DANY BAY

The Major League Baseball Players' Association delivered its first proposals to MLB on Wednesday as labor talks officially opened in New York.

The union proposed that the minimum salary increases nearly doubles from $780,000 to $1.5 million, and lowers free agency from six years to five years for players 30 and older. The MLBPA also proposed that each club would be guaranteed a minimum of $240 million in revenue-sharing each season.

Low-revenue clubs, such as theMilwaukee BrewersandTampa Bay Rays, would receive monetary bonuses for qualifying for the playoffs or even having a winning record.

The proposal would penalize teams for not putting the revenue-sharing money back towards players, with each club required to have a payroll of at least $150 million.

“Today, the MLBPA presented a comprehensive set of economic proposals designed to advance the rights and benefits of players at all levels,” MLBPA interim executive director Bruce Meyer said.

“Our goal is to preserve and improve baseball’s market system, rewarding competition on and off the field. Additionally, the players’ proposals provide increased revenue sharing initially guaranteeing every small market Club a minimum of $240 [million] in revenue every season."

“This enhanced revenue sharing includes added protections to ensure clubs prioritize winning over profiteering. Ultimately, our proposals are designed to build upon the incredible momentum and popularity of our sport world-wide.”

Major League Baseball, which is expected to make its initial proposal Thursday, said that the union’s pitch will create greater imbalance in the game, with 78% of the top 15 teams in payroll qualifying for the NLCS and ALCS the past decade.

Advertisement

“We appreciate the union making a set of proposals and we look forward to continuing the bargaining process and working towards solving the competitive balance problem our fans are telling us needs to be addressed," MLB spokesman Glen Caplin said. “We understand their proposals are designed to benefit players. Unfortunately, they do not address, and in fact, exacerbate the competitive balance problem our fans are telling us we must address.

“The MLBPA’s proposal would reduce the amount transferred to lower-revenue clubs, weaken the competitive balance tax, and lead to even more payroll disparity that exists today. For example, under the union’s proposal, the Dodgers would pay less in luxury tax penalties, giving them an additional $70 million to spend on payroll."

The union is also seeking that more players be eligible for salary arbitration, increasing it from players who are among the top 22% in service time with at least two years of service to 44%, and increasing the minimum offer to $3 million.

The union wants qualifying offers for free agents eliminated, as well as any penalties for clubs signing free agents, while increasing benefits to low-payroll clubs who lose players to free agency.

The union also is seeking the luxury tax thresholds are increased from $244 million to $300 million while all non-monetary penalties (draft picks) are removed. Also included are more rules to combat potential service time manipulation while expanding the draft lottery to further disincentivize tanking.

“We all see the momentum in our game,” executive subcommittee member Chris Bassitt said in the union release. “Amazing players and incredible fans. Attendance, viewership, interest – by any measure you want to use, our game is moving in a positive direction. We’ve put forward proposals designed to continue that trend.

“Support, incentivize, and reward clubs who are committed to competing, especially small market clubs. Compensate players fairly for the work they are doing. Preserve the rights that generations of players have fought for and grow the game all of us love.”

The current CBA expires on Dec. 1, and if an agreement is not reached, MLB is expected to impose a lockout.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:MLB labor war begins with MLBPA proposal on revenue sharing

It's been a while since the last trip to the mailbox, and yet again it's nothing butHowdy-Do'sfrom eager realtors, loveable insurance companies andthe relentless graybeardsat AARP.

So it's back to the laptop and virtual mailbag, where there'salways some action ....

HEY, WILLIE!

The Indy-Charlotte double was quite a feat of endurancefor Katherine Legge, especially considering gender and age.

If her Cup car had not encountered the wheel issue, do you think she would have finished in the top 20 or 25?

Short answer: Probably not. Not without some attrition in front of her. That’s not fully a reflection on her, but the part-time team (Live Fast Motorsports) whose car she was wheeling — yes, on three wheels for a brief time.

Longer answer: I’m pretty sure a few women just cleared their throats and are prepared to take issue with you, as well as plenty of fit folks in their mid-40s. Especially since she only turned 19 laps at Indy before a wrecked car got in her way.

Also, as a reminder, of the other five racers who did the Indy-Charlotte double, Tony Stewart did it twice and went flag-to-flag in both races, both years.

And not once — officially or in casual conversation — did anyone ever mistake Tony Stewart for a triathlete.

