Rob Manfred cited "peer pressure" and "personal responsibility" as key to following protocolsGETTY IMAGES
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said players "need to be better" at following COVID-19 protocols, but added he is "not a quitter in general and there is no reason to quit now," according to ESPN.com (8/1). Manfred said, "If everybody does what they are supposed to do, we can continue to play, have a credible season and get through the postseason." Manfred: "It’s peer pressure. I think it’s players taking personal responsibility. I think it’s the union helping us like Tony Clark helped us yesterday. And I think it’s us managing more aggressively." Blue Jays P Matt Shoemaker said, "I don’t take Rob’s comments as a personal attack at all because I know we are doing better and some teams might not be, so hopefully they do better. If guys are going out to clubs or bars that is irresponsible to say the least, if that’s what happened. We have guys not doing that which is great from a team standpoint. We want to play baseball" (AP, 8/2).
TEAMS COMMITTED: Brewers Owner Mark Attanasio praised his players' commitment to MLB's protocols, also saying he was "sure every other team has had a similar level of commitment." Attanasio: "We’re not in a hot spot right now, so we’ve had that good fortune. Other teams are in more difficult environments. I think that probably has the most to do with it" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 8/1).
COMMISSIONER'S SPOTLIGHT: In Chicago, Paul Sullivan wrote Manfred is "under a harsh spotlight as he and his top consultants continue to wing it." Whether it is "wise for Manfred to blame the players is debatable." It "would behoove" Clark to "tell players to speak out on everyday issues more often, as NBA and NFL players do without fear of retribution." Manfred "should understand team management is responsible for the behavior of its players" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/2). In DC, Jerry Brewer wrote Manfred implemented an "ill-thought rough draft and prayed it would hold up for a truncated 60-game season. Oops." The MLB "'plan' is so thin that Manfred is forced to make radical amendments on the fly, which only makes the thought of getting through the season seem more dire" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/1). In Boston, Peter Abraham offered a list of the "most intriguing people in pandemic baseball." Abraham wrote of Clark, "How much influence does the MLB Players Association executive director have on his constituents? The outbreak among the Miami players was reportedly triggered by a night on the town by some players in Atlanta. Protocol violations are evident just watching games on television." And on Manfred: "The commissioner has had a terrible five months" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/2).
CONFLICTING CONTROL: In L.A., Bill Shaikin noted Manfred’s comment about players "needing 'to be better' infuriated" Reds P Trevor Bauer. He said Manfred’s playbook had three plays: “take no risk yourself; blame everything on the players; protect TV revenue at all costs." Shaikin wrote players do "need to be better, but so does the communication from the league." Manfred "has not held a news conference since the league originally shut down in March" (L.A. TIMES, 8/2). SI.com's Matt Martell wrote instead of "taking responsibility for implementing questionable health and safety protocols, the clueless commish continues to fault the players." It is "clear we cannot trust Manfred to do his job." If Manfred "isn’t going to shut it down, baseball must do more than stay the current course" (SI.com, 8/1).
