Wednesday/Thursday BP: Ken Rosenthal removed from MLB Network

Good morning, baseball fans!

It was reported by Andrew Marchand of the New York Post earlier this week that Ken Rosenthal was being removed from his role as a MLB insider on the MLB network, reportedly due to articles he penned for The Athletic during the summer of 2020, in which Rosenthal was critical of MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s handling of the ongoing pandemic.

I guess hurt feelings are the most important part of a global pandemic? But I digress. You can read the article for yourself here.

At the time, and under the radar, it is reported that Rosenthal was quietly benched for said criticism, not appearing on air for three months, though no formal suspension was ever announced. But it seems the working relationship has only deteriorated since then, and the network opted not to renew his contract.

MLB network denies the reporting that this stemmed from Rosenthal’s commentary during 2020, of course, because clearly you have to toe the company line in order to not get fired over there. They claim that Rosenthal’s contract was not renewed in an effort to freshen up their on-air talent.

Rosenthal had this to say on social media:

“Can confirm MLB Network has decided not to bring me back. I’m grateful for the more than 12 years I spent there, and my enduring friendships with on-air personalities, producers and staff. I always strove to maintain my journalistic integrity, and my work reflects that.”

Rosenthal will continue his baseball coverage on Fox Sports and at The Athletic.

Old, random MCC article for you to read

That time when Brandon Belt beat the shift in the World Series (January 27th, 2015 - Grant Brisbee)

How many days has it been since the owners locked out the players?

It has been 36 days since the owners unnecessarily instituted a lockout. Time is starting to lose all meaning.