Amid all the expected celebratory scenes inside the Yankee clubhouse on Sunday night, there was one incongruous constant: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.
Following the Yankees’ clinching win over the Los Angeles Angels, the Fox cameras were trained on the podium, as various presentations were made and interviews conducted. And just to the right, Mayor Bloomberg held his position on the podium, so long that it almost seemed awkward.
Asked whether the Fox Sports coverage found the mayor’s constant on-camera presence in the clubhouse awkward, Lou D’Ermilio, the spokesman for Fox Sports, said, “We had nothing to do with him being there. The moment was about the New York Yankees and the team winning a pennant. We interviewed team executives, the manager, the MVP, and the players. That’s what we do after a game.”
Asked if the network had any previous experience with a city’s mayor turning up in the coverage of a clubhouse celebration, Mr. D’Ermilio said, “I don’t recall the last time there was one in there.”
No one knows for sure why the mayor wouldn’t leave, although we and others could certainly hazard a guess. In fact, here are our 10 guesses, in the tradition of a Late Show Top 10. Somehow we think you can do better. So please, send us your possible reasons…
Top 10 Reasons Why Mayor Bloomberg Wouldn’t Leave the Podium
10. Rudy would have stepped up to replace him.9. As Letterman might say, the podium was kinda high off the ground for a guy that short.
8. Someone has to represent the Red Sox, er, I mean the Mets, er, I mean City Hall.
7. If the cracked stadium ramps gave way, this was the safest place to be.
6. Free Champagne? Somewhere there’s gotta be free hot dogs.
5. He had to stay for all nine innings; no way he leaves now.
4. A showing of solidarity with the biggest payroll in baseball.
3. Just bursting for the opportunity to show a national audience how well he speaks Spanish.
2. It’s great to be with a wiener.
1. It’s not often the mayor gets TV face time that he doesn’t have to pay for.
