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Leagues and Governing Bodies

MLB's Manfred Opines On Issues, Including Game Length, More Traditional Doubleheaders

ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike" this week has discussed several ideas to change the current state of MLB, and Commissioner Rob Manfred today called in to talk about some of those proposals. ESPN's Buster Olney has talked about cutting the game down to seven innings, but Manfred said he does not believe fans "want less baseball." He said, "What people want is baseball that moves along a little better. ... I do recognize that we need to continually work at our game to be sure that it moves along at a pace that keeps people entertained.” He addressed the idea of fans moving into better seats that are not being used after the 7th inning stretch, saying that is “actually happening already thanks to technology.” Manfred said MLB.com’s ballpark app "can be used by the clubs to move people once they're in the ballpark.” Manfred: "Over the long haul, the game is well served by having the fans that are actually in the ballpark in the best possible seats.” He also said there are some "real advantages to traditional doubleheaders" that require just one ticket as opposed to day-night doubleheaders in which fans need a ticket for each game. Manfred: "Fans see them as a great value. I also think that there's a certain term to the idea of spending a day at the ballpark, the entire day. We've actually had conversations in the last round of bargaining -- and I suspect we will have them again in this round -- about traditional doubleheaders, because they are a way of tightening the schedule and producing more off days." However, he acknowledged there are some drawbacks, including the fact teams "lose a gate" and potential scheduling issues via rainouts ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 7/21).

PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES: On Long Island, David Lennon noted the idea of MLB "returning to a 154-game regular season has gained momentum recently," as players have "complained about the rigors of the modern travel schedule." Simply "dropping eight games, however, is not so easily done." Talk about a shorter season actually has gotten "louder now partly because of MLB’s stricter testing" for PEDs. MLB and the MLBPA "are tugging on opposite ends of this rope," and with the CBA expiring in December, there "could be some impactful legislation on the issue" (NEWSDAY, 7/17). ESPN's Mike Greenberg said he believes the season "should be shortened, whether it is going back to the 154 games they used to play, or even a little bit fewer than that." But Olney asked, "You want to shorten the season? Are you going to give back 20% of the money the players are making? ... That is ultimately the sticking point from the owners whenever the idea of shortening the season comes up" ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 7/19). ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser said fans "have to realize ... what an incredible grind a baseball season is." Kornheiser: "It's six months of working virtually every day. You may have two or three days off a month. ... You’re killing your labor force the more games you add” (“PTI,” ESPN, 7/20).

THE JUICE IS NOT LOOSE
: ESPN.com's Crasnick & Schoenfield noted going into Monday's games, MLB was "on pace for 5,584 home runs" this season. That would be 675 more than in '15, a 13.8% increase, and a "staggering 1,398 more" than in '14, an increase of more than 33%. The only season "with a higher rate of home runs hit" was '00, in the "heart of the steroid era." Manfred during his All-Star break news conference noted that he is "confident ... that the rise in home runs isn't related to steroids or juiced balls" (ESPN.com, 7/20).

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