In late September, on WFAN, Mike Francesa said he had been told that Ryan Church ‘hated it here,’ while adding, ‘I know for a fact that he didn’t like the Mets, he didn’t like the city and he was not a happy guy here.’
Church denied ever making such a statement, according to the Daily News in October, and again in November on MLB.com.
Meanwhile, again, in an in-depth report about the right-fielder, in last week’s Daily News, Church said:
“I never said it. I have no clue where that came from. I put a call in to make sure front office knew that was a bunch of bull. I love New York – it’s where I want to finish my career. I’m looking forward to putting my Mets uniform on.”
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Rays Close To Signing Burrell
By Tim Dierkes [January 5 at 12:51pm CST]
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Rays are close to signing Pat Burrell to a two-year, $16MM deal. It’d be a solid move, as the Rays can increase his value by not using him in the field. The ‘08 Rays struggled against lefties (.726 OPS) and Burrell crushes them (.952 OPS in ‘08).
Rosenthal figures this signing may pave the way for the Cubs to get Milton Bradley and the A’s to sign Jason Giambi.
I try not to rip on Mike Francesa as much as some of the others on this site, however, this is just plain wrong. There has to be some accountability for saying something like this. It is one thing to speculate or make claims about the business side of baseball (trades, hiring/firing, etc.), but it is another thing to fabricate stories about the private feelings of players.
If the front office believed even an inkling of this statement, it could potentially influence their decisions on trading or keeping Church. Not that they believe what Francesa says and not that they even listen, just saying that he should be held accountable for a blatent lie and should be forced to publicly apologize.
if he had any sort of accountability for some of the things that come out of his mouth he wouldnt have lasted 3 years, let alone 20
As Francesa always says, it is a coward who remains an unnamed source. If he knows for a fact who said something, and keeps it a nameless source, isn’t he promoting cowardice?
Try not smart a$s. Why would Francesa name his source? So the guy won’t give him stories anymore? A guy is a coward when he talks about somebody else in the media and doesn’t put his name behind it. A member of the media not revealing his source is hardly cowardice. Dumb a$s.
if true, good signing by the Rays. Appropriate money and short term for a guy that should be a DH and mostly hit against lefties (and “easy” righties).
Looks like a few guys (dunn too) are going to get a lot less than they expected a few months back! Not that you can’t live on 8M a year I guess (if you are frugal).
Just make sure you put your helemet on too Ryan
hahaha
someone get him a chinstrap, ala little league helmets.
Congratulations, Mike Francesa ! 90% of MetsBlog readers are calling you a liar!
7%, 260 Votes think that francessa is telling the TRUTH!!!! that is out right appalling. It should be 99.9% saying he’s lying with one vote (francessa’s) saying he’s not. those of you thinking that francessa was telling the truth should be ashamed.
The thought of Mike Francesa wasting time coming the dump that is Metsblog to vote, as if he actually cares what you idiots think, is hilarious. Matt also seems to have a nice little hard on for Mike Francesa since he seemingly brings this stupid story that nobody cares about up like once a week.
And atleast 90 percent of Metsblog readers are legally retarded! So the jokes on who?
do we really need to take a poll on this?
i’m trying to think of a more useless poll…anyone?
How about a poll on Mets uniforms?
This is easily my favorite poll of the year.
i dont think mike just took this out of NOWHERE at all just to say it…he probably was told by SOMEONE that church doesnt like it too much, OR that someone did say it to mike, but it wasnt church, it was like some other player saying “i hate ny” and mike being the moron that he is, thought he was talking to church, or maybe he was AT CHURCH when this was said to him,and FATcessa put 2 + 2 together and wound up with the answer of 9, being him saying “i konw church said he hates it here”
GOd fatcessa stinks
I think you hit the nail on the head. The fat man probably heard (maybe even misheard) something second hand, ran a marathon with it. And restated it as fact.
Of course he always does this to rile up the listeners. DO yourself a favor and don’t listen to him on WFAN.
Although I bet he can spell.
anyone who watched the Mets could tell that Church was out of it the last few months of the season
probably had a lot more to do with the fact that he had 2 concussions in 1 season but nonetheless Church did not look happy here.
somehow i dont see Francesa just making up something, whether you like him or not he is one of the most respected sports talk radio hosts in the country…
How there are 65 voted for Fatcessa is beyond me. Give me a break the guy is a complete joke and makes things up to get people to listen to the show
Yes, indeed. A strategy sure to keep him the most successful sports radio host in the country for the last twenty years.
MIKE CAN NOLONGER BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY ANYWAY. SINCE DOG LEFT THE SHOW IS A JOKE. MIKE THINKS HE KNOW MORE THAN HE ACTUALLYY DOES. THAT IS WHY I NO LONGER LISTEN TO HIM. HE NO LONGER MATTERS. UNTILL HE IS PUT WITH A PARTNER THE SHOW WILL CONTINUE TO STINK IT UP AND THE PARTNER CANT BE A YES MAN IT HAS TO BE SOMEONE THAT CAN CHALLENGE HIM. i THINK ROBERTS WOULD BE OK. CARLTON WOULD BE AWSOME. MET FAN AGAIST A THE FAT MAN
Typing in caps is so cool.
This is like asking who is a better person: Nelson Mandela or Pol Pot? Kind of a rigged survey, no?
at least chris russo was funny when he lied.
