On pace for a record of 43-119, the White Sox would tie for the second-most losses of the modern eraGETTY IMAGES
Never before have more than four MLB teams "finished with 100 or more losses in a single season," but six teams entered Friday's games "on pace for at least 100 losses," while a seventh is just off the 100-loss pace, according to Jared Diamond of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. With 77 games still remaining on the schedule between those seven teams, that means there are a "whole lot of games left between teams that aren't just bad -- but downright awful." The White Sox went into Friday "on pace to compile a record of 43-119," which would tie for the "second-most losses of the modern era." That has led to an "average attendance of 15,486 at Guaranteed Rate Field," which is down 25%. White Sox Senior VP & GM Rick Hahn said of his team's performance, "My mission is to put the Chicago White Sox in the best position to win multiple championships. We have to be focused on making sure we're advancing toward that cause and be less concerned about macro issues about the game, what other clubs are doing and, in turn, the impact that has on the product at large" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/12). In N.Y., Joel Sherman noted the "good news within the disparity is that the largest division lead going into the weekend" was the D-backs' 3 1/2 game lead over the Rockies. In the other five divisions, first place and second were "separated by 1 1/2 games or less and 20 teams were in a playoff spot." Sherman: "This will have two impacts. 1) The need to obliterate the also-rans to stoke win titles is as valuable as ever because, 2) the difference between a one-game wild card and winning the division is, as always, so disparate" (N.Y. POST, 5/13). In San Diego, Nick Canepa wrote under the header, "Possible Expansion Of Baseball Is Bloating, Unappetizing Entrée" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 5/13).
ISSUES TO BE WORKED OUT: The POST's Sherman also noted the conversation about the "need to get the ball into the field of play will only grow stronger." The league on Saturday began play with its "lowest batting average (.246)" since '72. The game is now at a point in which 35.5% of plays "end in a strikeout, walk, hit by pitch or homer." That the "average game time was down five minutes (but still three hours) symbolizes some of the speed-up rules are working (such as limited mound visits)" (N.Y. POST, 5/13).
PIVOTAL MOMENT: In L.A., Bill Shaikin wrote next offseason for upcoming free agents "might become the most pivotal" since the '94-95 strike. If the last offseason "turns out to be the new normal, then players and owners could be on a collision course toward a strike" in '21, when the current CBA expires. Agent Scott Boras said, "I do not see anything like that happening in next winter's market." But Boras "contends restraints on spending ... were sold to players in collective bargaining as ways to enhance competitive balance." Boras: "Now the premise of the commissioner's office is, no, you're free to be noncompetitive, at your leisure." Boras "proposed that the league mandate teams spend a certain amount on payroll or forfeit draft picks and eligibility for revenue sharing." Boras: "We need to assure that, when fans are going to root for a team and get attached to a team, that team is in a league that requires competitive standards" (L.A. TIMES, 5/13).
