A decision on Mets P Jeurys Familia's punishment for a domestic violence charge this offseason is not “imminent,” which means he may be eligible to play for the Dominican Republic team in the World Baseball Classic, according to a source cited by Kristie Ackert of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. This comes despite MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred recently announcing that he "expected to make a ruling before Opening Day." Mets GM Sandy Alderson's "educated estimate was that a decision would be announced some time between the end of the World Baseball Classic and the Mets’ Opening Day on April 3." Ackert writes it "looks like MLB is making sure one of its stars can play in the WBC, which is run with MLB personnel, promoted by MLB media outlets and shown on MLB Network, without controversy" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/22).
UNWAVERING SUPPORT: Manfred yesterday said that his support for the WBC is "unwavering." Manfred: "I intend to keep the WBC alive and growing as long as I'm Commissioner. The WBC serves two really, really important purposes. ... One is the internationalization of the sport. It's great to have an opportunity for some of our very, very best players to play in Korea, Japan, Mexico. That's outstanding. It's important for growing the game. ... Given our status currently with respect to the Olympics, the money that the WBC funnels into federations that they can use for development is crucial to the grassroots growth of the game in those countries" (MLB.com, 2/21).
SIN CITY BALL? Manfred said that Las Vegas "might be considered for a franchise in the future, an about-face" from his predecessor, Bud Selig. Manfred: "I don’t think that the presence of legalized gambling in Las Vegas should necessarily disqualify that market as a potential major league city." He also recently said the league was “re-examining” its stance on gambling. In Las Vegas, Betsy Helfand notes Selig was "sharply opposed to the idea of placing a MLB franchise in Las Vegas." Manfred in the past has said that he would be "open to expansion, though MLB has not announced any formal plans" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 2/22).
