TOP OF THE WORLD
Jersey guy pinching himself as he works Series with legends
Not bad for a used car salesman from New Jersey.
Kevin Burkhardt is anchoring the FOX Sports baseball studio show alongside Alex Rodriguez, Pete Rose and Frank Thomas and the group is in the midst of its second straight strong postseason.
“You have three of the most iconic players of all time, I basically have 10,000 hits sitting next to me,” Burkhardt said Thursday morning after a late-night flight from Cleveland to Chicago, where the World Series picks up with Game 3 on Friday night.
“So, they’ve got all this experience and insights and they are all very different. But the coolest thing is they are selfless, they make fun of themselves and each other. It’s been a free-flowing, really fun experience.”
It would have been impossible to picture any of these four in a big broadcasting role at different points in their careers. Burkhardt had all but given up on being a sportscaster and was resigned to a career as a car salesman before landing at WFAN then SNY then FOX. Rodriguez (PEDs) and Rose (gambling) were viewed as two of the most disgraced figures in the game and Thomas was a stoic slugger.
“We are with each other 10 hours a day,” Burkhardt said. “We have to talk, we have to hang out, we eat together. They are so close. It’s like hanging out with your buddies, but three of my buddies are the greatest players who have ever lived.”
Whether the group stays together could depend on Rodriguez, who, with his baseball career likely over, will be an instructor for the Yankees starting next spring training. He told Newsday this week he’s not sure if he sees himself in broadcasting long-term even though he has received far more postseason praise in the booth than he ever did as a player.
“He came in last year and could not have treated me better,” Burkhardt said. “He treated me like a king. He was asking me if I could meet with him early and go over a bunch of stuff and asking me a bunch of TV nuance questions. This guy is really into this and he really wanted to do great. He’s as prepared as anyone I’ve ever been around, bottom line.”
The World Series now shifts to Chicago even at one game apiece. Burkhardt and company were on hand when the Cubs clinched the NLCS on Saturday, and will return to the Windy City with the Cubs looking to break their 108-year title curse.
“It’ll be hard to top what we had here last Saturday night because that was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen,” Burkhardt said. “The whole feel around the city the entire day from the when I got up to get my morning coffee to being on the podium for the trophy presentation is something I’ll never forget. So, I have a feeling playing the first World Series game [in Chicago] since 1945 is going to be pretty special.”