Report: Phillies' Bryce Harper cussed out commissioner
An irate Harper reportedly got in Manfred's face and told him to "get the f-- out of our clubhouse" if he wanted to discuss such a sensitive economic issue.
Manfred replied that he was "not going to get the f-- out of here," insisting it was important to talk about threats to the league's business and ways to grow the game, sources told ESPN.
Other players tried to defuse the situation and Harper and Manfred eventually shook hands after the meeting, but Harper would not answer calls from Manfred the next day, per the report.
"It was pretty intense, definitely passionate," Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos told ESPN. "Both of 'em. The commissioner giving it back to Bryce and Bryce giving it back to the commissioner. That's Harp. He's been doing this since he was 15 years old. It's just another day. I wasn't surprised."
Harper, 32, is one of the game's most influential players as a two-time National League Most Valuable Player and an eight-time All-Star.
The collective-bargaining agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association expires on Dec. 1, 2026. Many owners have pushed for a salary cap, as MLB is the only major men's sport in North America without one. Players are opposed, raising the specter of a potential work stoppage ahead of the 2027 season.
"Rob seems to be in a pretty desperate place on how important it is to get this salary cap because he's floating the word lockout two years in advance of our collective bargaining agreement (expiration)," Castellanos said. "That's nothing to throw around. That's the same thing as me saying in a marriage, 'I think divorce is a possibility. It's probably going to happen.' You don't just say those things."
Harper and Manfred both declined comment to ESPN. The visit with the Phillies was one of 30 that Manfred holds annually in an effort to improve his relations with each team and its players.
--Field Level Media
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Microsoft's annual cloud revenue hits $75B, profit beats expectations
Microsoft said Wednesday that annual revenue for its flagship Azure cloud computing platform has surpassed $75 billion, up 34% from a year earlier. The Azure cloud business has been a centerpiece of Microsoft's efforts to shift its focus to artificial intelligence, but until Wednesday the company hadn't disclosed how much money it makes. The revelation came in the software giant's end-of-year earnings report. The company also said its fiscal fourth-quarter profit was $34.3 billion, or $3.65 per share, beating analyst expectations for $3.37 per share. It posted revenue of $76.4 billion in the April-June period, up 18% from last year. Analysts polled by FactSet Research had been looking for revenue of $73.86 billion. Microsoft launched Azure more than a decade ago, but the product has increasingly become intertwined with its AI ambitions, as the company looks to sell its AI chatbot and other tools to big business customers that are also reliant on its core online services. But building the infrastructure to power cloud and AI technology is expensive, and Microsoft has looked for savings elsewhere. It has announced layoffs of about 15,000 workers this year even as its profits have soared. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told employees last week the layoffs were 'weighing heavily' on him but also positioned them as an opportunity to reimagine the company's mission for an AI era. Still, the overall workforce numbers haven't changed. The company said it employed 228,000 full-time employees as of June 30, the exact same amount it reported a year ago, though slightly more of them are now U.S.-based and fewer of them are in product support roles or consulting services. Promises of a leaner approach have been welcomed on Wall Street, especially as Microsoft and other tech giants are trying to justify huge amounts of capital spending to pay for the data centers, chips and other components required to power AI technology. Google said after releasing its earnings last week it would raise its budget for capital expenditures by an additional $10 billion to $85 billion. Microsoft is expected to outline similar guidance soon. Microsoft didn't disclose Wednesday to what extent sweeping U.S. tariffs are affecting its revenue, but its annual report lists tariffs among a number of risks the company faces. 'Increased geopolitical instabilities and changing U.S. administration priorities create an unpredictable trade landscape,' the company said. It also said the "volatility of U.S. tariffs has triggered economic uncertainty and could impact cloud and devices supply chain cost competitiveness."
