‘Pardon My Take,’ the Biggest Sports Podcast in the Country, Just Took Out John Fisher
I was scrolling though Twitter on Friday when I saw a tweet that made me do a double take. Why, I thought to myself, Was Big Cat (the nom de plume of Dan Katz), co-host of “Pardon My Take,” the biggest sports podcast in the country, tweeting about John Fisher?
The tweet was short and very much to the point.
At last count, it had tallied over half a million views, a quick indicator of the reach and platform that Big Cat, and by extension “Pardon My Take” have. What has struck me in the past month since the news leaked late on the night of April 19 that the A’s were on the verge of securing the first of their planned Las Vegas ballpark sites, is how universal the support has been for the team’s fanbase and how universal the criticism has been for Fisher and his top lieutenant, team president Dave Kaval.
This week alone has been quite active on the bash-John-Fisher beat. On Monday night, as I sat at home, minding my business and watching the A’s on TV, I heard a lone fan heckling the team’s owner on the NBC Sports California Broadcast. Then, a couple of days later, the chants got less polite.
Here’s a bit of the more than four-minute exchange between Big Cat and his co-host, PFT Commenter, as the podcasting heavy weights lampooned Fisher, and the situation at large, as only they can:
BIG CAT: It just sucks. Whenever a city loses a team, it fucking sucks. And I was just, I was buying a new Cubs hat and I saw the A’s [hat] and I was like, “Dude, that logo is awesome.” And I feel really bad for their fans. So, I stand in solidarity. Fuck owners. Fuck cities that won’t help out. Even though owners should probably pay for their own fucking stadium. But either way, A’s fans, I stand with you because it sucks.
PFT COMMENTER: I’ll also say something nice about the A’s. They have the best grass in baseball. When they get that pattern cut into it and mowed exactly correctly, I’m talking like, “Light green, dark green, diamonds everywhere in the outfield.” That to me is like what I grew up watching. And that’s what I’ll remember the most about 90s baseball probably is how fucking sick the outfield grass was in Oakland.
BIG CAT: And how big their foul territory is. It goes on for days. So, yea, if you’re an A’s fan listening to this show, if you’re an AWL A’s fan, tweet us and let us know that you heard it because we’re going to stand with you. We can’t do anything except maybe we’ll just bash the owner of the A’s, like every couple of weeks.
PFT COMMENTER: Who is the owner of the A’s?
BIG CAT: Let’s find out. Fucking a. This guy, he’s on our shit list.
PFT COMMENTER: That guy’s in for a world of hurt.
BIG CAT: Yea. Yea, actually, it’s kind of fucked up that he not only is moving the team but he’s also somewhat anonymous. John Fisher. Fuck you, John Fisher.
PFT COMMENTER: Piece of shit.
I think I’ll stop transcribing right there because, well, you get the point. Plus, if you watch the video below (jump to the 21:50-mark) you’ll get a better understanding of the spirit of the conversation.