Mike Francesa destroyed WFAN

WFAN’s Evan Roberts gushed about this gentleman doing a two-hour show the other night by saying he has a shot to be on WFAN’s real estate slot in the day where ratings matter and count. He decided to listen to him since he couldn’t sleep.

The gentleman’s name is Alvin Cintron, who apparently does social media work. He did a show as a favor for WFAN program director Spike Eskin, who got his break from his father Howard Eskin, a long-time sports media personality at WIP in Philadelphia.

It’s interesting Roberts all of sudden gushed about a guy getting a shot. One can’t help but think he might as well summed up how bad WFAN is when it comes to sports talk in the process.

I had no idea who the hell Cintron is. That’s because I don’t listen to the New York’s No. 1 anymore. Outside of Lori Rubinson, I really don’t make a point to listen to the station that I grew up listening. The station now stinks.

Don’t take my word for it. I know many of my Twitter followers and people on social media bemoan how bad the station is when it comes to sports talk. It’s more about guy talk, confrontational radio and hot take than actual conversation on sports.

It’s easy to blame Eskin for the demise of the station, but that’s not really it. This goes back long before he got to the FAN. This predates to Mike Francesa’s days.

For all the great things Francesa has done for the sports station when it comes to ratings and revenue, he also should take the blame for why the station has gone downhill.

Talkies such as Gregg Giannotti, Sal Licata, Mike Fliegelman, Chris McMonigle and Roberts were mentored by Francesa, and it’s no coincidence they are blowhards and jerks. Listening to these men, I often felt stupid for it rather than be enlightened. They took on the image of Francesa by being a bully and acting like know-it-all. They offered hot takes that don’t make sense, and they are often rude to the callers.

Giannotti is simply an idiot. He is fortunate Boomer Esasion carries the show, so he can act like a fool with no consequences. He has horrible takes. He often does not know what he’s talking about. He comes off as a miserable sports fan who whines about everything that goes on in New York sports.

Licata is simply a blowhard. He is a bully. He is often mean-spirited. He sounds miserable doing sports radio. He basically acts like Francesa lite, which he acts like he is never wrong when he is always wrong. He often comes off as delusional, and he lies a lot. He comes off as a narcissist who inflates his ego. He has zero credibility. It’s amazing he is on SNY a lot more while a grinder like myself can’t find work in the media despite writing on sports sites for a long time. It must be nice to have connections and smooch on Francesa’s buttcheeks, isn’t it, Sal?

Fliegelman used to be a nice guy when I used to talk to him to get on the air, but then he changed when he started doing a sports show once a week. He turned out to be Francesa lite himself by cynical and negative on New York sports. He became unlistenable by being an irritant and aloof like he knows it all. Like Francesa, he tends to gaslight rather than inform.

Then, there’s McMonigle. What a self-absorbed piece of shit he is. I once called him to talk New York sports and he pulled a Francesa by screaming over me and hanging up on me. That’s the last time I called him. Like his mentor, he is so egotistical and a know-it-all. He is also a liar and a megalomaniac.

As for Roberts, he used to be good at what he does, but then he became too influenced by Joe Benigno, another of Mike Francesa’s protégé. Roberts started becoming negative and like Francesa, he also says stupid things to generate emotion or attention rather starting a conversation such as him accusing the Rays of being cheaters. He just has nothing to offer on sports radio. It’s not like any New York sports fan is going to rush to the radio just to hear what he has to say on what’s going on with the Mets.

Coach Danielle McCartan is another piece of work. She is not a Francesa protégé. I doubt he even know who the hell she is. I had no idea who she was until I knew her from social media. She knows nothing about sports yet she is on the FAN on the weekends. Thankfully, she has a day job as a teacher and as a head coach at Ramapo High, so she won’t ever be a full-timer. Not she is qualified anyway. Shit, she is not even qualified to do sports radio partime at all. Somehow she has a job. How’s that fair? Here’s my problem with her: She does no homework on other teams, and she comes off as a shill for the Giants and Yankees.

Just remember she once charged a cover for fans to talk to her at a bar during the Giants/Vikings NFC wild-card game in January. That’s all you need to know about her. A fringe talkie charging a cover.

Keith McPherson is simply an idiot. Just hearing him talk sports is all you need to know. He rarely watches the Mets and talk about them. He only talks about his teams, and often times, he had no clue what he’s talking about. This was Eskin’s guy, and Eskin struck out hiring him.

It’s a shame how bad the station is. Yet, it gets ratings and the station is making money. People listen and talk about the FAN no matter how bad it. I guess bad publicity is good publicity.

Me? I am pining for the days of John Sterling, who was awful in his own right when he was doing sports talk back from his WMCA days.

That’s how bad it is.

We can thank Francesa for making the station for what it is today. This should also be his legacy.