Brooklyn Boro

Opinions & Observations: Perhaps Sid Rosenberg needs an explanation

May 18, 2021 Andy Furman
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Sorry.

Not sorry.

Sorry if I upset Sid Rosenberg with a story that recently ran in the Eagle.

Not sorry for writing it.

After Rosenberg — the Poly Prep grad and host of Bernie and Sid in the Morning (6:30-10am, WABC-770AM) – read the piece he immediately sent a message via social media.

“Saw it, disappointed, I’m past the days of drugs, booze and gambling. Now I’m hosting a big-time morning show at a legendary station and have a new real acting career. I’m not that bad boy anymore.”

Great – the world is happy for you, Sid.

And, certainly so is your family and friends.

Yet what Sid Rosenberg doesn’t seem to realize, before you attained your “star status” with your morning show you had some rough times.

Sid, you can’t erase the past – and quite honestly your story is quite remarkable in that you achieved your goals despite the troubled past.

The past is like a skelton in a closet.

Everyone has one – some go public like yours.

Take Bob Baffert, as a perfect example.

The Hall of Fame trainer for this year’s Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit, had his horse fail a drug test after the race.

Immediately after the announcement, Baffert’s body of work became public knowledge.

His horses have failed 30 drug tests – five in the last year or so – spurring chatter from rivals who believe he has cheated and gotten away with it in some of the sport’s biggest races, it was reported in The New York Times.

So, Sid Rosenberg, you’re not the only one with a checkered past that has been brought to the forefront.

In 2019, Joe Drape of The New York Times reported that Justify, also trained by Baffert, had failed a drug test after winning the 2018 Santa Anita Derby in Southern California. The rule at the time required that Justify be disqualified, forfeiting his prize money and preventing his entry into the Kentucky Derby a month later.

The California Horse Racing Board’s chairman at the time, Chuck Winner, had employed Baffert to train his horses, The Times reported. Justify’s failed test was investigated for four months, allowing the horse to keep competing long enough to win not only the Derby, but also the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes to become the 13th Triple Crown winner.

And, his postrace tests were clean in all three.

Sid Rosenberg is clean today – and he’s better for it.

The days of all-night boozing are done along with the gambling and drugs – gone yes, but not forgotten.

It’s part of Sid’s body of work – his DNA.

Perhaps it even made him a stronger individual – but the road to fame for Sid – and many others – has, at times, been rough.

Pete Rose, for example.

Baseball’s all-time hit leader (4,256 hits) will always be remembered for his gambling on baseball – not the success he had on a baseball field.

This will be his legacy.

Fair, probably not.

Accurate, yes.

So much so, it’s made him ineligible for baseball’s Hall of Fame, which he truly deserves.

The past can be a haunting reminder to many, so Sid I must respectfully disagree with the text you sent:

“The piece sucks. It should be about the triumphant comeback. No one wants to hear old stories of personal issues and DUIs,” it read.

Really?

It was all in your book – “You’re Wrong and You’re Ugly: The Highs and Low of a Radio Bad Boy.”

Apparently, people want to read about it – and you wanted to tell it.

Shocking yes – but perhaps a lesson learned that you can start over.

You did Sid – and maybe some can learn from you past.

You and Bernard McGuirk talk daily for four hours each morning on a powerful 50,000-watt signal.

 I’m not so sure the piece “sucked” as you suggested.

Your words mean much to the many people your reach. Perhaps some of those words should be kept cleaner.

Andy Furman is a Fox Sports Radio national talk show host. Previously, he was a scholastic sports columnist for the Brooklyn Eagle. He may be reached at: [email protected].

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