Former MLBer Alex Rodriguez makes his debut as an FS1 in-game analyst tonight on the Royals-Yankees broadcast, which "sets up an interesting dynamic -- Rodriguez talking about the Yankees, his longtime employer," according to Wallace Matthews of the N.Y. TIMES. The Yankees "continue to sign paychecks to him," as Rodriguez serves as a special advisor and instructor reporting to Yankees Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner. Rodriguez said, "My first job is as an adviser to Hal Steinbrenner and to mentor some of our young players." He added, "It will be hard not to be a homer. ... I’m going to try to play it as fair as I can and play it down the middle and tell the fans exactly what I’m seeing" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/18). YAHOO SPORTS' Chris Cwik wrote TV is "nothing new" for Rodriguez, but this is a "brand new role." During his studio analyst role with Fox, Rodriguez was "able to prepare notes and talking points in advance of pre-scripted questions." While he will "still be able to prep with the same level of intensity, Rodriguez will have to adjust to the randomness that comes with live game broadcasts." He also will have to "think on the fly more, though it’s worth noting that his pre-and-post game work happened live, so it’s not a completely foreign concept to him." If he brings that "same level of commitment to this gig, Rodriguez should be a tremendous color commentator." All the pieces are "in place for Rodriguez to knock this one out of the park." Cwik: "There’s a real chance fans will learn something by listening to his analysis, which will be a nice change over the norm" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 5/17).
