Dan Patrick leaving ESPN

[Art Vandelay]

If he left ESPN to go to the MLB channel, that's a huge career mistake.

This is just me completely surmissing about things; by no means is this meant to suggest that he is, in fact, going to the Baseball Channel (or whatever it's going to be called).

However, I fail to see why this would be a huge career mistake. The NFL Network did just this with Rich Eisen from ESPN, when they launched a few years ago, so why wouldn't MLB also want to hire a very recognizable and well-respected sportscaster like Patrick? Seems like they would be likely to pay him whatever he wants and I'm guessing he'd have some control over programming. This is supposed to be the largest-scale launch of a cable channel in the history of television, so it makes sense that they'd want to make a splash with the hiring of such a big name in the industry.......

I don't necessarily think it'd be a bad move for the MLB channel, but I do think it would be a bad move for Patrick. You're exactly right, the NFL network did the same thing with Rich Eisen, and when's the last time you saw or heard from Rich Eisen? He went from being one of the most popular personalities on the worlds biggest sports network to the lead guy on a station that nobody watches. Not only that, but I doubt the MLB network will be very successful...at least not as successful as the NFL network, which still isn't available on many cable packages. The NFL gets far better ratings than MLB, it's offseason stuff (draft, combine, etc) has been a bigger deal than any offseason baseball stuff, and the network is still struggling to find its niche. Patrick would go from being a big fish in a big pond, to a big fish in a small pond, and--if the move did take place--he'd be basically unheard from in two years.

[AdvRider]

Patrick is smart and tough and I'll miss him on ESPN, especially the Dan Patrick Radio Show.

Just yesterday on ESPN Radio, Dan feasted on a lunch of Grilled Worm -- that is, he mercilessly grilled Bud Selig about Bonds, especially whether the knuckle-dragging nitwit of a commissioner will attend Giants games as Barry nears the record. Also whether Selig was disappointed that Bonds decided not to participate in the HR Derby.

I appreciate Patrick's interrogative tenacity. He plays hardball -- not softball, like that coddling wimp Larry King (for example) and so many other milquetoast media personalities.

Hopefully Dan's back in the public eye after he enjoys his well deserved time off, and not on the misbegotten "Baseball Channel" or whatever MLB decides to call that shameful and exclusionary money-grab now in the works.

[teddy ballgame]

i always thought he tried too hard to push for the controversy when he would interview athletes. im glad he's gone.

I always got that impression too. Brian Kinney sort of does the same thing; interrupting players and pushing when they don't get the answer they want.

[Noggy]

Not only that, but I doubt the MLB network will be very successful...at least not as successful as the NFL network, which still isn't available on many cable packages. The NFL gets far better ratings than MLB, it's offseason stuff (draft, combine, etc) has been a bigger deal than any offseason baseball stuff, and the network is still struggling to find its niche.

A big problem for the NFL Network is that it airs what... 1 or 2 live regular season games per year? The MLB network should be airing live games everyday of the season. And in the offseason they could still air fall and winter league games everyday. The NFL may get higher ratings, but the MLB network could end up being bigger since it will have a ton of live content unlike the NFL network.

Dan Patrick's seemingly never on ESPN TV so is it really that big of a difference between what he's been doing now vs being the face of the MLB channel and getting a new radio show on another station/XM/whatever?