Ken Rosenthal out at MLB Network for criticizing commissioner

MLB Network has decided not to renew the contract of veteran reporter Ken Rosenthal, according to a report by Andrew Marchand of the New York Post.

Rosenthal on Monday confirmed the news on his Twitter feed, saying, "Can confirm MLB Network has decided not to bring me back. I’m grateful for the more than 12 years I spent there, and my enduring friendships with on-air personalities, producers and staff. I always strove to maintain my journalistic integrity, and my work reflects that. Nothing else is changing for me professionally. I am proud to remain part of the great teams at The Athletic and Fox Sports."

According to Marchand's report, Rosenthal is believed to be out because of criticisms he made of Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred during the summer of 2020. At the time, the league was trying to figure out a way to play a season at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a column for The Athletic, Rosenthal wrote that Manfred's legacy as commissioner was on the line, and he stated that Manfred was guilty of performing a "massive flip-flop" in the press.

In fact, Manfred was guilty of a massive flip-flop. One minute, the commissioner was saying the 2020 "unequivocally" would happen. Less than a week later, he said was "not confident" that there would be a season. Remember that flap? Manfred rightfully got roasted for it on Twitter.

That apparently didn't sit well in the league office, and Rosenthal was quietly kept off the MLB Network airwaves for three months, before returning at the belated Aug. 31 trade deadline during the 60-game, pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Now, about 18 months later, Rosenthal is out for good, and I don't think this will sit well with most baseball fans. Rosenthal is a fair and respected reporter, and his ouster paints the commissioner in a further bad light.

Is Manfred incapable of accepting criticism? Does he believe he should not have to answer difficult questions? Sure looks like Manfred's skin is a little thin, and that's not a good look. 

And it isn't as if Rosenthal is going to be silenced. As he noted on Twitter, he still has his jobs at The Athletic and Fox Sports. He's still got quite an audience, and even without the MLB Network gig, fans who want his take on the state of the game will know where to find him.

Adam Dunn claims he is considering retirement

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported Tuesday that White Sox first baseman Adam Dunn is thinking of retiring at the end of the season.

We all know there's no way that's going to happen, so let me pause for a moment while you finish chuckling at the absurdity of it all ....

OK, now that you're done, I'll point out that Dunn has one year left on his contract with the Sox, and that contract is worth $15 million. That means Dunn has 15 million good reasons to come back and play next year, no matter how bad the Sox are going to be.

The 33-year-old Dunn has a legitimate shot at 500 home runs. He needs just 64 more. But, he claims neither money nor milestones will cause him to continue playing.

“I’m not coming back just to come back for money or because I have one year left (on his contract),” Dunn told Fox Sports on Tuesday. “I’m not coming back to chase home run numbers or whatever. If I end up with 499 and I’m not having fun, see ya -- 499 it is.”

I don't buy it. I think Dunn is speaking out of frustration. The Sox are 56-81 this year, far worse than even the biggest pessimist could have imagined. Dunn's buddy, Jake Peavy, got traded to a contending Boston team midseason. Other veterans, like Alex Rios, Matt Thornton and Jesse Crain, were also moved to clubs that are in the hunt.

You can bet your life the Sox tried to trade Dunn as well, but found no takers. Dunn is stuck on a losing team with an increasingly young roster, and he's jealous of Peavy and others who were traded to teams that are in a more favorable situation. More than anything, that is the source of Dunn's torment.

Count Sox manager Robin Ventura among the people who believe Dunn will play next year.

“I don’t see him not playing (next season). I’ve heard a lot of guys say that, and they still play," Ventura told Fox Sports. "“It’s tough. For (veterans) like that, it’s hard to go through. You’re frustrated. Sometimes, it’s you. Sometimes, it’s the way the team is playing. But it doesn’t guarantee anything for next season. He has been around long enough to know next year could be different. It can be better than it is right now."

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see Dunn retire. I'd love for the Sox to have $15 million more to spend on someone or something else. But that just isn't going to happen. If I had to take a guess, I'd say the Sox and Dunn are mutually stuck with each other through 2014.

See you next spring in Glendale, Adam.