Posted on 09/26/2025 1:47:14 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Gary Cohen sparks backlash after questioning Cubs rookie Matt Shaw for missing a game to attend Charlie Kirk’s funeral.Gary Cohen stepped into controversy Tuesday night, taking aim at Cubs rookie Matt Shaw’s decision to miss Sunday’s matchup against the Reds in order to attend the funeral of his close friend, Charlie Kirk. The Mets broadcaster raised eyebrows by suggesting Shaw’s absence was ill-timed and hard to justify in the middle of a playoff race, per Heavy.
Cohen’s comments came during the fourth inning of the Mets-Cubs broadcast, right as Shaw was at the plate. “Shaw had Cubs World in a tizzy this weekend when he was not here for the Cubs game with the Reds, and they lost 1-0, and his lack of presence was felt,” Cohen said. He then added that while he wanted to avoid political commentary, skipping a game for reasons outside of family emergencies “really strikes me as weird.”
Criticism of the critique
Former Mets catcher Todd Zeile, filling in for Keith Hernandez in the booth, echoed Cohen’s skepticism. He called the move “unprecedented” in his experience, pointing out that it is rare for a player to miss time in such a fashion. Both announcers also highlighted that Shaw’s absence was not covered by MLB’s bereavement list, a detail Cohen suggested spoke volumes about how the league and Cubs viewed the situation.
But Cohen’s words did not sit well with everyone. Many fans and media members found it troubling that a player’s choice to grieve a murdered friend could be framed as selfish or questionable. The backlash argued that baseball should not override human compassion, especially given the circumstances.
For Shaw, the decision was personal, not strategic. He and Kirk developed a friendship last offseason in Arizona while living in the same complex. Their bond extended throughout the year, grounded in their shared faith and regular conversations. Kirk, a devoted Cubs fan, was more than just an acquaintance to the rookie.
Shaw addressed the situation briefly before Cohen’s remarks hit the air. “I felt as though it was something that was really important for me to do,” he said, making clear where his priorities stood.
In the end, Cohen’s commentary sparked a bigger conversation than the Cubs’ one-run loss itself: where should the line be drawn between professional obligation and honoring a personal bond?
https://www.outkick.com/sports/mets-announcer-rips-player-attending-kirk-funeral-his-own-absence-even-stranger
Sorry, August 27th and apparently my “crickets” response to Gary Cohen didn’t make the cut.
Screw you, Gary Cohen.
Screw you, bitch. You failed.
I was watching when Cohen put his head up his butt and started talking about it- the basis for his gripe was a player missed the game as the “Cubs are in stretch run”...1) the Cubs clinched the wildcard berth and 2) they have no chance of catching Milwaukee for the top spot on the NL Central. Hence the Cubs are playing the season out until the playoffs...
I’m a Mets season ticket holder and they keep effing themselves....in the middle of June they held their annual “pride night” on Friday, June 13...as the National Anthem was playing they posted a picture of the fag flag on the scoreboard’s big screen....
Prior to that the Mets were the best team in MLB....since then they have been one of the worst teams in the MLB...
I’m hoping Gary Cohen gets a lot of time off after September 28; yeah. he’s a hypocrite though, glad you remembered that.
He’s also a Columbia grad...
Why schedule a game on a holiday?
It used to be Christmas was an NBA day, and the NFL respected it, but now the NFL did everything in their power to take over. And they have March Madness on Easter.
The Cubs are in the playoffs anyway—the game did not matter to their prospects. The win may have helped keep the Reds’ hopes alive of becoming the final wild card team.
We had a similar problem here 5 years ago when then Bama football coach Nick Saban and the players not only participated in a BLM march, they made a big PR notice about it. By the time they did that it had already been made clear to everybody that BLM stood more for "Blame Lighter Melanins" then "black lives matter". So what happened?
Scores of long time Bama fans posted on social media videos of them ripping jerseys and throwing away tickets. And the football attendance was low even for covid. In a state where college football is second only to Christ, there aren't words to describe how loud a statement that was. Especially with Bama doing well that season (they wound up winning the national championship again). The University of Alabama was on the verge of losing its main cash cow.
Did they get the message? Yup. Shortly after that in one of Saban's press conferences he made a statement that black lives matter because all lives matter. Telling us that he heard us and he wasn't going to get into the blame-the-whitey message anymore. From then on I don't think he or the players stepped into that pile of cow turds again. Likewise the fans forgave them.
Forgive Gary Cohen. He knows not what a rectum he is.
God, people, country,.......... sports,......
It’s not rocket science
If a player is out partying, or sitting on the couch, that is one thing. But if a player has something that is serious to them, why make an issue?
I remember some players playing on the day their father died. They though that is what he would want. Other's won't. That's up to them. One 49ers player took a few weeks off when his infant daughter died, and he had to go to another team after the year ended, because he and his wife couldn't deal with the memories in the area.
He still said jack and squat about whole teams not playing games because a BLM’er with a knife rushed some cops, was shot and survived. These were the games where they threw a BLM shirt across home plate. He is a hateful clown.
We’ll see about the Mets- specifically their plans for “pride night” in 2026....
METS SUCK!
What a raging scumbag.
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