I don't understand why NBC Sports' Hardball Talk blogger Craig Calcaterra is getting so much grief for writing that the Yankee fans who booed Javier Vazquez were "classless" and "ignorant." It's the truth. But that apparently wasn't good enough for Craig Carton of WFAN's Boomer and Carton Show, who ranted about Calcaterra on Thursday's program. Carton got so enraged about Calcaterra, he called him a "jackass" and insinuated that anybody who didn't agree with Carton's point of view was a Nazi sympathizer.
"I don't like it when people write columns attacking the integrity of the fan base," Carton complained, saying it was "open season on us Yankee fans," and promised to "defend New York fans to my death." Oh, please. This Yankee fan wasn't the least bit offended by what Calcaterra wrote. He didn't attack the integrity of the entire fan base; he attacked the integrity of classless and ignorant fans who booed their team's starter 14 pitches into the game. To which I would add, if you boo your own player in that situation, you're a front-running fool.
"How dare anybody tell Yankee fans" not to boo Vazquez, Carton griped, saying "Vazquez sucks, I'm gonna boo him." Only thing is, Carton could not manage to pronounce Vazquez's last name correctly. Over and over, he mispronounced his name. What's the word that's on the tip of my tongue right now? Oh, yeah, it's the word "ignorant"!
Carton said it was the fans' "God-given right to boo." Gee, I guess I missed that part of the Bible in my Catholic school classes.
The "best" part of the rant? When Boomer totally didn't agree with him, Carton compared him to somebody "sitting in France in 1942," saying "eh, they make a good point." So yes, Carton went there and suggested that if you didn't agree with his opinion on Calcaterra 100%, you were a Nazi sympathizer. Maybe it's just me, but I think it's kind of, um, classless to make such a tasteless comparison. Good grief.
Anyhow, Calcaterra got wind that Boomer and Carton were talking about him, so he called in to the show Friday. Listen to the segment here. "You're a fraud with no journalistic integrity whatsoever," Carton said to Calcaterra, shortly before Carton hung up on him. Gee, that insult must have hurt, coming from a guy who can't pronounce Javier Vazquez's last name, and who compares disagreeing with the radio host to being a Quisling.
What do you think? Tell us about it!
5 comments:
I was at that game and it was embarrassing! I just sat there thinking "This is why people hate Yankee fans."
I didn't hear Carton's original rant, but I have to laugh at the "us Yankee fans" part. He's a Mets fan who made a big show of "converting" during the playoffs last year.
Shows what you know, Lisa. Henri Petain was the French hero who turned traitor when the Nazis occupied the country. Vidkun Quisling was in Norway.
Okay, humor aside, yes, booing Vazquez -- at this point -- remains stupid. And, as Kelly said, Carton proves only one man's point, and not his own. Remember when the Braves used to make fools of the Mets? (At the time, the Mets didn't regularly do that to themselves.) And Chipper Jones said all the Met fans could go switch to their Yankee jackets now.
Yes, a fan has the right to boo whoever he (or she) wants, for whatever reason. But with rights come responsibilities and, often, consequences. In this case, the responsibility is to recognize that Vazquez is not, as yet, a major problem; and the consequence is being called a moron.
I mean, we're talking about Javier Vazquez here. Not Kyle Farnsworth or Carl Pavano. He hasn't earned the booing yet. If he does, I'll get in line to boo him. But, as with every fan, I reserve the right to decide for myself when he's earned it -- and I think most real Yankee Fans will agree with me that, for the moment, he hasn't done nearly enough harm to earn that.
I use to listen to Carton and Boomer mainly b/c I was teammates with Boomer in 97 w/Bengals and I am a huge Yankee fan and they are Mets fans along with most of WFAN. Last year he did do "Met fans for Yankees" which was humorous but I started not to like listening to them b/c Carton puts people down a lot. He treats others like he's better than them and I don't like that. It is also why I don't listen to Francessa, even though he is a Yankee fan, because he does the same thing. As for him moaning about Yankee fans, I could care less what he says. Everybody has a right to say what they want and you could listen or not which I chose the latter. The blogger has all the right to criticize Yankee fans. Just let Vazquez get his ducks in a row and he will be fine. I have to be honest though, I didn't want him back but it is what it is and you go with what the Yankees have and you support them no matter what. If you are a fan then that's how you should roll.
Thanks, everyone, for your responses. I find Carton completely unlistenable - he's what I put on the alarm clock radio when I need to get up extra-early in the morning, so that I move quickly to get the radio off. His opinions are usually dopey, and his voice is just horrible to listen to. It's not a voice made for radio, that's for sure!
Lisa
Classless and tasteless are probably only a couple of adjectives you can attach to Carton. Add narcissistic and boorish, and the list would still be miserably incomplete to describe this shrill-voiced radio punk.
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