This Day In New York Yankees History 12/14: F Youk!

On this day in 2012 Kevin Youkilis became the latest member of Red Sox nation to come over to the Dark Side and sign with the New York Yankees. Youk signed a one year deal worth $12 million to be the third basemen in New York.

Also on this day in 2010 Cliff Lee spurned the Yankees offer of $150 million for a $120 dollar deal to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies. Lee joins Roy Halladay in probably what is the best rotation in all of baseball down in Philadelphia.

Also on this day in 1985 Yankees outfielder Roger Maris dies after a two year battle with lymphatic cancer at age 51. Former Yankees teammates Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, John Blanchard, and Bill Skowron served as pall bearers.

Also on this day in 1960 Major League Baseball expanded its team base two additional teams with the "new" Washington Senators and the Los Angeles Angels. The Yankees southpaw Bobby Shantz was selected by Washington and Yankees righty Ed Grba was selected by the Angels in the expansion draft.

Finally on this day in 1950 four owners were selected to choose a new commissioner for baseball, as soon as possible. The Yankees owner Del Webb, Braves owner Lou Perini, Cubs owner Phil Wrigley, and Indians owner Ellis Ryan were the four men who chose the new commissioner.

This Day In New York Yankees History 12/14: F Youk!

On this day in 2012 Kevin Youkilis became the latest member of Red Sox nation to come over to the Dark Side and sign with the New York Yankees. Youk signed a one year deal worth $12 million to be the third basemen in New York.

Also on this day in 2010 Cliff Lee spurned the Yankees offer of $150 million for a $120 dollar deal to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies. Lee joins Roy Halladay in probably what is the best rotation in all of baseball down in Philadelphia.

Also on this day in 1985 Yankees outfielder Roger Maris dies after a two year battle with lymphatic cancer at age 51. Former Yankees teammates Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, John Blanchard, and Bill Skowron served as pall bearers.

Also on this day in 1960 Major League Baseball expanded its team base two additional teams with the "new" Washington Senators and the Los Angeles Angels. The Yankees southpaw Bobby Shantz was selected by Washington and Yankees righty Ed Grba was selected by the Angels in the expansion draft.

Finally on this day in 1950 four owners were selected to choose a new commissioner for baseball, as soon as possible. The Yankees owner Del Webb, Braves owner Lou Perini, Cubs owner Phil Wrigley, and Indians owner Ellis Ryan were the four men who chose the new commissioner.

MLB Intorduces Plan to Speed up Games

Major League Baseball has discussed all offseason long ways to improve the speed of play in their games in 2015 and going forward. In 2014 MLB games eclipsed the three hour mark on average per game and new Commissioner Rob Manfred wants to make speeding up the game priority number one.

Manfred's first plan includes not allowing batters to take their feet out of the batter's box throughout their at bats. Also time limits will be added to the breaks in between innings while managers will be able to challenge their replay calls from the dugout rather than stalling on the mound for five minutes.

Will the rules be enforced? That much remains to be seen but if they are warnings and fines on players and clubs will be handed down from the league. I like these ideas because they meet in the middle. You're not radically changing the game and you may shave 10-15 minutes off every game, which is never a bad thing.

TGP Daily Poll: Manfred will Reinstate Rose in 2015

The MLB All Star Game is being held in Cincinnati this season and Bud Selig already gave MLB hit king Pete Rose permission to be there. Rob Manfred needs to make a name for himself in his first year as Commissioner of Baseball and will reinstate Rose from his banishment from the game in 2015.

Vote in our predication poll on knoda. 

Remembering Bud Selig as Commissioner

Bud Selig's final day as MLB Commissioner is tomorrow so I wanted to take a quick minute to remember some of the good things about his legacy and what he is leaving in Major League Baseball. Selig was the Commissioner of Baseball for 22 seasons starting in 1992.

When Selig took over there were just 26 teams in the league, now there are 30, and has enjoyed labor peace with the players since the 1995 season. When Selig took over the Yankees had the highest paid player in baseball in Danny Tartabull and his $5.3 million but Bud has helped bring so much money into the game it is becoming more and more common to see $30 million annually for certain players.

Selig "cleaned up the game" while making the game more international with new Japanese posting rules and the World Baseball Classic. Selig may have turned a blind eye to the steroid era, he may have contributed to the cancelling of the World Series and the subsequent demise of the Montreal Expos but overall Selig has been one hell of a commissioner, even if he is a Yankees hater. So today we salute you and wish you well Bud. Thanks for the memories, even when they weren't so great.

