Mike Francesa brought Mike Piazza to the New York Mets, he canceled the 2012 NYC Marathon, but he didn’t get Pete Carroll fired from the Jets.
When news of Carroll getting hired by the Las Vegas Raiders broke as Francesa was live on YouTube Friday afternoon, the former WFAN icon lauded the move.
“Good for Pete, good for the Raiders. That was a smart decision,” Francesa said. “I told you a long time ago, when they (the Jets) fired Saleh, I wanted them to hire Pete. Right away. Right then! Pete’s back in the league, good for him. I’m happy for him. You know, Pete’s never forgiven me and Dog, he felt we were really vocal voices in him getting bounced out of New York. It wasn’t us. Leon [Hess] wasn’t happy with him. It had nothing to do with us. But you know, that’s just the way it was. But we watched Pete grow into a tremendous coach.”
Francesa did call for the Jets to check in with Carroll after they fired Robert Saleh just five weeks into the season, an unconventional suggestion to say the least. NFL teams don’t make big head coaching hires in-season the way franchises in other sports might. But the interest should signal Francesa has no axe to grind with Carroll. Francesa, however, doesn’t necessarily think Carroll feels the same way.
It might be funny to think of a sports radio host or media personality holding enough influence to convince a pro sports franchise to make a trade or coaching change. But Francesa and Chris Russo had just that. Mike and the Mad Dog gave fans a voice and a direct line to teams that they didn’t have prior.
Maybe it’s a stretch to fully credit Mike and the Mad Dog with bringing Piazza to the Mets, but they certainly influenced it. And maybe it’s a stretch to fully blame Mike and the Mad Dog for getting Carroll fired. But surely, Leon Hess was aware of the conversations that were being had about Carroll on WFAN.
