How is Rob Manfred still the commissioner of Major League Baseball?
How hasn’t someone stormed into his office on Park Avenue in New York City and dragged him down to the front door and booted him out onto the sidewalk?
How is he still allowed to bring down the great game of baseball like this in broad daylight?
Because that’s exactly what he’s doing.
First. we had the cowardly Houston Astros get busted for cheating well after they won a World Series title because of it. Manfred suspended the team’s manager and general manager – two guys who really didn’t have much to do with it – over the scandal. They were then quickly fired by the Astros.
Manfred, of course, did not punish any of the players who helped power the elaborate sign-stealing setup, a scheme that damaged the reputation of the league and cost many opposing players some career-defining moments. I mean, why would you suspend star players when you can just punish their bosses?
Total gutless move by Manfred there.
Then a few days ago ESPN released details of possible new playoff formats that would have 14(!) teams make the postseason and could include teams picking who they want to play in the playoffs, which is just bananas.
Then on Wednesday the league made a new rule official that is “designed” to speed up the game but will instead just like hurt the game – the three-batter minimum rule. That means a starting pitcher or relief pitcher must face a minimum of three batters or until the offensive team is put out, which is ridiculous.
Manfred, who took over as commissioner in 2015, has long slid under the radar among the other commissioners of the big four sports, partly because he has helped make baseball less popular over the years. But now the focus is starting to zero in on him and the heat is being turned up.
And rightfully so.
If you saw the documentary “Screwball” then you saw how much of a disgusting mess Manfred made of the steroid era during the A-Rod steroid days. And that was back when he was working under then commissioner Bud Selig.
Manfred is now the man in charge of baseball and right now he’s doing a terrible job at it. The faster MLB can move on from this guy the better, because right now is a pretty darn rough time for the sport and Manfred doesn’t seem like the guy who can turn things around.
Which is a shame because the game deserves better.
Wednesday’s biggest winner: Jameis Winston.
The QB is apparently doing everything necessary to make himself and even more attractive option when free agency begins because he went out and got LASIK eye surgery to correct his vision. This led to many obvious jokes from fans, but still, good for Winston. And good for all these funny jokes.
Quick hits: Inside Nike’s SNKRS app… Jimmie Johnson feeling like a unicorn… TNT’s disrespectful All-Star tweet… And more!
– My pal and colleague, Mike Sykes, wrote about the battles he and other sneakerheads have faced on Nike’s SNKRS app and it’s a really good read, even if you aren’t a sneakerhead.
– Our Michelle Martinelli is in Daytona all week for the Daytona 500 and she has a good story on Jimmie Johnson feeling like a unicorn before the race.
– Lots of NBA fans ripped TNT over Kevin Durant’s placement on this All-Star Game graphic.
– Hemal Jhaveri explains why NBC Sports did the right thing by firing Jeremy Roenick.
– Charles Curtis does an important investigation into whether or not Tom Brady had some cake.