MLB Umpires Reach 5 Year Deal w/ League

Major League Baseball owners and MLB umpires have ratified a five year collective bargaining agreement that will be enforced through the 2019 season. The deal was agreed to in late December and was subject to approval by Bud Selig and Major League Baseball as well as the World Umpires Association.

I believe this was probably a foregone conclusion that it would get done, especially after uninterrupted labor peace and such since the 1995 season, but it’s still great news and encouraging news to read about when a deal gets struck so easily. 

This Day In New York Yankees History 12/14: F Youk!

On this day in 2012 Kevin Youkilis became the latest member of Red Sox nation to come over to the Dark Side and sign with the New York Yankees. Youk signed a one year deal worth $12 million to be the third basemen in New York.

Also on this day in 2010 Cliff Lee spurned the Yankees offer of $150 million for a $120 dollar deal to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies. Lee joins Roy Halladay in probably what is the best rotation in all of baseball down in Philadelphia.

Also on this day in 1985 Yankees outfielder Roger Maris dies after a two year battle with lymphatic cancer at age 51. Former Yankees teammates Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, John Blanchard, and Bill Skowron served as pall bearers.

Also on this day in 1960 Major League Baseball expanded its team base two additional teams with the "new" Washington Senators and the Los Angeles Angels. The Yankees southpaw Bobby Shantz was selected by Washington and Yankees righty Ed Grba was selected by the Angels in the expansion draft.

Finally on this day in 1950 four owners were selected to choose a new commissioner for baseball, as soon as possible. The Yankees owner Del Webb, Braves owner Lou Perini, Cubs owner Phil Wrigley, and Indians owner Ellis Ryan were the four men who chose the new commissioner.

Rob Manfred Expects Domestic Violence Policy By 2015

The new commissioner of Major League Baseball Rob Manfred is doing something that neither the NBA nor NFL are doing, being proactive about domestic violence. Manfred expects there to be a policy in place written into the Collective Bargaining Agreement before the beginning of the 2015 season regarding domestic violence by the players representing MLB. Good for Manfred and great news that MLB seems to be the new morale police in the sports world, and that may sound sarcastic but I assure you that it’s not.

Manfred claims that negotiations are already underway between the players union and the league on a new domestic violence policy and expects the policy to be in place before the start of next season. Manfred has been quoted as saying “the tones have been very positive” by USAToday.com and assures the fans that they will take their time and get it right rather than simply put something out there for the sake of putting something in place.

They may not admit to this but this policy has to be reactionary from the NFL and Ray Rice situation that happened this offseason. Rice struck his wife in an elevator and the entire thing was caught on camera. The NHL also suspended Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov indefinitely after he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence even without being formally charged with anything. Sports are cracking down on domestic violence and all I have to say is that it’s sad it has come to this but it is about damn time that it gets done.

A big thank you goes out to Commissioner Manfred, the players union, and everyone involved in the process that are keeping the players’ families, wives, and children safe. 

MLB Should Adapt The NBA Playoff Policy

Major League Baseball has one of the better playoffs systems in my opinion, as a fan of the NFL, NBA, and as I have been known to dabble in the NHL from time to time I feel like I am fully qualified to make that statement. Obviously nothing beats March Madness but in my opinion MLB is one of the better ones and I think it's because they play almost everyday. Well unless teams sweep their opponents or win quickly like the San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals did.

Kansas City swept the ALDS over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on October, 5 and had to sit four days before getting the ALCS started. Again, Kansas City swept the ALCS on October, 15 with a rain out thrown in the middle and will now sit five days before the World Series gets started.

San Francisco won the NLDS over the Washington Nationals on October, 7 and had three days off before starting the ALCS with the St. Louis Cardinals. San Francisco beat the Cardinals in five games on October, 16 and will sit a whopping four more days before starting the World Series tonight.

This would never happen in the NBA as when one series ends the next series starts within a day or two, assuming both teams have completed their series. The Major League Baseball playoffs aren't missing much but this is definitely one thing that kills any sort of viewership or momentum. Rob Manfred, I hope you're reading.

Rob Manfred To Be The Next MLB Commissioner

The final vote for manfred for commissioner was unanimous, according to Tom Werner
— Daniel Barbarisi (@DanBarbarisi) August 14, 2014

Bud Selig Replacement Could Be Named Today

Here is the official write up from the AP and David Ginsburg:

BALTIMORE (AP) — Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig is looking forward to writing a book, teaching history and taking it easy when he retires this winter.

Before that happens, however, he hopes to introduce his successor — perhaps as soon as Thursday.

