MLBPA Exec Dir Tony Clark is "encouraging his membership to make slight adjustments that will improve the pace of games without completely altering the way they do their jobs," according to Janie McCauley of the AP. Clark yesterday on the first stop of his Spring Training tour in Arizona said that "extreme methods aren't feasible at the sport's highest level." This comes as a number of MLBers have spoken out "against many of the radical changes introduced during the Arizona Fall League to speed up games" (AP, 2/25). ESPN BOSTON's Gordon Edes noted Red Sox DH David Ortiz yesterday "launched a vivid and occasionally hilarious rant against baseball's new pace of play rules." Ortiz: "It seems like every rule goes in the pitcher's favor. After a pitch, you got to stay in the box? One foot? I call that bulls---." Ortiz also complained that "no one asked the players what they thought." Ortiz: "It doesn't matter what they do, the game is not going to speed up. That's the bottom line" (ESPNBOSTON.com, 2/25). In Boston, Nick Cafardo notes the pace-of-play rules "were pushed by a committee that included two of Ortiz's bosses," Red Sox Chair Tom Werner and Fenway Sports Group President Michael Gordon. Ortiz "either didn't know about their involvement or didn't care." Asked about being fined for stepping out of the batter's box, Ortiz said, "I might run out of money." Werner: "We’ll see how it goes" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/26). Also in Boston, Steve Buckley writes Ortiz "sells tickets, and he almost always gives you bang for your buck." But his comments are "frustratingly shortsighted," and it is "wrong" to say stepping out of the box has always been part of baseball (BOSTON HERALD, 2/26). ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said, "This is going to be an early showdown in baseball. ... Big Papi thinks he's above the law" ("PTI," ESPN, 2/25). YAHOO SPORTS' Jeff Passan wrote under the header, "Why David Ortiz's Rant Against New Pace-Of-Play Rules Is Off-Target" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/25).
TIMES ARE CHANGING: In DC, Deron Snyder writes MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is "tinkering with the time-honored tradition of timeless baseball." He is "trying to bring MLB in-line with the current times, where each second battles for attention." The commissioner’s job "isn’t retaining true believers; it’s capturing new converts," and the average age of '14 MLB All-Star Game viewers "was 53." If a pitch clock "eventually comes to pass, everyone -- fans and players alike -- will adjust" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 2/26).
