MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league is "working hard to try to get to a position where we might be able to do an exhibition game in Cuba" as early as next spring. But he said a lot "would have to happen in Cuba to get to a position where they could support a major league team economically." Asked about international expansion elsewhere, Manfred said, "I'd be interested in another team in Canada. We are really interested in Mexico. It's a huge broadcast market. If we can find the right location, it is possible to support a team in Mexico economically. And an increased flow of Mexican players into the big leagues combined with a team in Mexico would help us with the Hispanic market in the U.S." (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 10/30 issue).
SET POINT: SI.com's Jon Wertheim wrote tennis player Eugenie Bouchard's "dismal year looms large" in relation to her lawsuit against the USTA, as the organization is "likely to contend that Bouchard’s seeking millions in damages is absurd when she was struggling to win matches." Bad publicity "looms as well." The notion of the U.S. Open, a "riotously profitable event, taking on a 21-year-old woman makes for less-than-ideal optics, especially outside the tennis world." Wertheim: "Lost in this discussion: whether it was negligence or simply misfortune, Bouchard suffered a concussion at the 2015 U.S. Open and hasn't played a complete match since" (SI.com, 10/21).
BIRDIE BINGE: GOLFWEEK's Adam Schupak wrote the LPGA's annual visit to South Korea for the KEB Hana Bank Championship "is one big lovefest," and it began this week with a "gala dinner in advance of the tournament" that KEB threw in Seoul. The company "spared no expense in commemorating both the 10-year anniversary of the event and the recent merger of the two sponsoring banks." The entertainment "featured everything from a fashion show to a full string orchestra backing performances of skits from Broadway shows such as Chicago and Fame to K-Pop musical acts" (GOLFWEEK.com, 10/21).
