The Soccer World Recognizes Phil Murphy’s Dismal Record Of Poor Treatment Of Women

Last week was a short blogging week at The Bob & Steve Show. I planned on doing a piece last Thursday about Phil Murphy’s professional women’s soccer team, Sky Blue FC, holding open tryouts next month and that it will only cost women $100 to try out for a team with owners who treat women like crap. I didn’t write the piece because the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) held their draft, so I decided to watch the livestream and then add to the piece. Then life got in the way the rest of the day and I was too busy to get a post up Friday.

We did end up talking about Murphy and his soccer team for a little while on Saturday’s radio show and suggested that if he cares about women as much as he claims that maybe he could pickup the $100 tab for anyone trying out for his team. To be fair, we did mention that it appears to be a league-wide rule that open tryouts come with a charge but could find nothing in the rules posted on the NWSL website about who has to pay the fee. Murphy could afford it.

Anyway, back to the draft. One would think getting drafted by a professional sports team would be a happy day in the life of a young athlete. Not if the young athlete is drafted by Murphy’s soccer team. The Tweets during the draft back that up. Some were brutal:

Julia Ashley was the sixth pick overall, she’s a Jersey girl. It appears she would rather go to Europe. According to Philly.com:

One of Sky Blue’s marquee first-round picks, University of North Carolina defender Julia Ashley — a northern New Jersey native, by the way — told reporters after she was selected: “I’m not positive of what I want to do in regards to if I’m going to stay or go abroad. I have to explore those options. I’ve been talking to my agent about possibly France, Sweden or Germany. I’m not sure yet.”

Ashley wasn’t the only issue with a drafted player. Sky Blue also had the second overall pick, Hailie Mace, a women’s soccer superstar, doesn’t want to play for Murphy’s team either. Again, according to Philly.com:

A few hours later, Equalizer Soccer reported that Sky Blue’s biggest prize of the day, UCLA and U.S. women’s youth national team defender Hailie Mace, does not intend to report to the club. Novo acknowledged “there are challenges” with Mace, the No. 2 overall pick, and acknowledged they’ve been caused by the club’s off-the-field troubles.

It’s obvious the soccer world knows how Murphy, or at least his soccer team, treats women. At The Bob & Steve Show we’ve been talking about Murphy’s mistreatment of women since August of last year. We basically were saying the soccer team was the tip of the iceberg and to watch for problems in his administration. It looks like we were right, just ask Katie Brennan or Allison Kopicki.

We’ve also complained a lot that local media has been letting Murphy off the hook on the issue of the mistreatment of the women on his soccer team. We are hopeful that the recent Philly.com report means local media is going to stop giving Murphy a free pass. Time will tell.

Press Release: Fiocchi Announces In LD1

Sam Fiocchi got into the LD1 Senate race today. His press release follows:

Former Assemblyman Sam Fiocchi Announces Candidacy For Senate In LD1

Fiocchi looks forward to going back to Trenton to “fight hard for our district and all of South Jersey.”

VINELAND – Former Cumberland County Freeholder and NJ state Assemblyman from the First Legislative District, Sam Fiocchi, announced today he is a candidate for state Senate in New Jersey’s first district.

“Throughout the last election cycle people from across the district encouraged me to run for this senate seat,” Sam Fiocchi said. “My answer was always that it was not time to talk about the senate seat and that we had to focus on helping Seth Grossman’s congressional campaign. I did exactly that.”

“Unfortunately, Seth wasn’t successful, and folks continued to encourage me to make an announcement.” Fiocchi continued, “After careful consideration, many conversations with friends and family and, most recently, listening to Governor Murphy’s State of the State address I have decided now is the time to announce I am running for state Senate in the first legislative district.”

“Frankly, I found it disingenuous that the Governor would thank our veterans for their service knowing that at least $1.2 million was removed from the Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs in his state budget yet he could find $2 million for the defense of illegal aliens in this state,” Fiocchi said. “The fact that our former state Senator, our newly anointed state Senator, the Assemblyman in the district nor any candidate for any office in the first district has said a word about this is just as bad. I am truly thankful for the service of our veterans and intend to fight to restore those funds to the Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs.”

“The Governor spoke a lot about a ‘stronger and fairer’ New Jersey. I see nothing stronger or fairer about raising taxes and will work hard to halt any proposed tax increase.” Fiocchi added, “There is nothing stronger or fairer about turning New Jersey into a sanctuary state, it makes us less safe, I will always stand up for law abiding citizens and the rule of law. Those living in our state illegally should not be given drivers licenses.”

“After a year of Governor Murphy and a lack of leadership in fighting his progressive agenda in the first legislative district New Jersey is neither fairer or stronger to anyone. I intend to go to the state Senate and fight for the hard working, law abiding residents of our district, just as I did as an Assemblyman,” Fiocchi said. “I look forward to an honest, yet spirited, primary election and beyond to an equally tough general election and going back to Trenton to fight hard for our district and all of South Jersey.”

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Bob Menendez Is Upset With Fox News

Bob Menendez

It appears U.S. Senator Bob Menendez is upset with Fox News over the photo of him shirtless and chatting with a woman in a bikini in Puerto Rico.

According to the Washington Times Menendez “lashed out at a Fox News reporter Tuesday over the network’s coverage of a photo showing him shirtless on a beach in Puerto Rico during the government shutdown.”

After watching the video I’m not sure I would say Menendez “lashed out,” but he certainly wasn’t happy about being given the opportunity to tell his side of the story.

Menendez told Fox News reporter Rob Schmitt, “You guys are not fair. You’re neither fair nor balanced.”

I laughed at that line because Menendez is probably the last person who should be talking about being balanced. Just look at his re-election campaign, one campaign swing through South Jersey versus how much time in North Jersey. Was there balance there? I mean he is the senator for the entire state. Take NJ Transit, Menendez talks a lot about northern New Jersey trains and nothing about the Atlantic City line.

If Menendez really cared about balance he would leave the “resist” movement and work with President Donald Trump on border security. But he won’t, he’ll keep catering to his liberal Hudson County base and continue to ignore South Jersey and the things we care about.

For the rest of us this is a lesson learned. I always tell candidates never allow a photo to be taken with a drink in their hand. Now, I’m going to add never allow a photo to be taken shirtless while talking to a woman wearing a bikini.