MLB: Erasing leaked rant, shift sanity high on owners’ agenda
NEW YORK— Commissioner Rob Manfred says Major League Baseball is trying to remove from the internet a leaked video of former Mets manager Terry Collins ranting at umpires.
The profanity-laced recording surfaced this week, from a Dodgers-Mets game in May 2016 that Fox televised. Collins fumes after ace Noah Syndergaard is ejected in the third inning for throwing a fastball behind Chase Utley. In the 2015 playoffs, Utley broke the leg of Mets infielder Ruben Tejada with a late, hard slide.
Umpire crew chief Tom Hallion is heard explaining the ejection to Syndergaard, Neil Walker and other Mets, then he breaks away to head off Collins. For many fans, the loud exchange between Collins and Hallion illuminated what actually gets said during heated disputes. “We made a commitment to the umpires that if they would wear microphones, certain types of interactions that we all know go on the field would not be aired publicly,” Manfred said Thursday after the owners meetings ended. “We promised them that. It’s in the collective bargaining agreement.”
Manfred said there was also conversation about how defensive shifts have affected the game. Batting averages are dropping, among other developments, and Manfred said MLB’s competition committee wanted to see “whether it’s time for us to manage these trends a little more aggressively.”
One change that could occur as soon as next season: teams playing two-game series on the weekend. Normally, clubs meet for three games over the weekend. But in the case where marquee teams play just twice — say, Nationals-Yankees — those might be held on Saturday and Sunday.