Mike Lupica Gets Something From Imus That Few Guests, and Even Fewer People, Will Ever Experience
Just prior to his appearance today, Mike Lupica, the famed sportswriter, beloved author, and mildly entertaining television personality, listened with rapt attention to Imus’s story about getting the results of his prostate MRI from Dr. Katz yesterday.
“I was thinking…that when he finally did get on the phone, he was going to say, ‘Great news, Don! I saved 15 percent on my car insurance!’” Lupica said.
Giggling, Imus asked his sporty pal why the New York Yankees would offer 32-year old Texas Rangers pitcher Cliff Lee a 7-year deal. “The dumbest money spent in sports is long-range money on a starting pitcher, because it almost always works out badly in the end,” Lupica said. “But with their kind of money, they don’t care.”
And with the Boston Red Sox signing big names left and right—like Adrian Gonzales, one of the best hitters in baseball, and outfielder Carl Crawford—the Yankees are looking to make a splash.
“This has escalated the whole Yankees-Red Sox thing again, which makes it kind of fun,” Lupica said, but cautioned that if the Yankees, for whatever reason, don’t sign Lee, then they’ve “been damaged by this baseball winter, because they’re not going to be as good as they were last year.”
In other big sports news this week, University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer resigned, claiming, as they always do, he wants to “spend more time with his kids.”
“Not only is he going to spend more time with his kids, but when he’s done with that, he’s going to spend more time with mine,” Lupica joked, and shot down Warner’s speculation that Meyer would become head coach of the Denver Broncos, where his former star player Tim Tebow now plays professionally. Or doesn’t.
“He might have been the greatest college player I ever saw, but I don’t think he’s going to be any good in the pros,” Lupica said, causing Imus to suggest the “newspaper geek” leave those kinds of decisions to the coaches.
Then, following a few seconds of reflection, Imus said, “I was snippy to you, and I apologize.”
Lupica is not terribly concerned with loudmouth New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan, except to note that the dude’s a lot funnier when his team is winning than when it’s losing 45-3 to the New England Patriots. He did, however, have one suggestion for the Jets.
“They’re more worried about acting like tough guys sometimes than they are about the job at hand, which is to win the game,” he said.
The New York Giants are having a strange but successful season, and Lupica went into way more detail on this subject than Imus cared to listen to, so as his guest droned on about how the Giants “looked bad early,” Imus rifled through his lunch bag in search of an onion and tomato sandwich.
Realizing he was being rude (because Charles told him as much), Imus again apologized to Lupica, who said, “I accept your second apology of this appearance, which by the way, is a personal best for you.”
-Julie Kanfer
Mike Lupica 
Reader Comments (1)
Dear Imus....you old FOOL
I,m disabled and almost died when then A_HOLE AL Sharpie helped get your show cancelled
Now...Bernie is trying to sink you again with joltin Joe penis talk
For God`s sake...and Mine....turn off his mike...or let Daggen take over the show
Canada Doug
PS....do u have any big friends...little mike...short fat Bo...little mind O`Reilly and
crazy little fool Beck