The MLBPA has been actively involved in the situation after players asked the union to intervene
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred suggested there will be changes to a July schedule that currently has the Yankees playing an ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball" game in Toronto and a make-up doubleheader in Baltimore the next day, a rescheduling that currently has the club irate and threatening to not cooperate with the network during the broadcast. Manfred said, “The way things worked out with the rescheduling and the selection of the Sunday Night game, just in terms of the timing, it does create a difficult situation, and we’re hopeful we can find a way to work through that" (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer). A source said that the MLBPA has been "actively involved in efforts to reach a resolution since last week," when players asked the union to "intervene on their behalf" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/5).
WORKING THINGS OUT: In N.Y., Witz & Draper note Yankees officials and P David Robertson, the team's player rep, are "somewhat optimistic the game will be switched back to its original start time." MLB officials spent yesterday "in discussions with the Yankees, the players’ union and ESPN." The net's decision to pick Yankees-Blue Jays was "approved by MLB, but only through the scheduling and broadcast departments, which typically rubber stamp their broadcast partner’s decisions." Yankees President Randy Levine said, “I’ve been talking to the Commissioner and he’s working hard to resolve this. We feel confident with him working on it.” Witz & Draper note the Yankees are "particularly sensitive because they have had 14 games affected by weather this season -- including seven postponements -- and have had three lengthy flight delays." Twice this month they "will be in three cities in three days" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/5). In New Jersey, Pete Caldera noted Robertson "sounded optimistic of a resolution that would satisfy the Yankees." Robertson said, "I’m not angry about it. There’s a lot of time between now and then.'' Regarding the potential for a player ban on ESPN interview requests, Robertson said, "I don’t think we’ve gotten that far. We've had some internal discussion about what we could do potentially, but let’s hope it doesn’t get to that point. We’d like to see it get changed without any big ruckus getting started" (NORTHJERSEY.com, 6/4).
BALANCING ACT: On Long Island, Neil Best notes networks "pay many millions and sometimes billions of dollars" for TV rights, so those entities "have a right to recoup those investments with prime-time advertising dough." But sometimes it "goes too far, and business sense turns the athletic competition part into farce." The Yankees "knew that game was vulnerable to being flexed to nighttime" and ESPN has the "right to televise teams that draw eyeballs, which the Yankees do better than most." No one in baseball "does or should feel bad for the rich and mighty Yankees." But their "long list of postponements this season is not their fault, and they should be given some consideration" (NEWSDAY, 6/5).
PROTOCOL NEEDED: In Chicago, Phil Rosenthal notes Cubs manager Joe Maddon last week was "upset" that first pitch against the Pirates in Pittsburgh on Monday was scheduled for 12:35pm CT the day after Giants-Cubs in Chicago "ended a bit before" 11:00pm. The Cubs "arrived at their Pittsburgh hotel a couple of hours before sunrise." Maddon said, “If you’re playing the Sunday night game, which is fine, wonderful, there’s got to be some built-in concessions for Monday." He added, “There’s got to be a method, a formula written that says the team that plays Sunday night ... if they play a Monday game, wonderful, but it just can’t start at 1 o’clock.” MLB "allowed the quick turnaround for the Cubs because Chicago-to-Pittsburgh flights are supposed to be about 90 minutes." But the Giants game "ran nearly four hours, hardly a stunner these days despite MLB’s purported efforts to speed up games" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/5).
