In L.A., Vincent Bonsignore cites an NFL source as saying that the notion the league "wants to squeeze" Raiders Owner Mark Davis out of his position "is 'complete BS.'" The source said that there is "growing admiration for the work Davis has done on and off the field since taking control of the Raiders" after the death of his father Al in '11. Davis has "skillfully worked his franchise into two strong stadium positions" in Las Vegas and L.A. after "years of frustration in Oakland." The Raiders also currently sit tied atop the AFC West with a 7-2 record (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 11/17).
BACK TO BUSINESS: USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale writes it is "time for the Cubs to get back to business" two weeks after winning the World Series. President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein and his staff will have a "new budget," which Chair Tom Ricketts "says will be slightly higher" in '17. There also will be the announcement of ticket-price increases, and the Cubs are "trying to complete their new office building" at Wrigley Field by Opening Day. Construction will "begin for a new Home Plate Club that will seat about 1,200" (USA TODAY, 11/17).
HOW LOW CAN YOU GO: In N.Y., Mark Feinsand notes Yankees Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner yesterday "reiterated his desire to move the payroll beneath the luxury tax threshold in the next two years," a number which has stood at $189M in recent years. A new CBA will "likely result in a higher threshold, making it more realistic for the Yankees to achieve their goal once they shed their financial commitments" to former MLBer Alex Rodriguez and P CC Sabathia at the end of the '17 season. Steinbrenner: "We're going to continue to work on lowering payroll. Now that we finally have what looks like some good young players, it's going to give us some flexibility that we just haven't had in several years" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 11/17).
ALL ABOARD: FOX BUSINESS' Thomas Barrabi wrote the 76ers are "providing doctors, sleep experts, nutritionists, sports psychologists and various other wellness-related resources" for their e-sports clubs Team Dignitas and Team Apex. By "treating gamers more like professional athletes and less like hobbyists, industry insiders are aiming to tap into a new audience" (FOXBUSINESS.com, 11/15).
