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☆ Play ball - more quickly! New rules aim to speed MLB games
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Amy Tennery | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The new rule gives the pitcher 15 seconds in between pitches with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on base. Another major change - outlawing the shift - will allow for more hits, making games more exciting for fans. In 2003, the average time of a nine-inning game was two hours and 46 minutes, according to Elias Sports Bureau. An MLB memo obtained by Reuters last week showed the pitch clock was already having its intended effect. The average number of violations per game also dropped from 2.03 in the first week to 1.03 by mid-March.

☆ MLB Took a Slow Route to Developing a Speedier Game
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In August 2021, a group of Major League Baseball executives sat down at a minor league game in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. As the Quakes, the Low-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, took the field, they saw for the first time the version of the pitch clock that will make its way to MLB this year. “Within an inning, we all kind of looked at each other and said we’d seen enough,” recalled Morgan Sword, MLB’s executive vice president of baseball operations. They told each other: “We need this in the big leagues.”

Club holdings Apple (AAPL) Ford Motor (F) and Estee Lauder (EL) were in the news Thursday. Apple has primarily released its content directly on Apple TV+, with some projects getting limited runs in a handful of cinemas. The Club's take: We welcome Apple making smart, strategic investments that make Apple TV+ a more valuable streaming service to potential subscribers. Estee Lauder EL YTD mountain Estee Lauder stock performance year-to-date. The news: Citi outlined its bull and bear cases for Club holding Estee Lauder in a research note Thursday.

☆ Apple will require a subscription to watch 'Friday Night Baseball' this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Broadcasts of Major League Baseball games on Apple TV+ this season will require a subscription to the service, Apple announced on Wednesday. In 2022, Apple started broadcasting one or two MLB games every Friday night with a rotating cast of teams. Now, users will need an Apple TV+ subscription, which costs $7 per month in the U.S. While some games will air for free, a subscription with access to all games costs $14.99 per month, with a discount if the person also subscribes to Apple TV+. Apple said the first "Friday Night Baseball" doubleheader broadcast will take place on April 7, featuring the Texas Rangers at the Chicago Cubs followed by the San Diego Padres at the Atlanta Braves.

☆ Japan defeats the United States 3-2 for World Baseball Classic championship
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Team Japan celebrates after the final out of the World Baseball Classic Championship defeating Team USA 3-2 at LoanDepot park on March 21, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Shohei Ohtani emerged from the bullpen and fanned Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out in a matchup the whole baseball world wanted to see, leading Japan over the defending champion United States 3-2 Tuesday night for its first World Baseball Classic title since 2009. Trout, the U.S. captain and a three-time MVP, then ended the game by striking out on a full-count breaking ball. Ohtani batted .435 with one homer, four doubles, eight RBIs and 10 walks as Japan joined the Dominican Republic in 2013 to become the only unbeaten champions of baseball's premier national team tournament. Ohtani was 2-0 with a save and a 1.86 ERA on the mound, striking out 11 in 9 2/3 innings.

☆ A lot of money is on the line for women's pro soccer in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Restore faith in women's soccer and grow the business. The league averaged 37 sponsorship deals per team, which is more than any other women's sport, according to sports data and intelligence platform Sponsor United. Women's pro soccer valuations are also soaring. NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman speaks during the 2023 NWSL Draft at the Pennsylvania Convention Center on January 12, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Culture changeOL Reign forward Megan Rapinoe (15) scores on a penalty kick during the second half of the National Womens Soccer League game between NJ/NY Gotham FC and OL Reign on September 21, 2022 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.

☆ Astros' Altuve suffers broken thumb at World Baseball Classic
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 19 (Reuters) - Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve will have surgery in the "upcoming days" for a fractured right thumb suffered when he was hit by a pitch during a World Baseball Classic game, the World Series champions said on Sunday. The eight-times Major League Baseball All-Star, who won his second World Series title with the Astros last November, exited Venezuela's quarter-final against the United States on Saturday after he was struck by a pitch in the fifth inning. According to some reports, Altuve could be out for at least two months. "It's a massive blow," Astros General Manager Dana Brown said in a report on the World Baseball Classic website. Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Pritha SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ronaldo hands team mate winning penalty as gesture of respect
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 19 (Reuters) - Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning long-range free kick but handed the task of converting the winning penalty to a team mate as a gesture of respect, as Al-Nassr came from behind to beat Abha 2-1 in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday. The Portuguese forward, who has now scored nine goals in his first season in Saudi Arabia, handed the ball to Brazilian Anderson Talisca, who had just returned from injury. "This is mutual respect and we are one team and we act like a family," Talisca told the Saudi Sports Company (SSC) TV through an interpreter. "We all cooperate and the most important thing is the team. Reporting by Osama Khairy and Shady Amir, writing by Ahmed Mostafa, editing by Nick Mulvenney and ...Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mets Closer Edwin Diaz Injured While Celebrating Puerto Rico’s World Baseball Classic Win
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Edwin Diaz is helped off the field after being injured. New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz suffered a knee injury while celebrating Puerto Rico’s dramatic victory over the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic late Wednesday, a nightmare scenario for a tournament that is dependent on its ability to recruit and feature Major League Baseball stars. Diaz had just closed out the ninth inning of Puerto Rico’s 5-2 victory, sending the team to the tournament quarterfinals. As Diaz and his teammates jumped together in celebration, the Mets superstar collapsed to the ground as he appeared to grasp his right knee.

