- “We’re at that difficult, difficult point where the community in Tampa has to make a commitment to Major League Baseball.” That cautionary comment was from MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, who was, otherwise, very complimentary of the Rays Ybor City stadium plan during a recent SiriusXM Town Hall talk.
- Manfred also made news in answering a question about the challenges that MLB obviously faces in a sports world where it’s imperative to keep pace with the societal times. Manfred lamented that it was too bad that Los Angeles Angels centerfielder Mike Trout, arguably the sport’s best player, is no media and marketing icon.
Trout’s not exactly the LeBron James of baseball. He’s not a charismatic media-magnet nor a self-promoter. He’s a great player who’s a nice guy–as friendly as he is humble. How refreshing. And how ironic that this is an issue.