MLB has fired impartial arbitrator, Shyam Das

Major League Baseball has fired longtime independent arbitrator Shaym Das who had been selected to resolve certain labor issues as part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Das had been the impartial arbitrator for labor matters between the league and union since 1999. According to The Associated Press, MLB informed Das and the MLB Players Association of the decision last week. The CBA makes provisions for how arbitrators are part of several processes within the player/management relationship. Das ruled over several key rulings, most recently overturning the 50 game suspension of NL MVP Ryan Braun, which the league was extremely upset about going so far shortly after the ruling to leave the possibility of taking the case to Federal Court up in the air. The league opted not to do so, but the ruling set a precedence that played a role in rescinding the 100-game suspension issued to catcher Eliezer Alfonzo on September 14, 2011. As a statement from MLB on Monday said of the joint decision by MLB and the MLBPA to rescind the suspension, “Alfonzo’s grievance challenging his suspension raised issues that were nearly identical to those resolved in the Arbitration involving Ryan Braun.” The league then added that, “It is not anticipated that any other future cases will be impacted by the circumstances raised in the grievances of these two players.”

Players' union executive director Michael Weiner expressed disappointment Monday at Das's dismissal.

"Shyam Das has been served the parties with distinction and professionalism for 13 years," Weiner told USA TODAY Sports. "We think he's an excellent arbitrator.''

The process of firing of the independent arbitrator is part of the labor agreement between the league and union for the players. While the latest version of the Basic Agreement has not yet been released, the 2007-11 CBA reads:

At any time during the term of this Agreement either the Association or the [Labor Relations Department (LRD)] may terminate the appointment of the impartial arbitrator by serving written notice upon him and the other Party; provided that no such termination shall in any way impair the authority of the impartial arbitrator to render awards with respect to matters fully submitted to him. Within 30 days of any such termination, the Association and LRD shall either agree upon a successor impartial arbitrator or select a successor from an American Arbitration Association list, as set forth [in the CBA].

In terms of finding a replacement for Das, the (prior) CBA specifies the following:

“Arbitration Panel” shall mean the impartial arbitrator or, where either Party elects in advance of the opening of the hearing in a matter, a tripartite panel so empowered and composed of the impartial arbitrator and two party arbitrators, one appointed by the Association, the other appointed by the LRD. The impartial arbitrator, who shall in all instances be designated as the Panel Chair, shall be appointed by agreement of the Association and the LRD. In the event the Association and the LRD are unable to agree upon the appointment of the impartial arbitrator, they jointly shall request that the American Arbitration Association furnish them a list of prominent, professional arbitrators. Upon receipt of said list, they shall alternate in striking names from the list until only one remains. The arbitrator whose name remains shall be deemed appointed as the impartial arbitrator.

Das was involved in all cases in which a player that tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs appealed to the arbitrator, as outlined in the drug agreement. Until Braun, Das had never overruled a suspension by the league.

He was also involved in MLB’s attempt at contraction in 2001-02. Das heard testimony from the league and others in the case after the MLBPA filed a grievance to block the contraction of the Montreal Expos and the Minnesota Twins. Other cases included cutting Braves reliever John Rocker from 45 days to 14, and also cut his fine from $20,000 to $500 for scathing comments Rocker made to Sports Illustrated.

Das was not only involved in matters involving MLB and the MLBPA. Currently he is the arbitrator assigned to address the “Bountygate” case with the New Orleans Saints.

The AP provided a history of the arbitrators that have been assigned to resolve matters with MLB and the MLB Players Association as part of the story on Das’ dismissal. As reported:

Das took over as baseball's permanent arbitrator from Cornell professor Dana Eischen, who was hired in December 1997 but quit after ruling the following May against J.D. Drew's grievance seeking free agency.

Many of baseball's grievance arbitrators have had brief tenures, with the list including Lewis Gill (1970-72), Gabriel Alexander (1972-74), Peter Seitz (1974-75), Alexander Porter (1977-79), Raymond Goetz (1979-83), Richard Bloch (1983-85), Thomas Roberts (1985-86), George Nicolau (1986-95), Nicholas Zumas (1995-97) and Eischen (1997-98).

