NEW YORK, NY – Since we launched in 2005 (yes, it’s been that long) nobody has gotten fired from Meet The Matts… Well, other than Tall Matt, who made ridiculous contract demands and berated staff. But in light of one of our own getting a visit from The Turk yesterday at his day job, this became an opportunity to take a journey perpendicular to The Boulevard of Broken Dreams for today’s topic: Sports Stars That Got Fired or Axed Before Making It Big…
Justin Turner: The New York Mets have a star-crossed history of letting guys go for a box of used sunflower seeds or worse, cutting them for zilch. Fans of the Flushing Flops will never be allowed to forget the affable Turner, an energetic, young utility guy showing grit and an upside. Those characteristics will certainly get you exiled by Mets Brass, and that’s just what happened with J-Turns. Dejected initially after getting a pie in the face from Sandy Alderson, Turnsie is now an elite 3rd baseman in baseball and a marketers dream. But the Mets don’t care, they have David Wright in camp working with their latest 3rd Base Battalion.
Kurt Warner: Frankly, this bagging-at-a-super market to NFL Hall of Fame story is a tad worn, so we’ll leave it at that. Let’s got to another QB with a similar story.
Orel Hershisher: This guy got cut from his high school team. Bad move. But then he got cut from his college team. Worse move! 
The guy that should have gotten fired was his college coach, who almost deprived us all of “Orel Surgery” and 59 consecutive scoreless innings and 18 years of creative pitching.
Johnny Unitas: After his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers cut him, Johnny U worked in construction for a year. He played semi-pro on weekends, which was basically in jeans, a dark t-shirt and a used college helmet. The Baltimore Colts signed him and he played 16 seasons, setting a number of passing records and winning a Super Bowl. His departure was the main reason the Bolts left for Indianapolis. Or was it Bert Jones? And by the way, how tall was Georgia Frontiere? Bert is 6’3″.
DJ Eberle: One day, he will look back on yesterday and giggle. Maybe not today, but sometime soon. Don’t you worry, Kid. We all get fired. I have gotten the ax over and over. And remember: Chicks did scars and you still have your desk here.
Leave your comments and choices below and come back for a man that gets fired on a daily basis yet still goes to work, Junoir Blaber.
P.s… Billy Martin got fired a thousand times, mostly by George Steinbrenner…
