Mike Francesa’s local infrastructure gripes go well beyond MetLife Stadium.
“Here are two things that are just disgraceful: We can’t build a stadium to be proud of, we can’t build an airport to be proud of,” the WFAN legend said on his latest BetRivers podcast. “In the greatest city in the world. Really embarrassing. I don’t know why that is, but it’s that way. The airports around the world and around the nation make us look like hillbillies.”
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Francesa trashed the concrete air conditioner the Giants and Jets play in earlier this year. His comments were dead-on. But we are not quite as sure about his broadside on JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Airports.
Are they the best airports? Of course not. But they are not as bad as people make them out to be, all things considered. First, it’s New Jersey and New York. Of course things are not going to be run as effectively as they could be. Second, they have done significant upgrades in recent years. Third, a lot of other airports nationally stink too. Seattle is hell. So is O’Hare. Denver sucks. Et cetera.
The genesis of Francesa’s airport jag: A listener emailed him to ask what he thinks Giants co-owner John Mara would have done if he could re-do the stadium situation. The big guy’s take: He should have renovated Giants Stadium and looked into adding a retractable roof while Jets owner Woody Johnson gave up the West Side stadium dream and got his own building in Queens.
“It is shameful that in the greatest city in the world … a city that is always at the top of everything — sports, finance, entertainment, advertising, you name it — we can’t build a decent stadium,” Francesa said.
James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.