Joseph Sickles heard one case in 1976, and temporary arbitrators were used between Eischen and Das.

Seitz was fired after he ruled against owners in the Andy Messersmith-Dave McNally reserve clause case that led to free agency. Roberts was fired after deciding management colluded against free agents between the 1985 and 1986 seasons.

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He writes for Baseball Prospectus and is a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog.. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).

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Yu Darvish will have his first US interview tonight on MLB Network

Maybe the excitement will abate at some point, but not for now. Baseball fans of every stripe are watching closely to see how Japanese pitching sensation Yu Darvish is transitioning to MLB with the Rangers.

Darvish talks with MLB Network's Tom Verducci about playing baseball in the United States today in an exclusive interview on MLB Tonight at 6:00 p.m. ET. In his first one-on-one TV interview with a national U.S. network this season, Darvish talks about the adjustment of playing in Major League Baseball compared with playing in his native Japan. Darvish also discusses his ability to throw all of his pitches left-handed, the difference of the feel of the ball in the U.S., his relationship with teammate Josh Hamilton, and his taste for American food.

Highlights from the interview that was taped Wednesday at Baltimore’s Oriole Park at Camden Yards are available below via MLB Network. Following MLB Tonight, the interview will be available for viewing at www.MLBNetwork.com.

Yu Darvish on how the attention he receives in the United States compares to the attention he received in Japan:

“I think in Japan, all of the attention that I received over there, also being Japanese, I understood it.  It was natural.  But over here, it’s a different culture, different country.  They’re saying ‘Yu Darvish.’  The way they ask for autographs, the way they cheer my name like, ‘Yuuu,’ those are a little bit different, but I’m thankful for those and I enjoy it.”

Darvish on the hitters in MLB:

“The power is a little bit different.  More power hitters over here, whereas in Japan, there are more contact hitters.  Over there, you might have players who will see a lot of pitches and put the ball in play.  Whereas over here, I have to be careful of not making too many mistakes.  Everyone has the strength to hit for power.”

Darvish on his walk rate and strikeout rate being higher in the U.S. than in Japan:

“The higher rate of walks [means] I’m still not completely adapted to this baseball here.  I think the higher rate of strikeouts, maybe the hitters over here, they’re not used to or they haven’t seen a pitcher like me where I have several secondary pitches and still can throw in the mid-90’s.  On top of that, they haven’t seen me at all.  It’s the first time around.  So I think all of that [combined] maybe is resulting in a higher strikeout rate.”

Darvish on Josh Hamilton:

“Just one word: amazing.  Actually being there and watching [his four-home run game], I don’t think I’ve ever seen a three-home run game.  And the fact that he’s such a nice person, a great teammate, he’s one of the many guys who actually helped me out, I was more happy to see him accomplish that.  Since he’s such a nice guy and we get along very well, I believe he’s going to hit five home runs for me next time I pitch.”
Source: MLB Network

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He writes for Baseball Prospectus and is a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog.. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).

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Don Knauss has likely killed any remote chance the A's had of relocating

Remember how Lew Wolff and John Fisher were pushing to get a vote on allowing the Athletics to relocate to San Jose at the next MLB owners meetings? They can certainly push to take the vote, but chances seem all but dead that the votes are there. If that wasn’t the case before, it certainly is now the case. A group of Oakland business leaders made sure of that last week.

Ultimately, the San Francisco Giants are the biggest reason the A’s won’t move, but they got plenty of ammo from Clorox CEO Don Knauss who organized the meeting last week pushing to keep the A’s right where they are.

"We want the Athletics to stay in this town," said Knauss, who was flanked by a dozen Oakland area businesses supporting the effort including large brands such as Kaiser Permanente, Safeway, Pandora Internet Radio, Cost Plus World Market and Signature Development.

