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Prince Fielder is moving from first base to a streaming video kitchen, which seems like a fine fit in multiple ways.
The 2012-13 Tigers player, forced off the field permanently last August after a second spinal-fusion operation, will host a cooking show called "Fielder's Choice" on Netflix and Hulu. It'll start next month, sometime before Opening Day.
"I always wanted to do a food show," he tells ESPN senior writer Jerry Crasnick. "I thought it might be a cool thing to do when I retired. . . . Then retirement came slightly prematurely.”
Fielder seems to be an avid eater with a chef-like ink affinity, this 2014 ESPN Magazine pose suggests.
The ex-major leaguer adds
"It's not just baseball people. It's a mixture of baseball people, actors, musicians, chefs and whatnot. They bring out different dishes, and at the end of the show, I give the one I like the most the 'Fielder's choice.' It's good TV. . . .
"[Guests include] Chazz Palminteri, the actor. Jose Feliciano, the guy who sang, "Feliz Navidad." Xzibit [a rapper]. CC Sabathia [Yankees pitcher]. I can't reveal the other names yet, but there are a couple more cool ones coming up."
His wife of 12 years, Chanel Fielder, will co-host.
Sporting News writer Scott Ridge posts what we also think and you may too: "Who better than Prince to have a show about the joys of eating?"
Here's what comes to mind:
► 1) The man looks like he clearly enjoys food. "Fielder’s playing weight was listed at a hefty 275 pounds," notes Artie Beaty at an industry site called Streaming Observer, "so who better to embark on a food journey with viewers?"
► 2) He's an eager -- perhaps overeager -- food sampler, as shown during a September 2013 game at Comerica Park when he grabs a snack from a fan at the 16-second mark in the video below.
► 3) He has at least as much body art as most chefs -- including the popular full-arm "sleeve," as shown above in July 2014 for ESPN Magazine's annual Body Issue.
► 4) He's from a foodie haven, Greater Los Angeles. (The future ballplayer was born about 35 miles from downtown L.A. as the son of Cecil and Stacey Fielder. His dad played for the Tigers in 1990-96.)
► 5) He's named after a pasta brand. (OK, not really. But his first name certainly sounds like a TV-ready kitchen nickname.)
