Longtime WABC reporter Steve Bartelstein just disclosed that he has testicular cancer to Cindy Adams. The unfortunate news helps to explain numerous incidents where the morning anchorman showed up late for work, which culiminated in him getting fired after falling asleep on air. But CBS has shown interest in picking him up after he recovers:

Yesterday, the first day his WABC contract allowed him to speak out, he told me I might speak out about his whereabouts. He's been between doctors' offices, Cabrini's operating room and bed rest. The diagnosis? Testicular cancer. He faces chemo, radiation, more surgery. Says Steve: "Doctors say this had long been in my system. I'm not one to complain nor say anything disparaging. But it's possible my weariness at work was the result of this illness. I'd been showing extreme fatigue for a period of time. Even while I was still on-air, my mother said, 'I notice you're lethargic these days.' "So what happens now? "I recoup a little, have more tests, and then they decide on the second operation. It'll be within the next few weeks." He plans on being back on the air somehow somewhere sometime. "I wasn't allowed to say it then, but the very day I was fired, CBS offered me a job."

We wish Bartelstein a swift and speedy recovery and that he'll have the good sense to avoid ugly lawsuits in the future.