On Friday Mets reliever Frank Francisco called the Yankees “chickens” for some reason. Then, as a joke, reliever Tim Byrdak sent a clubhouse attendant to Chinatown to buy a live chicken and gave it to Francisco. It ran around the Mets clubhouse over the weekend, but now it is going to a better place. No, not a deep fryer, sadly:
The chicken will be heading to Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, N.Y., according to a spokesperson for the sanctuary. Lefty reliever Tim Byrdak, who came up with the idea to purchase the chicken and didn’t want to see it killed, presented the chicken to Farm Sanctuary media relations specialist Meredith Turner on Sunday. The team also presented Farm Sanctuary with a $500 check to cover living costs for the chicken.
The $500 will also include costs for survivor’s guilt counseling for the bird.
By the way, the chicken was named “Little Jerry Seinfeld” after the cockfighting rooster Kramer buys in a late-series Seinfeld episode. That episode aired over 15 years ago, by the way, which should make you feel pretty old.