YES Network New York Yankees’ play-by-play voice Michael Kay has made it quite clear over the years he objects to many things in sports. Whether that’s about JJ Redick’s press conference f-bombs (“coarsening our society!”) or a Yankees’ bat boy’s long hair (“Rules are rules!”), Kay has found plenty of things to complain about. And the latest came on his call of the Yankees’ 9-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays Monday, where he blasted the Rays for celebrating Jose Siri’s solo home run:
Michael Kay wasn’t a fan of Jose Siri’s home run celebration.
“You’re losing…I mean, they’re acting like it’s Mardi Gras in that dugout. You’re losing the game!” pic.twitter.com/qKkvkXnwQv
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 22, 2024
That led to some mockery:
On top of the obvious, can’t baseball players have fun? It’s also Jose Siri’s birthday https://t.co/GuQRl4Bqm6
— Razzball (@Razzball) July 22, 2024
They spanked that Yankees ass all weekend. They’re having alittle fun. Alex Verdugo is the biggest pimping scumbag in baseball. All the crying about this is embarrassing. https://t.co/Z9OxhqIYi4
— Steve Simineri (@SSimineri) July 22, 2024
Worst announcer in the sport is at it again. https://t.co/w2mRro5oeG
— Lenyn al Gaib (@Nick_BPSS) July 22, 2024
This is how the people who hate Schriffen calls sound https://t.co/Q7QeaCqmvv
— guy who says supposably (@fancypantsberni) July 22, 2024
Yes, Kay was somewhat critical of Yankees’ player Alex Verdugo’s celebration earlier on this broadcast too. But his comments on Siri here went well beyond that. And the particular “Mardi Gras” reference there is amusing, as it’s hard to imagine someone so bothered by f-bombs and long hair coming near an actual Mardi Gras party.
But sure, Kay can join the long list of people who have complained about celebrations in a losing cause (although the game was still in reach at this point, even if it did wind up quite lopsided in the end). But what maybe made this funnier still was how he went on to preemptively acknowledge that his take here would be mocked. And there, he went on to complain about those who would dare mock it:
Kay then comments on the response that’ll likely come from said complaints:
“You know what will be coming, Paul? And I don’t like it. The old man shouting at clouds. ‘You just gotta shut up. This is the way it is.'” pic.twitter.com/5Nd3poQFdm
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 22, 2024
One potential way to avoid being criticized for being an old man yelling at clouds is simply not use your platform to yell at clouds. But Kay has opted for a different pathway. And he thinks his approach, complete with false news relaying and complaints about announcer jinxes, should get him in the lists of top announcing booths (unlike those actually selected by sports media observers).
For the record, the Mets’ SNY team Kay was complaining about there (who had their own funny reaction to that) placed No. 1 in our survey of more than 13,000 readers this year. Meanwhile, the Kay-led SNY team placed 22nd out of 30 teams.
Thus, there certainly hasn’t been a Mardi Gras-level party around this Yankees’ booth lately. Not that Kay would necessarily enjoy one if there was. (At the very least, he might only enjoy it if there were no f-bombs, long hair, or excessive celebrations.)
[Awful Announcing on X/Twitter]