I don’t think the puppy lied, he was just the fat man’s pooch and just not well informed.
Russo is the man. Definitely not the smartest guy, but he was self-deprecating and funny, unlike the arrogant and pompous Fatcesa.
Again, Francesa kills un-named sources. That is, unless he is using them to promote his own agenda.
Or slaps them on two slices of rye, loads it up with mustard and eats them.
He kills unnamed sources when they are athletes who are cutting up other athletes in the media and are scared to attach their name to what they say. Nobody in the media reveals their sources. If they do, that source will no longer be their source. Idiot. Are you really that stupid?
I must say, it is easy to root for Church. He plays all-out and appears to be a genuinely good guy from a clas-sy family. The Daily News piece is a good one.
cla*ssy family?
He can lie about little things, but the put out stories that could ultimately end someone’s career in NY is down right disgusting.
He didn’t exactly “pull it from nowhere”…
I recall a Adam Rubin blog which mentioned how ticked off Church was when Duaner Sanchez and Ricardo Rincon showed up a mere 30 minutes before game time (it was the day Santana beat the Marlins). There were also other rumblings that Church was not happy with the clubhouse.
Is it the same as hating a city, not at all, but I would not be surprised in such a gung-ho player like Church was displeased with the clubhouse and their devil may care attitude.
Who is telling the truth?
Let’s get Congress to appoint an independent investigator…
Church should have called WFAN, ambushed Fatcesa and tore him a new one and demand he name his source, like Schilling did that time when he called up the Boston radio station and blasted the host.
Fatcesa would have called Church a liar to his face. The fat man has no morals. He’ll end it with a, “We’ll agree to disagree.” OR “I don’t recall ever saying that.”
SHOW ME THE TAPES!!! GO SHOW ME THE TAPES!!!! When i said that.
That’s what he will say if he’s riled up. Like people sit here and tape him.
The guy is a moron, I used to listen. Haven’t since Mad Dog left. Gave it a week and couldn’t take it. I still listen to Russo over on Sirius.
Mike is wrong, always wrong. He was never worried about the yankees. Not once, he said this is what they do. They were right to sit out on Johan. Kennedy was going to be special and win 12 games his first year and Hughes will be an ace and win 15+. Melky will develop into a very terrific Outfielder like Torrie Hunter type. Cano will win a batting title. I can go on and on and on.
Oh and he 100% threw out the Church to Paul O’Neil comparisons when statistically it was identical when they were traded. You know because Paul O’Neil is a stud and Church is on the mets.
Speaking of lying for the sake of lying? Only like 5 percent of what you just said is true. You people have truly reached a new peak of ignorance.
WAS THIS THE SAME SOURCE WHO TOLD FATSESCA THAT THE ONLY WAY THE METS WOULD GET SANTANA IS IF REYES
IS INCLUDED IN THE TRADE ??
AN OVERPAID, GLORIFIED COUCH POTATO IS WHAT HE IS…PLEASE PEOPLE PAY HIM NO MIND
Why would any rational person believe anything that Mike says without first making sure it checks out. We all know that more often than not he making crap up so that he can name-drop and say that he is personal friends with someone who told him that his information was solid.
I honestly cannot understand how this buffoon stays employed.
Good God, why are we still talking about this story? As misguided as Francessa’s comments were, Cerrone’s obsession with this issue is bizzare. Its like Ahab going after the white whale (not intended as a Francessa is fat joke). We really need a poll for this? Why is it Cerrone’s job to continue to put egg on Mike’s face over this? Let it go…..
People hear and report things that aren’t true all of the time. Lord knows people have blown a lot of smoke in Cerrone’s face over the years, yet no one has a website devoted to repeating things he said that don’t turn out to be true….
How naive are you met bloggers?? Obviously Church is going to deny he ever said that… He can’t look like a complaining discontent, like he obviously is.. Why would Francessa arbitrarily make up such a story? You think he just picked Ryan Church and ran with a total fabrication… clueless
Fatso francessa has a history of running with things that he has no idea about.
I don’t think he intentionally picked on Church, nor do I think he completely made it up; however, when confronted with Church’s statement, Francessa refuses to say he was wrong- which is what Francessa always does.
rd
Give me a break he heard it elsewhere & ran with it have you not ever heard his show?? Don’t think for a second he has a million sources who would have come up with this one most sports personalities hate this guy & would not share anything with him.
Francesa is such an overhyped moron…He also absolutely knew Piniella was going to manage the Mets a few years back…
Francesa can either go to the source (Church) and ask him directly, (yeah I know, fat chance)
or
go with his unnamed source, most likely Ed Coleman.
But if Church says he’s happy, you have to take him at his word, or else this unnamed source has to say what it is that is causing Church to be so unhappy that he wants out of New York.
Otherwise, as an unnamed source, if you do not want to provide any details, you should just be quiet and stop making Francesa look like an idiot.
He doesn’t need any help from anybody else.
By the way, Ryan Church is an easy guy to root for.
He plays the game hard, good outfielder and says he wants to be here in New York.
Is this the most idiotic request for a vote on Metsblog:
0 YES
0 NO
well i dk who is telling the truth ,but Francesca is a joke and fat.so whatever
Anytime Francesa says something, I know to always believe the opposite of what he says.
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