Active MLBers have played significant roles in the rightsholders' coverage of this year’s MLB postseason, but network execs have taken different routes in getting the athletes to join their respective broadcast teams. At Fox, which this October has used Yankees DH Alex Rodriguez, Nationals P Max Scherzer and Braves C A.J. Pierzynski in different capacities, the conversation regarding who might excel in an on-air role is one that never ends. “It’s something that we always have on the radar,” Fox Sports President of Production John Entz said. “We consistently talk to each other about who would be good, whether it’s down the road in five years or in October when and if they’re available.” ESPN Senior Coordinating Producer for MLB Phil Orlins, on the other hand, takes more of a wait-and-see approach. “I don’t feel any pressure necessarily to add someone,” he said. “We have a pretty large regular-season roster, and by the time we get to the World Series, we’re not doing games other than for radio. So I keep a few things in mind and see how they filter out as it goes, but I’m not looking at it like ‘Oh, we’ve got to have people.’”
YOUNG GUN: ESPN did end up adding a current player to its coverage of the AL Wild Card game, but Orlins said it was MLB -- not anyone on the Bristol campus -- that brought the idea to the table. That is something the league will do on occasion with specific players who might be looking for media exposure. The original suggestion was for Rays P Chris Archer to make the trek up to Bristol for a cameo on ESPN’s daytime shows in the hours leading up to the AL Wild Card game. However, Archer had filled in as a guest on the net’s All-Star selection show in July, and Orlins felt that he would be more valuable as part of the game coverage. “We really like the fact that Chris is on the younger side, has some style and is maybe a little more representative of a new breed of young stars in the game,” Orlins said of the 27-year-old. Archer has since rejoined ESPN for the World Series as a part of the on-site “Baseball Tonight” studio team and radio broadcast.
HOW THEY GOT THERE: Unlike Archer, Fox’ trio of Rodriguez, Scherzer and Pierzynski has no shortage of experience or accolades. Entz said Fox reached out to Scherzer in September and Rodriguez after the Yankees lost the AL Wild Card game. Both players sat in the studio for LCS coverage, and Rodriguez has remained on board for the World Series. Entz said there was no hesitation to bring Rodriguez on despite his checkered past with PED use and his subsequent suspension. Meanwhile, Pierzynski has had a relationship with Entz for more than a decade, dating back to the days of "The Best Damn Sports Show Period.” Pierzynski has joined Fox’ postseason studio team on several occasions since ’11. This year, however, Pierzynski moved up to become John Smoltz’ batterymate in the booth during FS1’s coverage of the Royals-Astros ALDS. Entz said producer Brad Zager thought to make the switch. Entz: “Once he brought it up, we all thought it was a great idea and made it happen in a few days.” Entz added Smoltz and play-by-play man Matt Vasgersian “were completely open to it and wanted to have A.J. there. It turned out to be a great dynamic with the pitcher and catcher going back and forth about the mindset during each at-bat.”
PROS AND CONS OF PROS: There are many positive aspects of bringing current athletes into the fold, but there are challenges as well. On one hand, they have faced all or most of the players whom they are analyzing. “It’s invaluable for someone like Alex to tell you what it’s like to step in against (Blue Jays P) R.A. Dickey and how he approaches that at-bat,” Entz said. “When you can start a sentence by saying, ‘I faced so-and-so in August and here’s how I approached it,’ we feel that goes a really, really long way with the viewers.” Then again, might those temporary analysts hold back on a tell-all reveal of their secrets, knowing that they could very well be facing that player again come April? “I can’t say that that has been something that’s been a problem,” Entz said, “but it’s a fair question.” Orlins points out that for a lot of current players, most of their media experience is in the form of someone asking them about themselves. He added, “It doesn’t always transition talking about yourself from your point of view to really being capable and having the thought process to analyze from a more neutral position.”
DOING IT JUST TO DO IT? Turner Sports execs have a slightly different philosophy than that of the higher-ups at ESPN and Fox, which explains why TBS’ postseason coverage did not include any current players. “Given that TBS and TNT are entertainment networks and not necessarily 24-hour sports networks, it’s important that we straddle that line of sports and pop culture,” Turner Sports Exec VP/Production & Chief Content Officer Craig Barry said. “Are we just doing it just to do it, will there be time for everybody to share what they have to say, and is there potential to interrupt some of the chemistry just to shoehorn a current player in there?” Despite those reasons to take pause though, Turner did not rule out adding an active MLBer to its broadcast team. Barry said “somewhere in the neighborhood of a half a dozen to 10 past and current players” came in and sat down with the talent for an informal audition.
