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Archives for July 11, 2023

MLB All-Star Game Preview

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SEATTLE – (Staff and Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson could rely heavily on a division rival’s players when he takes charge of the National League lineup in tonight’s All-Star Game in Seattle.

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Eight Atlanta Braves made the All-Star team, including three starters: catcher Sean Murphy, shortstop Orlando Arcia and outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., who earned the most All-Star fan votes of any player.

But from his roster of reserves, Thomson can slot in three more Braves — Matt Olson at first base, Ozzie Albies at second and Austin Riley at third — and play with the entire Atlanta infield if he so chooses.

“I guess there could be a chance that we have an all-Braves infield,” Thomson said Monday.

Thomson is managing in the All-Star Game after he took over the Phillies in June 2022 and guided them to the World Series after a disappointing start to the season. The Phillies lost to the Houston Astros, whose skipper, Dusty Baker, will be in charge of the American League on Tuesday.

The Phillies are a respectable 48-41 and in third place in the NL East at the break. However, the division rival Braves are 60-29 with a plus-147 run differential and look primed to make a run at their second World Series title in three years.

“…They have got a great club,” Thomson said. “They put up some really good offensive numbers, and they have all have earned that right to be on this team. So I’m really looking forward to getting to meet them, everybody in the clubhouse really, but I’m really looking forward to get to meet them and be with them and it’s really an honor to be managing this group of talent.”

Baker has a similar option available to him on the AL side.

The Texas Rangers — who hit the break leading Baker’s Astros by two games in the AL West — got a whopping five starters in the All-Star Game. Catcher Jonah Heim, second baseman Marcus Semien, shortstop Corey Seager, third baseman Josh Jung and outfielder Adolis Garcia will all be in the starting lineup on Tuesday.

Baker can’t make it an all-Texas infield, but he could insert Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi so that all six members of the organization are in the game simultaneously.

“Well, I hope so. I haven’t spoken to him yet,” Baker said Monday. “I haven’t spoken to our pitching coach yet who is going to talk to him.

“So, yes, right now we’re planning on getting everybody in there probably on one inning that’s available. But we’ve had to mix and match a little bit on who is available, who pitched Sunday, who pitched Saturday. So, above all, we have to try to take care of other people’s players.”

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour Officials Testify Before Senate

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No Merger Deal is Done, According to PGA Tour Officials

WASH DC – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – PGA Tour officials painted a bleak outlook during a contentious Senate hearing Tuesday, sharing they felt no other choice was left but to merge with Saudi-backed LIV Golf in order for the tour to survive.

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“The PGA Tour is not that big in terms of players,” PGA Tour board member Jimmy Dunne said during sworn testimony Tuesday before the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in Washington, D.C. “If (LIV) takes five players a year, in five years they can gut us. They’ve got a management team that wants to destroy the Tour. And even though (LIV) could take five or six players a year, they have an unlimited horizon and an unlimited amount of money.

“So it isn’t like the (LIV) product is better. It’s just that there’s a lot more money that will make people move.”

Several Senators cited accusations of Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses as reason to question the May 30 framework agreement between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

“Today’s hearing is about much more than the game of golf,” Senator Richard Blumenthal said. “It’s about how a brutal, repressive regime can buy influence, and indeed even take over a cherished American institution to cleanse its public image.”

Dunne and Ron Price, the chief operating officer of the PGA Tour, testified on behalf of the tour with CEO Jay Monahan on medical leave. They said the framework of the planned merger is the best opportunity to allow the PGA Tour to continue to have some degree of control over the sport despite the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia’s involvement.

When pressed on the details of the financial involvement of the Saudis, Price said, “There’s been discussions. It would be a significant amount. North of $1 billion.”

Along with other Senators, Blumenthal offered harsh criticism of the financial aspects of the decision to merge.

“There is something that stinks about this path that you’re on right now,” Blumenthal said, “because it is a surrender, and it is all about the money and that’s the reason for the backlash that you see.”

Blumenthal asked Price what his options are if the PGA Tour doesn’t execute the merger with LIV Golf.

“We would still be facing a real threat that LIV Golf would continue to recruit our top players,” Price said.

Blumenthal responded, “These players that stood by you are heroes.”

Dunne testified that he shares some of the concerns Blumenthal raised in the hearing.

“I really understand Sen. Blumenthal’s concern about having them take over,” Dunne said. “…I’m concerned with what the senator is worried about. But I’m concerned if we do nothing, we’re going to end up there, they’re going to end up owning golf. They can do it.”

The proposed merger could face blockage from the Justice Department, which has been investigating the PGA Tour for its attempt to keep its players from leaving for LIV, as well as a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a Treasury-led committee that assesses mergers for national security purposes.

Price and Dunne stressed during Tuesday’s hearing that final details of the merger are undetermined.

NBA: Silver Opines on Wealth Funds

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LAS VEGAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – With sovereign wealth funds starting to shovel money into sports teams and leagues across the country, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Monday that he does not see any state-owned investment groups becoming the controlling owner of an NBA franchise anytime soon.

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Per the NBA’s investment rules, the controlling owner of an NBA franchise must own at least 15 percent of the franchise.

If a sovereign wealth fund wants to get involved, it must have a passive investment in the organization that is worth no more than five percent. A prime example of this is the Qatar sovereign wealth fund, which last month agreed to purchase a five-percent stake in Monumental Sports and Entertainment, the controlling owner of the Washington Wizards, the WNBA’s Washington Mystics and the NHL’s Washington Capitals.

Silver wants to make sure that individuals are the ones that are primarily governing teams, though.

