Craig Carton heading back to WFAN stirred up plenty of conversation in the sports-radio world, and ESPN New York's Don La Greca wasted no time calling the move exactly what he thinks it is.
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Carton lost his FS1 show over the summer, which immediately sparked speculation about a reunion with WFAN. The catch was obvious. The station didn't have a weekday opening and its ratings were strong.
Then came last week's report from Andrew Marchand of The Athletic that WFAN would shift Evan Roberts and Tiki Barber to middays, clearing a path for Carton's return and leaving Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata without chairs when the music stopped.
That is where La Greca stepped in.
"I'm told by our company they're not our competition, so I don't have any problem bringing this up. I think it's a horrible mistake," La Greca said on ESPN New York, via Awful Announcing. "Those are two exceptionally talented guys. Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata are made to be talk radio guys."
La Greca added that the entire business feels unstable right now. Seeing two friends who "work their ass off" pushed aside hit him hard.
"It sounds like two empty chairs when the music stops. And that sucks. Those are two guys that have families," La Greca said. "And we don't benefit from that mistake because again, we're not rated and we're not competing with them. I feel real bad for two people I consider friends. If they're not working, New York is less for it."
