It wasn’t difficult for Derek Jeter to earn fans on the baseball field — but the media landscape might be another animal.
Dan Patrick took issue with Jeter’s broadcasting debut this weekend on Fox’s coverage of MLB’s London Series, saying he didn’t think the chemistry between the Yankees legend and his co-stars Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz and Kevin Burkhardt felt natural.
“There’s a lot of forced laughter on that Fox set with A-Rod and Jeter and Big Papi,” Patrick said on “The Dan Patrick Show.”
“And then Big Papi fooled [Jeter], tricked him into a Red Sox jersey — and then laughter.”
Patrick was referencing a bit during Jeter’s first day on the show in which his longtime rival Ortiz handed the former shortstop a Red Sox jersey with his name and his signature No. 2 on the back.
Jeter responded by tossing the jersey away and joking that he was ready to abandon the crew.
“It’s been a great time with you guys here,” Jeter said. “You won’t see me anymore, this is my last day at Fox.”
Patrick also criticized Fox and MLB’s promotion of the London Series between the Cubs and Cardinals, complaining that a promotional box he received to commemorate Jeter’s debut didn’t emphasize the fact that the teams were in London.
He also asked his co-hosts if any of them actually knew the London Series — which began in 2019 and hosted its second installment this year — was going to happen.
As the Fox broadcast integrates its newest star, the network is asking Jeter and Rodriguez to put their prior differences behind them and make good television, an idea Rodriguez said he was OK with when the network approached him for his approval.
Jeter will be with Fox during the MLB All-Star Game on July 11 and during the playoffs in October.