Melvin, Snitker named name managers of year

Melvin’s job was a lot different as a rookie manager with Seattle in 2002, and even when he was voted Manager of the Year with Arizona in 2007 and Oakland in 2012.

“Organizations and certainly front offices are more a part of it now, and you have to understand that,” Melvin said Tuesday after winning his third manager award.

Melvin won the American League honor after leading the Athletics to the playoffs despite the lowest opening-day payroll in the major leagues.

Atlanta’s Brian Snitker won the National League award following a surprising first-place finish, a reward for a 63-yearold baseball lifer who has spent 42 seasons with the Braves. He thought back to how he returned to the minor leagues in 1986, 1991 and 2004 after stints on the staff of the big league Braves.

NFL

RAMS-CHIEFS GAME MOVES TO LOS ANGELES>> The NFL moved the Rams’ Monday night showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs from Mexico City to Los Angeles on Tuesday due to the poor condition of the field at Azteca Stadium.

The league announced the extraordinary decision six days before one of the most-anticipated regular-season games of the year.

In a news release, the league said it determined that the recently re-sodded field at Mexico City’s historic stadium “does not meet NFL standards for playability and consistency, and will not meet those standards by next Monday.”

The Rams (9-1) will host the Chiefs (9-1) at the Coliseum instead. The much-anticipated game is just the fifth meeting since 1970 between teams with one or fewer losses in Week 11 or later.

The decision creates a morass of logistical concerns for the teams and fans traveling to Mexico, and it disappoints thousands of Mexican fans eager to see a marquee matchup in North America’s most populous city.