself…
Francesa threw out the first pitch in the game today.
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
Went to my first Mets game, a Mayors Trophy game at Shea, in '73. We beat the Yankees 8-4 and I was hooked. I marched in two Banner Day parades, and before the Grand Slam single, there was the "Hendu Can Do" grand slam - I was there. I've collected Mets memorabilia all my life and started Mets Merized Online to feed my addiction.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationals | 26 | 18 | .591 | - |
| Braves | 26 | 19 | .578 | 0.5 |
| Mets | 24 | 20 | .545 | 2.0 |
| Marlins | 24 | 20 | .545 | 2.0 |
| Phillies | 22 | 23 | .489 | 4.5 |
Last updated: 05/24/2012
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I was looking forward to hear Church clear everything up but apparently not. Mikes been killing the Mets for close to 2 decades now nothing new here. This has been going on for years, he killed Wright last year and you know how the Mets and Wright addressed it ? Wright doesn’t do his show anymore. That’s it. What do you expect the Wilpons to do ? Listen, let’s just start the season already.
Good for Wright and Church bailing on him.
The guy is a total douche.
Why any Mets fan continues to listen to this guy is beyond me. You tri-staters, tune to 1050AM in the afternoons to ESPN radio for a change. Might not be focused as much on NY sports, but at least your team isn’t getting slammed by this windbag.
O’Rourke is right – just stop listening! I see all these posts complaining about Francesca on various websites. Just. Stop. Listening. I never listened and am better off for it.
Listen! the station is the flagship of Mets not the personalities that are on the station. Mike Francesa is great and so is his show. Would you rather it be happy go lucky Mets talk 24 hours a day. That in my opinion would kill the station. The simple thing to do is just not listen to Mike and change to channel if you can’t handle a radio guy bash your team.
As for Ryan and Wright I understand not wanting to talk to somebody who’s been critical, but not all interviews can be cookie cutter fluff peices. Get some balls and speak you mind instead of not speaking at all, it just childish.
LETS GO METS!!!!
Francesa is so stupid, the Mets have had the two biggest chokes in the history of the city? He’s forgetting about the ’04 ALCS. What a tool.
C’mon Francesa is a dirtbag. He should apologize to Church and Wright.
The guy, simply put, is not a bona fide sports expert. It’s true that WFAN should have critical djs and guys who ask tough questions, but this sack of sh.. makes nonsense up–that’s hurtful and demeaning, and then expects the people he’s lied about to come on his show and subject themselves to him.
Churchy and Wright are dealing with him in the most appropriate manner possible; he ain’t worthy of their respect.
I can understand Church not wanting to talk to him, he made up that story of Church hating New York. You cannot do that here in this city, luckily he corrected it right away.
To be honest, no matter how much we hate Francesca, the man does have a a point and he has more credentials then this whole website put together.
Even though we don’t like what he says, it’s the truth…
Hey Ricky: Whatever affection you have for Francesca is misplaced. He was never that good on his own when he started, that’s why they had to bring in someone like the Mad Dog.
I’ll admit to not liking his show and therefore not listening since 2002, but the best way for Wright and Chruch to react IS to let him talk to himself and go out there and hit.
He reminds me of the Phillies: It’s one thing to “speak your mind” a time or two about the state of the Mets, but when you make a repeated effort to do so, you become obsessed.
Cream puff, by the way Ricky, is any interview he has with any one connected with the Yankees. YOU KNOW THIS TO BE TRUE. That’s the reason why he’s visible on the YES network!
When is the last time you’ve heard anyone on that channel rip the Yankees for the missteps that they’ve made in handling the A-Rod situation, A-Rod himself, Pettite’s situation last year and so on.
I used to hate Micheal Kay because I thought he was like “The Dough Boy”. But he’s ripped Yankees just as much as he does Mets personnel. Ricky, I can possibly disagree with you more.