He did, however, seem to borrow from the playbook of the late, great Dick Trickle, who once answered a question about a growing fitness trend by saying, “You know how I get in shape to race? I RACE!”

HEY, WILLIE!

Is NASCAR trying to kill itself with bad formats (the “All-Star Race”) and now Amazon Prime?

I know they made money, but now they must be losing viewers, namely me. Instead of trying to build interest, I think they are doing the opposite.

We’re a week into Year 2 of NASCAR’s partnership with Prime, which is a week into its five-week run as Cup race broadcaster. The complaints are fewer than they were a year ago, which I assume is due to one of two things.

Either more viewers have given in and decided Prime is yet another place to dump expendable(?) income. Or they’ve reintroduced themselves to the radio.

Meanwhile, hate to tell you, but Prime delivers a great product. Don't believe me? Ask this guy ...

HEY, WILLIE!

Thank you for adding a little common sense to the scenario being played out over Kyle Busch’s sad demise. Deepest sympathy to his family and all who loved him.

HEY, MYRNA!

Just a horrible saga all around.

But as eventually happens during the process, pragmatic thoughts spring up. Here’s one that crept in …

Advertisement

Previous tragedy involving racers and untimely deaths usually happened on the racetrack. In their aftermath, the examinations often led to advancements in safety — changes to the cars, to the tracks and, in the case of Dale Earnhardt, a wide variety of measures.

Without knowing more than the basics at this time, the Kyle Busch tragedy seems to offer one obvious lesson: Don’t neglect your health if something is wrong and isn’t getting better.

I obviously have no way of knowing, but I assume there’s been an uptick in checkups this past week.

HEY, WILLIE!

Great job (as usual) on the column about Europe and Formula One (May 21). At F1, pomposity reigns.

Keep up the good work.

But that’s part of their charm, isn’t it?

HEY, WILLIE!

I struggled to recognize the names on the PGA Championship leaderboard, especially on the first day. Had you ever heard of Aldrich Potgieter, Stephan Jager, Min Woo Lee and Ryo Hisatsune?

Heard of them, yes. Pick any of them out of a lineup, maybe not at this stage of their careers.

None of them finished in the top 10 at week’s end, by the way, which brings to mind one of the great golf quotesnotattributed to Lee Trevino.

It was Peter Jacobsen, when briefly leading after his opening round at the 1990 Masters, who turned prophetic: “The slums of Chicago are full of first-round leaders.”

Three days later, he was tied for 30th.

HEY, WILLIE!

I’m pretty sure the first person not named France to run NASCAR (President, CEO or COO) was Mike Helton. Am I wrong?

You’re kinda right. Which might also mean kinda wrong.

A lot of us assumed Mike Helton would eventually start appearing on the France family Christmas card. His consolation prize, 26 years ago, was the NASCAR presidency.

But Bill France Jr., when not sidelined by health issues, was very much the final say through 2003, when Brian became CEO.

Currently, for the first time, there’s no NASCAR president since Steve O’Donnell was recently promoted from that position to CEO. Keep in mind, however, the family still owns NASCAR and if there’s a meeting of importance over in that GlassCar building on ISB, their chairs won’t likely be empty.

—Email Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal:Kyle Busch, NASCAR politics, Amazon Prime remain hot topics

Charles Barkley didn’t even wait for the final buzzer to tear into the Cavaliers during their season-ending loss, which punched the Knicks’ ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

The Cavaliers started off Monday’s elimination game strong before the Knicks overpowered them for over three quarters in whatturned into a 130-93 loss for Clevelandat Rocket Arena.

The outcome seemed destined before halftime rolled around, and Barkley took the moment to rail on the Cleveland’s lack of effort.

“Kids at home, if you want to see what the word quit means: to give up. The verb of that: CA-VA-LI-ERS,” he said on “Inside the NBA” at the half. “This is what you see… They were down 29. This is just effort here. This is just effort.”

Barkley then had the producers play clips to highlight his point about the lack of effort from the Cavs.

Advertisement

“How do you give up 23 fastbreak points in a half?” Barkley asked. “Players aren’t going to say they quit, but you know what shows? Their actions.

“Lisa [Salters] and Malika [Andrews] were talking about [Cavs players] saying they believe. Well, I believed they were going to get their ass whooped and that’s what’s going to happen.”

The “Inside the NBA” crew didn’t stop there either.

After the loss, Kenny Smith said that he believed the Cavaliers “took a step backwards because it showed what you’re vulnerable to, to everyone else in the Eastern Conference.”