☆ The Mets’ Edwin Diaz Is Likely Out for the Season After Injury During World Baseball Classic Celebration
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Edwin Diaz is helped off the field after being injured. New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz will likely miss the entire 2023 season after suffering a patellar tendon tear in his right knee while celebrating Puerto Rico’s dramatic victory over the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, the Mets announced on Thursday. Diaz’s injury represents a nightmare scenario for the international baseball tournament, which is dependent on its ability to recruit and feature Major League Baseball stars.

☆ The New York Yankees are worth $6 billion, but players still need to pay $9 for Wi-Fi on team flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The New York Yankees are worth $6 billion, enough to make them the fourth most valuable team in the world. Despite all of that, they are one of the only teams in Major League Baseball that forces players to pay for in-flight WiFi if they want to surf the web while traveling on the team jet. Yankees players have to shell out $9 for Delta's in-flight Wi-Fi every flight if they want to get online. While some Yankees pay up, others get around the policy by getting WiFi access through their T-Mobile plans, which is a Delta partner. So I would take that over free Wi-Fi, if I'm being honest."

☆ After Record Suspension, Trevor Bauer Returns to Baseball—in Japan, Not MLB
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Lindsey Adler | Louise Radnofsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Trevor Bauer has agreed to a contract in Japan with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball. Trevor Bauer, who served the longest-ever suspension for a player under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy, is returning to the field—in Japan, not MLB. Bauer has agreed to a contract in Japan with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball, it was announced on Monday.

☆ Diamond Sports, largest owner of regional sports networks, files for bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Diamond Sports Group, the largest owner of regional sports networks, filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, toppled by a more than $8 billion debt load. Diamond, like other regional sports networks, has been focused on growing its streaming presence. As of Tuesday, Diamond said, it was still finalizing the restructuring support agreement with creditors. The plan could see Diamond separate from Sinclair to become a standalone operation, Diamond said. And, while Diamond obtained streaming rights for all of its NBA and NHL teams last year, it has been working on a team-by-team basis for MLB.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried is now restricted to a flip phone with 'no internet,' but can still watch Netflix on a laptop
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The letter said he can use a flip phone or non-smartphone device with "no internet capabilities." The FTX founder and his parents have been required to install security software on their devices. He is now allowed to use "a flip phone or other non-smartphone with either no internet capabilities or internet capabilities disabled," prosecutors wrote. They will also be required to install security software on their devices that will take periodic videos and selfies of them, the letter stated. Representatives for Bankman-Fried didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider made outside normal working hours.

☆ For women's sports, the media buys are becoming a big deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Kaitlin Balasaygun | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A recent Ally Financial ad buy with Disney 's ESPN focused on women's sports may be the biggest deal yet — in importance as much as the dollars attached. The one-year, multimillion-dollar deal requires 90% of its investment to be put to women's sports, through expanding game highlights, branded content and features across ESPN. "It is rare that brands buy media deals, or buy sponsorship deals, where they are as skewed toward women's sports as this one," she said. The bank is the first-ever title sponsor for both the ACC Women's Basketball Tournament and the ACC Women's Soccer Championship, and will also be the exclusive presenting sponsor for the 2023 ACC Women's Lacrosse Championship. A big money year for women's sports in 2022Ally's deal with Disney follows a successful year for women's sports on the media front, with sponsorship deals growing 20% year-over-year, according to sports and entertainment intelligence platform SponsorUnited.

☆ Chicago Cubs First Baseman Eric Hosmer Lists Boston-Area Home After Leaving the Red Sox
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Libertina Brandt | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Be the first to know about the biggest and best luxury home sales and listings by signing up for our Mansion Deals email alert. After a recent move to the Chicago Cubs from the Boston Red Sox, Major League Baseball first baseman Eric Hosmer is putting his Boston-area home on the market for $6.575 million.

☆ Puma channeled Michael Jordan to announce Rihanna's return to the sportswear brand: 'She's back'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Mary Hanbury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Her return announcement referenced Michael Jordan's infamous return to the NBA in 1995. It's not yet clear what this collaboration will involve but Puma teased fans on Instagram with a post that said: "She's back," alongside her Fenty brand logo. One of her sneaker designs, the Fenty x Puma creeper, was voted shoe of the year by industry news outlet Footwear News in 2016. Fenty Beauty, one of her most successful ventures, helped to catapult her into the Forbes billionaires list in 2022. According to Forbes estimates, Fenty Beauty brought in over $550 million in annual revenue just one year after it launched and is currently worth around $2.8 billion.

