Ken Rosenthal will cover the World Baseball Classic championship game Tuesday night on Fox, despite the wishes of his colleague, Dan “Big Cat” Katz.
In a segment on the Pardon My Take podcast on Tuesday, Katz took a seemingly random shot at Rosenthal, wishing for the longtime MLB insider to be taken off the broadcast. Katz referred back to an ugly moment between Rosenthal and a cameraman last September (which Rosenthal quickly apologized for), and called the Fox reporter a “loser” and a “jerk.”
Katz even posted a graphic of his own quote on his X account to drill his point home.
Notably, Katz and Rosenthal became coworkers last fall, when Katz and Barstool joined Fox Sports for a new morning show and a presence on Big Noon Kickoff. The WBC semifinal game that Katz was recapping on his podcast aired on FS1, where Katz appeared Tuesday on Wake Up Barstool and even interviewed Rosenthal’s broadcast partner, John Smoltz.
Awful Announcing’s article on Katz’s comments drew significant reaction across the industry, with many in baseball media coming to Rosenthal’s defense.
“I really don’t understand where this is coming from, particularly when it comes from ppl who just sit behind a mic,” wrote CBS baseball reporter Julian McWilliams. “Ken is one of the kindest and most genuine souls in the business.”
“Ken Rosenthal is as great as anyone in the biz,” wrote sports media insider Andrew Marchand, who covered baseball for many years at ESPN and later sports media at the New York Post before joining Rosenthal at The Athletic.
“Seasoned professional who also respects the job we have to do within our organization,” wrote Mike Swanson, a former PR executive for the Kansas City Royals and Team USA. “He’s always been a pro’s pro and I’m proud to call him a friend.”
On the other side, Katz’s rant incited many online to resurface footage of Rosenthal staring down the cameraman, or to express their disdain for his on-air persona.
The split, as with many Barstool-driven sports debates, is largely between fans and media. Katz appears to have spoken to the feelings of many vocal fans online, while Rosenthal’s defenders are coming from people he works with across baseball and media. There is something to be said for the fact that the people defending Rosenthal actually know him. While Rosenthal often draws scrutiny for asking players and managers sensitive questions or showing bias toward certain teams or league figures, he is clearly well-respected in baseball.
None of this is likely to lead to Rosenthal’s ouster at Fox, as Katz called for, but it has created a stir in sports media around a reporter who was already quite polarizing.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.