The conversation between YES commentators John Flaherty and Michael Kay during Friday’s Yankees-Cubs game broadcast seemed to bother the club a little.
Manager Aaron Boone and general Brian Cashman voiced concern that the two were at odds, but Kay refuted that idea on his Monday ESPN broadcast.
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Kay described the response to what appeared to be an on-air altercation as “unbelievable.” “Have you ever heard me play games with John? We joke around with one another. We have a close friendship. We have a great deal in common. People were calling John and asking, “What happened with you and Kay?” The following day in the clubhouse, Brian Cashman approached [YES reporter] Meredith Marakovits and asked, “What’s wrong with the two of them?” As I boarded the aircraft on Sunday, Aaron Boone asked, “You and John OK?” Yes, indeed! It’s called fooling around, after all.
Kay reported that he was experiencing some “scary” dizziness.
“We’re buddies, therefore we’re alright. Kay remarked, “We laughed about it, him and Flaherty. “I was feeling the sickest I had ever been in Chicago.” I felt dizzy. It was as though I were strolling on a boat. On Friday, I was throwing up in the booth. I had to have a neurological examination by the Cub doctor to rule out a stroke. I was unable to walk. I was unsure of my ability to play the game. I had no idea how I was going to dress in the hotel either. I was quiet on the bus because of this. John said that as a result of that. However, he knew as he assisted me getting into the bus. I was unable to walk.
Flaherty made fun of Kay on Friday’s show for not being “very talkative” on the bus to the field.
“So you prefer that I talk a lot?” Kay fired back. “My mood wasn’t great.”
“You know I haven’t seen you in a while?” stated Flaherty.
“When I’m on the road, you no longer work road excursions. I therefore gathered my thoughts on how great it would be to live close to Wrigley and be able to stroll back and forth to the park. I had assumed that we would catch up, but it was soon clear that you weren’t in the mood.
“You’re telling an interesting story, and executives have told me you enjoy working with [Ryan] Ruocco.This is why you two are usually paired together. Kay said, “I’m not sure if what I heard is true, but that’s what I heard.”
“I just put together that the road trips you don’t want to go on are the ones where I end up working with Ryan Ruocco, because you don’t want to work the games on the road,” Flaherty said.
Flaherty said, “I just realized that the road trips you avoid are the ones where I end up working with Ryan Ruocco, since you don’t want to cover the games on the road.”
The awkward situation between Michael Kay and John Flaherty worried the Yankees.
The commentators of the New York Yankees, Michael Kay and John Flaherty, have recently become the talk of baseball for all the wrong reasons. That followed an unpleasant on-air interaction last week where it seemed like their relationship was a little strained. As it happens, more people than only viewers noticed that there was a difference in energy between the two.
For those who do not know, last week’s Yankees vs. Chicago Cubs game featured Kay and Flaherty on call. Flaherty started talking about how quiet Kay had been on the team bus ride to the field, and Kay explained that he wasn’t feeling well.
Viewers may find things awkward from there as Kay talks about how he was informed that Flaherty would really rather collaborate with Ryan Ruocco than with him when calling games. There was a long awkward silence, and it became obvious that there was a disagreement between the two.
Since then, Kay and Flaherty have reconciled, sharing a hug on the YES Network show the next day. However, there was a brief mention of genuine worries that there was animosity between Kay and Flaherty within the Yankees organization, especially from general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone.
On Monday’s episode of The Michael Kay Show, Kay described the response he received from the on-air event as “unbelievable.” “Have you ever heard me play games with John? We joke around with one another. We have a close friendship. We have a great deal in common.
“People were calling John and asking, ‘What happened with you and Kay?'” The following day in the clubhouse, Brian Cashman approached Meredith Marakovits, the clubhouse reporter, and said, “What’s wrong with the two of them?” On Sunday Aaron Boone asked me as I boarded, “You and John okay?” Yes, indeed! It’s called fooling around, after all.
Kay gave a further explanation for his silence on the bus, claiming to have experienced a “nasty bout with vertigo.” It is definitely up to interpretation as to whether that was the sole motivation behind the on-air encounter. However, it appeared to involve more than merely teasing one another, as Kay had previously mentioned doing with Flaherty.