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The One Bit of Optics That Makes No Sense During MLB’s Big Week

It will never make sense that Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez can be part of MLB broadcasts, but can’t be in the Hall of Fame.
Jimmy Traina|
Barry Bonds was part of Netflix’s coverage of the Home Run Derby.
Barry Bonds was part of Netflix’s coverage of the Home Run Derby. | Netflix

1. This is the week that Major League Baseball uses as a showcase for the sport, even though the two showcase events are exhibitions that don’t count for anything.

The Home Run Derby took place on Monday, while the All-Star Game will be played tonight.

The irony is that while MLB uses these events to celebrate the sport, two of the best players in the game who have been shut out of the Hall of Fame are featured prominently in coverage.

Netflix used Barry Bonds as a studio analyst for the Home Run Derby after he was also part of the streamer’s coverage of Opening Night. Meanwhile, Alex Rodriguez will be part of Fox’s All-Star Game telecast on Tuesday.

Rodriguez was once suspended for a year after getting busted for PED use. Bonds has never been found guilty of using steroids, but in the court of public opinion, Bonds is the first baseball name people think of when they hear the word “steroids.”

Few people in the history of MLB have the stats that Bond and A-Rod have, but both are not in the Hall of Fame. It’s not exactly a stretch to say they’ve been blackballed. Yet, here they are at the forefront of benchmark events throughout the season. It just doesn’t make sense.

Let me be clear here: I’m not advocating for Bonds and A-Rod to get pulled from television assignments. It’s the opposite. I think both players should be in the Hall of Fame.

This is about baseball looking foolish and putting the proverbial elephant in the room, thank to Netflix and Fox. Networks can hire who they want. These are not MLB hires. However, it still remains odd that networks are rewarding guys who writers are punishing.

Here is Bonds on Opening Night and the Home Run Derby. Here’s A-Rod on the All-Star Game and the playoffs and the World Series. Both being used for the name recognition and for the storied careers they’ve had.

Yes, it’s the writers who vote for the Hall of Fame. The league itself doesn’t dictate who is in or out. But I don’t know how anyone can listen to Bonds and A-Rod give analysis on MLB telecasts and not think that preventing them from having a plaque in a museum isn’t ridiculous.

I know people get tired of the word “optics,” but the optics here are just nonsensical.

2. The Athletic has a fun feature about how much visiting players enjoy eating Philly cheesesteaks when they are in town to play the Phillies.

One note that stood out in the story is Freddie Freeman’s repulsive order.

According to clubhouse attendant, Eric Michaels, the Dodgers first baseman “wants a chicken cheesesteak with American cheese and he’s going to put A.1. sauce on it.”

The story then quotes Freeman as saying, “When you come to Philly, you forget about nutrition. You eat the cheesesteaks in the visiting clubhouse.”

How are you forgetting about nutrition if you’re not eating delicious, juicy steak and instead going with dry, bland chicken?

3. Despite the song he mentioned when asked the type of music he likes, this was such a wholesome moment from White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami. I had never heard of this song before, but a Google search says the tune came out in 1986, so props to Murakami and Pat McAfee for being familiar with an oldie.

4. The concept here is an A. Show some Major League Baseball players pictures of celebrities and see if they can name them. The results from the players, though, is an F.

5. There’s nothing sports people love more than a list. Sports people will make a list about ANYTHING at any time. Cut to Monday’s Mad Dog Unleashed program on SiriusXM and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo breaking down the top 10 Americans of all time.

6. This week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina is an all-mailbag episode.

Topics covered include the World Cup and what the U.S.’s exit means for Fox’s ratings; who’s to blame for the Yankees’ struggles and what is the biggest problem with the organization; top 5 play-by-play voices working today; whether the Knicks winning the championship helps the NBA; Sami Zayn winning the WWE title and then losing it nine days later; MLB’s complete incompetence in making a schedule; all-time best ESPN shows excluding SportsCenter; where Fox will turn for a No. 2 college football play-by-play person; the future of Good Morning Football; the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding; Long Island diners; The Bear’s final season and much more.

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

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: When Harry Met Sally came out on this date in 1989, showing that the Wave was annoying even back then.

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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