MLBPA Exec Dir Tony Clark "doesn't buy the need for dramatic change" in baseball, adding that the only potential rule change this year would be the "possible altering of the intentional walk," according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY. Clark claims MLB is "doing just fine." He said, "There has been so much dialogue the last few years, that changing or making adjustment is becoming more challenging when taking into account the industry as a whole and how it’s doing. ... While suggesting that I’d like to find an extra 10 minutes, five minutes or 30 minutes, I get it, on the surface. But I think there’s an opportunity to engage, teach, and flip the conversation in a way that allows folks to appreciate what you’re seeing." Clark added, "There are avenues for us to engage in that could be as beneficial, if not more beneficial, than trying to determine other fundamental game shifts that directly affected those who are playing in it, in a way that may not always be beneficial to a players' career" (USA TODAY, 2/20). The Boston Globe's Bob Ryan said, “We hear a lot from the managers and people in baseball, ‘The only people that talk about this is the media.’ That's so not true. I’m a fan as well as a reporter and I go to games and I know [for a] fact that people don't like four hour, nine-inning games." The Detroit Free Press' Mitch Albom said fans care “hugely” about the length of games, as it is "still an entertainment product." For people with "shorter attention spans and younger people, baseball has a big problem on its hands" ("The Sports Reporters," ESPN, 2/19). ESPN's Jayson Stark: "One of the worst things about baseball is all the people who will tell you, ‘Well, that’s how we did things in 1928.’ Rob Manfred really doesn’t care how things were done in 1928 and needs to be mindful of that. He’s trying to look over the horizon and move the game forward, and I just don’t understand why that’s a bad thing” (“OTL,” ESPN, 2/17).
FREE MONEY SOCIETY: Clark, on this offseason's free-agent market and some notable players remaining unsigned, said, "There were a lot of very good contracts signed. There are players that are still out there that are very concerning to us. There are players that had a good experience. There are players that had challenging experiences." He also addressed whether the luxury-tax threshold has dampened free-agent spending, saying, "There have always been clubs that looked at the luxury tax in a particular way. There have been clubs that have used it as a guideline. The CBT (Competitive Balance Tax) has always been designed to be a drag on the top end. So that an individual club or clubs does not move itself away from the group such that the imbalance is significant" (MLB.com, 2/19). In DC, Dave Sheinin notes Clark was asked about some agents "complaining privately that teams have been colluding against free agents this winter." Clark did "not outright dismiss those claims and acknowledged he has had those discussions with some agents." Clark: "Having concerns is one thing. Taking whatever can be deciphered as fact and making a determination from there can be another" (WASHINGTON POST, 2/20).
