League Notes

Mitchell Still Wants To Speak To Number Of MLBers For Steroid Probe

In N.Y., Michael Schmidt notes as of mid-August, MLB steroid investigator George Mitchell “still wanted to speak with at least 45 [players], most of them still active.” That number emerged from a letter the MLBPA sent August 23 to Mitchell, in which the union said that “it would let him know if any of those 45 changed their minds about not wanting to be interviewed.” The letter was read to a N.Y. TIMES reporter by one of the players’ representatives (N.Y. TIMES, 9/6)....The NBA BOG approved official use of instant replay to review all player altercations and flagrant foul two calls (NBA)....USA TODAY’s Christine Brennan writes FIFA displayed “bad instincts and poor choices” in scheduling the Women’s World Cup in September, which puts it "in direct competition with the start of men's pro soccer leagues around the world — and in the U.S. market, where the 1999 Women's World Cup thrived, up against the end of the baseball season and the beginning of college and pro football." Brennan: “It’s a recipe for disaster in TV ratings and news coverage" (USA TODAY, 9/6).