Homer Award: It Was Only a Matter of Time
Those familiar with the broadcasters for the New York Yankees will understand what the title of this article is in reference to. I mean, if you’ve watched or listen to any of their ballgames, you can pick-up any number of comments that warrant a “Homer Award”, to any number of individuals. Today’s award goes to: Michael Kay. Now I actually listen to Kay’s radio program on ESPN radio, and it is entertaining. That being said, he is a huge homer of the Yankees. The
funny part is, callers call into his show to tell him, and he gets angry and gets them off the phone.
But I continue with the presentation of our award. During yesterday’s broadcast, Joba Chamberlain struck out a batter, and did a mild little ‘fist pump’ while walking off the mound. The next inning, Kay gets into a discussion about all the “hub” in the New York media that had surrounded Joba and his antics on the mound, and how it was overblown. Truth be told, I agree with him here. Let the kid have some fun. That being said, it was in a game where the Yankees were up 4-6 runs against a poor team that Joba pounded his chest, yelled, and twirled off the mound after a strikeout. That, to me, was a little over-the-top. But he’s nasty, so it’s all good.
No issues yet…until Kay decides to make reference to Tiger Woods’ putt on Sunday of the U.S. Open to force the 18-hole playoff. Kay wondered how Woods 
with his behavior, but Joba get’s guff (I am para-phrasing, of course). What!? A U.S. Open, Tiger Woods, one of the greatest athletes of our time? Not to mention the guy was obviously thrilled over triumph, while playing with a torn-up knee. Are you alright, Mr. Kay? There is a HUGE difference between Woods’ making such a putt in one of the four major tournaments, and Joba striking out a Kansas City Royal when his team leads 8-2 in the 8th inning of a May baseball game.
What a Homer.
Filed under: New York Yankees, _Homer Awards
Michael Kay must possess a short memory, apparently he doesn’t remember the NASTY BOY trio of Rob Dibble , Randy Myers and Norm Charlton. Those guys were dominant on the mound and equally as entertaining off it.
Randy Myers kept hand grenades in his locker (duds) and on occasion would let one slip right over the top of the batters head. His game was sheer intimidation and it worked.
Rob Dibble while warming up would deliberately heave one or two pitches halfway up the screen in plain view of the opposing batter and most of Dibble’s verbal and physical provocation seems studied, which is either better or worse than if he were a natural maniac.
Norm Charlton actually holds three degrees from William Marsh Rice University and was nicknamed “The Genius” by his teammates.
Sorry but I disagree. Tiger does get over the top at times with his celebrations of big putts. Chamberlain’s fist pumps are similar to what we see from a lot of other pitchers, yet he is the only one singled out.
What about K-Rod? Papelbon? CC Sabathia? just to name a few, and they have done it in similar circumstance. Given the age difference, this whole thing about Joba’s fist pumps are about beating down a Yankee player.
Kay is not a homer. If you listen to him call games you would swear he has man-love toward just about every opposition player the Yankees face. Many Yankee fans watch the games because they can’t stand to listen to Kay.
The man is an idiot, not a homer.
It’s funny that Yankee fans find Kay not to be a homer, because they are homers as well. Kay is a super-homer, and an idiot to boot. This hick makes the YES network look twice as pathetic as it already is. He may not be as bad as John Sterling (who should get a daily Homer), but Kay is still a grade-A homer and does not deserve to be on the air.
The Jerry Era Record: 2-1
Kay is atrocious and that is a fact, only he is not alone, add Dwayne (D-whiner) Stats and Joe Magraine (Migraine) of the Rays as 2 other perfect examples of whome whine regarding each and EVERY LITTLE call that goes against the Rays and harp about it for the rest of the game, show a close up of the umpire 10 times for the next 3 innings if the think a minor infringement has been made against the Rays and.. Well you get the idea..
The problem with these brutal announcers and shortage of progessional announcers such as Harry Kalas still in Philly and the great Vin Scully from LA, Bob Ueker calling in Milwaukee still, is that many of these “other” announcers are no different than the shortage of starting pitching from so many teams in MLB right now with all teams having heavy TV schedules, that some teams just get these people, start with them from the begining (as the Rays did with Stats and Magraine) and then think that the local fans actually enjoy the way they call the game, only that some of them (like me) turn the volume off and just watch.
It does not take long to figure out whom has those homer announcers and yep, the Yanks YES network, the Rays home and FSN network are 2 of the absolute worst. I do have to give credit where credit is due however. Kay is not NEARLY as bad as Phil “Scooter” Rhizutto” ever was, that guy was the worst homer ever, ex player or not, anyone that would ever call a manager in the dugout during a game and announce it during a broadcast regarding an opponent batting out of order is WORSE than a homer.
Speaking as a Yankees fan Micheal Kay is not a homer I wish you would listen to the times he rips Mike Mussina and the Yankee team w/ RISP. The thing about the fist pump is where he loses alot of fan respect, I wouldn’t take the fist pump away from Joba nor Tiger Woods and Kay went into a nonsense debate w/ Flatherty about it. I’m trying to remember that 8-2 game vs CLE and it was 6-3 at that time and it was the day after his first blown save in Yankee Stadium, much of us think nothing of it but Joba is a energetic kid he’s always been that way.
Micheal Kay if he is a homer it’s usually when he rants about Jeter’s “being a captain” he criticizes Joe G’s move, the day after the Ramirez nonwalk he ripped Girardi on radio, he also ripped him on not being accessible to the NY media and that opened a whole bunch of garbage. Trust me this guy is only a homer when he makes live calls, on his show he’ll bring up Steve Philips and listen to his nonsense agree w/ it rip and rip away jow this team is a 200 million payroll and why they can’t be in transistion. There’s alot more stuff but last night was club night for me and I don’t want to throw up talking about Michael Kay.