Baseball's 30 owners will meet in Baltimore this week to vote on Selig's replacement. A seven-man committee whittled down an expansive list to three candidates: MLB Chief Operating Officer Rob Manfred, Boston Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner and MLB Executive Vice President of Business Tim Brosnan.

"The process has worked just the way I thought it would," Selig said Tuesday at the Orioles' home ballpark. "I gave them a great list of names, and these names were on it."

To win Thursday's vote, a candidate must receive approval from at least 23 owners.

"A lot of other people are making predictions," Selig said. "I'm staying out of that business because I don't know."

Asked what would happen if there is an impasse, Selig replied, "This seven-man committee has done really good work. We'll see what happens."

This is what won't happen: Selig changing his mind and sticking around.

"I thought long and hard before I made my announcement in October of last year," he said of the announcement, actually made Sept. 26. "I just celebrated my 80th birthday. In life, there's a time to come but there's also a time to go. I'm looking forward to that. I have a lot of things planned."

Those plans include writing an autobiography, teaching at two or three universities and "maybe a little peace and quiet."

"It's time for baseball to move on and it's time for me to move on," he said. "If anybody would have told me back in September of 1992 I'd be here 22 1/2, 23 years, that would have not been conceivable. So, I'm done."

Before he leaves, Selig hopes to see the feud resolved between the Orioles and Washington Nationals over their broadcast rights. The Orioles own a controlling stake in MASN, which televises Nationals games as a result of an agreement when the team moved from Montreal. The Nationals want higher annual broadcast rights payments from MASN, and the network isn't willing to pay the desired amount.

"MASN is an inner-club dispute," Selig said. "It's an important goal before I step down. We've tried very hard, and we'll continue to try. We're doing everything we can."

As far as Thursday's vote goes, Selig has only one priority.

"The only goal I've really had all along is, when it's all over that people can say, 'Well, it was really fair,'" Selig said.

He was delighted to see that, even though the sport doesn't have a salary cap, small-market teams such as Kansas City, Oakland and Tampa Bay have flourished.

"The things we set out to do in the '90s, that was the objective," Selig said. "I always have regarded my job to be to provide hope and faith in as many places as possible. And we've done that. Baseball is better off as a result of it."

Amaro Jr. & Torre Candidates For New Commissioner

Bud Selig's tenure as commissioner of Major League Baseball comes to an end at the end of this year and a committee has been made to find a suitable replacement. Two men on that list that are being seriously considered are the Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. and former Yankee manager and Selig's discipline czar Joe Torre. Other big names such as Disney CEO Bob Igerk, President George W. Bush, and NBC Sports Bob Costas are also being considered by the committee.

 Torre, for obvious homer reason, would be an intriguing and deserving candidate as well as Bob Costas. I can't think of many who know more about the game than Bob Costas and I think a baseball game should run the baseball game, just my two pennies. Why the Disney CEO or former President George W. Bush are being considered is beyond me but it's still interesting nonetheless.

This Day In New York Yankees History 12/14

On this day in 1950 four owners were selected to choose a new commissioner for baseball, as soon as possible. The Yankees owner Del Webb, Braves owner Lou Perini, Cubs owner Phil Wrigley, and Indians owner Ellis Ryan were the four men who chose the new commissioner.

On this day in 1960 Major League Baseball expanded its team base two additional teams with the "new" Washington Senators and the Los Angeles Angels. The Yankees southpaw Bobby Shantz was selected by Washington and Yankees righty Ed Grba was selected by the Angels in the expansion draft.

On this day in 1985 Yankees outfielder Roger Maris dies after a two year battle with lymphatic cancer at age 51. Former Yankees teammates Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, John Blanchard, and Bill Skowron served as pall bearers.

On this day in 2010 Cliff Lee spurned the Yankees offer of $150 million for a $120 dollar deal to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies. Lee joins Roy Halladay in probably what is the best rotation in all of baseball down in Philadelphia.

On this day in 2012 Kevin Youkilis became the latest member of Red Sox nation to come over to the Dark Side and sign with the New York Yankees. Youk signed a one year deal worth $12 million to be the third basemen in New York.

Bud Selig To Retire After 2014 Season

"Are they cheering or saying "SEEEEEEEEELIG?"

HALLELUJAH!!!

Bud Selig has announced that he will retire from being the commissioner of Major League Baseball  following the 2014 season when his contract ends on January 24th, 2015. While I commend Bud for a lot of the things he has done, the World Baseball Classic, adding more teams for the post season, and "cleaning up" the game, but I am ready for change in the MLB.