Chicken parm vs. Diet Coke: Who’ve you got?

Via the New York Post’s Justin Terranova: On his ESPN New York radio show (simulcast on the YES television network) yesterday afternoon, Michael Kay, rapacious consumer of the popular Italian dish, launched a nine-minute broadside at his No. 1 competitor, WFAN’s popular gasbag Mike Francesa:

According to Kay, Francesa was discussing his November interview with Alex Rodriguez on WFAN. A caller suggested the infamous in-studio interview, during which A-Rod denied PED use and blasted MLB, was the reason Francesa and YES Network parted ways.
Kay, the play-by-play voice of the Yankees on YES, has since taken over the afternoon simulcast slot from Francesa.
“And Francesa said, ‘That’s not the truth, they wanted a show where they can control the editorial and I wasn’t going to give them that,’” a heated Kay said of his rival.
“I don’t know how to say this without being blunt: Mike’s a liar. No one controls this show, but me and [co-host] Don La Greca. That’s it. We have never, ever been called by anybody at YES and critiqued on what we said and how we said it or the truth of it.”
Kay would later correct himself and say that the only time he heard from YES was after his initial simulcast, which he opened by dumping a bottle of Diet Coke, Francesa’s favorite beverage, in the trash. …
“To say they wanted editorial control, you’re lying to soften the blow that you got taken off a great network and saying we are a house organ,” Kay said. “You are wrong, I am sorry, you are wrong.
“Two reasons: 1. You ended up earning a lot of money, which you earned, but they were losing a lot of money on the show. 2. It’s obvious the proper decision has been made because our ratings are better than your rating when you were on YES.”
And then Kay attacked Francesa for his viral sleeping moment when he dozed off while talking to WFAN’s Yankees reporter Sweeny Murti.
“And let me give you a No. 3: Maybe they didn’t want to broadcast a show where someone was falling asleep on the air,” Kay said.

Will Francesa respond to Kay’s rant this afternoon? Those in the New York metropolitan area should tune to 660 on the AM dial. Others may listen via WFAN.com.

More here.