ESPN N.Y.'s Ian Begley cited sources as saying that NBPA Exec Dir Michele Roberts "plans to meet with all players in person in the coming weeks to discuss the new labor agreement." Begley: "This is another sign that an agreement between the NBA and NBPA is imminent." The NBA and the union have "made progress on a new agreement in recent weeks and there remains optimism on both sides that a deal will get done" (ESPNNY.com, 11/7).
DOMESTIC ISSUES: GOLFCHANNEL.com's Randall Mell noted for the first time since the LPGA playoff format was rolled out, no American "will be eligible to win" the $1M jackpot at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship beginning Nov. 17. Players have to be "among the top nine in the CME Globe standings to have a chance," and only two Americans -- Brittany Lang and Lexi Thompson -- have won LPGA events. In the LPGA's 66 year-history, Americans have "never failed to win fewer than four LPGA events in a season" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 11/6).
FOUL PLAY: In N.Y., Joe Nocera wrote there is "no doubt" that extended nets at MLB ballparks have prevented some injuries, but netting remains "in the wrong place." The hardest-hit balls "go over the dugouts or onto the field-level seats down the first- and third-base lines." Almost all of the "badly injured fans this season were sitting in those seats." The fact that injured fans "can't sue has allowed baseball to look the other way, for far too long, ignoring the serious damage foul balls can cause" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/5).
