MLB

Rivera Ave. advocate fends off Carton radio rant

As the campaign to change the name of River Ave. in The Bronx to Rivera Ave. to honor retiring Yankees closer Mariano Rivera gains steam around the city – with endorsements coming in from local politicians and athletes and support building among the public on the heels of a column this week in The Post – some stubborn opponents remain.

Tom Ferrara, whose suggestion sparked the column and who has been an advocate for the tribute plan, went on WFAN’s “Boomer & Carton” radio show on Thursday and encountered a staunch, almost unreasonable, foe in host Craig Carton.

Carton grew more and more agitated as his attempts to antagonize Ferrara failed, and the 58-year-old financial adviser in Westchester stood his ground. Here are some of the more choice excerpts from their debate and the full audio.

Ferrara: There’s symbolism here. River Ave. connects where the old Stadium was and where the new one is. Mariano for his entire career has been a Yankees, connecting the old Yankees with the new Yankees. And if you have ties into The Bronx and you have an emotional attachment to the team, as literally hundreds of thousands if not more fans do, River Ave., not unlike Mariano, is that connection.

Carton: Oh, stop, come on. With all due respect, it’s like a 12-year-old idolizing a ballplayer.

*

Ferrara: You guys, candidly, are the only ones I’ve come across have a negative view on it.

Carton: Because you’re talking to your own friends! You guys are running the poll. [Ed. A yes-no poll on CBS’ own website had Rivera Ave. backers comfortably in the lead.]

Carton: Here’s what the average Yankee fan will tell you, if they’re being honest with you: “Hey, if they did name it after him, great, all good. Love Mariano Rivera. Do they have to name it after him? No!” They don’t care!

Ferrara: Can I ask you a question, Craig? Why are you so jaded about this?

Carton: It’s not jaded. It’s stupid! The notion that because Mariano Rivera was a great baseball player, we now have to honor that career with a street, doesn’t make sense. That’s why.

*

Carton: OK. You know what you should do? I don’t know what you do for a living — that should be a new job for you, decide how we can rename every street in the five boroughs after people that you liked. Yeah? Or no?

Ferrara: I’m not gonna answer that question.

*

Ferrara: It’s an accolade that a majority of people…

Carton: A majority of what people?

Ferrara: If you’d stop interrupting me…

Carton: Hold on. Timeout. A majority of who? Of the five people you talked to, three said yes?

*

Carton: He needs a shrink.

*

Carton: At 58 years old, you have to sometime recognize that your admiration and idolization only matters to you! That’s the problem here! Alright!

*

Carton: (with Ferrara signing off) Don’t touch the button! Don’t touch the button! Don’t touch the button! Don’t touch the button! Don’t touch the button! Don’t touch the button! Don’t touch the button!

Esiason: I’m so uncomfortable when you get nuts like that.