Of course Church will be out of NY way before Francesa is! Church gets paid to play baseball, not for his opinions. Being a major league ballplayer, though very well paid, does not have the same job security as a fat windbag/”shock jock”. I can’t blame Church and Wright for snubbing him. I’m not surprised he cried about it either. He loves to get Mets fans riled up and apparently has done a good job. Like O’Rourke and James K. said, if you don’t like it, don’t listen. I stopped listening a few years ago and it’s been great…
That is F’in AWESOME!
I hope the Mets players boycott Fransissyca’s show all year! It’s obvious Francissyca is attmepting to create controvrsey to boost interst in his failing radio show at the Mets expsnse. No heart? But Alex Rodriquez, Andy Peddiit, ROger Clemens and Hhaaaaaaaaahaa their own Manager Joe Torre bash his former players. 3 drug users and a two faced phoney… yeah, if’s thats Fransissyca’s defination of heart I’m thinking the Mets are ok.
Wow! Mets fan actually pay attention to this guy. Not only does this work for the yankees (that’s right kids, you didn’t think he was “volunteering” his time on the yes channel, did you?) but he gets to empty his diaper on the Mets when he wants to. Ignore it. There was a Simpson’s Halloween episode where marketing icons came alive to reign terror on the masses. The solution was just to IGNORE them and they went away and died. The Mets will be fine.
OK DJ, so you haven’t listened to Mike since 02, so why are you commenting. I’ll bet you’ll be listening on Monday won’t you, just so can you hear all the whining Mets callers trying to defend Wright and Church. Thats what he does he lights the match and everybody else explodes.
Other than the show being simulcasted on YES he has no affiliation with the YES network.
So you like Michael Kay, Can you get anymore “visible” than Michael Kay on the YES Network. Centerstage is on every single day and not to mention he’s the TV voice of the Yankees.
I always watch Francesa on sunday nigth on NBC (Francesa Final).. i can’t believe a guy can criticize the player that ahs a franchise built around him. David Wright has the bat and glove to win himself MVP. He had 124 RBIs last year, and I admit he could have had more. But.. 124 RBIs how can anyone call that “unclutch”. As for Church.. before his cuncussion, him and Pagan provided most of the wins for the Mets in the beginning of the season. Wright and Church did the right thing by not appearing for Francesa.
Honestly..whoever calls the Mets choke-artists is wrong. They just happened to have the misfortune of having an injury at the wrong time. The Wagner injury was devestating to the team, and no one was able to pick up what he left behind.
I wish he wasn’t on the fan. He is so arrogant & mean spirited.I can’t believe the Mets tolerate this Bozo. What A JERK!!
Makes me glad I’m in the dark and don’t get the fan here in Florida!
Kudos to Wright and Church…Francesa is a moron.
Listening to Mike Francessa discuss NY Met issues, let alone Met history, is an exploration of ignorance. Last year, my 10 year-old son twice corrected statements that Francessa made on the air in the same broadcast, and he now refers to him laughingly as “Mike from Long Beach.”
Mike from Long Beach has alienated his purported close friend, Bill Parcells, Boomer Esiason, Chris Russo, Chris Carton and a host of other sports personalities and athletes. Oddly, he is deluded into thinking that he’s the news, not the athletes that he reports on.
Ryan Church and David Wright likely consider him irrelevant because the quality of his sports journalism has become increasingly unprofessional and belligerent. Wright, in particular, never ducks the media. He’s the opposite of thin-skinned; indeed, he’s his own worst critic. By the same token, he has absolutely no incentive to reward Francessa’s ignorance with an interview.
FACT CHECK: David Wright’s respective average, on-base % and slugging % last September/October: .340 – .416 – .577. Add 6 homers, 5 doubles and 21 RBI’s. If Francessa had half a clue about the Mets, he’d discuss Omar’s dismantling of the bullpen in the winter of 2006-2007 as the central reason for the team’s inability to close games out. Instead, he advocates blowing apart the second-best run producing team in the National League.
