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Leagues and Governing Bodies

D-Backs' Kendrick Hopes League Can Work Out Pace-Of-Play Deal

Kendrick said that the absence of a pitch clock in MLB is both a blessing and a curseGETTY IMAGES

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is expected to address the pace-of-play issue at the conclusion of the owners' meetings today, and D-backs Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick is "hoping" MLB and the MLBPA can "work out a deal to improve pace of play without imposing changes on the union unilaterally," according to Beth Harris of the AP.  Manfred has "long vowed to put new rules in place for the upcoming season with or without an agreement, but says his preference is for a deal and he is willing to negotiate the changes involving a pitch clock or limits on mound visits." Kendrick said, "We need to really try to do it as partners with the players because that will make it work better than if Rob made a decision to do it on his own." Harris noted MLB has the "right to implement the proposal it made last offseason, which includes a 30-second clock between batters and a 20-second clock between pitches." Kendrick: "The absence of a clock is both a blessing and a curse. It's more the pace of how the game flows and there are times when it doesn't flow well. It's our responsibility to the fans to try to help that. There's a lot of interest within baseball and I think on the players' side as well" (AP, 1/31).

WE GOT IN THIS MESS: Amid MLB's dearth of offseason signings, CBSSPORTS.com's Mike Axisa noted A's DH Brandon Moss blames the players and the MLBPA for "giving the owners too much during the past few rounds" of CBA talks. Moss said, "(We) have the right to bargain and set our price, just like the owners have the right to meet that price. But ... we have incentivized owners, we have incentivized teams to say, 'We don't want to meet that price.'" He added, "As players, we have to watch out for our own interest. ... You have to be willing to dig your heels in a little bit [and] fight for the things the guys in the past have fought for" (CBSSPORTS.com, 1/31). In N.Y., Ken Davidoff writes under the header, "MLB Players Running Out Of Options In Hot Stove Meltdown." Davidoff: "We're contemplating the future of the sport, the sturdiness of free agency and the hole in which the players have placed themselves after negotiating a highly unfavorable collective bargaining agreement." Bet on a "decent portion" of free agents "coming off the board between now and Valentine’s Day." Plenty of teams have "money left to spend." On the other hand, when Dodgers P Kenley Jansen suggested a possible strike, it "prompted the question: Would the players have support from any constituency, besides themselves, with such an action?" (N.Y. POST, 2/1).

CHALK IT UP: USA TODAY notes despite the "quiet offseason of free agent signings, the players finally got a chance to celebrate" yesterday when Red Sox RF Mookie Betts "won his arbitration case" against his team. Betts after winning "first salary arbitration case of the year" will earn $10.5M in '18, a "raise from $950,000" in '17. The Red Sox had offered $7.5M, so Betts' gap was the "largest among the 27 players who swapped figures with their teams on Jan. 12" (USA TODAY, 2/1).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

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On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

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