MLB Chief Baseball Officer Joe Torre yesterday at the league's Winter Meetings said that a pitch clock "would not be tried in the major leagues next season but could be considered in at least some of the minor leagues." Torre said he "was never a proponent" of a pitch clock until he saw one in use in the Arizona Fall League. Torre: "It really wasn't intrusive in any way. If you watched the players play, nobody seemed to be uncomfortable doing it. It just sort of picked the pace up of the game" (L.A. TIMES, 12/10).
CAP THINGS OFF: ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun reported the NHL has "informed owners of the projected salary cap for next season." Barring the Canadian dollar "plunging further, the cap is expected to be around" $73M. Some teams were "nervous the cap would stay flat or perhaps even go down, which would tie their hands, given many clubs are already at the ceiling and need to re-sign players next summer." But the NHL’s projection "calls for the cap to go up" (ESPN.com, 12/8).
KEEP THE BALL ROLLING: In L.A., Kevin Baxter writes no two players outside of David Beckham "have done more to build the MLS brand and make the league successful" than Landon Donovan and Thierry Henry. Donovan is retiring, while Henry may be retiring, but has at least left the Red Bulls and likely MLS as a whole. Their absence "will leave MLS with two pairs of big cleats to fill next season." However, the top three finishers in this season's league MVP race -- Galaxy F Robbie Keane, Sounders F Obafemi Martins and Revolution MF Lee Nguyen -- "are signed for next season" (L.A. TIMES, 12/10).
