SI

There’s Another Wild Layer to the Mark DeRosa Interview Fiasco

MLB pulled the embarrassing video from its website only to later repost it.
Jimmy Traina|
USA manager Mark DeRosa was very confused about the WBC structure.
USA manager Mark DeRosa was very confused about the WBC structure. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

1. Did someone order a code red and then unorder the code red?

That appears to be the case with the controversial interview given by Team USA manager Mark DeRosa on MLB Network on Tuesday.

In case you haven’t seen it, here’s what DeRosa told Matt Vasgersian and Harold Reynolds before his team’s game against Italy: “Ton of respect for Italy. It’s weird. We wanna win this game, even though our ticket’s punched to the quarterfinals.” 

There was only one problem. Team USA’s ticket was NOT punched. And then it went out and lost to Italy. And now the U.S. needs help tonight to advance, but the scenarios are so complicated and convoluted that I’m not going to explain it. You can just read this.

Anyway, while Team USA was in the middle of losing to Italy, social media started to blow up with the video/quote from DeRosa.

Late Tuesday, The Athletic posted a story saying MLB had even removed the DeRosa interview from its website.

However, I had no problem accessing the video Wednesday morning.

So, what happened? I can confirm that the video was indeed pulled from MLB.com at one point, but then later reposted. According to a source, the video was pulled to avoid confusion about who would be playing in the quarterfinals since DeRosa gave wrong information.

However, the bigger story that can’t be denied is that DeRosa had absolutely no clue what the rules were for the tournament. He made that clear when he said earlier in the interview with Vasgersian and Reynolds that Team USA that “the boys were celebrating into the wee hours of the night.”

You wouldn’t think the manager would be all giddy about his players partying on Monday night when they had a game on Tuesday.

This isn’t about misinformation. This is about DeRosa being exposed. So I can understand MLB panicking and thinking it would be wise to take down the video, but it just makes no sense in this day and age. That video had already spread like wildfire across social media when MLB pulled it.

So, credit to MLB for coming to its senses and reposting it, because had it tried to scrub it completely, the league would’ve ended up getting beat up as badly as DeRosa is at the moment.

2. Two more WBC notes. I think all home runs should be celebrated with double kisses.

And Royals player Vinnie Pasquantino walking into the locker room screaming, “WHERE’S THE F---ING WINE?!?!” is one of the best videos I’ve seen recently.

3. There are no words to describe how happy this makes me. The only issue now is which streamer will get the game and who will call the game.

4. Nobody was more affected by the Ravens cancelling the Maxx Crosby trade than this fan who promised he’d shave his head if Baltimore added the defensive lineman and then went through with his promise.

5. We don’t give Rob Gronkowski enough credit for knowing how to tell a story, as you’ll see here.

6. The latest episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina features a conversation with CNBC media and sports reporter Alex Sherman.

Sherman talks about the big deal with Paramount buying Warner Brothers Discovery and how that will affect sports fans. Will TNT events air on CBS? Will this cause streaming prices to increase? Will this affect CBS Sports Network?

Sherman also talks about how the NFL is about to have a major impact on all other sports when it comes to rights deals, the FCC looking into sports and streaming, the rise of Kalshi and Polymarket and much more.

Following Sherman, Sal Licata from SNY TV and The Sal Licata Show joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week’s topics include Sal’s non-vacation vacation, the WBC, the Yankees retiring CC Sabathia’s number, a ridiculous take from Bruce Pearl and more. In addition, I read some reader emails and Apple reviews.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: This segment featuring NBC’s Paul Maguire might be the funniest thing that has ever aired during an NFL pregame show.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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