What would the Valley of the Stupid be like without his presence? What would the world of New York sports be without his pompous stylings? Between swigs of Coca-Cola and blowing off first-time-caller-long-time-morons, who will we depend on for spiritual guidance and bad predictions?
What will life be without His Holiness complaining about his simulcast being preempted by the executives of Fox Sports None? And how will our mundane life ever be worth living without hearing Francesa not only ask Joe Girardi a question but answer it as well? My goodness, will life be liveable without being on the edge of our seat knowing his next interview with Sweeney Murti could once again put the Pope to sleep?
What will the Jets do without Francesa around to gratuitously bash them?
What will James (Guitar Jimmy) Dolan do without the Pope behind the microphone to spin for him when Phil Jackson decides to leave the Knicks before his contract expires?
Who will FAN boss Mark Chernoff find to torment him? What will Mike From Montclair do when Francesa is not around to receive his text message before allowing him on the air for a contentious exchange?
Who will Mongo Nation turn its lonely eyes to when Francesa splits? BenignoCon, anyone?
Most importantly, and what really matters, who will I have left to kick around when Francesa departs? It’s always about me, right?
Yes, listening carefully while he is on vacation, and knowing he is contemplating an exit strategy, we heard the future of local sports talk radio. Without Francesa, it sucks. The ultimate conclusion: If Francesa leaves we will miss him. For the VOS, his departure would be equivalent to the day the music died.
WFAN has backslid into this jive too. Not Francesa. His self-proclaimed importance, and longevity, have afforded him the opportunity to ignore the suits running the station. This is why his show remains highly entertaining (Okay, maybe two or three of the five hours are) and often unpredictable. Francesa does what he wants to do.
On vacation, Francesa has left a void. If he splits for good he leaves a canyon.
To read the rest of this article visit Bob Raissman’s NY Daily News column which is where it was originally published
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
