Unlike the NBA and NFL, Major League Baseball and its players came to a pretty quick agreement on their new collective bargaining agreement. The two sides signed a five-year labor deal on Nov. 22 that will see baseball initiate blood testing to fight against human growth hormone (HGH). It will also expand the MLB playoffs to 10 clubs by the 2013 season. Team owners are hoping that a competitive balance can be achieved in the league with the new contract.

There are several interesting aspects of the new deal. For instance, players are expected to play in the annual All Star game and will only be excused from duty if they’re injured or for some other acceptable reason. The use of instant video replay is going to be expanded and will now include decisions on the foul lines and traps. Players, coaches, managers, and umpires won’t be allowed to use any type of smokeless tobacco items or have them in their uniforms while they’re being interviewed on television.

In addition, ball players that are arrested for DWI have to undergo mandatory evaluation and Rawlings will become the official supplier of the league’s batting helmets by 2013. If a player tests positive for HGH he will receive a suspension of 50 games, which is the same punishment as testing positive for any type of performance-enhancing drug. This was one of the biggest issues of the agreement according to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, who said it’s in the best interests of the game.

Random blood testing on HGH is set to happen in spring training as well as the off-season. However, the two sides didn’t come to an agreement that will see random blood testing taking place during the baseball season. The players’ union boss Michael Weiner said the players don’t have a problem with the random testing, but they have the right to appeal if any positive tests are found.

The two sides are hoping to come to some sort of agreement in the near future regarding in-season random testing, but the players’ union doesn’t want it to interfere with the health and safety of its members since they play almost every day between February and October. Weiner said the current test can only reveal HGH in a player’s blood from between 48 and 72 hours. He added that the majority of players are for the testing because they want to be competing on a level field where nobody has an illegal advantage.

Two more teams will be added to the current playoff system and this change could come as early as next season. This will see 10 out of 30 MLB clubs make it to the postseason. The owners will decide in January if the playoffs will be altered next year or in 2013. The two wild card clubs in each league will face off in a playoff game with the winners advancing to the division series. Also, the Houston Astros will move to the AL West in 2013 from the NL Central. This will give the American and National leagues three divisions of five teams each.

The league’s payroll luxury tax kicks in at $178 million for the next two years and will be implemented when the payroll reaches $189 million between 2014 and 2016. A player’s minimum salary will be $500,000 in 2014 with cost-of-living expenses added in 2015 and 2016. Small-market teams will receive extra amateur draft selections which can also be used in trades.

In 2013 the compensation system for free agency will be revised. Teams will have to offer its free agents the average salary of the league’s 125 top contracts, which at the moment would be about $12.5 million, before they are eligible to receive draft picks as compensation if the player signs elsewhere. Starting next summer, teams that sign amateur players from international leagues such as the Venezuela and the Dominican Republic will have to pay a luxury tax on any signings over $2.9 million.

Frank McCourt, the owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, has finally agreed to sell the MLB franchise after months of arguing with the league over the future of the team. The Dodgers and MLB announced on Nov 1 that the club and its media rights will be sold via a  court-supervised process which will be managed by the Blackstone Group LP. There hasn’t been any time frame or deadline placed on the sale and it’s unclear if it will affect the Dodgers ability to attract and sign any free agents. It’s been rumored that they’re after Milwaukee’s Prince Fielder.

McCourt ran into financial problems when his marriage to Jamie McCourt, who is the club’s former president, started to disintegrate. He eventually filed for bankruptcy and ended up in court with MLB over the ownership. McCourt wanted to sell the team’s media rights to Fox broadcasting as a way to dig his way out of bankruptcy, but MLB wouldn’t agree to it. The league then asked a judge to order the franchise be sold and accused McCourt of using close to $200 million of Dodgers money for his personal use.

McCourt came to the decision that selling the club would be the best solution for all concerned and he emailed all of the team’s employees to let them know. It seems his $130 million settlement with his ex-wife might have had something to do with it. Before the settlement Jamie McCourt argued that she owned half of the franchise. The couple originally paid $421 million for the team back in 2004 when they bought it from Fox. It’s now believed the franchise may be worth as much as $1 billion.

Many Dodgers fans might be glad at the announcement since McCourt was basically a Boston real estate developer who didn’t really know much about baseball. When he first took over he got rid of some personnel and several people quit the team due to the way he started to run the club. General manager Dan Evans was let go and replaced by Paul DePodesta and McCourt’s wife was named as the Dodgers’ president.

The team made the playoffs four times in eight seasons under McCourt’s ownership and won the National League West Division three times. They were then beaten twice in the league championship series by the Philadelphia Phillies. Many fans figured they were just a player or two away from a World Series title, something they haven’t won since 1988, but also felt McCourt didn’t want to spend the money to sign a couple of top players.

Fans were also angered that McCourt hiked ticket prices several times during his tenure while keeping the team payroll at about $100 million. It was also reported that the McCourts were living it up in their mansion while fans were faced with higher priced tickets. The couple were also deferring some of the players’ salaries and were seemingly going into debt. Money had to be borrowed from Fox during this year’s spring training so McCourt could meet the payroll.

