The “Sports Pope” is not here for the 15 minutes of fame for the “Hawk Tuah” girl.
The viral star, whose real name is Hailey Welch, threw out the first pitch before Thursday’s day game between the Mets and A’s at Citi Field, extending her fame cycle following the infamous man-on-the-street interview in which she was heard saying “hawk tuah” to describe sexual acts.
While speaking on his eponymous podcast, Francesa, who cited the Mets suffering a brutal loss in the game — they led 5-0 after three innings only to lose 7-6 for their fifth loss in six games — was annoyed with the team’s performance.
But moreover, he questioned the Mets marketing team for having Welch toss out the first pitch on a “camp day” game, where there was likely a high number of young fans in the ballpark.
“I know she’s in her 15 minutes of fame, she just struck a chord and went viral with some sleazy answer to a man on the street question,” Francesa acknowledged of Welch.
“Knowing that that’s the case that her fleeting fame was about something as suggestive as her answer was, what in the world would possess the Mets to bring her in to throw out the first ball? And, on top of it, on camp day.”
Francesa later continued, “You have heard me say on numerous occasions, and it’s continued through the ownership change, that the Mets could screw up a one-car funeral.”
He later intimidated that the person behind the idea could be fired, but that was purely a speculative thought.
Whoever in the marketing or promotional department decided it was a good idea to bring this girl in and glorify her and shine the spotlight on her and let her throw out the first pitch, which got them utterly destroyed from coast to coast, what the hell are they thinking?” he questioned, before saying, “Could you imagine when the owner is explaining to his wife exactly who this girl is?” through a laugh.
The decision to have Welch throw out the first pitch was polarizing, with WFAN’s Sal Licata having similar opinions as Francesa.
Welch opened up about her appearance with a social media post on Friday, saying she was at Citi Field on behalf of the charity America’s Vet Dogs, which helps place service animals with military veterans and first responders.
