On Thursday, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that “The Michael Kay Show” would end its 22-year run next week.
On Friday, show hosts Michael Kay, Don La Greca, and Peter Rosenberg confirmed the news and added some additional context.
After teasing the “elephant in the room,” Kay shared that while the specifics in Marchand’s report were a little premature, the details were essentially correct.
“There’s a story that has been written yesterday in The Athletic that detailed a lot of things that at this point, no one is ready to confirm nor deny. But nothing is official. There are contracts that have to be signed. So there’s nothing official whatsoever.
“I blame people with loose lips that sink ships and usually it’s someone that can’t keep their mouth shut and want to curry favor with Andrew Marchand and they call them and tell them exactly what’s going on before it’s actually going on. And Andrew does a good job milking them and getting that information from them.”
Kay then confirmed that next Friday’s show would be the last of “this iteration” of the show.
“After 22 years of Don and I together, the past nine joined by Peter, we’ve had an absolute blast. We do consider everyone that listens to this show an absolute family. I’ve got so many nice messages over the last day or so. I’ve seen a lot of nice things on social media as well.”
Kay noted that while he always dreamed of becoming the New York Yankees announcer, being a radio host wasn’t initially part of that. However, he has “learned to absolutely adore” the role. The issue now is simply a matter of time and availability.
“My time was running short on this kind of commitment every single day at my age. My kids, 10, and Callie is gonna be 12 on January 5th, I couldn’t do this and the Yankees for a long time. Did I have another year in me? Yes, but it’s not fair to the company.”
Yes this is an end … but it’s also a beginning … more to come
And next week will be a celebration! https://t.co/MTrScUtq50
— Peter Rosenberg (@Rosenbergradio) December 6, 2024
Kay confirmed Marchand’s report that he will now be doing a two-hour show on ESPN New York Monday through Friday, though he says that the timeframe remains up in the air. Marchand had reported that Kay’s new show would air between 1 and 3 p.m. ET and would be followed by La Greca and Rosenberg, who are expected to be joined by Alan Hahn in the new version of their afternoon program. Both shows are expected to begin in the new year.
[YES/ESPN New York]
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.