MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, "encouraged by the pace of baseball’s labor talks, hopes that a new deal will be finalized by the end of the World Series," according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY. Manfred: "I’d like to get an agreement done while you all are still focused on the play of the game on the field." Nightengale notes the CBA, which expires Dec. 1, will be the first with MLB Chief Legal Officer Dan Halem "leading negotiations for the owners," while MLBPA Exec Dir Tony Clark "heads the players’ side for the first time." Manfred said, “I give both parties credit. Despite all the changes, they put together a really aggressive meeting schedule. They’ve met frequently. They’ve gotten a lot out on the table earlier in the process, frankly, than in some of the last three negotiations. I’m optimistic." Manfred acknowledged drug penalties "could be stiffened" in the next CBA. He said, "We don’t talk a lot about specific changes but I will say this, we have made improvements in the program in terms of lengthening the windows of detection. It’s not baseball specific, but the science is getting a little better. That’s the heart of the issue.” Meanwhile, Manfred also touched on Nationals RF Bryce Harper's comments that the game is "tired." He said, “I don’t agree that the game is tired. And you know what, I bet if he could have that word back maybe he wouldn’t agree with it, but who knows. I do agree with the sentiment expressed in the rest of his comments." He added, "This generation of players, just like the generations before, are going to define what the unwritten rules of the game are on the field" (USA TODAY, 5/6).
THE TIES THAT BIND: Manfred joined the Red Sox' radio broadcasters in the booth during the bottom of the second inning of Thursday night's game against the White Sox. He said of labor talks, "We have a nice, deep, positive relationship with the MLBPA, and I’m optimistic that we’re going to be able to find a solution that gets us through this round as well." Manfred said of the biggest issues in negotiations, “There’s some issues surrounding the Major League free agent system, qualifying offers, draft choice compensation. I think there’s concern from the perspective of the Players Association. We have an interest in the international amateur market, in particular. We’ve long had a desire to have players enter the game through a single mechanism, a draft-type mechanism. I think it’s important for competitive balance." He added of the appeal process for players who have failed a drug test, "We prefer that the player be off the field immediately, but I don’t think that’s possible given the length of the penalties" (“Red Sox-White Sox,” WEEI-FM, 5/5).
SAY NO TO DRUGS: In Boston, Nick Cafardo notes "even the players have talked about stiffer penalties" for PED use. And while there is a "theory that the cheaters are always ahead of the testing process, maybe that’s beginning to turn the other way" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/6). ESPN's Buster Olney said, "There has been a misconception for a long time that PED testing is driven by management. It's driven by the players now because they don’t want to go back to where they were in the ‘90s. ... They are angry, they are frustrated. I don’t have any doubt that the penalties, the testing is going to be tougher through the next CBA because they are trying to control the incentive." Olney said of teams possibly being able to void contracts based on one positive test, "The union will never agree to that, but ... a player could face a much harsher penalty: A suspension, a lifetime ban, that sort of thing" ("Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 5/3). In Tacoma, John McGrath offered his view on a penalty for PED use, "One strike, you’re done. That’s it. The contract is voided, the guaranteed money disappears. Hire some lawyers for an appeal, and keep your fingers crossed that the judge is an avid collector of baseball cards. But enough with the first-offense wrist slap and the second-offense time out. Enough with the coddling" (Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE, 5/6). MLB Network's Chris Russo said recent PED suspensions are "good for baseball.” Russo: “This shows you that baseball's drug policy works and they don’t care who they nail" ("High Heat," MLB Network, 5/3). SI.com's Jay Jaffe wrote under the header, "Explaining MLB's Recent Wave Of PED Bans, And What League Can Do" (SI.com, 5/5).
FORWARD THINKING: In Chicago, David Haugh writes, "Here's the rub for Manfred, a common-sense communicator: The more advanced baseball's testing for performance-enhancing drugs gets, the more embarrassment his sport risks as players learn the hard way." But Manfred "understood the road to deterrence will contain its share of bumps." In his second season as commissioner, Manfred comes across "as a guy you want to buy a beer in the bleachers." His words "possessed more candor than pretense." Manfred "showed an ability to relate to how real people think, such as when he claimed baseball fans care about PED violations more than fans in other sports." What has been "most refreshing was Manfred's willingness to see the need for improvement and compromise in certain aspects of his game, an open mind never assumed in sports executives so powerful" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/6).