P.S. if you want a real homer pay attention to John Sterling if you can follow what he saids most of us can’t.
For one thing, it is the YES network… last I checked, that stands for YANKEE Entertainment and Sports.
Want “homers” who are on a supposedly neutral network, tune in to ESPN. Gammons, king of the homers and all things Boston.
Kay goes out of his way to show he isn’t a Yankee fan, Gammons runs for President of the “nation”. Then there is Phillips, the guy who can’t find a job as a GM. Talk about homer stuff, listen to him.
Sterling is a “homer”, and while I don’t like listening to him all that much, he should be a homer if he is a “voice” of the Yankees.
Rizzuto was a homer, and proud of it. So what? He had been a member of a championship team, he loved the Yankees. So what? You knew what you were getting, an unappologetic, unabashed Yankee lover who was proud of the history of a franchise that he was a part of.
I find it more offensive that ESPN is little more than NESN, where they pretend that they are unbiased, then go on their man-love crap about everything Boston, with rare exception. That stuff has ruined their network. Kay, for as bad as he is, is working for the Yankees, gets paid by the Yankees, and rarely supports the Yankees with his play by play and chatter.
Roid Heaven, you’re out of your mind if you think Michael Kay is not a Yankee fan. He is a diehard; just listen to him.
Roid heaven, So it’s ok for Rizzuto to be Yanks ex player and a homer, but not for Gammons to have written for the Boston Globe for 25+ years and not be a homer? Hmmmmm
John Silver, when a man is a broadcaster for a network that is supposed to be unbiased, then, yes, I expect him not to be an over the top lunatic homer.
Rizzuto was calling Yankee games, he was a voice of the Yankees, so I would expect him to be a Yankee homer. Gammons tries to claim otherwise, yet, since his stroke his over the top manlove for all things Red Sox is to the absurd levels. Everything he says and thinks is colored by his adoration for the Red Sox. ESPN has ruined itself with becoming a subsidiary of the Red Sox and all things Boston. He is a large part of that.
Omar Rocks!, I take it that reading comprehension isn’t your strong suit. I certainly hope you do not work at a job where that is a must, because its downright scary how poor your reading skills are.
Just listen to Kay? I listen to him every Yankee game for as long as I can stand it till I turn off the sound.
Roid Heaven, I am not disputing the fact that Gammons does not have a slanted view towards the Red Sox, he has a big part towards the Jimmy Fund, a MAJOR fund raiser and Cahirty fund for the Red Sox and plays the electric guitar in a band for a charity band that Tho Epspein and others in the red Sox organization also play in and all of the money is donated to the fund as well and knows more about the Sox organization and it’s going on, so he does indeed report more about what goes on about them, however, he DOES NOT announce games as does Kay, Nor does he CALL a dugout as I HEARD Rhizzuto announce he intended to do to the late Billy Martin in the late 70’s as did Rhizzuto, a Yanks announcer, former player or not.
Several teams in MLB have very professional announcers and only a few include the Phillies, Marlins, Mariners, Tigers etc.. Each of these teams have former players with Greg Mathews Sr., Tommy Hutton and more as former players and so on and I also have watched at least a few of each and every team at least a few of every team a few times over the past few years on MLB.TV and with the Marlins many times since they are broadcast locally here at least 100 times per season and are nice to listen to and definitely not biased at all.
On another matter, the Red Sox TV announcers (especially Jerry Remy) do have a tendency on occasion to get carried away on occasion since Ned Martin and Sean McDonaugh left, the best two for them ever was the old radio announcers consisting of Ned Marin and Jim Woods many years ago IMO
Sparked quite the debate here.
In my mind, it’s not a question, Kay is a huge homer….which is fine, I mean, he grew up a Yankee fan…and now works for his favorite organization…but as a ‘baseball’ fan, gets annoying when his homerish tendancies prevent him from giving honest analysis.
Michael Kay is such a homer, it’s actually ridiculous…
When John Sterling is a homer, it’s goofy, ’cause that’s just what it is, goofy…
But MIchael Kay is like a serious homer, and YES he gets pissed when you tell him haha what a jerk
Just a nice and civilized debate Mr. Fleece.
You and the rest run an excellent website here and it is much appreciated.
BTW: I intended to write Gary Mathews Sr as a commentator for the Phillies and not Greg Mathews Sr, a mistake. Father of Jr. whom plays for the Angels also and was a very good OF for the Phillies in his day back in the 70’s in his own right.
Roid heavean, I have to apologize somewhat for Kay being as bad of a homer as recall. Just watched the 1st game of the Subway series split game double header vs the Mets and really paid attention to him and think it is the loud voice of his that is more aggravating rather than the way he is biased towards the Yankees. He gives the opposing team credit for a job well done nearly as much as the Yankees and I wonder if it may be the addition of a extremely professional ballplayer in his time (ken Singleton) to the already team of Dave Cone that might have just a little to do with this.
If you have MLB.TV by chance, please listen to the most biased anouncers of the Tampa Rays (Dewayne Stats and Joe Magraine) that I have ever heard since Mel Proctor announced for the Orioles back in the 80’s through the early 90’s and have been watching and listening since the late 60’s.
Homers ruin a baseball watching/listening experience and can turn a fan away from a team. i live very near where the Rays play now and do not like them nearly as much as once did solely because of the horrific announcers that they continue to employ.
Please anyone that has a chance, listen at least once to the Rays announcers and find out what true “homes” really are and Joe Magraine was even a player.