New York Mets play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen expressed concern Tuesday over Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw missing a game to attend the memorial service for Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on September 10. The service for Kirk, a conservative activist and outspoken Cubs fan, was held Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Shaw was notably absent as the Cubs faced the Cincinnati Reds, a game they lost 1-0.
It was not immediately clear why Shaw missed the game. Only after the contest did it emerge that the player had traveled to Arizona to attend Kirk’s service, with the Cubs granting him permission to do so. During Tuesday night’s Mets-Cubs broadcast on SNY, Cohen addressed the situation, voicing his discomfort with the timing.
“Shaw had Cubs world in a tizzy this weekend when he was not here for the Cubs game with the Reds,” Cohen said. “A game they lost one-nothing, and in which his lack of presence was felt. It was later revealed that he had been given permission to attend Charlie Kirk’s funeral. And I don’t want to talk about any of the politics of it, but the thought of leaving your team in the middle of a race for any reason other than a family emergency really strikes me as weird.”
Shaw, speaking to reporters before Tuesday’s game, addressed his decision to attend the service. He described Kirk as “one of the biggest Cubs fans” he had ever met and recalled meeting him in Arizona. Shaw added that he had maintained regular contact with Kirk prior to his death. While Shaw acknowledged the competitive timing, he emphasized the personal significance of paying respects to Kirk.
The comments of Cohen sparked a number of members in the media to share their thoughts on Cohen’s words.
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Having any apprecation of the climate on this topic, Gary Cohens comments are ill advised and unnecessary. Why he felt the need to comment on another teams player and actions, particularly without knowing that the player and team discussed this is wrong. Regardless of his intent, I would suggest in this instance he does owe Shaw an apology..