Baseball

7/26/2024 |  2024 Paris Olympics: Why baseball and softball are missing, and how MLB stars are pushing to play in 2028 (CBS Sports) The 2024 Paris Olympics are underway. While there will of course be a cornucopia of competitive events that should appeal to anyone of almost any sports persuasion, there will not be baseball or softball at the Paris Games. 
Indeed, peruse the 45 sporting categories -- and the many individual events within those categories -- and no baseball/softball shall be found. In one sense, this isn't surprising, as baseball has had an inconsistent Olympic presence over the years. In another way, however, it is a bit surprising, as Major League Baseball has worked harder than ever in recent years to promote the game on a global scale. All of this may leave you, the baseball watcher and enjoyer, with questions insofar as the sport's non-presence in the upcoming Olympiad is concerned. We're here to try to answer those questions right about now … 

7/26/2024 |  MLB, players union reportedly reach deal to subsidize lost TV revenue: What that could mean for team payrolls (CBS Sports) Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have agreed to a significant change to the collective bargaining agreement that will redirect some money collected through the competitive balance tax (CBT) to teams losing local television revenue, reports The Athletic. The arrangement is in place for one year, and the union believes it will increase spending on players.

7/23/2024 |  The 2024 MLB Trade Deadline Primer (Spotrac News) As the July 30th MLB Trade Deadline approaches, many teams have already begun to maneuver for the dog-day stretch of the 2024 season. The Oakland Athletics have already started their annual “trade, demote, or designate anyone with a million dollar salary” process. The smaller markets (Kansas City/Baltimore) have taken a head start into trade season, adding to their respective bullpens before the real fun begins. And of course, the need to watch the standings on a daily basis has become as important as ever, as we all collectively attempt to decipher which teams will be buyers, sellers, or a little bit of both over the next 8 days.

7/22/2024 |  Ex-MLB announcer Thom Brennaman returning to TV as college football broadcaster four years after hot-mic slur (CBS Sports) Ex-MLB broadcaster Thom Brennaman will be returning to the airwaves this fall. The former Reds play-by-play announcer has been hired by the CW as their lead play-by-play broadcaster for nationally televised college football games this coming season, according to The Athletic. 

7/19/2024 |  City council approves a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark — and the existing site’s transformation (Associated Press (AP)) ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are on track to get a long-sought new ballpark following a city council vote Thursday on a major redevelopment project that also guarantees the team will stay where it is for at least 30 years.
The ballpark is part of a broader $6.5 billion project that supporters say would transform an 86-acre (34-hectare) tract in the city’s downtown, with plans in the coming years for a Black history museum, affordable housing, a hotel, green space, entertainment venues, and office and retail space. There’s the promise of thousands of jobs as well.