During the February 23 edition of Fox News' Your World with Neil Cavuto, guest host David Asman interviewed Anna Benson, proprietor of Anna Benson Enterprises, a website that features a photo gallery of Benson in provocative poses and that also links to a poker website with which she is affiliated. During a portion of the interview devoted to Benson's negative views on People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and filmmaker Michael Moore, Asman aired some of the site's photographs and observed, “There's some pictures of you in some very, ah, wonderful poses.”

Asman suggested that some media outlets, particularly in New York, “went after” Benson for her political views and her “sexy poses.” New York Times reporter Ben Shpigel wrote a January 22 article about Benson in the wake of the New York Mets' trade of her husband, Kris Benson, (career record: 57-61) to the Baltimore Orioles:

She is a rarity among today's professional men's athletes: the wife who has more of a public persona than her husband. Her time in New York was, in some ways, more remarkable than that of her husband.

Benson was moderately successful in his 18 months as a Met, but Anna stole the spotlight, sharing intimate details of their sex life, blasting the anti-establishment filmmaker Michael Moore and, more recently, criticizing the Mets for trying to trade her husband.

In response to Asman's suggestion, Benson said, “I don't have a speculation on that. They are the ones that write it, not me.” Asman replied, “Well, we are glad you are happy in Baltimore. Your husband is a wonderful pitcher. And some of the things you say on the Web are fantastic.”

As Media Matters for America previously noted, Your World with Neil Cavuto has often aired photographs and videos of scantily clad women and blurred images of nude women.

From the February 23 broadcast of Fox News' Your World with Neil Cavuto:

ASMAN: The gambling scandal surrounding Wayne Gretzky's wife, Janet Jones, has put the spotlight on the issue of professional sports and whether there is gambling. So, it might surprise some people that Anna Benson, who is the wife of Major League pitcher Kris Benson, is behind one of the most popular poker sites on the Web. Why does she do it? I'm joined by Anna Benson. Good to see you. Thanks for coming in.

BENSON: Thank you for having me.

ASMAN: The wife of a professional athlete running a website on gambling -- it doesn't sound like the right time for that.

BENSON: Well, it's a poker site, first of all. And, second of all, you know, we have separate careers. And just because my husband is a baseball player doesn't mean that I'm not allowed to do what I want to do.

ASMAN: But did the Gretzky thing play into what you were doing? Did you have to --

BENSON: That --

ASMAN: -- answer questions about it or anything?

BENSON: No. It has nothing to do with me. And I don't know much about it. I think people are being very harsh, and that they need to get all the facts first, before they start to judge --

[crosstalk]

ASMAN: It's getting a lot of hits, right?

BENSON: Which --

[crosstalk]

ASMAN: Your -- your website.

BENSON: I had about --

ASMAN: Your poker website.

BENSON: I had over two million visitors last -- last month.

ASMAN: All right. Well, let's talk about you and about the sport of baseball and Baltimore. You just moved to Baltimore. How is that?

BENSON: I'm very excited about that. Baltimore fans are wonderful. And I'm most excited for my husband to get to work with Leo Mazzone.

ASMAN: Now -- now -- now, a lot of people say -- or make the suggestion, sometimes very blatantly, that you are partly responsible for your husband leaving the New York Mets and going to Baltimore, because of some of the things you have said, some of the things you have done. What do -- how do you respond to that?

BENSON: You know, I don't really know what the truth is. You know, the Mets have said to me that was not the case, that it was simply a trade.

ASMAN: But your husband was doing pretty well at the Mets --

BENSON: He was doing well.

ASMAN: -- particularly in the last half of the season.

BENSON: He was doing well. And, you know, they have changed the face of their team and what they are doing. And, if they choose to dump his salary, and -- that's --

ASMAN: A lot of money.

BENSON: That's a business decision.

ASMAN: What is it, $23 million or something, over three years? More than that, right?

BENSON: It was $22-and-a-half [million] over three, and then an option for a fourth.

ASMAN: So, why do you think they did it? Why do you think the Mets traded him to Baltimore?

BENSON: Well, they have told me they traded because of a salary dump. And, so, I choose to believe that.

ASMAN: Now, you -- you talked a lot about sex with your husband, which you're -- you are -- you know, you are not a prude. You're -- you're not afraid to talk. But you also made some political points. There's some pictures of you in some very, ah --

BENSON: Thank you.

ASMAN: -- wonderful poses. But you -- you make some political statements on your website. You have talked about PETA. You are no fan of PETA, the animal rights group --

BENSON: No fan of PETA.

ASMAN: -- are you? You are no fan of the gun -- of the anti-gun lobbyists, right?

BENSON: No. No fan.

ASMAN: You -- you're a gun owner, and proud of it.

BENSON: Yes.

ASMAN: And -- and you're no fan of Michael Moore.

BENSON: No fan.

ASMAN: So, what was more responsible for you getting in trouble with the press? Was it -- was it these sexy poses and the things you had to say about sex, or your liberal -- your -- your -- your attacks of the liberal media?

BENSON: I'm not attacking anyone. I mean, these are on my site. And these are my opinions. And if you don't want to come on my site and read them, then don't come.

ASMAN: But, again, the media went after you in certain ways, particularly in New York. There were some people, in particular, that -- that made some nasty comments about it. Was it because of your stance on PETA and guns and Michael Moore, or because of what you said about sex?

BENSON: You would have to ask them that. I really -- I --

ASMAN: All right.

BENSON: I don't have a speculation on that. They are the ones that write it, not me.

[laughter]

ASMAN: Well, we are glad you are happy in Baltimore. Your husband is a wonderful pitcher. And some of the things --

BENSON: Thank you.

ASMAN: -- you say on the Web are fantastic.

BENSON: Thank you.

ASMAN: I -- I haven't gambled, by the way, so --

BENSON: Thank you.

ASMAN: -- I can't say anything about that.

BENSON: Thank you.

ASMAN: Anna Benson --

BENSON: You should come play some hold 'em with me, because I'm a mean player.

ASMAN: All right. Anna Benson, thanks very much.