On Tuesday, WFAN sports-talk host Mike Francesa was fielding calls when Benny from Nyack called to talk about Game 4 of the ALCS between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees. After paying Francesa a compliment and expressing sadness that the host would be leaving WFAN in December, Benny said this, which was caught by Bob’s Blitz:
“I was at the game last night, incredible atmosphere, I'm still sick, the weather was cold. I'm lying here in bed with my partner and we have a question about the crowd noise, Mike…"
Francesa immediately hung up on the caller.
“Listen, listen, listen, listen, listen,” Francesa said after cutting off the caller. “Uh, thanks for the call. That was going nowhere I know that.”
Right after another caller called in, the show’s phone lines mysteriously went dark. It certainly felt like some third-grade attempt to make the hang-up on Benny seem like it wasn’t Francesa’s decision (which it clearly was).
You can listen to the shenanigans here.
Prank call? Gay guy who was making a call? Francesa not wanting to talk about the Yankees?
When I called the WFAN main office line yesterday for more information, I said I needed comment about Francesa. The person answering the phone hung up. I called again today, with the same result — click.
Francesa has a history of saying not-so-good things about gay people. He wanted Michael Sam to shut up. He hated the Jason Collins story. And he had a stereotypically gay caller a while back who claimed to be gay and averaged 40 points a game for St. John’s that certainly felt like a plant by somebody.
Yet still more not-so-veiled homophobia from Mike Francesa? It certainly feels like it.
