University of Houston alumnus Robert Flores splits his time between hosting MLB Network’s “MLB Central” with Lauren Shehadi and Mark DeRosa at 9 a.m. Central weekdays and streaming video of himself playing MLB The Show with assorted guests on Facebook.
He discussed the 2020 MLB season, the Astros, gaming and other topics with Chronicle reporter David Barron in a recent conversation.
Q: What has it been like this season for a nominal Astros fan working at MLB Network?
A: Everyone in this line of work has an affinity for a team or franchise because we’re sports fans by nature. So I’m not that unusual. But, that being said, it's been different. Having the investigation and everything that transpired, there’s been a lot to unpack.
I’ve always taken pride in the fact that I try to be fair and tell the truth and report events as they have happened without any filter or judgment. But as someone from Houston who grew up going to Astros games and having seen what the team did for the city and the area in 2017, it’s disappointing. There's a part of you that wonders, well, what was I watching?
I'm still not quite sure what to make of it, and we are still in need of a little bit more time and context to judge everything that went down. I'm sure that there will be films and documentaries that will come down the pike in the next years ahead. But it’s definitely mixed feelings.
Q: How is your job different this year? Have you been to a game?
A: I have not been to a game. We're trying to do more work from home and holding production meetings remotely. I will write the night before and do some more after the show meeting and then come into work. We’re trying not to hang out or be at the studio longer than necessary.
In a normal year, I would cover the league championship series and the World Series in person. I always enjoyed talking to the players. Our network is on in the clubhouse, and we know that baseball fans are watching and that players and managers and coaches are watching too. They know our show and us as well as a lot of our regular fans, so we take a big responsibility to make sure we're giving out accurate information while being entertaining.
They see us on TV, but being on the field and interacting with them personally is different. That was something I have really enjoyed.
Q: How do you stay up with the limited access this year?
A: There's a handful of players that I've gotten to know just from a texting relationship so that if I’m looking for information, I'll text a couple of guys and they'll get back with me. I do feel fortunate that because of the hard work that we put in that guys within the game trust me and they trust us.
Q: Do you think the limits on access and the new playing rules will endure past this season?
A: There's always going to be a need and room for quality storytelling, quality information-gathering, fair reporting. I think players recognize reporters that have taken their job seriously and try to do their jobs fairly. Hopefully that's something that is not going to go away as far as on the field.
I think the universal DH is something that's going to stay. I enjoy the extra inning rules, but I do not want to see them in the postseason.
Q: How about all the injuries this year? Was it the start/restart, or is something else at work?
A: I'm sure that there's going to be studies. There’s been a whole bunch of injuries. The Astros are seeing the effects of injuries on a pitching staff. It would be appropriate to at least speculate that the starting the stopping and then the quick starting again of getting ready for the season is a contributing factor, but we don't know for sure.
That’s why I have maintained that these players are making a sacrifice to be on the field and not an easy decision. We saw Marcus Stroman deciding not to play in 2020. There are so many serious factors that players are dealing with.
Q: Will you question the legitimacy of any champion that emerges from the World Series, given the length of the season and the unusual factors?
A: I don't want to say let's put an asterisk by the eventual champion, because that's not fair to the players. It's not fair to the teams and all the scouts and the general manager, because there's so much work that has gone in by people all across the league and the industry just to get these games on the field.
That being said, when we look back on 2020, it's always going to be in our mind that 2020 was the season that they played 60 regular-season games. But I think you could make the case that whichever team makes it through this season and is crowned champion, they are the most unique and most resilient champion that baseball has seen.
Q: You left ESPN to come to MLB Network in 2016. Why did you want to work for a specialty network?
A: After 11 years at ESPN, I wanted to try something different. I had a couple of other opportunities outside of MLB Network, but I liked what they had to say about what their vision was for me. I knew a lot of people from ESPN that were at MLB Network, so I got some good intel on the place and the environment, and it was all rave reviews.
I've been here four years as of March, and it's gone by quickly. I got a chance to see the Cubs win 2016, to visit Japan, to cover Game 5 of the World Series in 2017, so it has been a really fun time for me.
Q: What did you do when your show was off the air during the shutdown?
A: We did some remotes from our homes and were on our social feeds from home. I’ve gotten to be good at video games. I had a great deal of equipment because I stream video games on my Facebook page, (also on YouTube) so I was able to use that for actual work, too. But we’re glad to be back in studio. It’s a great show for baseball fans in the morning. We try to inform, but we also like to like to entertain as well.
Q: What games do you stream on Facebook?
A: It’s "MLB The Show." That occupied my time a lot during the quarantine, and I'm still doing it now. People associate me with baseball, so it makes sense. They're asking me questions, I'm asking them questions, so it’s like a sports talk show while I play video games. I've been doing for a couple of years, and it’s a genre that is exploding and a unique way to connect with fans.
Sometimes I will do a play by play, but most of the time I'm answering questions from people that are watching or holding a conversation with them. Lance McCullers joined me one time, and we played head to head and talked about his rehab from Tommy John surgery. It’s a way to merge real live baseball with what video game players are doing.
(McCullers) is a big gamer. Blake Snell is an avid gamer, Trevor May, too. There are quite a few guys in Major League Baseball who stream video games or play "Fortnight" or "Call of Duty." I wanted to explore that and find a way where I can leverage the relationships I have with those guys and showcase their personalities in a different way.
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September 24, 2020 at 11:20PM
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MLB Network's Robert Flores talks Astros scandal, baseball during abnormal season - Houston Chronicle
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