Dan Patrick takes dig at new FOX analyst trio of MLB legends
Dan Patrick was not enamored by FOX Sports' analyst trio of David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez and newcomer to the network, Derek Jeter.
On Monday's show, the longtime radio and TV host sparked a conversation on his lack of awareness that Major League Baseball hosted a two-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs in London. The discussion within Patrick's team gets going when the host asks to see a promotional item he received from FOX that celebrated Jeter's addition to their broadcast team. Patrick's issue was that the network "buried the lede" in their promotional material, opting to show more about Jeter's addition to FOX than where his TV debut would take place—in a seemingly well-publicized international event.
Towards the end of the clip, Patrick dishes out his review of the trio of former rivals. “There’s a lot of forced laughter on that FOX set with A-Rod and Jeter and Big Papi," says the veteran host. "And then Big Papi fooled (Jeter and) tricked him into a Red Sox jersey... and then laughter.”
The "canned laughter" dig seems to speak to a couple of things. For starters, there have long been rumblings that Jeter and Rodriguez weren't as close as they once were, something both discussed last year on ESPN's "KayRod" simulcast. Though they're friends now, both men in their own ways inspire lots of strong reactions from baseball fans, and any interaction between them will always lead those fans to conclude that Jeter still hates A-Rod.
Speaking of A-Rod, he went from being called a breath of fresh air as an analyst during the 2016 and 2017 playoffs to being despised in the same role in 2023. It's not too different from what we've seen with Tony Romo over the last two years for CBS' NFL coverage, but Rodriguez's checkered history on and off the field has always colored much of the perception of his work in the broadcast booth.
Just about every year, there is a "shiny new toy" that TV networks covet for their coverage of certain sports. Generally, that new obsession deals with a newly retired athlete who provided great quotes with reporters, is a likely Hall of Famer, and has been a sponsored athlete for multiple brands or some combination of the three. Although all three men have fit the description (despite Rodriguez continually being shut out of Cooperstown due to his admitted performance enhancer use), they don't seem to make a cohesive and authentic grouping just yet, according to Patrick.
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