There was a time when Don La Greca wasn’t safe as Michael Kay’s co-host on The Michael Kay Show. But it was a fleeting moment — if that — because Kay wouldn’t be sticking around if that was the case.
La Greca joked on Tuesday’s show that Kay had likely gone to bat for him on multiple instances, pointing out why he still graces the afternoon lineup from 3-7 p.m. ET.
Kay wouldn’t go as far as to say that he’s had to take up for his counterpart come every twist and turn. But during a conversation about Dave Kingman, La Greca wanted Kay to share on-air the instance where he placed himself in the line of fire when his job was in jeopardy.
They’re brothers, and even though there can be some heated disagreements—which they hashed out last week—The Michael Kay Show isn’t The Michael Kay Show without Don La Greca.
“People up in the gilded offices of ESPN had opinions about everything, and they didn’t like Don,” recalls Kay. “They didn’t think he was good. So, someone came to me — I’m not going to say who — and they go, ‘The people upstairs, they want to take Don off the show,’ and that would essentially mean that Don would be gone. I said, ‘OK, if you do that, I’m out.’ And he said, ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘I’ll quit. I’m not doing the show without him.’ And that kind of slowed them down.
“And then, because they’re all phonies, what they did was they did was a focus group, where people are pulling dials and everything. And Don went through the roof; the focus group loved him. Then, like scurrying rats back onto a ship, they couldn’t like Don enough, so I didn’t have to save him anymore after that.”
La Greca shared his appreciation for Kay’s support.
“I appreciate that, Michael, and the funny thing, the people that you’re talking about — and they’re all gone now — they’re still with us, but not at the company,” La Greca replied. “Peter (Rosenberg), they would say to me, ‘Don, you’ve come a long way, man. The reason we love you now is you really listened to us, and you changed. You finally did it the way it was supposed to be done — that’s why we love you.’ Dirty little secret: I never changed a thing. Didn’t do anything different.”
For some reason, the executives decided La Greca had changed.
“My late agent…he once told me, he said, ‘Whenever executives tell you what to do, just say, yeah, you’re right. Don’t do it, and they’ll think you did.’ He couldn’t be more right,” said Kay. “Couldn’t be more right.”
At the end of the day, The Michael Kay Show works because of the bond between Kay and La Greca. It’s not just a radio show; it’s three friends who’ve got each other’s backs through thick and thin. Despite the corporate noise, their chemistry and authenticity won over the listeners — the ones who really matter. La Greca didn’t change, and he didn’t need to. The show wouldn’t be what it is without him, and Kay knew that all along.
[TMKS]
