Dialogue continues between MLB and the MLBPA regarding potential tweaks to the schedule, but MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred yesterday indicated a reduced 154-game slate presents a "major, major economic issue." The schedule is more demanding than ever on players, in part due to increased night games, tighter windows in getaway days and testing for and bans against the use of amphetamines. But Manfred, meeting yesterday with the Baseball Writers Association of America prior to the All-Star Game, said, "When you’re giving up revenue, you’ve got to figure out something that is offsetting in the other direction." Manfred theorized an expanded postseason could be such an offset, but he said he is strongly in favor of the current format. MLBPA Exec Dir Tony Clark, who retired as an active player only six years ago, marveled at the current demands on players. “What these guys are being asked to do with respect to game start times, with respect to the travel distances themselves, with respect to performing at an elite level with three days off a month, is a challenge," he said (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer). Manfred said of cutting back to 154 games, "We sell out in a lot of markets in terms of gates. The gates are really valuable to us. We have television commitments. Each local contract varies, but there are game guarantees that could be affected by a shortened season.” The AP's Ronald Blum noted MLB's national TV contracts with Fox, ESPN and Turner "run through the 2021 season and are based on the current format." Teams also have "local broadcast deals that would be impacted by a schedule change." Teams typically have a "day off when traveling from the Pacific Time Zone to the East, but players have complained about playing East Coast night games followed by West Coast night games the following day" (AP, 7/14).
LESS COULD RESULT IN MORE: USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale writes the time has come for baseball to address "shortening the schedule, providing at least eight more off days a season and perhaps forcing teams to play day games, or at least twilight games, when a team is traveling after the game." The current travel situation has "become so ridiculous that two weekends ago," the Giants played an ESPN Sunday night game in DC and were "scheduled to play the next day" in S.F. Giants C Buster Posey said, "It's like pick your poison. When you get to your house at 6 in the morning and play a game that night, it takes a toll on your body not for just that day but a couple of days. I don't know what the answer is necessarily, but I think just from a performance, health and safety standpoint, it's going to have to be brought to the forefront." But Orioles CF Adam Jones said, "People's pockets are happy keeping it the way it is. Everybody's making money. That's all right" (USA TODAY, 7/15).
SUMMER BREAK: There has been growing talk about making the All-Star Game break a full week, but Manfred said that idea likely "would have to be whetted" to a shorter regular-season schedule. He said, "Otherwise, there's just not enough days to give all that time off in the middle of the season. Frankly, you wouldn't want all those off days accumulated like that." Manfred: "It just ... puts people in a position where they're playing 25 days in a row, and that's just really hard" ("Mike & Mike, ESPN Radio, 7/14).