Smith added that the Cavaliers needed to change their offensive identity for Cleveland to take that step.

The comment was in response to comments from Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson, who has taken plenty of criticism this series for not using timeouts in Game 1 as the Knicks mounted a historic comeback, and comments about how the Cavaliers were winning games in an analytical sense.

CBSis facing boycott calls after endingStephen Colbert’s late-night showthis week. Some viewers now want fans to avoid CBS sports, thoughNFLsupporters appear to be split on that idea. The backlash quickly spread across social media after Colbert’s final episode aired.

NFL fans call for the boycott of CBS after Stephen Colbert’s Late Show finale

The controversy started after CBS canceled Stephen Colbert’s late-night program, which reportedly had been losing around $40 million annually. The network’s decision triggered strong reactions online, with celebrities, TV viewers, and some football fans calling for a boycott of CBS programming.

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel publicly backed the criticism during his own show on ABC. Kimmel told viewers, “On behalf of everyone at our show, we want to say to everyone at your show: It has been a pleasure to work alongside you.” Kimmel then hoped that those who watch his show would also tune in to CBS for the final time. “Don’t ever watch it again,” he said (viaThe Spun).

The calls for a boycott soon moved beyond entertainment. Since CBS broadcasts major sports properties, including NFL games, the NCAA Tournament, and The Masters, some users argued that sports fans should also stop watching the network this fall. One social media user wrote, “Boycott CBS, Paramount, and any Ellison product.” Another added, “Thank you, Stephen Colbert. No reason to watch CBS anymore.”

Advertisement

One fanwrote, “It’s easy to support the boycott since the only show I watched on CBS was The Late Show (until NFL season starts).” Another user said that they will not watch NFL games broadcast on CBS, adding that they’ll “stick to another network” for the games.

Still, many football viewers admitted the NFL may be too powerful for any real boycott to work. One fan summed up that divide by writing, “I’m down with boycotting CBS… but there is no way on this green Earth I’m giving up the NFL!!”

Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya onMandatory.

The postCBS Under Fire as NFL Fans Demand Boycottappeared first onReality Tea.

Jacob Misiorowski put on a show for the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

It didn’t take long for the starting pitcher to add to his collection of records on the mound. In the first inning, Misiorowski struck out catcher Iván Herrera on a 103-mph fastball.

That was one of 12 strikeouts he recorded across seven strong innings in Milwaukee’s 5-1 win. He allowed one earned run on two hits and a walk while topping 103 mph multiple times. He peaked at 103.4 mph, coming up just short of his record of 103.6 mph thrown on May 8.

Despite being in the league for less than a calendar year, Misiorowski has now thrown the 12 fastest pitches by a starter. Many of them came in Monday’s game against the Cardinals.

Furthermore, in Monday’s outing against St. Louis, Misiorowskithrew 57 pitchesthat were clocked at 100-plus mph, the most ever for a starter in a single game.

Advertisement

He lowered his season ERA to 1.83.

Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournament

In a recent episode ofBleacher Report’s “On Base” podcastwith Mookie Betts, the Milwaukee starter said he believes he can throw 105 mph.

This is baseball’s current pitch-speed barrier. The fastest recorded pitch in the history of the game was thrown by closer Aroldis Chapman on Sept. 24, 2010, and was registered at 105.8 mph.

Chapman currently has 10 of the 12 fastest pitches thrown in a major league game. All 12 pitches were thrown by relief pitchers.

Misiorowski already has the record for the fastest pitch ever thrown by a starting pitcher. And he’s inching closer to topping 104.

Charles Barkley did little to hide his frustration with “clowns on TV” who’ve created a narrative that the Oklahoma City Thunder are playing “dirty” against San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.

Throughout the Western Conference Finals, fans and pundits alike have argued that theThunder— namely center Isaiah Hartenstein — are bending the rules while guardingWembanyama. Following hishistoric 41-point outburst in Game 1, Oklahoma City defenders have begun grabbing, pushing, and pressuring the Frenchman in an effort to slow him down in the paint.

The physical style of play has largely gone unchecked by the referees, prompting many around the NBA to question the officiating. NBC Sports’ Reggie Miller noted during a broadcast: “[Hartenstein is] using all of his body weight. He’s grabbing him, pushing him, and constantly trying to wear him down.”