MLB took over the club’s daily operations soon after the season started and by June McCourt has filed for bankruptcy. He’s fought with MLB Commissioner Bud Selig ever since and attendance started to drop at Dodger Stadium. The fans might start to come back next season, but the team will need to re-sign Gold Glove winners Andre Ethier, Clayton Kershaw, and Matt Kemp to stay competitive.

MLB wants to have a new owner in place well before opening day and it’ll be interesting to see who steps up to the plate with an offer.

Things are getting increasingly tougher for Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt as he tries to dig the MLB club out of bankruptcy. The League recently asked a bankruptcy court to allow the club to be sold in an auction and now it’s been reported that Fox Sports has sued the franchise.

The television network has a contract with the Dodgers to exclusively broadcast the team’s games until November 2012 and it doesn’t want McCourt to be allowed to sell right to the games to the highest bidder. McCourt recently asked the bankruptcy court to let him sell the TV rights as the first step in straightening out the franchises finances, which would enable him to hang onto the team.

Fox filed its suit on Sept. 27 and asked the court to block any attempted deal that doesn’t abide to the terms of the present contract. It’s also been reported that Fox is looking for unspecified damages in the suit as well because they claim McCourt has violated terms of their current deal by going public with some of the broadcast rights details, even though he was warned not to. But a spokeswoman for the team said the contract hasn’t been breached in any way.

McCourt says if he’s allowed to sell the rights via auction then the club will be back on its feet financially. He filed for bankruptcy back in June to try and keep MLB Commissioner Bud Selig from getting his hands on the dodgers by seizing them. Selig wants the team to be sold as soon as possible since said there’s no way for the Dodgers to sell its television rights.

There’s a hearing scheduled for Oct. 12 regarding the sale of the team, but the Dodgers have asked for that meeting to be delayed until Dec. 11. According to its current contract with McCourt, Fox has the right to match any broadcasting offer he receives. Fox and the Dodgers came to an agreement a few months ago over extending their deal, but Selig shot it down because some of the advance money was going to McCourt for personal use in his divorce settlement.

MLB lawyers said McCourt is destroying the franchise and he filed for bankruptcy as a way to solve his personal financial woes not the team’s. Dodgers’ lawyers said the league is being abusive and overstepping its powers by trying to force the sale of the club. They also say McCourt is cooperating with MLB as much as he can to solve the issue.

McCourt’s stuck between a rock and a hard place because he can’t get the team out of bankruptcy without a new broadcasting deal. However, Selig said he won’t approve any new contracts for the club and all deals would be dead on arrival.

The worst that could happen is the Dodgers being kicked out of the league, but that’s very doubtful. This new lawsuit Fox definitely makes things more complicated though.

Baseball has changed in some ways over the years, with the designated hitter brought in as well as wild card playoff spots, interleague play, and the introduction of video replays. But one tradition that still exists is the chewing of tobacco by players during games. However, if Congress and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig get their way, spitting tobacco all over the place may soon come to an end.

Many public health groups are against the use of smokeless tobacco by ball players during games because they feel they’re role models and it sets a bad example for youngsters watching their heroes play. It makes sense, but Mark Kotsay of the Milwaukee Brewers said that he’s seen President Obama drinking beer, so where does it all end?

Anti-tobacco groups contend that all types of tobacco are harmful and it’s not a good habit to get into. The Center for Disease Control is certain smokeless tobacco can cause oral health issues as well as addiction to nicotine and worst of all, cancer. Recent studies showed that 5 per cent of males in high school in 2009 were using smokeless tobacco. This is an increase of more than 33 per cent from 2003, when it was reported that 11 per cent of them used the product.

The health groups have convinced Selig that it’d be a good idea to ban the practice during ball games. He supported a ban of smokeless tobacco back in March and wants to ban it in MLB when the next collective bargaining agreement is signed. The current contract expires this December.

A lot of players feel it might be hard to convince them to give it up. However, MLB is getting quite serious about tobacco use and even went as far as to ask the producers of the Brad Pitt movie “Moneyball” to get rid of the scenes where tobacco use is shown. Sony Pictures politely declined to do so, even though they did use many of the league’s suggestions when making the film.

The health groups are being reasonable about the issue and are just asking players and managers not to use tobacco when they’re likely to be on camera. Quite a few members of Congress are also behind a ban and point to the fact that smokeless tobacco isn’t allowed in non-unionized minor leagues.

Naturally, some players feel a ban would be infringing on their rights. But they’d still be allowed to do whatever they want when they’re not playing games. They can chew as much tobacco as they like then. They are being paid by franchises that belong to MLB and should have to follow whatever rules are put in place. They don’t really have the right to do what they please at major league ballparks.

If the habit of chewing tobacco is affecting children and adolescents, it’s pretty selfish not to agree to a ban. What would the players do if all of the MLB ballparks suddenly decided to ban it from their property? They wouldn’t have any say in the matter then and it would be an easier way to eliminate it from games than trying to do so via the collective bargaining agreement.