The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Unsettled by NYC shooting, companies wonder if their offices are safe
Businesses around the country are reevaluating security after a brazen shooting at a New York City office building raised questions about what it takes to keep workplaces safe. The attack on a seemingly secure building — in a gilded part of Manhattan where the rich live in sprawling apartments and tourists window-shop designer stores — has rattled workers and prompted managers to examine whether they are adequately protected. 'What should we be doing different?' clients are asking, said Brian Higgins, founder of Group 77, a Mahwah, New Jersey, security company that is among those getting peppered with an influx of calls. 'How can we prevent something like this?' The gut reaction of some companies, Higgins said, is to buy the latest technology and blanket their workplace in cameras. But, he cautioned, that's only only effective if paired with consistency and long-term monitoring. 'If you're going to add a security measure … you have to make sure you maintain it,' said Higgins, a former police chief who teaches security at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Four people were killed in the shooting Monday before the gunman died by suicide. Images of the shooter, toting a long rifle on a street in the biggest U.S. city, then terrorizing an office building, have companies desperate to do something to keep the scene from repeating. ' People are frightened, people are asking questions,' said Dave Komendat, the Seattle-based chief security officer at Corporate Security Advisors, where calls are also spiking. With the U.S. locked in a pattern of gun violence virtually unparalleled in the world, security firms are used to the rhythms of the business. While attacks at a corporate office are less commonplace, a major shooting or an attack on an executive focuses attention back on security for a time, before receding. 'Give it a couple weeks, a month or so, it'll go back,' Higgins said of the increased call volume. 'When security issues don't happen for a while and companies start reexamining their budget, security is one of those things that companies cut.' Gene Petrino, CEO of Survival Response in Coral Springs, Florida, has also seen an uptick in calls from potential new customers, but expects it to be fleeting. 'When things are calm it's seen as an expense they don't need right away,' he said, 'and then when a tragedy happens it's a priority again.' Petrino said companies can make changes that aren't intrusive like using cameras with artificial intelligence capabilities to identify weapons. Sometimes, it may just be a matter of improving lighting in a hallway or putting up convex mirrors to see around a corner. 'Everything doesn't have to be bulletproof and locked with security cameras everywhere,' he said. 'You don't have to be Fort Knox. You can have very basic things.' Michael Evanoff, chief security officer of Verkada, a building security company based in San Mateo, California, said technology like AI-enabled cameras to help identify threats have become even more important amid a shortage of guards. 'It's harder than many realize to find and retain trained personnel,' Evanoff said. 'That makes it even more essential that guards are equipped with technology that can extend their reach.' Security at 345 Park Avenue, the site of the shooting, included an off-duty New York Police Department officer working as a guard. He was among those killed. Rudin, the leasing company that manages the building, did not respond to a query about when the building will reopen or whether new security measures will be implemented. No matter what, though, every workplace has vulnerabilities. 'The security team has to be perfect to 100% of the time,' said Komendat, a former chief security officer for Boeing. 'Someone like this just needs to be lucky once.'
Reuters
11 minutes ago
- Reuters
Some key Brazilian exports spared from Trump's new 40% tariff
July 30 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday imposing a 40% tariff on Brazilian exports, bringing the country's total tariff amount to 50%. Some of Brazil's major exports, however, were exempted from the tax. Notable exemptions include products already covered by other specific tariffs, like passenger vehicles, iron and steel products, and a large number of parts and components used in civil aircraft. Below is a list of the products exempted from the tariff hike: * Iron and steel (raw and derivatives) * Aluminum products (raw and derivatives) * Passenger vehicles (sedans, SUVs, minivans, etc.) and light trucks * Parts for passenger vehicles and light trucks * Semi-finished and intensive copper derivative products AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD PRODUCTS * Brazil nuts * Orange juice (frozen and not frozen) and orange pulp CIVIL AIRCRAFT, PARTS, AND COMPONENTS * Civil aircraft, including airplanes, helicopters, unmanned aircraft (drones), balloons, and gliders * Aircraft engines (piston, turbojets, turbopropellers) and their parts * New, retreaded, and used pneumatic tires for aircraft * Undercarriages and other aircraft parts * Aircraft seats * Navigational instruments, radios, and radar apparatus for aeronautical use * A wide range of other components specified for civil aircraft use ENERGY AND MINERAL PRODUCTS * Crude petroleum, various petroleum oils, and fuel products * Natural gas (liquefied and gaseous) * Coal and related products (lignite, peat, coke, tars) * Electrical energy * Iron ore and tin ores * Silicon metal and metallurgical grade alumina (aluminum oxide) * Crude mica and worked building stone METALS AND METAL PRODUCTS (GENERAL EXEMPTION) * Nonalloy and alloy pig iron * Ferroalloys, including ferronickel and ferroniobium * Tin waste, scrap, oxides, and chlorides PRECIOUS METALS * Silver bullion and dore * Gold bullion and dore WOOD AND PAPER PRODUCTS * Various types of chemical and semi-chemical wood pulp * Sawn or chipped tropical wood * Paper and paper pulp products CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS * Various mineral or chemical fertilizers * A specific list of industrial chemicals, including potassium hydroxide and certain chlorinated hydrocarbons OTHER GENERAL EXEMPTIONS * Donations intended to relieve human suffering (e.g., food, clothing, medicine) * Informational materials (e.g., publications, films, music, artworks) * Binder or baler twine made of sisal or agave fibers
