Major League Baseball will hold its second annual All-MLB Awards Ceremony on Thursday, which will be broadcast live Network of The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas at 8:00 p.m. ET. Roy Wood Jr., host of last year's inaugural event, is back for a second round.
“I would love to do this for the same amount of time that Jimmy Kimmel spent at the Oscars,” the comedian and former “The Daily Show” correspondent told CBS Sports. “I think comedy, especially really good comedy, especially hosting, is about a relationship with the audience. Not about the viewers at home, but about the audience in the room.”
The awards presented are All-MLB Team, Hank Aaron Awards for Best Offensive Performance, Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman Relievers of the Year, Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year year.
A who's who of current players will be on site Mookie Betts, Dylan Stop it, Emmanuel Clase, William Contreras, Garrett Crochet And Jarren Duran To Ryan Helsley, Jose Iglesias, Shota Imanaga, Mason Miller, Paul Skenes And Tarik Skubal. There will also be a group of former players headlining CC SabathiaAndruw Jones, Gary Sheffield and Nick Swisher.
Ahead of the awards ceremony, CBS Sports spoke with Wood about everything from the best former player to host the event (David Ortiz), to whether or not A-Rod could carry out a joke, to watching a film of himself performing in the first year the players do it.
“I was just as nervous as the players because you're not sure what you're getting into,” Wood said of last year's performance. “I think in the end it was just an opportunity for current players to be celebrated by their colleagues and predecessors. It ended up being a really cool thing. In a weird way, it's like an awards show mixed with a family reunion that's all about baseball.
“Now that I understand and know what the energy and mood is going to be throughout the week, I think from a comedic and hosting standpoint I'm better able to acknowledge certain things that happen during the week, putting everyone in attendance at ease , because we're evolving this thing over time. As a comedian, I need to reassure you so you know I'm not here to attack everyone in the room and hopefully get people to relax a little bit.”
As for what he learned from his first time, Wood admitted he studied the tape.
“I think the biggest thing I took away from last year is that the veterans are cool with whatever.” Bartolo Colon was cool with every joke. Fred McGriff was cool with every joke. And I have a feeling it will be the same game this year. I think letting the current players see how the veterans are relaxed will help open the top button,” he told CBS Sports.
“Even if you look at the actual monologue that I'm starting with this year, we're starting with some of the retired players and some of the more established players A little too cool for school and hopefully by then they'll see that it's a relaxed space and everything is relaxed.
What about certain people he wants to include in his jokes?
“We have Ken Griffey in the room and Sheffield, CC Sabathia. I'm talking about the old guard. If I can make a Nick Swisher joke, I’ll be on Cloud Nine,” he said. “It starts with the people who have already made their money and already have a legend, so they don't have to worry about their reputation being tarnished. They enter the room already as legends. So you start there and then you can join Paul Skenes if you want.”
Speaking of Skenes, at least one joke was left on the cutting room floor due to unforeseen circumstances.
“I had a joke that Paul Skenes was the only athlete who didn't disappoint the city of Pittsburgh this year, but Russell Wilson came out and they're now 7-2,” Wood said. “When I wrote that joke, Wilson was on the bench, so now I have to adjust that joke a little bit. It doesn’t fit!”
Nevertheless, there is a large selection of materials.
“On the one hand, I have to talk about it Juan Soto and everything he’s done and who he might sign with,” Wood said. “But Ryan Helsley also led the NL in saves, so that deserves mention and I have to make a joke out of it.”
“The monologue is about connecting the casual fan to the game, but you can't forget the die-hard fans. So it can't be a Shohei Ohtani festival. You can talk about Ohtani, you can talk about it.” Dodgersbut Paul Skenes had a really good season and you probably didn't see all of it because he played for Pirates. I want to make a joke about William Contreras and how quickly he can throw runners out.
Most importantly, Wood sees the commission as an annual one because he feels it will grow with the established show. Plus, his love for baseball runs deep. Beyond his fan base and hosting gig last year, the Alabama native hosted a four-part “Road to Rickwood” podcast about the Birmingham Black Barons and the history of Rickwood Field in the run-up to the summer game.
“I'm not saying that mine, mine, mine [as he mimics calling a fly ball] “Hands off, but I feel like what I know now, having moderated some of the things that I've hosted, that the baseball player and the baseball fan are two of the most reticent people when it comes to opening up and someone “It's just a very special group to be a part of because it's such a special game, and if you don't see the beauty of the game, I don't think you should be able to rely on it,” Wood said. to tell a joke about it.” .
“I don’t think I’m the only comedian who’s a baseball fan, but I have a two-year head start on relationships with the players.”
So how does the show continue?
“I can’t speak for MLB, but I hope this becomes some sort of reunion/graduation event for the players every year,” Wood said. “As host, I can help lay the foundation. That’s why I don’t take this lightly.”