January 5th, 2022 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka Whether you like him or not, MLB Network‘s Ken Rosenthal has a reputation for not being afraid to address unpopular – often controversial – topics that others tend to avoid.
Had.
On Tuesday morning, that reputation bit the 59-year-old Oyster Bay, NY native on the backside, when he was let go (fired) by MLB Network.
This from The New York Post‘s Andrew Marchand:
“MLB Network has cut ties with insider Ken Rosenthal in what is believed to be the end result of acrimony that peaked in the summer of 2020 after Rosenthal criticized commissioner Rob Manfred, The Post has learned.
“Rosenthal, a top news breaker, was first kept off the air for around three months, according to sources, after he wrote columns in 2020 — with the season in jeopardy due to the pandemic — analyzing Manfred’s handling of the situation for The Athletic.
“There was no stated suspension at the time, and it went publicly unnoticed.
“Rosenthal was still paid, but was put in a months-long penalty box. He did return for the trade deadline, which was pushed to Aug. 31 that season due to COVID-19.”
Here’s how MLB Network spun it:
“As MLB Network continues to look at fresh ways to bring baseball to our viewers, there is a natural turnover in our talent roster that takes place each year.
“Ken played a significant part at MLB Network over the last 13 years. From spring training to the winter meetings, we thank him for his work across MLB Network’s studio, game and event programming, and wish him the very best going forward.”
(Photo courtesy of MLB Network)
Shortly after the announcement, Rosenthal posted this on Twitter:
Two thoughts immediately come to mind over this:
- First, the ages old saying: “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”
- Second, the famous scene from the 1992 multi-Academy Award-nominated movie ‘A Few Good Men’:
(Image courtesy of Columbia Pictures)
Play Ball!
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Posted in 
I have never been a fan of Rosenthal’s on-air reporting style. And, not in a position to know the whole story of his termination. But, terms that come to mind when thinking of Rosental are: condescending, egotistical, arrogant… so I should be characterized as biased. That being said, I doubt that there are many (any?) CEO’s of multi-billion dollar organizations who would allow any employee to publicly criticize their decision making and job performance. When Rosenthal accepted employment with MLB TV his journalistic license was then limited. As you pointed out, biting the hand that feeds you is not a good strategy.
yepyepyep
Manfred is a schmuck, to put it mildly. While he flops around trying to ruin baseball someone needs to tell the truth.
Dumb question: Does MLB Network advertise itself as “the shills for Major League Baseball” or does it, in fact, purport to deliver unbiased news? If the latter, then dumping Rosenthal for writing op eds about Manfred’s manifest incompetence is obnoxious. In most industries it’s absolutely legitimate for management to require discretion from employees. In journalism — a business that, in theory, profits by selling advertising and subscriptions based on the quality of the factual information it disseminates to the public — it’s the employee’s job to tell the truth. To profit from truth-telling when it benefits you, and shrink from it when it’s unpleasant, is simple hypocrisy.
Clearly and definitively put. Bravo!
pretty sure that is not the definition of a shill…
i don’t think they purport to be anything here. they are OWNED by MLB. make no mistake, if you work for MLB, in any capacity, that IS the hand that feeds you and ultimately Manfred is the boss. they are not a news agency, they are an entertainment company.
Good to see him and his bowtie go bye-bye. See you won’t miss you.