I don’t tolerate fools very well, which is one among many reasons why I can’t listen to this guy. Without anyone to counterbalance his biases and check his belligerent tirades, he will soon find himself isolated to a small coterie of people that agree with him. Those that disagree with him he mutes and then cuts off. He is the personification of an antagonistic blow-hard. Then again, what can we expect from a pig, but a grunt.
I don’t listen to WFAN in the afternoon anymore and could think of a thousand other pursuits more worthwhile.
Good for wright and church. I have not listened to fatboy in a while. Show must be unbearable without Dog, who I wasn’t a fan of either but at least he was funny. . . . .in a 40 year old virgin sort of way.
I wish all Mets players backed wright and church. No mets should do the show. When the Mets are WS champs of 2009 and none appear on his show. . . .he will catch crap from FAN. I am betting his ratings tank and they either get him another sidekick or within 3 years is done in NY.
Mike Francessa has gotten a little too impressed with himself. While he certainly knows his football, he has and will always be a “tampon” for the team from the Bronx. He will keep ragging on the Mets until he explodes from his own pompous attitude. Screw em!
“Least Clutch”? WRIGHT?!?!?
No, he’s got David confused with that OTHER New York 3rd baseman.
“No, he’s got David confused with that OTHER New York 3rd baseman” Good one Mikey!! Good for Wright and Church for not talking to that windbag. Now the ENTIRE team should close ranks and not speak to him. Who cares what that Yankee shill has to say about the Mets. Haven’t listened to him in years.
Someone tell me why Omar went on after he said this and then Mike being the coward he is, didn’t even bring it up. I want to puke when Fatscesa makes like he has an “in” with this org.
Silly. And possibly destructive.
I’m talking about the Church/Wright boycott, that is.
The Mets talk a lot the last couple of years. And now this little boycott is like a child’s protest.
That’s bush.
Talk softly and carry the big stick. Don’t brag, don’t pose, don’t show that anyone can get under your skin and drain any of your energy from attaining your goal.
Send your emails about your dislike of Mike to
fanmail@wfan.com
I already sent mine and this is what it says:
Hi, my name is Jeff and I live in Newtown, CT. I have been a New York Mets fan for about 13 years now and I listen to WFAN every night.
As of recently I have been hearing about Mike Francesa’s comments about the Mets, and I honestly think that something should be done about it.
When you have a host who is supposed to know his facts, yet decides to lie and make things up, that doesn’t gain interest from viewers. I don’t think its fair that us Mets fans have to listen to somebody total bash our team on a NEW YORK SPORTS radio station. It is extremely unprofessional. I don’t care that Mike F. is a Yankees fan but, it doesn’t give him the right to get paid to completely distract the Mets when the Mets let him throw out the first pitch at their pre-season game yesterday. He shouldn’t be telling all these lies about players not getting along when he doesn’t know the real story. I was pretty sure that when you are a sports analyst (which mike obviously isn’t) you have to go by what you already know, not what you think.
Now, I listen to WFAN every night and I particularly love Steve Sommers. Steve is probably one of the coolest, greatest radio talk hosts I’ve ever heard. Now what I am getting at is that Steve dislikes the Yankees, yet you don’t hear him acting like a jerk and spreading nasty rumors and telling listeners things that aren’t even known facts. Steve is proffesional and does his job accordingly. Steve doesn’t like the Phillies, but you don’t hear him acting immature.
I wrote this because I think that something should be done. This is a New York radio station and for Mike F. to hang up on Mets fans whenever he feels like it is just retarded. We can’t even get our 2 cents in.
If nothing gets done the ratings will do down, and WFAN will never be the same to me or any other Mets fan. He needs to keep his mouth shut and keep his thoughts to himself like other proffesionals on the show. (Steve Sommers, Boomer and Carton, Joe Bengino, and pretty much everyone else.
Thank you for your time.
All the best, Jeff S.