“I don’t want to say what could ever happen, but there’s no contemplation right now,” Silver said in Las Vegas. “I mean, it’s very important to us, putting aside sovereign wealth funds that individuals are in a position to control our teams, be responsible to the fans, be responsible to their partners and to the players.

“It’s very important to us that there be a person (in charge), and this is independent of sovereign wealth funds. I think that in terms of the connection with the community, the connection with the players and their other partners in the league.”

One of the most notable sovereign wealth funds as it relates to the sports is Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which funds LIV Golf. The PGA Tour created shockwaves across the golf world last month when it announced it planned to enter a merger with LIV.

–Field Level Media

Vlad Jr. Joins Dad as HR Derby Champ

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SEATTLE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Vladimir Guerrero Jr. eliminated record-setting hometown favorite Julio Rodriguez in the semifinals and then made history of his own Monday night.

The Toronto Blue Jays slugger beat Tampa Bay’s Randy Arozarena 25-23 in the finals to win the 2023 Home Run Derby at T-Mobile Park, completing the first father-son duo to claim Derby titles. Vladimir Sr. won the Derby in 2007 as a member of the Angels.

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“I feel very happy,” Guerrero Jr. said via an interpreter on the field after Arozarena fell two homers short of matching him. “I’m just happy to be in this moment right now.”

Guerrero Jr. nearly accomplished the feat in his first appearance in 2019, losing to Pete Alonso in the finals. Four years later he proved he had learned from that experience, using his timeouts wisely en route to winning all three of his matchups.

After cruising past the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Betts in the first round and hitting a walk-off homer in bonus time against Rodriguez, it was Guerrero who had to sweat out the final seconds in the finals. The 24-year-old went first as the No. 6 seed and set the mark for Arozarena to beat with 25 home runs.
Arozarena smashed 20 in two minutes and earned 30 seconds of bonus time. However, the 28-year-old was clearly fatigued and with 15 seconds to go it became clear Arozarena would run out of time. Guerrero insisted he wasn’t worried.

“I felt pretty good,” Guerrero said of watching bonus time. “I felt like the pressure was on him.”

Trying to become only the fourth player to win the Derby in his own ballpark, Rodriguez put on a show before running out of gas for the second consecutive year. After clubbing a single-round record 41 homers in the first round, the seventh seed managed only 20 in the semifinals — the third fewest hit in any round of the night.

Guerrero Jr. matched that total during regulation, then walked off the win with his 21st homer with 43 seconds remaining in his bonus time.

“It feels like your mind is there, but your body is not. That’s the best way to explain it,” Rodriguez said of being tired in the second round.

Meanwhile, saving time proved beneficial for Guerrero, who faced a quick turnaround to the finals.

After opening the event with 24 homers, good for only fourth most in the first round, Arozarena put on a display by smashing 35 in the semifinals. He easily dispatched top-seeded Luis Robert Jr., with the Chicago White Sox star fading after a decent start to finish with 22 long balls.

Arozarena kicked off the event by eliminating Texas’ fourth seed Adolis Garcia, but the competition picked up in earnest when Adley Rutschman stepped to the plate.

Baltimore’s second-year star catcher smashed 21 home runs from the left side in regulation. The only non-right-handed hitter in the contest, Rutschman brought cheers from the crowd when he switched to the right side for his 60 seconds of bonus time. The former Oregon State star then clubbed six more for a total of 27.

“It was kind of on the fly, we were debating about whether to do it,” the eighth seed said.

However, the mark didn’t last long, with Robert equaling it during regulation and walking off after hitting his 28th homer during his bonus time.

Next up, Guerrero Jr. easily eliminated the third-seeded Betts, with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ star managing only 11 homers to the Toronto slugger’s 26.

The momentary lull from Betts’ session was quickly followed by fireworks.

Rodriguez blasted 32 home runs in regulation — four more than anyone else in the first round managed including bonus time. Needing eight in 60 seconds to set the single-round Derby record, Rodriguez smashed nine more for a total of 41, bringing a roar with each one from the sellout crowd of 46,952.

“I wanted to live in the moment. Kind of be able to give a show to the Mariners fans and just kind of give it my all,” he said. “It was electric. Just like the fact that we’re out here and the whole crowd was into it and they were supporting me, all that. I feel like it meant the world for me, I really enjoyed it and I hope they enjoyed it, too.”

That performance didn’t guarantee a spot in the next round with two-time Derby champion Alonso the final batter of the first round. Attempting to join Seattle legend Ken Griffey Jr. as the only three-time champions, Alonso started strong before fading and finishing with 21 homers — falling to Rodriguez for the second consecutive year.

Despite failing to get out of the first round, Alonso did add to his all-time Derby home run lead — the Mets’ slugger now has 195 in four career appearances. Rodriguez has 142 in five combined rounds through his first two appearances.

Guerrero Jr., who does not have a single home run in 10 career games at T-Mobile Park, hit a combined 72 Monday night to up his career total to 163.

2023 HOME RUN DERBY RESULTS
FIRST ROUND
#5 Randy Arozarena (24)
#4 Adolis Garcia (17)

#8 Adley Rutschman (27)
#1 Luis Robert Jr. (28)

#6 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (26)
#3 Mookie Betts (11)

#7 Julio Rodriguez (41)
#2 Pete Alonso (21)

SEMIFINALS
#5 Randy Arozarena (35)
#1 Luis Robert Jr. (22)

#6 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (21)
#7 Julio Rodriguez (20)

FINALS
#5 Randy Arozarena (23)
#6 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (25)