Dodgers: Dave Roberts Will No Longer Let His Players on ESPN’s In-Game Interviews
As it turns out, Dodgers fans aren’t the only ones fed up with ESPN putting mics on players during games. After Justin Turner was on the broadcast while playing third base on Wednesday night, fans took to social media to voice their frustrations.
They’re not alone, as Dave Roberts expressed similar feelings in his press conference on Thursday afternoon. The Dodgers manager went as far as to say that he would no longer allow his guys to do the interviews while they are on the field during the playoffs. Doc seemed upset that he had been told just one hour before the game that they would be having JT do it.
Personally, I’m not a fan of it. I don’t know the arrangement and I learned late so I don’t know…That’s a decision that Justin made, but I don’t see that happening with our guys going forward. Going forward I don’t want our guys doing that.
Part of the agreement between MLB and the Player’s Union to get games going was that more players would be mic’d up for games. However, it’s unclear whether a team is REQUIRED to do so. Regardless, it sounds like the Dodgers will no longer have their guys doing interviews while they’re on the field.
It does seem like an odd thing to do in the middle of a playoff race. Dodgers players and MLB players in general want to be focused on what’s happening in front of them. Interviewing guys on the bench will likely be the move going forward in Los Angeles.
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Gotta agree with Dave on this one. When you’re in the game, focus on the game.
ESPN is not a sports channel, it is an entertainment channel. Its broadcasters are much more interested in each other’s playing careers than the game they are supposedly covering. Wall to wall egos!
Ditto, exactly correct.
We agree with Bob Reagan. My wife and I, Long, Long time Dodger fans said they shouldn’t be doing that, it’s a distraction. And we don’t like those so-called sports analysts, they’re not into the game the real ones.
In No Way should that have happened. Media always gets in the way of sports. IF I was a manager, I would Never talk to the media during a game. The only manager to get this right was Mike Sciosia. He let someone else, pitching coach, do it. Media screws everything up. This decision by Roberts is one of his Rare good ones.
I was cussing about it the whole time it went on. I doubt that Justin was comfortable with it, once he seemed to realize what a distraction it was. If doing this is good, why don’t they mic up Kershaw while he’s pitching next? Right. Here’s a good one: Mike up a boxer in a boxing match.
Or mic them up but don’t interview them until they’re in the dugout (and only if they won’t be batting any time soon).