MLB'S FIRING OF KEN ROSENTHAL PROVES MANFRED'S GRUDGE IS AN ATTACK ON JOURNALISM

Ken Rosenthal was fired from MLB Network. Not because he's bad at his job. No. They fired him because he has been critical of the way Rob Manfred is handling the MLB. And you know what? Rosenthal is right! Rob Manfred has destroyed the game!

Clutch Points writes:

"Firing somebody due to his opinion is definitely not a good look, especially in a Major League sport. MLB Network did a horrible job here by letting go of him and Rob Manfred should also be ashamed not only because of the bad product that he puts out in the world but also for allowing this to happen. Some of the rules that he has implemented in today’s game are simply not made for the MLB and have certainly ruined the game."

Manfred is like a dictator. A man with control over his entire conglomerate of MLB and killing anyone who doesn't think the same. It's harsh, but it's true. But here's the thing. When it comes to opinions, that's what makes this country great. Ken Rosenthal wasn't lying about what Rob Manfred was doing in his ruining of the MLB, he was stating fact and then offering an opinion after that. And guess what... Rosenthal is not off base. He's allowed to hate the way Manfred runs things. That's because he's not wrong. We all hate it.

Puckett's Pond writes:

"We as fans would love to see him gone, with multiple petitions popping up across the internet have asked for his firing, and the players despise his lack of love of the game and maltreatment of the sport as a whole, but despite that, he’s not going anywhere.

This means baseball is headed for a dark place, and unless Manfred grows a spine soon, he’ll be the one leading the charge towards the end of America’s Pastime. Get ready Twins fans and baseball fans in general: Things will get ugly, and it’s all because of Manfred and his owner overlords."

For Manfred, it's all about the business. And sure, I understand the MLB is business, but it's a game meant to be played at a baseball game's pace. Speeding up the game is for the networks and real fans hate that. We like walking the batter intentionally on 4 straight pitches. We hate having a runner on second in extra innings. It's stupid! It's not real baseball... it's TV manufactured.

And this goes back to Rosenthal. What the hell did he do? Suggest MLB changes and Manfred ideas were ruining what baseball is all about! He's right! 1000%.

Look at what Ken Singleton tweeted, courtesy of the New York Post:

"Ken Singleton, the former three-time All-Star who retired from YES Network in 2021, also was displeased with the news.

“Ken Rosenthal has been an excellent writer and reporter on all things baseball since covering the Orioles years ago in Baltimore,” Singleton tweeted. “For the MLB Network to let him go is terribly shortsighted and reduces the credibility of the whole product.”

And Covering the Corner writes:

"This is the only thing you need to know today: the owners will not stand for criticism from their own media mouthpieces n the lockout. If Ken Rosenthal can be fired for criticism, how safe are the positions of any other lesser-known reporting staff? There are only so many times that one can dive into the archives and talk about the best “gifts” that each team has received and not become a parody of one’s self."

We stand with Kenny over here at BYB. This is journalism and what the editorial pages are built on. If you can't say what you believe as a respected journalist, all while reporting the news, what the hell's the point of any of this?

Manfred is a clown. His cronies are oompa-loompa's and he has disgraced the game since the day he showed up. He needs to go and it became quite clear to me the day the Houston Astros got nothing for cheating the league, and he was seen paling around with the Astros owner. 

You're caught dick!

This isn't about the fans folks. MLB is about the money and owners and the power and whatever they all can do collectively to make money and sucker us fans out of it. They do not care about us. This is why I have slowly moved away from being such a huge MLB and Yankee fan. Because corporate greed has latched on worse than ever and Manfred is the worst of them all.

If FOX Sports and the Athletic were smart, they should protect and let Kenny Rosenthal do whatever he needs to stay and spew hard opinions against Manfred and the league. I would tune into that for sure.

I leave you with this: 

"It’s understandable why Manfred would be upset at what Rosenthal wrote; it made him look bad. A decent leader would have forgotten about it two days, if not two hours, after he read it. Instead, he held a silly grudge, and it’s an unfunny joke that Rosenthal, a shoo-in to be honored someday with the BBWAA Career Excellence Award from the Hall of Fame, got dumped.

Perhaps the real sympathies should be directed at the hard-working reporters who remain at MLB Network, because the decision to dump Rosenthal did their reputations no favors. Major League Baseball executives, particularly original network president and CEO Tony Pettiti, have insisted since the beginning that they want MLB Network to be editorially credible and they would not interfere with the journalistic duties of the correspondents.

Then, because the commissioner cannot accept that criticism comes with his job, the network goes and dumps the popular and respected Rosenthal for what were accurate rebukes? The perception is not fair, but Manfred’s actions implicitly suggest that the reporters who remain are in lockstep with how the commissioner’s office wants the league covered. At the very least, they now know what the consequences are for being critical of the boss."

That comes from Boston.com, and the most important part of this entire story. The firing of Rosenthal is an attack on journalism and opinion in journalism.  The journalists and reporters at MLB? Be ready to not speak the truth. Be ready to be State TV. Be ready to have no real passion and no real reason to be on the air other than being a puppet. Why? Because your boss sucks and only cares about making money, not making baseball memories.  

MLB loses. They lost the day Manfred took over and they are losing worse than ever when Rosenthal got fired.

We at BYB had one rule when I started this Yankee fan site. My writers are to speak their OPINIONS. They are allowed to disagree with the boss. That's me. They are allowed to speak their mind, have a harsh opinion, and attack, as long as they know that when there is push back by fans and players, or even journalists, they have to fight their battles. They say it, they own it. 

David Cone and Suzie Pinstripe got into a scuffle a few years back. Jeana and Mike O'Hara have gone back and forth about Mark Teixeira... and I've had beef with all of our writers once of twice since we started in September 2010. I remember fondly bitching out Curt Schilling on Twitter as well. What a tool.  But here's the thing about journalism and opinions.... you know why it works? Because a rant is healthy. A rant... opinion is important in the public forum. And for Manfred to come forward and say goodbye to Rosenthal tells me one thing... he's a clown with no balls and thin skin, plain and simple.

And speaking of clowns... BYB has put out some products for sale.

Manfred the Clown is on sale now on TeePublic.

We are also making an MLB shirt which reads: MLB: Manfred Lacks Balls.  (In many Colors!)

Both will be live soon so be sure to check them out and see if you can find something nice to wear!

I'm so over Rob Manfred. Anyone who doesn't understand how much of an attack this is on journalism is out of their minds. This is bad.  

In closing, understand this. Ken Rosenthal is respected. He has respect from us all and will be fine with the Athletic and FOX Sports... but trust me when I tell you... freedom in journalism took a hit. And it's not good! It's just not!