Announcer Fired, Scoreboard Operator Quits ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- The public address announcer for the Atlantic City Surf of the independent Atlantic League was fired and the scoreboard operator resigned after making light of Gov. James E. McGreevey's sexual orientation. Announcer Greg Maiuro dedicated a between-innings rendition of the song "YMCA" to McGreevey during a game on Aug. 17, less than a week after New Jersey's governor announced that he had had an extramarital affair with a man and would resign. The 1970s hit song by the Village People is widely considered a gay anthem. The following night, scoreboard operator Marco Cerino posted the message "Sponsored by Gov. Jim McGreevey" on the scoreboard when the song was played. Cerino resigned over the incident, the team said. "Any time anyone speaks representing the Surf, they have to understand that we don't politicize," said team co-owner Frank Boulton. "It's not our place to do so. And it's just disrespectful." The men left their jobs Monday. "I was told what I did was wrong," Maiuro said. "I can see where you don't want to mix politics and baseball. I would have been willing to apologize."
The announcer's comment was pretty funny. The scoreboard the next day was pushing it. Was it that offensive? Seems pretty easy to get fired from jobs in the public these days. Pretty soon the airwaves and public parks will be quite bland.
