There is a chance an announcement on a new MLB CBA “could come tomorrow,” as sources described the situation as "close" yesterday, according to King & Puma of the N.Y. POST. The “final issues to be agreed on in order to put the five-year deal in place are draft guidelines and salary slotting.” MLBPA Exec Dir Michael Weiner was “in St. Louis for Games 1 and 2 but wasn't seen at Games 3, 4 and 5” in Arlington. His presence in St. Louis “for Game 6 could signal a deal will be announced” (N.Y. POST, 10/25). Meanwhile, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig yesterday appeared on ESPN Radio 103.3 Dallas and said the league is "going to enlarge replay a little bit" next season. Selig: "We have made that decision and we'll add a couple of things to it. But if we go any more or not, I will say this to you, we will look at all of this in the offseason." He added, "I haven't changed my mind. It's not a question of being stubborn, it's a question of being rational about it -- and I really feel that we have done things on home run calls -- but where does it end? And that's the problem, where does it end? If you're going to start replaying every controversial decision or every close call, I think that hurts the sport" (ESPNDALLAS.com, 10/24).
HANDLE WITH CARE: In N.Y., John Harper wrote MLB Exec VP/Baseball Operations Joe Torre handled the recent calls for instant replay once after a significant blown call at first base by umpire Ron Kulpa during Game Three of the World Series Saturday night “with the same deft touch that made him such a success as the Yankees' manager for all those years.” For a sport that “too often seems to be both heavy-handed and tone-deaf in trying to communicate its position on various matters, suffice to say that Torre's emergence in 2011 as MLB's new voice of authority has been a godsend for the sport.” His job as Selig's “righthand man continues to evolve, but whether it's to talk about rain delays or umpires, Torre has been especially visible in this postseason.” In some ways he has “become baseball's problem-solver” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/24).
TIME FOR LAST CALL: In Sacramento, Victor Contreras writes beer and baseball “have always gone together,” but the day of having beer in MLB clubhouses “are gone.” The Cardinals “banned alcohol in the clubhouse in 2007 after the death of pitcher Josh Hancock, who crashed his truck while under the influence after a game.” Contreras: “Baseball should know better. … The average American can't drink at the workplace -- before, during or after a shift. It's about time baseball follows suit” (SACRAMENTO BEE, 10/25).
