In K.C., Sam Mellinger notes youth participation "is not a new problem for baseball, but many people around the sport believe" MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred "is better positioned to fight it" than his predecessor. Former Commissioner Bud Selig "did a lot of good for the game -- more than he's often given credit for -- including the birth and enhancement of MLBAM." But Manfred is a "more natural fit for this specific and critical part of the game." He sometimes refers to himself as “the original plugged-in guy." Part of that "could -- needs, really -- to be with a reexamination of the sport's layered, outdated and counterproductive blackout rules especially regarding MLB.tv" (K.C. STAR, 5/8).
CHANGE OF PLANS? In San Antonio, W. Scott Bailey wrote if the city "plays its cards right," it may not have to wait for MLS to "formalize a plan for a second round of expansion, which could take several years to implement." While MLS officials "remain hopeful the league will regain a presence in Miami," David Beckham’s commitment to secure a new soccer stadium "has proven difficult to fulfill." MLS execs "may soon run out of patience" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 5/6).