The collective thud you heard was not only Wolff and Fisher’s heads, but the city of San Jose as their heads hit the table.

The reason is simple: if a discussion does come up at the owners meetings on the relocation of the A’s, the Giants—and other clubs looking to ensure protection of their territory—can point to Knauss and say, “Why should we give up what is ours when the A’s have the ability to make it happen in Oakland?”

But, what seemed like a way to fish or cut bait for Wolff and the current owners of the A’s seems to run deeper. While you could make the case that having the issue of the A’s relocation sitting on the backburner since 2009 would force any owner to finally say, “Enough is enough. Let’s vote so we can either relocate, or sell,” the latter doesn’t appear to be in the cards. When Wolff was approached by the Oakland Tribune about the possibility of selling the A’s to the group of investors assembled that are willing to keep the club in Oakland, Wolff threw a curve ball.

"We are not sellers," he said by phone Thursday to the Tribune, adding that the intention is to own the team for at least another generation, preferably in the Bay Area.

If Selig says no to San Jose, "We have no plan B," Wolff said. "But it can't be in Oakland."

This is where the move to San Jose moves from being one of practicality to what seems as personal for Wolff. If the A’s aren’t moving south, then he intends on holding the club in a sort of hostage while those that seem to have a vested interest in making a new ballpark in Oakland occur. These civic leaders seem, well… invested in the A’s in Oakland, not ones sitting on the clubs waiting till the moon and stars align, or an asteroid strikes AT&T Park. Wolff, who seemed a sympathetic figure in all of this before Knauss held his meeting, now comes off as one that wants the A’s in San Jose and if that can’t happen, he’s willing to hold the club in continued purgatory.

The bottom line is, Knauss provides those owners opposed to the relocation of the A’s with an added talking point on why the move shouldn’t happen. The A’s are in Oakland now; maybe for eternity. You can either thank or hate Don Knauss for that.

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He writes for Baseball Prospectus and is a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog.. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).

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When the book is written on the Los Angeles Dodgers, let it be noted that when Frank McCourt’s tenure ended, the league and others got their digs in. Few owners have been formally (and informally) beaten up so much when they left the building.

McCourt surely deserved it, but one wonders just how bad it really was.

In most all businesses there are guidelines for internal and external communication. The term “information for public consumption” is something that most every PR exec worth their salt has passing over their lips often. So, it was somewhat surprising just how hard Commissioner Selig hit McCourt on the way out the door and how new ownership made a clear point of distancing themselves from the embattled former owner.

Here is Selig’s statement that was released with my highlighting of words (carefully crafted, mind you) that were clearly meant to sting McCourt:

“After a long and difficult road, the sale of the Dodgers is now complete, and I am pleased that the club can have the fresh start it deserves under new ownership. I congratulate Mark Walter, Magic Johnson, Stan Kasten and all of their partners, and I look forward to working with them. In addition, I want to personally thank all Dodger fans for their patience and loyalty during this trying period. I have said many times that we owed it to them to ensure that the club was being operated properly and would be guided appropriately in the future. It is my great hope and firm expectation that today’s change in ownership marks the start of a new era for the Los Angeles Dodgers and that this historic franchise will once again make the city of Los Angeles proud.

“Despite going through bankruptcy court, this process required the same due diligence and analysis that any other sale would demand. Through all the challenges of this highly unique situation, our requirements were met.  Ultimately, the sale produced a record figure in all of sports, illustrating the strength of our industry.

“The 2012 season is off to a remarkable start.  As we welcome the new stewards of the Dodgers, I am grateful that the unbecoming events of recent years are behind us and the focus can be squarely on the field, where the Dodgers currently hold the best record in the National League.”

For those counting, that’s seven all-too-clear comments about Selig’s dislike for McCourt. Along with the comments, there is the absence of any positive statements about McCourt, something that Selig and the league nearly always do when there is an outgoing owner.

