i can't even believe this is an issue. seriously cannot fucking believe it. when minimm was born, i took a month off work. you know why? because i could. when �mml&r were born, guess what? i took another month off. you know why? because i could. i had the available leave and the flexibility in my workpalce allowed it. i'm super thankful for it. and i wish i could've taken more time off. you know why? because i'm a man, a father, a husband, and I AM A MAN. but what is a man? is a man just a meatbag with a hairy penis? is that all that makes me a man? a y-chromosome and 18 years under my belt? no. a man is a MAN. he is a provider for his family, and its protector. (allow me to dive off hte deep end of societal stereotyping and mookery here. men are so much more and so much less than that. but i cannot assault the argument without first fully embracing it). that's what a man does. that's what a man is. a man who does not provide for and protect his family is no man at all. amirite? well, once we've got that nonsense out of the way. let me ask a question. how exactly does one provide for his family? what does that even mean? is it just money? is that all i do? make money, give it to the family, and then my manly responsibilities are fulfilled? of course not. a man must provide love and support to his family. and when does a family need more love and support than when a new child is born into it? the babies need love. the mother just pushed a watermelon out of her (or had it cut out of her freaking abdomen!). your watermelon! you think she doesn't need love? babies are helpless. do they not need support? does that watermelon-producer not also need support, to the best and utmost of your abilities? and what of protecting the family? by loving and supporting hte mother and new babies, a man also protects his family proactively. protect the family from undue stress and difficulty, and also to a lesser extent from whackadoodle inlaws. a man protects his family from dangers not only physical, but also mental and emotional. and when are families more emotionally and mentally stressed than when a new child is born into it? no, manly man, your provisions and protections extend beyond a paycheck and a smelly armpit, especially when you are able. now, mind you, if a family is so fully dependent upon the paycheck of the man, then it is the man's obligation to find hte proper balance, for to forego pay altogether to be there for a new child can be counter-productive. so a family that's living paycheck to paycheck, more or less, may have to sacrifice the time the man spends with the new baby. but lets be real. the murphys are not in any way living paycheck to paycheck. daniel murphy is making $5.7M this year, and while i don't know if paternity leave is paid or not, even if its not paid, he'll undoubtedly be just fine. and while he's not yet reached his free agent years and has not yet gotten a long term contract, his job is fairly safe, and he may look forward to a decent major league career with tens of millions of dollars in salary over its course. he's already cleared the bar of providing for his family, financially. taking a month off may not be adviseable for him, in that it would then become detrimental to his career and also to his team. but three days is an exceedingly small drop in the bucket. moreover, and importantly, he is entitled to taking three days off. his union has won that provision and it is his to use. and use it he should. to not use it would be to not provide for his family, as the exceedingly small financial and career benefit does not outweigh the emotional and mental and physical benefit of him being with his new family for htose three scant days. a pro football player might not have the flexibility to miss a game or three following the birth of a child, as his season is shorter, his contract is not guaranteed, his career is more fleeting, the loss of a game check more pronounced, and hte threat of replacement on the depth charts more immediate. especially for a marginal player. but for an established major league baseball player? please. surely there are those who were unable to avail themselves of any such provision in their own lives, and who had to make the sacrifice of not being there for their newborn child because their own financial situation outweighed or threatened to outweigh the benefit of being there, but they should not begrudge him his luck and his success. and for mike francessa to begrudge him is preposterous. fuck that noise. fuck it right in the neck.