On Monday, several Major League Baseball teams reportedly made decisions on who would serve as their next managers, an important hire that will execute in-game strategy and contribute to the conversation regarding player development and how to maximize the value within talent. The hectic day began with the Cleveland Guardians announcing that they had inked former MLB catcher Stephen Vogt to a contract to succeed Terry Francona as the team’s manager, a role in which he will seek to bring the team back to the playoffs after falling out of contention last year.
Once that hire was made, all of the attention centered on Craig Counsell, the esteemed savant in the dugout who was expected to make a decision that afternoon. His incumbent organization, the Milwaukee Brewers, along with the New York Mets, were viewed as the finalists, but the picture became slightly more clear, at least to many onlookers, when Jon Heyman of the New York Post posted an update on X. It happened to coincide with a segment live on The Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata Show on WFAN, leading to a moment that will likely live on for years to come.
“Oh no dude; oh no,” Licata said. “Jon Heyman just tweeted this. Are you kidding me!?…. Come on! Mets are hiring Mendoza to manage, this according to Heyman and Joel Sherman.”
Licata was referencing New York Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza, who is reportedly leaving the organization after 15 years to go across town and manage the New York Mets. Tierney, who is a Yankees fan, could sense Licata’s indignation and exasperation towards the hire bereft of any major-league managerial experience. As a result, Tierney allowed Licata, an avid Mets fan, react live on the air to the situation that was unfolding.
“I knew it Counsell, you bum! I knew it, BT! All you guys sucked me into it…. I knew it! He didn’t want to be here; he wanted to stay in Milwaukee; his heart’s there,” Licata exclaimed regarding the managerial candidate, who ended up joining the Chicago Cubs later that day. “Fine, and the Mets had to go Mendoza, a Yankees bench coach. I am beyond, beyond disgusted with this – beyond disgusted with this!”
Tierney, trying to hold back his laughter, ended up spitting his coffee out on the air, audio that Boomer & Gio played several times on Tuesday morning to see if they could identify the moment. The video of Licata’s reaction has amassed more than 360,000 views on X as of Tuesday morning, eliciting comments from both New York baseball fanbases and listeners at large.
“As good as the audio is, whoever produced that video – I’m not sure who that is – but that person did an amazing job,” Giannotti said. “The cutting back and forth, because what was really great was they cut to BT when he wasn’t even saying anything, and his facial reactions were tremendous. They were just absolutely great, so I don’t know if that was [Anthony] Gallo or [Tom] Izzo. Whoever did that, it was awesome.”