Now, see what Magic Johnson said during the press conference on Wednesday where the new ownership group was introduced. Johnson made the following statement when asked what role McCourt would have as part of the group that will develop the 300 acres surrounding Dodger Stadium:

"Frank McCourt is not involved in any shape and fashion," Johnson said. "Frank is not here. He's not a part of the Dodgers any more. We should be clapping just for that."

It’s adamantly clear that as part of the rebuilding of the Dodger brand, one of the very first steps is to clearly distance yourself from McCourt wherever possible. If Selig said such things in a public statement, imagine what he said to the new ownership group of the club.

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He writes for Baseball Prospectus and is a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog.. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).

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Fueled largely by the Texas Rangers, FOX is showing strong ratings for the regional sports networks that they host with increases on 20 percent over last year at this time.

Interest in Japanese pitching sensation Yu Darvish has been a large factor in the increases on FOX RSNs. FOX reports that four of his five starts have been on FOX Sports SW and have averaged a 9.1 rating, including three of the four highest-rated Rangers telecast of all-time.

That has kicked the Rangers into first place in the ratings for the FOX-held RSNs. The Rangers on FOX Sports Southwest (FSSW) lead all MLB teams with an 89% increase in local ratings compared to April 2011. Eight of the top ten highest-rated Rangers telecasts on FSSW occurred last month. And, Rangers games have out-rated the first two games of the Mavericks-Thunder NBA playoff series in head-to-head competition in Dallas.

We have had a great response from advertisers—especially in renewals from last season,” said Kyle Sherman, executive vice president, Home Team Sports for FOX.  “Inventory in the first half of the season is tight for many of our teams, so we’ll continue to work with buyers on post-All-Star Game opportunities.”

 It’s not just the Rangers that are showing increased interest.Ten Fox RSNs show a year-to-year ratings increase for MLB telecasts in April, including seven in double digits:

Source: FOX Sports

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He writes for Baseball Prospectus and is a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog.. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).

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It's over... Frank McCourt has officially left Dodger Stadium

The sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers took an extra day to complete, but it’s finally over. With it, Frank McCourt is out and new ownership that sees Ervin “Magic” Johnson and former Braves and Nationals exec. Stan Kasten, is in.

I go over it all in detail for Baseball Prospectus, including the fact that McCourt was never considered the front runner to begin with:

The Los Angeles Dodgers stated, “The Dodgers emerge from the Chapter 11 reorganization process having achieved its objective of maximizing the value of the Dodgers through a successful Plan of Reorganization, under which all claims will be paid. The Dodgers move forward with confidence - in a strong financial position; as a premier Major League Baseball franchise; and as an integral part of and representative of the Los Angeles community.”

Three-thousand and fifteen days. Or, eight years, three months, and two days. That’s how long Frank McCourt owned the Los Angeles Dodgers. His tenure now over, $1.588 billion cash has been moved out of escrow from Guggenheim Baseball Management, making the sale final. As part of the sale, GBM will assume $412 million in debt that the Dodgers have incurred under McCourt’s watch, and with it, the new owners get the Dodgers, Dodger Stadium, and the land upon which Dodger Stadium is built. In a separate deal for $150 million, GMB will partner with McCourt to develop the land around Dodger Stadium. But while McCourt is a partner, he does not get the revenue from the parking lots; that will go to GMB.

The deal had been set to close on Monday because McCourt owes his former wife, Jamie, $131 million as part of his divorce settlement.  McCourt had wisely set up “bridge funding” for $140 million in case the deal did not occur on time. Due to the complexities of the deal—one that has been called the most complex sports franchise sale ever—an agreement was not reached until Tuesday. After settling with his former wife, Jamie, Frank McCourt will walk away with $1.457 billion outside of the $150 million land sale. They say you should never reward bad behavior, but apparently, McCourt didn’t get that memo.

Read the rest of the story. It’s one that I’m particularly proud of.

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He writes for Baseball Prospectus and is a contributor to Forbes SportsMoney blog.. He is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (select his name in the dropdown provided).

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