USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale notes White Sox Chair Jerry Reinsdorf "concedes that all of the losing this year has been rough on the soul." Sitting at last place in the AL, the team is on pace to finish with its "second-worst record in 47 years," behind only '70. But Reinsdorf "keeps reminding himself that everything is going according to plan." He said, "It’s tough, very tough. What made it hard for me was my age. I’m 81 years old. How long am I going to be around, right? So why would I want to go for a full rebuild at my age." Reinsdorf: "The decision I made was that I can’t be a factor in this thing. As the owner of this team, I have an obligation to do what’s right for the fans" (USA TODAY, 8/16).
SLASH & BURN: The AP's Ronald Blum noted the Mets have "cut payroll" by more than $11.6M in recent weeks. The team saved $3M by trading 2B Neil Walker to the Brewers, $3.77M when they dealt RF Jay Bruce to the Indians, $2.61M when they traded 1B Lucas Duda to the Rays and $2.26M when they sent P Addison Reed to the Red Sox. The Mets "began the season" with a $156.8M payroll for the 40-man roster (AP, 8/15).
GETTING IT RIGHT: In Memphis, Geoff Calkins wrote under the header, "NBA Rights A Wrong, Puts MLK Day Game Back In Memphis." NBA Commissioner Adam Silver "understood the importance of putting a game in Memphis on Martin Luther King Jr. Day," with Lakers-Grizzlies now slated for an afternoon game on Jan. 15. Silver also "understood the game had to be on national TV" as '18 marks the 50th year after MLK was shot and killed. The end result is "exactly the way it should be ... should have been since the Grizzlies essentially invented the concept of the MLK Game" back in '03 (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 8/15).
