It’s time to manufacture pace-of-play content once again

By Feb 8, 2017, 9:36 AM EST
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There’s a neat pattern that plays out a couple of times a year. It goes like this:

  • MLB meets and, included among the many topics of discussion, is pace-of-play;
  • MLB makes some non-committal noises about some minor rules changes which may improve pace-of-play;
  • The media — almost always ESPN and their multiple personalities on multiple platforms needing to feed the maw of a 24/7 sports news monster — goes far beyond the minor rules changes being discussed and talks about things like seven inning games;
  • Since ESPN occupies such a prominent position in the sports media landscape, this maw-feeding leads to the rest of the media weighing in on the agenda ESPN set.

It happened last July. It’s happening again, kicked off by Rob Manfred’s comments the other day. If you’re curious about the latest iteration of it, seek out Jayson Stark and Karl Ravech’s Twitter feeds this morning. Or, if you’re into such things, go check out the Mike and Mike show, which is doing that thing where they pretend to care about baseball 2-3 times a year.

It’s no accident that this stuff becomes a big topic of conversation when it does. It happens during the dog days, after the All-Star Game and before the trade deadline or the time when pennant races get into gear. It happens now, before spring training and after the Super Bowl, when sports news is at its annual nadir (note: it’s the same week the SI Swimsuit Issue comes out too, which was itself designed to fill pages when sports news could not). I would bet my children that somewhere an ESPN editor or producer decided that, as a company, that’s what would be on the agenda this week, all hooked on the tiniest bit of news about baseball considering, maybe, implementing an automatic intentional walk.

Yes, pace-of-play and game length is an issue MLB is concerned with and yes it’s a topic worth discussing. But don’t get sucked into the ESPN-led debates about this. Keep an eye on who is setting the terms of the discussion and whether those terms bear any relationship with what is actually being considered by Major League Baseball. When you see an article or hear a teaser for a radio segment which goes “should baseball games be seven innings long?!” know that the idea was invented by pundits to fill air time and give it your attention accordingly.

 

New bill to build Athletics stadium on Las Vegas Strip caps Nevada’s cost at $380 million

Associated PressMay 27, 2023, 12:14 PM EDT
D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
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CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.

The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.

“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.