NEU » wcastle.dddddddddddd. Initially, t

HOUSTON -- Limiting pitching changes, restricting defensive shifts, altering the strike zone and installing pitch clocks are among the ideas Major League Baseball may consider as it undertakes a multiyear review of the game that could include the sports most radical changes in decades.Baseball owners were given a lengthy presentation Thursday during their quarterly meeting of how the sport has changed in the past 40 to 50 years.Sometimes baseball fans think about what should happen with the game sort of with an artificial construct, that the choice is between preserving `The Game, as it came down originally from the mountain, and making some changes to that game, baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said.The point of the conversation today was that the game has changed dramatically. Its changed organically. It kind of has flowed where the competitive juices of managerial and general managerial decisions have taken it. And the question is, you take a snapshot after 40 years of that and you say, wow, heres what it looks like, heres what it used to look like and should we be thinking about what has occurred and whether we want to allow it to continue to go on on the path its on?If implemented, some of the changes could be the most revolutionary since the AL adopted the designated hitter in 1973 or perhaps even since the number of balls for a walk was reduced from five to four in 1889.I think its kind of ridiculous. It changes the game completely, Orioles reliever Brad Brach said before Baltimore hosted Houston on Thursday night.Orioles catcher Matt Wieters wasnt too enthused, either.I dont like things that would actually change the way the game is played. If you make the game shorter without changing its integrity, Im all for it. But the things that are being talked about can mess with the integrity, he said.Offense dropped steadily after the start of drug testing in 2003 until an uptick started in the second half of last season. Strikeouts have set records annually for much of the past decade, increasing from an average of 12.74 per nine-inning game in 2006 to 15.57 this season.And the average time of a nine-inning game is exactly 3 hours -- Manfred highlighted that Game 7 of the 1960 World Series took 2:36 for Pittsburghs 10-9 win over the New York Yankees.Manfred acknowledged some of the increased length was caused by added TV commercials.We did not and we are really not at the point of making recommendations or having the owners make decisions about what if any changes are necessary, Manfred said.I think when you have sort of a new administration, its a good time to take a really hard look at the product. I think there are pieces to this project that are not yet complete, including figuring out what are fans are seeing, what they like, what they dont like in a more comprehensive way than weve done in recent years, having interactions with the other stakeholders in the game, the ESPNs, the Foxes, the Turners, our big partners, and sharing with them how we see the product and getting their reaction, he said.AL Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel of the Astros was wary.All of those you could argue for. But then again, its changing the culture of the game of baseball and what fans have been accustomed to. That would be a bad thing because you want the best hitters facing the best pitchers, he said.Chief Operating Officer Tony Pettiti made the presentation with Senior Vice President Chris Marinak and Steve Hirdt of the Elias Sports Bureau.Manfred said defensive shifts have changed the game: There were 2,464 on balls in play in 2011 and this years total projects to 28,117, according to Baseball Info Solutions. Pitchers per nine-inning game have increased from 6.89 in 2000 to 7.88 last year.You can make an argument that more relievers have lengthened the game, more pitching changes has slowed the pace of the game and the unbelievable effectiveness of those relief pitchers have robbed some of the action from the game, Manfred said.MLB is unlikely to propose altering the height of the pitchers mound, which was lowered from 15 inches to 10 inches after the 1968 season.Because the height of the mound does changes peoples delivery and we have a lot of pitcher issues in terms or injury and whatnot, probably would be a little slower to move in that direction, Manfred said.While MLB can make on-field rules changes unilaterally with one year advance notice, it has done so in recent years only with approval of the players association.While Manfred would like to see pitch clocks, which have been used successfully in the minor leagues since 2015, the union has been reluctant, leaving the matter for this years bargaining.Theres too many scenarios within a game that depend on either the pitcher or the batter to take a little extra time and if you get penalized for that, Boston pitcher Clay Buchholz said. I dont see how thats going to make the game any better. Its going to actually cost people some jobs, I think. No, I dont think Id be in favor of that.But the commissioner is the commissioner, he can do what he wants to do. If that happens, then Ill abide by it and go from there, he said.The current contract between owners and players will expire Dec. 2.The CBA process is kind of where you expect it to be in August, Manfred said. Weve got a nice, compete inventory of issues on the table from both sides. Weve had a good, respectful exchange at the table and were moving into that phase where I think were going to start trying to package some things up and hopefully start to make agreements on issues and move towards a final agreement. The pace of that depends, always depends, on how both parties see the relevant timing deadlines.Owners approved the sale of a controlling stake in the Seattle Mariners from Nintendo of America to a group of minority owners led by Western Wireless Corp. founder John Stanton, who will be the control person, and retired Microsoft executive Chris Larson.Bob Bowman, MLBs president of business and media, reported on the split-off of BAMTech from MLB Advanced Media and the agreement announced Aug. 9 to sell a 33 percent interest of BAMTech to The Walt Disney Co. for $1 billion, with part payable now and the remainder in January. Disney, which owns ESPN, gets an option to acquire majority ownership in the future. The NHL receives a minority interest in BAMTech under an agreement announced in August 2015.Manfred expects to have an announcement quite soon on baseballs investigation into a December report by Al Jazeera accusing high-profile athletes of using performance-enhancing drugs, among them Philadelphia first baseman Ryan Howard and Washington first baseman Ryan Zimmerman. The lawyer for Howard and Zimmerman, William Burck, called the report outright lies.Former major league catcher Taylor Teagarden, another player implicated, was suspended for 80 games in April.---AP Sports Writers David Ginsburg and Noah Trister contributed to this report. Wholesale Avalanche Jerseys . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. Stitched Avalanche Jerseys . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. https://www.cheapavalanche.com/ .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. Fake Avalanche Jerseys . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. Avalanche Jerseys China . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique.STOKE, England -- Emmanuel Adebayor scored a late winner as Tottenham came from behind to beat 10-man Stoke 2-1 in the Premier League on Sunday, provisionally lifting the team above Arsenal into fourth place in the race for Champions League qualification. Spurs are two points ahead of their north London rivals, who play their game in hand against Wigan on Tuesday, after Adebayor tapped in Clint Dempseys low cross in the 83rd minute. Dempsey had equalized for Tottenham at Britannia Stadium in the 20th after Steven Nzonzi opened the scoring in the third minute for Stoke, which is still not mathematically safe from relegation. Stoke midfielder Charlie Adam was sent off in the 47th after collecting a second yellow card for a foul on Jan Vertonghen. Spurs 2-2 draw at Chelsea on Wednesday meant their top-four destiny is no longer in their own hands but beating Stoke has at least put pressure on Arsenal and ensured the battle for fourth will go down to the final day of the season, when Tottenham hosts Sunderland and AArsenal visits Newcastle.dddddddddddd. Initially, though, Tottenham couldnt live with Stokes trademark intensity and physicality, and conceded a poor goal when Adam whipped in a straightforward free kick to the near post for Nzonzi to glance home a header. Roared on by its fans, Stoke was winning all the 50-50s and second balls but Tottenham finally came into the game with Gareth Bale off target with a couple of chances before Dempsey reacted quickly to place a finish into an empty net from 30 yards out after Mark Wilson botched a clearance following miscommunication with goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. Adams red card changed the complexion of the game and Spurs peppered Begovics goal with a series of shots from Dempsey, Bale and Adebayor. The crucial breakthrough arrived when Dempsey wriggled free in the area and delivered an inviting centre that Adebayor could hardly miss. Stoke is six points clear of third-from-bottom Wigan, which has two matches remaining, and has a far superior goal difference. ' ' '