Commissioner Rob Manfred can't handle the truth: Ken Rosenthal out at MLB Network

On today's Locked On Giants podcast, host Ben Kaspick discusses the MLB Network decision not to bring back universally respected journalist Ken Rosenthal. The tension between the network, which is owned by the league, and Rosenthal reportedly originated after Rosenthal was critical of commissioner Rob Manfred when the league and players were attempting to negotiate new terms to start the 2020 season, which was on pause due to the then-emerging Covid-19 pandemic.

Rosenthal was harsh but fair in his article in The Athletic, which was published in June 2020 under the title "Rosenthal: Manfred must strike a deal with the players or ruin his legacy." The network's decision not to retain Rosenthal, one of the top baseball journalists there is, speaks volumes into its intentions. They are clearly more interested in perpetuating propaganda than the truth. It's a sad move for the sport, and one that Ben believes will backfire. Whatever negative publicity may have come from Rosenthal will come back around many times over from other journalists witnessing the ill-fated move. The league has lost a lot of credibility in recent years, and they just lost a big chunk of whatever they had left among members of the media, Ben included.

Finally, Ben ties this in with the San Francisco Giants. Ultimately, Rob Manfred is employed by the owners, which of course includes the Giants' ownership. But Ben believes the Giants are a far better organization than most when it comes to valuing their fans and their place in the community. Also, Ben makes the point that front offices aren't the ones who should take criticism when fans are upset with a team at large's behavior. For example, many fans have been accusing Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi of being "cheap" lately. This is factually incorrect, but also, it's not Zaidi's money. If fans believe a team is choosing not to spend money that would help them be a significantly better team, that anger should be directed towards ownership as opposed to the front office. The front office is clearly incentivised to make the team as good as possible, or else they risk losing their jobs. However, they always have to obey their bosses and keep them happy. Just food for thought...

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