It’s often better to be known by one’s enemies than their friends. Thus the big winner from Thursday’s desperate-for-attention ESPYs was Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, who was forced to just sit there as 43-year-old host and media-entitled career brat Serena Williams attacked him for his conservative Christian sensibilities expressed by Butker, a Catholic, to a Catholic college’s graduating class. Williams disagreed with Butker’s family-first take on parenting and motherhood, thus he would suffer her angry, direct, and classless condemnation. And to that ESPN’s audience of intolerant pro-tolerance sycophants and panderers applauded or otherwise indulged Williams’ verbal ambush, a scene reminiscent of the U.S. Open when Williams screamed at a lineswoman, “I swear to God I’ll f—ing take the ball and shove it down your f—ing throat!” That, and countless other highly public episodes of rotten, childish and even threatening behavior — win or lose — were ignored by ESPN’s lead tennis voices, fellow tantrum-tosser John McEnroe and Chris Evert, and virtually all media during Williams’ ungracious and ungrateful “farewell tour.” For crying out loud, this woman, antithetical to common decency and even minimal sportsmanship, was portrayed as a role model! I don’t know Harrison Butker’s parents, but I’m familiar with Williams’ father, Richard Williams — the father of nine children from four mothers and a loud-mouthed, race-baiting miscreant unashamed to utter anti-white and anti-Jewish slurs. Sports Illustrated, which lost a lot of credibility and subscribers among know-better readers when it named Serena “Sportsperson of the Year,” attributed Richard’s bigotry to his “flakiness.” And there’s evidence that her petulance and self-entitlement persist in the active form of other female tennis pros who have no compunction in acting like on-court louts. To that unfinished end, she likely remains inspirational, a genuine role model. The pandering persists, thus why else would ESPN choose her to host an awards show that celebrates and rewards sports? But we were long conditioned by ESPN to expect the worst from ESPN, like “Manny being Manny.” The only surprising thing about this ESPYs was that LeBron James wasn’t chosen Father of the Year. Back afta this Francesa foul-up It’s likely becoming too easy for the Funhouse folks who compile and share the bogus genius of sports media know-it-all/gasbags such as Colin Cowherd and Mike Francesa at the @BackAftaThis account on Twitter, er, X. Last week, @BackAftaThis found Francesa doing what he does best: not only being consistently wrong, but being instantly, comically and colossally wrong. On his “I’ll Never Host a Podcast” podcast, he spoke of the chances of a Yankee hitting two home runs in a game: “You’re gonna be waiting a long time for someone other than [Juan] Soto or [Aaron] Judge to get it done.” Well, “a long time” lasted about two hours, as Ben Rice that day hit three homers. Georgia will soon swap nicknames with Georgia Tech to become “The Ramblin’ Wrecks.” Last week, there two more arrests of UGa football recruits for reckless driving. That’s four just this offseason. The team’s total arrests for reckless driving — including one that caused a player fatality and the death of a football staffer — has been difficult to keep current. But the number the past two years now is at least 24, according to the Athens (Ga.) Banner Herald. Head coach Kirby Smart, who at $13 million per does only what the “school” allows him to do, is known for handling such matters “internally.” Regardless, Georgia is again ranked No. 1 by ESPN’s dutiful automatons — no questions asked, no answers needed. We’ve lately tuned in to Mets telecasts to hear that their bullpen is exhausted, as if that’s a matter of bad fortune as opposed to managerial design. So Thursday, the Mets led the Nationals, 5-0, after six, when Carlos Mendoza brought in new guy Phil Maton, who made one, two, three with two strikeouts on 10 pitches. And then he was pulled. In a 7-0 final, Mendoza used five pitchers. Why? I’ll hang up and listen to your answer. I’m a soccer fan. I admit it. As Maynard G. Krebs said, “I’m not bad, just weak.” But as I watch all these international championship matches, I can’t help but wonder: If Julinho, the player, is hollering at Hans, the referee, and Hans hollers back, in what language or languages are they hollering? It’s like when Gary Sanchez went to the mound to talk matters over with Mas
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