A polarizing figure on the field and off, Alex Rodriguez has his fans and his detractors. “A-Rod” is now a fixture during ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecasts and he’s making his mark. Rodriguez had a brilliant playing career, though it was marred by involvement in the Biogenesis scandal in 2013. Rodriguez was suspended 211 games by Major League Baseball, but on appeal it was reduced to a full-season of 162-games. He missed the entire 2014 season as a result. Rodriguez also admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs while he was with the Rangers, earlier in his career.
Taken by the Mariners with the number one overall pick in the 1993 Draft, he made his big-league debut just a year later at the age of 18. He became the youngest position player in Seattle history. In 1996 Rodriguez played in the All-Star Game as the youngest shortstop in the game’s history.
Rodriguez left Seattle in his dust, signing a 10-year deal worth 252-million dollars with the Texas Rangers in 2001. He would only play 3 of those 10 years in Texas. In February of 2004 the team dealt A-Rod to the Yankees to replace an injured Aaron Boone at 3rd base. The Rangers wound up getting Alfonso Soriano and the bill for 67-million of the remaining 179-million on his contract. Rodriguez would finish his career with the Yankees, despite a big hiccup, which I’ll get into in a moment. By the time of his retirement in 2016, Rodriguez appeared in 14 All-Star Games, won three AL MVPs and 10 Silver Slugger Awards.
Rodriguez is arguably one of the greatest hitters in baseball history which makes one wonder why a natural talent would use PED’s. His 696 home runs rank 4th all-time, as do his 2,086 RBI. Rodriguez is one of four players in history to hit 600+ home runs and account for 3,000+ hits, joining Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Albert Pujols. He was a 14-time All-Star and three-time American League MVP. It was in New York that he won his first and only World Series title in 2009.
MEDIA CAREER
Rodriguez began his media career shortly after retiring from baseball. In 2016 he joined Fox for coverage of the 2016 and 2017 postseason. He continues to work at Fox, doing studio shows for Major League Baseball. It’s at that network that he tried to repair his image, one of a confessed PED user and for lack of a better term, cheater.
He’s appeared as a celebrity “shark” on “Shark Tank” on ABC. Rodriguez also had his own show on CNBC, called “Back in the Game”. Rodriguez focused on mentoring athletes and entertainers who have fallen on hard times. It was a four-episode series that debuted in March of 2018.
We best know A-Rod now for his work on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, alongside Matt Vasgersian. This type of weekly, national exposure has made him one of, if not the most, polarizing figures in sports broadcasting. I haven’t come across too many people that tell me how great he is. More often people will say something like, why is he still on my television? I don’t have the answer to that. I’m a bit in that camp as well, trying to figure out the appeal of having him in such a prominent role. Apparently, it’s all in a name.
IN THE BOOTH
Sunday Night Baseball is an event, much like the old days of Monday Night Baseball on ABC. Your team is in the national spotlight and on display for everyone to see. It’s a big deal and sometimes I don’t get the impression that Rodriguez understands that the only baseball analyst with a more prominent platform might be Jon Smoltz, who is part of FOX’s World Series broadcast. I say that based on most of his commentary during a game. There are multiple examples, but I only have so much space in this column, so I’ll have to narrow it down to a precious few. It makes me wonder, when he opens his mouth, did he really play the game he’s talking about?
Before I get into the evidence, I will say, the job isn’t easy. As I’ve stated before, it takes a special kind of former athlete to be able to translate experience into words. Some have started out shakily and figured out that they have to put work into it to get better, just like they did when they were playing. The ones that understand this, usually go on to great careers as analysts, some are even better at broadcasting than they were playing. Then there are some that seem to believe that they can coast and just show up and because of who they are, people will listen.
In an interview with the Chicago Tribune media critic Phil Rosenthal in 2019, A-Rod admitted to being a “novice”. He told the paper, “I knew that the first couple of years that I would make so many mistakes, but (I hoped to) learn from them. I’m usually better the second or third time.” He also stated, “Being in the moment is my superpower,” he said. “Being able to see things that most people aren’t seeing.” That was 2-years ago and the mistakes are still coming at a rapid pace.