☆ Elon Musk tweets support for ‘Dilbert’ creator after racist tirade
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Elon Musk defended “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams after hundreds of newspapers stopped printing the comic strip because of Adams’ recent racist comments. Last week, Adams called Black Americans a “hate group” and suggested that White people should “get the hell away” from them. “Maybe they can try not being racist.”Musk later agreed with a tweet saying Adams’ comments “weren’t good” but had an “element of truth” to them. Hate speech on TwitterThe Twitter CEO’s comments come amid an influx of hate speech on his platform. The Center for Countering Digital Hate and the Anti-Defamation League both said in recent reports that the volume of hate speech on Twitter has grown dramatically under Musk’s stewardship.

☆ MLB roundup: Mariners top Padres, Machado first to violate pitch clock
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Feb 24, 2023; Peoria, Arizona, USA; Seattle Mariners designated hitter Mike Ford (20) hits a three run double against the San Diego Padres in the fourth inning at Peoria Sports Complex. Machado was not in the batter's box and ready to face Mariners starter Robbie Ray within eight seconds, and the umpire called timeout and assessed a first strike on Machado's count. The Padres scored two runs in the eighth but could not complete the comeback. Reserve shortstop Jackson Merrill went 3-for-3 with a run for San Diego. The Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino and recent Texas signing Robbie Grossman also homered.

☆ Comeback kings Real at it again as Champions League love affair rumbles on
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Peter Hall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LIVERPOOL, England, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Real Madrid always seem to save their best for Europe, with Liverpool the latest victims of the Champions League's comeback kings in a remarkable 5-2 defeat at Anfield on Tuesday. Real's failure to lie down and accept their fate was key to them securing a 14th Champions League crown last season and it seems they have not lost their touch. While Liverpool were in many respects architects of their own downfall, Real have a history of saving their best for when they are up against it and the Champions League brings out the best in them. Two last-gasp goals from Rodrygo took the tie to extra time, with Karim Benzema finishing an astonishing comeback with a decisive penalty. "I told the boys directly after the game a defeat is a defeat if you don't learn from it," Klopp said.

☆ Baseball’s Given Up to the Ghosts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Jason Gay | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Major League Baseball has decided it can live with ghosts. Specifically, its “ghost runner,” the runner automatically placed on second base at the start of each extra-inning frame until the game is finished. This daffy device was put in place during MLB’s abbreviated Covid season in 2020, and it has stuck around since in an effort to generate quick runs, avoid deep extra-inning slogs and burned-out bullpens, and complete the average baseball game in less time than it takes to ride a tortoise from Chicago to San Diego.

☆ MLB Commissioner says league is prepared to step in to broadcast games — and maybe even end blackouts — as Bally Sports heads toward bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league is prepared to broadcast games itself if necessary. A restructuring or termination of the league's broadcast agreements could also end controversial "blackouts." MLB is prepared to take over broadcasting the regular season games, which start March 30, Manfred said. Sinclair Broadcasting Group, one of the largest broadcasters of local news across the country, bought the rights in 2019 to broadcast much of America's regular season games for the MLB, NBA, and NHL. Manfred said he hopes digital offerings and future broadcast deals would allow a fan to pay to stream their home team's games without worrying about "blackouts."

☆ Baseball Says It Is Just Fine—as It Prepares to Introduce Tradition-Rattling Rule Changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Lindsey Adler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DUNEDIN, Fla.—Major League Baseball opened a demonstration of its new tradition-busting rules, meant to speed the game up and broaden its appeal, with a 20-minute presentation about why baseball is beloved just the way it is. “We believe baseball is more accessible than any other sport, allows more fans to have a personal experience with the game, and that leads to stronger lifetime connections to the sport,” chief operations and strategy officer Chris Marinak said during a presentation in the Toronto Blue Jays spring training clubhouse.

☆ Momentum with Man City as Arsenal seek to regain winning touch
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Had Arsenal beaten City in the top-of-the-table clash they could have been heading into Saturday's lunchtime kickoff at Aston Villa with the chance to move nine points clear. Arsenal's lunchtime kickoff at Villa gives them the opportunity to lay down a marker and move three points clear again. Villa have suffered back-to-back defeats under former Arsenal manager Unai Emery for the first time since he took charge, but the Spaniard would take satisfaction from getting one over Arteta, the man who replaced him at Arsenal. With so much of the focus on Arsenal and City, Manchester United have quietly moved themselves to within touching distance of the top two. Bournemouth, in 19th place, travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers while third-from-bottom Everton host Leeds United who are just one point above them in 17th.

☆ Seen Big Ben already? Here's a Londoner's guide to visiting other parts of the city
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Lucy Handley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Central London's City of Westminster is its political heart, while the City of London is where the capital's financial decisions happen. But be warned: Several paths across Hyde Park are pedestrian-only, and police often fine people who cycle on them. The City of London is a blend of old and new, with St Paul's Cathedral close to skyscrapers as well as Roman ruins. While north London has Hampstead Heath, south of the river is Richmond Park, which dwarfs its northern counterpart in size. There's also a branch in central London's Covent Garden — the flower-filled restaurant The Petersham — that has an sit-down deli and bar.

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