To Leave Or Not To Leave...That Is The Question

A furor is raging over the New York sports wire regarding of all things, paternity leave and its effect on Major League Baseball and its players.  I’m not making this stuff up I swear.  The fire began when New York Mets second baseman, Daniel Murphy, was excused from the first two games of the season so he could be at his wife’s side for the birth of their son.  Not everyone apparently thinks a father, especially one that’s a professional athlete, should be taking time off for such inconsequential things.

Longtime radio personality and notorious thorn in Mets fans side, Mike Francesa, went on an anti-paternity leave rant the other day on his WFAN radio show.  Calling the situation a “scam” and a “gimmick” it leaves one to wonder what life in the Francesa home was like in his or his kid’s formative years?  Since he’s gone on record calling what Murphy did as being a “scam” and a “gimmick”, I would be remised not to point out that Francesa’s own father abandoned his family when Mike was just 8 years old.  So I guess being a cold hearted prick must be one of those passed down family traditions, kind of like Sunday gravy.

Even Boomer Esiason on his radio show, “Boomer and Carton” weighed in on the situation with this sage nugget of wisdom while acknowledging that Murphy has a legal right to miss work:

"Bottom line, that's not me. I wouldn't do that."

"Quite frankly I woulda said C-section before the season starts, I need to be at Opening Day.

I'm sorry."

Eat your heart out Marcus Welby.  Well there you have it ladies, and from the mouth of the guy who’s put more thought into this than anything he did in all the years he was quarterbacking the Jets.  But wait, Dr. Esaison continued:

"This is what makes our money, this is how we're gonna live our life. This is gonna give my child every opportunity to be a success in life. I'll be able to afford any college I wanna send my kid to because I'm a baseball player."

Yes so true Boomer because you know that taking 2 precious days to see an event that should be more important than anything you’ve ever accomplished on the gridiron is simply pushing the envelope of rationale.  What’s next? Are we going to give NFL players who are convicted felons the right to keep earning millions?  Stop the madness! 

You know you would think that Esaison would have a bit more empathy considering the great work he’s done with his Foundation that funds research for cystic fibrosis, a disease of the respiratory and digestive systems that affects his own son, Gunnar. 

I could see if Murphy was asking for 6 weeks leave, as is normally the case with maternity leave.  But the team policy is 3 days max for paternity leave.  All of this outrage coming from a sport where players miss weeks and months on end when they pull a muscle – 2 days for the birth of your child – heracy!

This phony machismo attitude by these radio personalities and ex-athletes doesn’t play well in this day and age.   I could almost hear Francesa say that Mickey Mantle wouldn’t ever do something like this.  Of course not but then again I wouldn’t put Mantle up as a father of the year candidate either.  Look I get the locker room, testosterone driven mentality where you rub dirt on an injury and you keep your mouth shut even if you probably shouldn’t be on the field playing.

Some people get drunk with success - wink wink – Franseca.  Why don’t you do us a favor and take a few days off yourself.  We could all use a break from this stupidity

The Hail Mary Or As Jets Fans Call It - The Tebow Year

Cue the ending theme song from "The Incredible Hulk"

So a little over a year ago, your humble blogger extraordinaire introduced  the world to The Spector Sector and with that initial foray into the world of online opinion spewing came the story of the day, which was that the New York Jets traded their 4^th round draft pick to the Denver Broncos for quarterback Tim Tebow.  Fast forward to present day and we can see how the mighty, err I mean how the weak have continued to dig their shithole further into the ground as the New York Jets announced today that they have released Tim Tebow. 

This is a story that would even make Hunter S. Thompson do a double and perhaps a triple take but nevertheless it’s the truth.  They say that truth is stranger than fiction and the very same could be said of this man made drama, and yes that’s pretty much what it was.  What else could it have been?  Tebow, cost the Jets a 4^th round pick, $1.5 million clams, plus the $2.5 million clams they sent John Elway to just pry his death grip off Tebow’s contract.  And what pray tell did the Jets get out of this deal you ask?  Tebow took about 70 snaps on offense.  He was 6 for 8 in passing for 39 yards.  He ran the ball 32 times for 102 yards.  No touchdowns.  No bended knee glory shots post touchdowns.  No glory whatsoever.  All in all, just a shit bang of a deal.  Thanks Tannenbaum.

I don’t blame Tebow, he is what he is.  The thing is, I wish I friggin knew what he is or was.  He could very well be just another really good college football quarterback that earned the spotlight during his collegiate years; he did win the Heisman.  That’s no easy task but not one that always translates into NFL readiness.  He was never really given a fair chance though whether the excuse was his inability or the fact that Mark Sanchez earns about 50 gillion a year and still finds it necessary to shove his head up his centers ass.  We can’t have talent like that riding the pine can we?

Sanchez: "I'm looking for my talent.
Brandon Moore: "MY PANCREAS!"

So what was the point of bringing Tebow here in the first place?  Was it to light a fire under Sanchez with the primal fear that he could lose his job to Tebow at any given moment?  Yeah, that didn’t happen.  Perhaps it was the conspiratorial idea that Tebow was here to give the team some buzz?  Yeah because nothing spells great buzz like having a born-again, who lives a clean, religious and pious life.  How the tabloids didn’t salivate at having that as their icon of attention I’ll never know.  And by no means do I fault the man for his lifestyle, just the boobs who think he was here to sell something beyond playing the game.  

The Jets released a statement today with a quote from head coach Rex “Tinactin Toes” Ryan saying:

“We have a great deal of respect for Tim Tebow,” Ryan said in the statement. “Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we all had hoped. Tim is an extremely hard worker, evident by the shape he came back in this offseason. We wish him the best moving forward.”

Well there you have it, everything explained in one succinct statement from the guy who’s deep in the know.  Don’t you feel so much more hopeful for the future of the Jets now?  I sure know I do!

The Jets trading for Tim Tebow makes about as much sense as this video.  You’re welcome by the way Rex.