TOMS RIVER, NJ-New Jersey 101.5 radio host Bill Spadea has gone on an all-out rage-fit against New York Met Todd Frazier, along with his trolls. Frazier committed the ultimate sin in Spadea’s eye, sticking up for his hometown school district. Like Spadea, but unlike Spadea, because I’m also a product of the Toms River School District, we’re all mad at what happened to the district over the years. Spadea, from his perch in Princeton, lashed out at anyone who supported fixing the district.
Spadea called the $40 something million dollar state funding portion an unfair tax to the rest of the state, but Spadea sounds just like every other Trenton Democrat on that subject over the past 20 years. You see, our local districts and taxpayers, we have been funding underperforming, failing school districts for decades, through the Abbott district funding scheme and now through the Sweeney-Murphy school tax funding plan.
For decades, Bill, Ocean County taxpayers have paid for more than their fair share of school taxes that were siphoned out of the school districts and into failing districts like Newark, Camden, Elizabeth, East Orange, Paterson, Trenton and the list goes on. While we pay for hundren-million dollar state of the art facilities in those cities, our districts, Toms River, Brick, Jackson, Central Regional and others have suffered.
Now, Bill the Republican gets pissy when Toms River gets a small portion of their losses back, but that’s just the facts on the subject at hand, Bill.
Like they say on the internet, “Educate yourself”.
I have known Todd since his early days in the minors and know him to be nothing more than a class act, a role model professional athlete and somebody who gives back to his community. He has done more for Toms River and youth sports for Ocean County than any other professional athlete I know. After Hurricane Sandy, who came home to support the community? That’s right, it was Todd Frazier…and Frankie Edgar. I don’t recall Bill Spadea coming down this way…ever.
Who shows up at our Little League facilities when kids are playing ball to cheer them on? I can’t remember how many times now, Todd Frazier has shown up to help the kids in our community.
When local Little League teams are in the State Championship and beyond, who makes a facetime live call to the dugout to cheer on and give the kids positive support? That would be Todd Frazier too…not sure when the last time Bill Spadea did something like that.
Who is there for the community anytime he is asked to support a local charity, support group, team, school, even a local business…that would also be Todd Frazier.
The man made it to the big leagues and not only did he not forget his roots, every off-season he makes those roots stronger to the best of his ability…he’s a class act.
That’s why Spadea isn’t finding much support in his battle against Frazier in this neck of the woods, even from people who might even slightly agree with his take on the referendum. Spadea is attacking the wrong guy.
You won’t know any of the above from Frazier because well, he doesn’t toot his own horn either, he just does what he does because he is who he is.
Here’s a great Frazier story. A few years ago, I was in Disney getting my son a haircut at the barber just inside the front gate. Sitting next to me was a little boy about age 5 or so. He had a 21 Frazier Reds hat, a 21 Frazier Jersey, red sneakers and shorts with the Red’s logo on them. I texted Todd. He was getting ready for pre-game warmups. I asked if he had 2 minutes because I was sitting next to the ultimate Todd Frazier fan. He called me so I reach over to the boy’s mom and told her, “Excuse me ma’am, I have a phone call for your son.”
At first, she pulled her son closer and began looking for security, and I said, “No really he should answer this and showed her the CID on my phone that said, ‘FlavaFraz'”
Todd spoke to the kid for a few minutes, made his day, if not his entire life have a facetime with his hero.
It’s the type of guy Todd is.
Yelling at people for radio ratings is the type of guy Spadea comes off as.
And that’s the difference here. Spadea swinging at Frazier is like a fly swinging at Frankie Edgar. The two are just leagues apart and Spadea should head back to the locker room knowing that he gave it a good shot, but ultimately lost the game and move on to easier targets in his own league, like Phil Murphy and Bob Menendez.
As a 15 year coach of kids playing baseball and softball, I’ll tell Bill what I tell many kids who want to play up before they’re ready. Make sure you can dominate your own division before you play up.
Photo: A cheesey Photoshopped pic of Bill Spadea with a black eye.
