Mack’s Morning News – 2-7-16 – Mike Francesa, Bernie Madoff, Antonio Bastardo, Curtis Granderson

Good morning.

I’m not sure how newsworthy this is, but the Gotham Sports Network offered this up about Mike Francesa’s… err… well, read this –

No, you didn’t misread the headline. Jay Glazer, NFL Insider at Fox, provided us with this rock solid evidence when he joined CBS Sports Radio’s Gio and Jones for a segment yesterday. Glazer obtained this information first hand when he was an intern at WFAN a while back:

“I got to run for Francesa, and then—my first really solid assignment was at the NFL Draft in ‘91. I got to take Mike Francesa back and forth from the bathroom. And, I’m not gonna lie, copped a couple of peeks. It’s unbelievable. It’s amazing. He is like—he should be in porn. He really should.”

Mack – There had to be a thousand other things we could have started this report off with, especially since you probably are reading this while you are eating your breakfast.

Did you manage to catch the two-part, four-hour made-for-television movie aired by ABC on Bernie Madoff? I first found it quite surprising that the Wilpons and the Mets weren’t even mentioned, but, in the World of Madoff, they look like small fish compared to the investors mentioned in that movie. He definitely seemed like quite the son of a bitch and it probably would still be going on if it wasn’t for the banking industry collapse back in 2008.

Matt Ehalt on  Antonio Bastardo -

"If our pitchers dominate from the first to the sixth or seventh inning, [opponents] aren’t going to have a chance. They’ll be frustrated from beginning to end. The team was in the World Series and competed the whole year. That makes me think we can be in that spot this year, for sure. If you see the starting pitching we have, and the hitters we have, all that makes you think about being in the World Series with these guys."

                 

                     Mack – I love confidence and Bastardo seems like my kind of guy.

I just have this kind of feeling that this is going to be a magical season. Everybody seems to be in the right direction with the right attitude.

Curtis Granderson on Black History Month –

Black History Month is a time to remember the important contributions and achievements of African-Americans throughout our nation's history. Personally, the observation of black history is a time for me to reflect on all those who have come before me in the African-American community and their countless sacrifices and struggles, shaping the way for future generations -- including my own.

In addition to Martin Luther King Jr., Jackie Robinson, George Washington Carver and other leaders in the African-American community, I also celebrate my grandparents and parents, who accomplished so much in an effort to provide opportunity for my family. Learning from my elders about how things were and how things have changed has helped me understand the importance of hard work -- encouraging me to "play hard" every day and pay it forward for generations to come.

In recent years, there's been a tremendous decline in African-American baseball engagement. Less than 8 percent of Major League Baseball athletes are African-American, accented by a growing decline in inner-city youth baseball. Through my Grand Kids Foundation, we've focused a tremendous amount of energy and resources toward providing inner-city youth baseball opportunities -- including most recently, the development of Curtis Granderson Stadium at the University of Illinois at Chicago, in which more than 10,000 kids from Chicago's inner city can safely "play ball" all year long.

Black History Month is a great time to reflect, but it's an equally important time to engage the community and continue to make societal changes. I look forward to doing my part to instill change and will continue to follow in the late Jackie Robinson's footsteps -- on Jackie Robinson Day, when I wear a custom New Balance cleat in his honor, and all year long.