MLB Commisioner Rob Manfred yesterday said he is "happy with progress" for both the A's and Rays' ballpark issues, according to Mark Newman of MLB.com. Manfred, appearing at his annual Town Hall Meeting at MLB All-Star FanFest, said of the Rays' situation, "It's really a positive sign that both local governments on the St. Petersburg side and Tampa side said, 'Look, let's not worry about whether it's St. Pete or Tampa; let's find the best location and figure out a way to keep the Rays in the broadly defined Tampa-St. Pete area. I take that as a positive step. We are committed to Tampa as a baseball market. We think it's a good market for us. We want to be in Florida, and I have told [Rays Owner Stu Sternberg] that I will do anything I can to help move that process along." As for the A's, Manfred said a positive development is the "renewed interest that [co-Owner] John Fisher has shown in finding a new site in Oakland." Manfred: "Baseball has had a long history of commitment to its communities. We have been the sport least likely to relocate. We'd like to have Oakland be a success. I think the identification of a single site in Oakland will be a step forward in that stadium process" (MLB.com, 7/11).
TOUCH 'EM ALL: Manfred remains insistent that ballpark issues in Oakland and Tampa must be resolved before pursuing any type of expansion for the league. However, he did cite Montreal, Mexico City and Charlotte as potential long-term expansion candidates. He also continued to be very downbeat on the prospect on MLB players competing in the ’20 Tokyo Games. Manfred: “There are certain scheduling and logistical issues surrounding the Olympic Games that makes it very, very difficult for us. The Summer Olympics is usually in the middle of our season. I can’t imagine a situation where we would take the kind of break that would be necessary to have our best players in the Olympics. As a result of that, we feel the (World Baseball Classic) is crucial as a substitute, a premier international tournament that allows our players to play for their countries” (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer).