•Danica Patrick faces heat over another Indianapolis 500 outfit choice

•Taylor Swift brutally snubbed live on ESPN after public outing with Travis Kelce

Bill Simmons similarly called out the officials for not blowing the whistle, writing on X: “I thought Hartenstein couldn’t play in this series. But if they’re letting him grab and hit Wemby on every possession, then he should play all 48 minutes.”

On Saturday’s edition of ‘Inside the NBA,’ Barkley couldn’t help but poke fun at the overall discourse surrounding Wembanyama and the Thunder’s defense against him.

“I think we need to all pray for Wemby, because he can’t play too many minutes, they’re gonna kill him out there,” he said.

Once Kenny Smith questioned if his colleague was joking, Barkley replied: “Man I am damn sure joking, because you guys — these people — man they pissing me off. I’m watching the whole game, they ain’t playing dirty.

Advertisement

“These are some of the softest fouls I've ever seen in my life. You've got these clowns on TV talking about, 'Oh, they're going to hurt poor Wemby.' I was like, ‘Hurt him? You're kidding, man.’ It drives me crazy watching these shows."

Barkley expressed a similar sentiment following the Thunder’s 122-113 victory over the Spurs in Game 2 of the series, adding: “All of you at home and on TV saying they were too physical with Wemby need to stop. I’ve had kisses harder than those contacts.

“Sure, he was bodying him up, but it wasn’t anything excessive. No hard shots, no dirty fouls. If you think that’s physical, then you’re overreacting.”

Wembanyama, to his credit, is hardly letting the Thunder’s divisive approach throw him off his game.

•Shai Gilgeous-Alexander taunted with Oscar trophy during crucial Thunder-Spurs Game 3

•Draymond Green says he will 'crush' Knicks fan's kids in wild social media post

In Game 4, the 22-year-old scored a game-high 33 points — eight of which came at the free-throw line — along with eight rebounds, five assists, and three blocks en route to propelling the Spurs to a 103-82 win that tied up the series at two apiece.

Assessing his performance during a postgame press conference, Wembanyama told reporters: “We all have high standards, and I know I have a lot of responsibilities, but I’m here for it.

“Yeah, it was better today. It wasn’t perfect. But, you know, all of us, I’m talking about the whole organization, so we’re going to have to do things that we didn’t sign up for.”

MIAMI (AP) — Heriberto Hernández hit a grand slam off Devin Williams in the ninth inning for his first big league walk-off hit, giving the Miami Marlins a 4-0 win Sunday and a three-game sweep of the New York Mets.

Mets Marlins Baseball

New York had just two runs and 11 hits in the series and has scored two runs or fewer in four straight games. The Mets (22-31), who have dropped into last place in the NL East, were shut out for the sixth time this season as they completed a 2-5 trip. They have scored one run or none in 15 games.

Juan Soto was scratched before the game because of a fever. Marcus Semien went 0 for 10 in the series, dropping his average to .214.

Miami (25-29) swept a series for the first time since its opening three games against Colorado.

Christopher Morel doubled against Williams (3-2) leading off the ninth, Javier Sanoja sacrificed, Liam Hicks walked and Xavier Edwards was intentionally walked.

Hernández took a changeup for a called strike and Williams, who had not allowed a run in his previous 10 appearance, left a changeup over the plate that Hernández hit 416 feet over the center-field wall. It was the first walk-off slam in a 4-0 win since Kansas City's Justin Maxwell in the 10th inning off Texas' Joakim Soria on Sept. 22, 2013.

Pete Fairbanks (2-2) stranded a runner at second in the ninth when Carson Benge took a called third strike.

Advertisement

New York rookie center fielder A.J. Ewing threw out Sanoja at the plate when he tried to score from second on Edwards’ seventh-inning single.

Mets starter Christian Scott allowed four hits in a season-high 5 2/3 innings.

After 15 relief appearances to begin the season, Miami's Tyler Phillips started and gave up two hits in 3 2/3 innings.

Miami first baseman Connor Norby left because of left elbow discomfort after Scott hit him with a 85.6 mph fastball in the fourth.

Up next

Mets: RHP Nolan McLean (2-3, 3.57) will start the opener of a home series against Cincinnati on Monday after allowing career highs of nine runs and six earned in his last start, against Washington. LHP Nick Lodolo (0-1, 7.20) starts for the Reds.

Marlins: RHP Janson Junk (2-5, 5.07) starts Monday at Toronto against RHP Trey Yesavage (2-1, 1.07)

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb