Manfred is paving the way for cuts, furloughs in MLB
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is reportedly on the verge of clearing the way for clubs to cut the pay or even outright furlough employees, including managers, coaches, scouts and frontoffice staff.
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal on Sunday, Manfred will suspend Uniform Employee Contracts on May 1. Those contracts reportedly include language that allows those who sign them to have pay withheld in the event of a natural emergency, similar to the language contained in Uniform Player Contracts.
According to the report, Manfred will not mandate that teams take any such actions, and those impacted will not lose healthcare benefits.
The MLB regular season was scheduled to begin March 26, but spring training was halted March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic, with Opening Day postponed to mid-April. On March 16, the start of the season was pushed back indefinitely.
Last week, reports surfaced that MLB senior staffers are taking a 35 percent pay cut and that Manfred pledged to pay all MLB full-time employees through May.
Motor sports
BYRON MAKES IT BACK-TO-BACK VIRTUAL VICTORIES >> William Byron became the first multi-time winner of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series on Sunday,
holding off Timmy Hill by a mere .256-seconds at virtual Richmond Raceway. It was Byron’s second consecutive win in the series, following his victory at iRacing’s virtual Bristol Motor Speedway two weeks ago, before the Easter off-week.
It certainly reaffirmed Byron’s position as the heralded master of the iRacing tournament among NASCAR Cup Series regulars. He has dominated in total laps led (319) in the four iRacing events in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and on Sunday was easily the class of the field, holding the point for 94 laps of the 154-lap Toyota Owners 150.
Parker Kligerman, Landon Cassill and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch rounded out the top five. Denny Hamlin, who won the inaugural Pro Invitational Series event at Homestead, finished sixth followed by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate
Erik Jones. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bubba Wallace and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top 10.
Despite several new entries this week, the Richmond race had the very real competitive feel NASCAR fans have come to expect at the 7/8-mile oval.
And Byron, who got his competitive start in iRacing years ago, again put on a master class — holding off a group of competitors with fresher tires on a final race re-start with three laps to go.
NFL
LEAGUE ISSUES FASHION CODE FOR DRAFT >> The novel coronavirus has forced the National Football League to take Thursday’s draft online but players hoping to be picked will still have a dress code to adhere to — hence lounging around in pajamas will definitely not be an option.
With 58 of the top college prospects connected virtually, the NFL issued a memo detailing what it expects to see online if or when commissioner Roger Goodell announces their name from the basement of his Bronxville, N.Y. home.
Traditionally, when Goodell steps up to the microphone to announce each franchise’s first pick, he is joined on stage by sharply dressed players for a photograph while presenting them with a team ball cap or jersey.
This year it will be a virtual handshake and while the NFL stopped short of telling players what exactly to wear, the league has issued a long list of what is not acceptable, including fashions that might be deemed political statements.
The memo, obtained by Pro Football Talk, detailed that there should be no third party logos, no explicit language, or racial, religious, or ethnic slurs.
Players cannot be seen wearing a brand logo that does not belong to one of the NFL’s official licensed partners.
Also not tolerated will be any clothing referencing alcohol, gambling, tobacco products (including e-cigarettes), obscene, pornographic (or escort services), violent (including firearms or other weapons), or sexual imagery.
Basketball
WASHINGTON STATE’S ELLEBY DECLARES FOR DRAFT >> Washington State forward CJ Elleby, the Cougars’ top scorer, said he will test the NBA draft waters but preserve his college eligibility.
During the 2019-20 season, Elleby averaged 18.4 points and 7.8 rebounds. The 6-foot-6 Seattle product was first-team All-Pac-12. WASHINGTON’S HARDY TRANSFERRING >> Seeking to play a bigger role on a team, Washington backup point guard Elijah Hardy is transferring to Portland State.
The Vikings lost their top seven scorers from the 2019-20 team that was 18-14. Earlier this month, junior guard Holland Woods, the team’s leading scorer, said he was transferring to Arizona State.
Hardy appeared in 29 games in the 2019-20 season and averaged 1.9 points, 1.1 assists and 1.1 rebounds in 11.0 minutes per game.
Soccer
ATLAS OWNER EYEING SUPER LEAGUE >> Major League Soccer and Liga MX would benefit from joining forces into what would amount to a North American super league in the eyes of Santos Laguna and Atlas owner Alejandro Irarragorri.
Irarragorri offered a statement after Liga MX, the top league in Mexico, announced it would be suspending promotion and relegation for the next five years.
“A high percentage of Mexican football’s income comes from the USA,” Irarragorri said. “Their league (MLS) has been growing in an ordered, slow, but consistent way in all senses: commercially, infrastructure, financial structure, diffusion and on the field.
“... It’s probable that the possible creation of a North American super league is best for MLS in the short term and for Liga MX in the medium term, but over the long term it is best for both and the potential to add value and create jobs is immense. Without doubt it is an alternative that should be explored and analyzed.”
MLS commissioner Don Garber previously said that a joint league involving the MLS and Liga MX would be a “powerful force.”
The leagues were slated to come together in Los Angeles on July 29, with the MLS All-Stars facing the Liga MX All-Stars.