Michael Kay: In 22 Years I Have Never Called For Anyone to be Fired

As the 2023 season reaches its midway point in Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees find themselves in third place in the AL East, 10 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays. This on the heels of being swept over the weekend by the last place Boston Red Sox.

On The Michael Kay Show on Monday, the Yankees TV play-by-play voice took some heat from callers who thought Kay should be calling for the job of general manager Brian Cashman. But Kay said it’s always been his policy to not advocate for people to be fired.

One caller told Kay that Cashman should be the one to go considering he assembled the roster, which has eaten up nearly $300 million this year alone in salaries of either injury-prone or underperforming players.

Kay pointed to his over two decades on the air with co-host Don La Greca, saying he hasn’t called for anyone’s job and he won’t start today.

“You’ve been with me doing this now coming on 22 years,” Kay said. “Not in 22 years – and much to your dismay – have I ever, ever, on any team in New York, ever asked for anybody to be fired. I’m sorry I just don’t do it.”

“We’ve had problems with that for a long time, where I think firing comes with the job, and I think it’s our job to call people out,” La Greca responded. “I have no problem with wanting somebody fired. It’s just a fundamental difference of how we decide to go about our business. And I’m not suggesting that you’re refusing to do it because you work for the Yankees or that you like Brian. You have an opinion that he should not be fired, and people disagree with that.”

Kay refuted that saying he hasn’t stated on the air that he supported either decision. He said he would leave that to other radio hosts to do that sort of bidding.

“I never said he should not be fired, and I never said that he should be fired,” he said. “I don’t address that aspect of sports talk radio.”

“This is not a hot take show like that,” Kay added. “I don’t call for people’s jobs.”

BSM Staff