The idea to hire former MLBer Pete Rose as an MLB analyst "came up within Fox several months ago and led to an audition in March in which he worked with" Frank Thomas and Chris Myers, according to Richard Sandomir of the N.Y. TIMES. Fox Sports Exec VP/Production John Entz said, “The entire control room couldn’t stop watching him. It was a compelling audition.” Sandomir notes Rose remains a "fascinating personality for his playing career and for his gambling sins," and the hiring is a way for Fox to "get the type of publicity that has not come with its hiring of any other studio analyst." Fox’ message "is clear: Come watch Pete Rose." But Sandomir asks, "What took so long?" Entz said, "We want to move things along slowly, and if things progress as we hope they will, we’d like him to be a big presence in our October coverage.” Sandomir notes Rose is "under contract, for now, to make at least 25 appearances a year." Rose yesterday said, "I hope I do good by them. I follow the game religiously" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/21). ESPN’s Michael Smith said he will "certainly tune in to watch him, but I won’t be watching him, at least initially, for his insight into the current game.” He called the move a “homer for Fox to get somebody who’s going to bring that many eyeballs.” But he asked, “Is he the story or is … the game he’s discussing the story? It feels like the story is him and his baggage and not necessarily what he’s breaking down.” ESPN’s Jemele Hill said the 74-year-old Rose "should be able to be as unfiltered and as honest” as he wants to be. Hill: “I’m hoping that he realizes he’s in a position of strength and he might as well just unload” (“His & Hers,” ESPN2, 4/20).
LOVE ME SOME ME: In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes Fox execs "must be initially credited for a stroke of sheer brilliance by deciding to hire" Rose, and it "matters not what the motive is." This is "more about business than anything else." Raissman: "Does anyone watch FS1’s 'MLB Whiparound?' That’s what we thought." But he asks, "Does Pete Rose still even have the chops to entertain? Can he relate to fans, especially those 25 and under who might not even know who he is, let alone his nefarious past?" Rose will "only succeed if he is himself" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/21). Raissman added, "Pete might start playing to the commissioner’s office and the baseball owners and pull his punches. You wouldn’t get out of him what you want.” The N.Y. Daily News’ Anthony McCarron said Rose was “one of the great talkers of all-time" during his playing and managing careers, and he was a “tremendous interview." McCarron: "If he is soft-pedalling everything, we’re going to know immediately and it’s going to fizzle" (“Daily News Live,” SNY, 4/20). USA TODAY's Rem Rieder writes Fox deserves "props" for hiring Rose, as it "did a good thing" by hiring the all-time MLB hit leader. The move gets a "supremely accomplished player who just exuded baseball back in the day back in the game." Rieder: "There's no question Rose knows baseball inside and out. But will he be any good on the air? As we have learned painfully, there is not always a direct correlation between the two." Rose said that he promises to take a similar approach to TNT's Charles Barkley when on-air, "calling out players who don't hustle or who make bone-headed plays" (USA TODAY, 4/21).
