SI.com's Jon Tayler wrote it is "flat-out embarrassing that there are this many bad teams" in MLB this season. The majority of those bad teams "came into the year with no hope of contending." Tayler: "That’s a disservice to the fans of those teams and of MLB as a whole." MLB should "borrow a page" from the EPL and "institute relegation." At the end of the season, the six worst teams in the majors -- three from each league -- are "sent down to Triple A." The problem is this "won’t happen." There are "too many logistical issues and holes, and neither the league nor the Players Association would ever agree to it" (SI.com, 8/13).
TIME TO SHINE? In DC, Ben Strauss noted the WNBA's visibility this summer "seems to be on the upswing." League execs "believe the WNBA has turned a corner, because of a confluence of factors -- including marketing that presents the enterprise as a cause as well as a basketball league." WNBA COO Christy Hedgpeth said, “We've done a full rebrand. We wanted something more edgy, something more modern, and I think both fans and the media have responded to that. We want to tell stories about our players -- their fashion, their musical and political interests. ... Our partners see an opportunity to invest in something that’s going to grow and that aligns with their values of gender equity and diversity" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/10).
AROUND THE HORN: A new independent baseball league has announced plans for a '20 startup and in Las Vegas, Ron Kantowski cited sources as saying that the league is "interested in putting a team in Henderson." Former MLBer James Loney has been "mentioned as a potential investor." The Western Association of Professional Baseball Clubs (WAPB) "hopes to play a 78-game schedule with eight teams in California, Arizona, Colorado and Nevada that would begin in June and end in September" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 8/11).
