MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred yesterday said fan safety at ballparks "is a crucial issue for us" and is "something we’re always focused on.” Manfred appeared on SportSouth's broadcast of the Braves-Red Sox game and said the league is "looking at a variety of remedies or responses,” including additional bat regulations, bat wraps and more ballpark netting. Manfred: “We think it’s important to look at everything we have available to us and decide what mix of remedies we should move forward with in order to make sure we have the level of safety we want." The issue of fan safety has been a hot-button issue since Red Sox fan Tonya Carpenter was severely injured after being hit by a piece of a broken bat earlier this month at Fenway Park ("Braves-Red Sox," SportSouth, 6/16). Manfred said that any new initiatives taken in the name of fan safety "would likely fall outside any collective bargaining issues" with the MLBPA. Manfred: "We have had conversations with the MLBPA about issues such as netting and I do not believe, legally, it’s a mandatory topic for bargaining. I think the configuration of the ballpark, legally, is something that falls within the purview of management." Manfred confirmed that there are some clubs "hesitant to adopt any expanded netting out of concerns over the alienation of season ticket-holders who did not want the view of their high-priced seats to be obstructed." He said, "It is true that we have fans who express very strong preference for seats that are close to the field and do not have netting in front of them. That’s a fact." Asked how long MLB could afford to wait in its evaluation of its fan-safety measures, Manfred responded, "I don’t have a firm timetable in mind" (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/17).
YOUNG AT HEART: In addition to safety at the ballpark and the ongoing All-Star Game balloting controversy, Manfred addressed a wide range of topics while in the SportSouth booth. He brought up the possibility of shortening the regular season and said, “A move to 154 (games) would be a huge move for this industry. Our broadcasts, our gates -- tremendously valuable. Giving up eight of them would be a major, major economic change for the industry, so I don’t want people to get too excited about that possibility. Having said that, 162 games in 183 days is a tough schedule with the kind of travel now involved in the game -- more east-west, more interleague -- and it is a very, very demanding schedule for our players. I think it’s something that people have started to talk a little more freely about." He said of what is right about the game, “We routinely draw 74 million fans live to our games. We draw another 41 million people to minor league stadiums every year. What that tells me is we have a tremendous in-park experience, and not every sport can say that.” He added, “Even on the demographic issues that people talk about, I think it’s important to appreciate the nature of our game and the way our fans engage with our everyday game. It’s one thing to sit down on Sunday afternoon to watch a game, but we play every day. ... 5.7 million fans every day open At Bat (app), and the average age of that fan is 30 years old. They may not be watching a particular broadcast, but they’re engaging with the sport.” SportSouth's Chip Caray said it must be on MLB’s agenda to “engage the 6-, 7-, 8-year-old kids who are the lifeblood of our sport down the road.” Manfred said, “Kids are a huge focus for us. With young people, the formula is not all that complicated. There’s two big determinants of avidity as an adult -- did you play the game as a kid and how old were you when you went to the ballpark for the first time? If we get a kid in the ballpark when he’s 7 years old as opposed to 12, he’s likely to consume six more live games a year" ("Braves-Red Sox," SportSouth, 6/16).
