Now On MSNBC: Jason Varitek Punching Alex Rodriguez In The Mouth

Chad Jennings, The Athletic, April 30, 2020:

Jonathan Lemire has lived in his Brooklyn, N.Y. apartment nearly seven years. It's in a late 19th-century building that boasts exposed brick in almost every unit, and Lemire's brickwork is a wall that extends just off the kitchen ... For as long as Lemire has lived there, there has been a single nail sticking out of the masonry.

A month ago, Lemire finally hung a picture on that nail ...

Almost any day of the week, political junkies can tune into "Morning Joe" or "The 11th Hour with Brian Williams" and find Lemire – a White House reporter for the Associated Press and regular contributor to MSNBC – sitting in front of his brick wall, offering professional insight and political analysis, while just over his left shoulder hangs a framed picture of Jason Varitek smacking Alex Rodriguez square in the mouth.

"I look at it this way," Lemire said. "What the nation needs now in these trying times is an inspirational image of good triumphing over evil, and the comeback story of the 2004 Red Sox depicted in that image is something we can all look toward now and draw inspiration." ...

"Coming to New York [from Lowell, Mass.], being surrounded by the enemy – Yankees fans – has only heightened my Red Sox fandom," Lemire said. "To the point that both of my children, by the age of 2 or 3, any time they would see a Yankee logo would give it two thumbs down. I've actually had to discourage them in public from actively booing people wearing Yankees stuff. That might be the correct behavior, but it's not always polite behavior." ...

A small Brooklyn apartment with a wife and two kids doesn't leave room for a home studio ... Many other at-home contributors have gone on air with smart-looking bookcases in the background ... Lemire's best option was in front of his brick wall with that unseen, unused nail sticking out. ...

MSNBC provided some professional gear – an iPad on a tripod, a halo light shining bright, a laptop showing the on-air feed ... After a week or two, MSNBC offered feedback: Maybe Lemire could decorate the wall a little bit, add a touch of personal flair. ...

"Obviously," Lemire said. "I decided the most important image that I could put there … would be a picture of Jason Varitek hitting Alex Rodriguez in the face."