As Major League Baseball took its all-star break, Commissioner Bud Selig had the chance to give his annual talk to the fans and touched on a few interesting topics when he answered questions live over the internet from Phoenix.

Selig said that MLB is looking into using more video replays to help umpires make the right calls and is also hoping to expand the playoffs to 10 teams. Other interesting news from Selig included the possibility of using designated hitters in NL parks for interleague games and that there won’t be a salary cap in the next collective bargaining agreement with the players’ union.

The commissioner said most baseball executives aren’t for more instant replays, but the league is looking into two changes to the current instant replay usage. He also said the netting which protects the fans behind home plate won’t be extended in the near future and there won’t be any rule changes designed to protect catchers because of the play in which San Francisco catcher Buster Posey had his leg broken win a plate collision earlier in the season. Selig was asked about realignment, but said that it’s not likely to happen in the foreseeable future.

Touching more on the instant replay topic, it’s only used now to determine if a home run actually went out of the park and if it was a fair or foul ball. However, some people feel video replay should also be used to decide if line drives are fair or foul and for close calls at home plate.

It was the 11^th annual internet chat for Selig and he answered 17 questions that were submitted online as well as three more from fans who were in attendance at the Phoenix Convention Center. One of the questions dealt with the ownership situation of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Dodger owner Frank McCourt recently filed for bankruptcy and the league opposed it in a lawsuit. Selig said they’ll just have to wait until all of the court appearances have taken place to see how things turn out.

As for expanding the playoff teams, the last time it was done was back in 1994 when it was doubled from four to eight clubs. The four divisions back then were realigned into six divisions and two wild card playoff spots were added. The 1994 season was hit with a strike though and the new format didn’t come into play until 1995. Selig said there’s a 14-person committee which reviews all proposed changes to baseball and he feels that 10 playoff teams could eventually be approved, but it’s still being discussed.

Selig likes the way the designated hitter rule has panned out after it was brought in about 40 years ago. He said both leagues are happy with it, but it might end that the DH is used in NL parks in interleague action and the pitcher has to hit in the AL parks.

The proposed changes mentioned by the commissioner will all be discussed as the league and players association have already started talks on a new bargaining agreement. The current basic agreement runs out on Dec. 11. It appears there’s not going to be any type of salary cap in the new deal as Selig said the economics of the game are working well and he doesn’t think they  should be tampered with.

The Los Angeles Dodgers situation was thrown into further disarray on June 28 when a bankruptcy judge granted the club’s owner Frank McCourt interim approval to borrow $150 million so he can pay the players and cover the rest of the bills until the end of the year. There’s also a scheduled hearing for July 20 to decide whether an alternative loan offer from Major League Baseball should be approved for the Dodgers instead.

The Dodgers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 27 and MLB objected to the procedure saying it was opposed to the $150 million debtor-in-possession loan. The league’s attorneys told the bankruptcy judge that it would provide the money for the Dodgers via its own banks and would give McCourt better terms than the J.P. Morgan hedge fund will.

When it filed the objection, MLB stated that the league would offer a no-strings attached and cheaper solution to McCourt’s financial problems over the next year. According to MLB, the original conditions of the hedge fund loan will see McCourt charged 10 per cent interest as well as an additional fee of $4.5 million. However, the hedge fund then agreed to lower the fee to just $250,000 as an exit fee if the judge decides to go with the loan offered by MLB, which will charge just seven per cent interest and no extra fees.

MLB has blamed the club’s current financial situation on McCourt as they said he’s been using the franchise’s funds for his personal use. The league also said that McCourt didn’t have permission from Commissioner Bud Selig or when he filed for bankruptcy, which is an MLB requirement.

MLB also wants the court to look into some other things, such as if the case was filed properly, and if McCourt is eligible to keep control of club during the bankruptcy process. The league also said publicly that McCourt and his ex-wife Jamie siphoned more than $100 million for family us, which disregarded his debtors and the interests of the Dodgers and baseball in general.

They went on to say McCourt put his personal interests before the club’s and not being able to cover the payroll is a result of it. However, McCourt and his debtors say Selig is to blame since they refused to approve McCourt’s multi-year deal with Fox TV which would have injected millions of dollars into the franchise immediately and $3 billion over the life of the deal.

It’s believed the Dodgers’ next payroll payment is $40 million with $8 million of that going to the retired Manny Ramirez as a deferred payment. McCourt is asking the judge to approve the proposed hedge fund loan as well as to open up bidding between media companies to for a new television deal.

Selig said he shot down the deal between the dodgers and Fox because he didn’t feel it was in the best interests of baseball and the Dodgers. MLB is claiming that McCourt has filed for Chapter 11 to have the television deal approved and that he didn’t seek financial help from the league before doing so.

If approved, the Fox deal would have pumped $385 million into the club in an up-front payment to keep it afloat. Fox also loaned $23.5 million to McCourt personally to cover May’s payroll.