Well, I’m not sure most of the time what it is that he’s seeing that I’m not. A lot of what A-Rod says in a game sounds prepared. Likely in a production meeting before the game, he was told to focus on something.
Now, if that “something” isn’t happening, A-Rod still talks about it. It makes me think he’s not paying attention to the action or just not listening to the direction of the broadcast. As a top flight analyst you have to follow the lead of the play-by-play announcer or the producer in the truck. You need to learn that sometimes, silence on a broadcast is better than talking for the sake of talking. This is where most of the awkward moments take place.
What wasn’t fair to anyone in that SNB booth in the beginning, was three voices. It’s so much more difficult to dole out “air-time” when there are three opinions and commentaries. The feeling of needing to be heard supersedes the best interests of the broadcast at times. A three-person booth is a lot of pressure on everyone, mostly on the play-by-play announcer and producer to try and keep the flow going. But now there are only 2 voices and it’s not much better.
EXAMPLES
A lack of self-awareness got A-Rod in trouble during a Spring Training telecast in March of 2020. The subject of the Houston Astros came up and Rodriguez launched into his opinion of the cheating scandal.
“You cheat, you win a championship, there is no suspension, and then there’s no remorse,” A-Rod said. “The last one is probably the worst one. From a guy who has made as many mistakes as anybody on the biggest stage — I served the longest suspension in MLB history, it cost me well over $35 million, and you know what? I deserved that. I came back. I owned it after acting like a buffoon for a long time. I had my apologies, and then I went dark. I wanted my next move to be contrite and change my narrative. You have to be accountable … I felt the hatred from the people and I earned it.”
While there is some truth in the statement, Rodriguez did apologize and did take the heat for what he did back in his playing days. But there are those that have never forgiven Rodriguez for “cheating” and the masses felt that this was a pot calling the kettle black situation.
Self-awareness and understanding of the messaging seemed to slip away from A-Rod in the moment. He wasn’t wrong but the statement didn’t do him many favors. It causes me to wonder if people are talking to him and coaching him after broadcasts. They may be, but he isn’t listening.
In 2019 during a Phillies/Mets matchup on Sunday Night, out of nowhere, A-Rod explained why he wanted to see the Phillies sacrifice a runner to third. With nobody out in a 2-1 game in the 7th inning, he said it’s about aiming for an even numbered lead rather than an odd number.
Odd huh?
“You always want even leads versus odd leads. Why? The solo home run doesn’t tie it, and the grand slam does not beat you,” Rodriguez said.
Huh?
Wouldn’t silence have sounded better?
Now as a play-by-play guy, the only thing I can do in that situation, is look at him with a puzzled look and hope he explains further, or just say nothing. I’d try to distance myself from that statement by letting a little silence enter the discussion.
There are plenty of other examples out there, if you care to search for them.
CONCLUSION
Watching Sunday Night Baseball has become difficult with him a part of the broadcast. Scratching my head several times an inning, wondering what it is that he just said, is no way to enjoy a baseball game. I’m hoping that as time goes on and continues to get this opportunity, somebody works with him and explains to him what his role actually is. Trying to get in depth on a player’s swing, or something that requires more than his at-bat to explain hurts the broadcast.
I understand that he played the game and he may have an expertise on this particular instance. That discussion probably is better served for what he does for Fox, a pregame show, where you can take the time and actually educate. Some analysts have the ability to break things down quickly and efficiently, he doesn’t. Hopefully he gets there one day, but today isn’t that day.
Andy Masur is a columnist for BSM and works for WGN Radio as an anchor and play-by-play announcer. He also teaches broadcasting at the Illinois Media School. During his career he has called games for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox. He can be found on Twitter @Andy_Masur1 or you can reach him by email at Andy@Andy-Masur.com.
