ADAPTIVE: Team USA's Paralympians road to glory
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New York Times
20 hours ago
- New York Times
After Bryce Harper-Rob Manfred confrontation, Mark DeRosa warned Phillies of commish's power
After Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper got in the face of Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred during a heated meeting last week, Mark DeRosa, a former big leaguer who now works for Manfred, said something some players took as a threat, according to four people who attended the meeting or were briefed on it. Advertisement 'The commissioner's a powerful guy, don't f— around with him,' was the tone of DeRosa's message. Some players were angry at his implication that a commissioner, who has oversight of so many on- and off-field personnel and processes in the sport, could retaliate if they didn't fall in line with what a commissioner wants, the sources said. After DeRosa's statement, a player in the room raised the possibility of MLB using the drug-testing program as a means of retribution. However, DeRosa, an MLB Network broadcaster and 16-year major-league veteran, said he was just joking when reached by The Athletic. 'Shame on me for thinking I had a better relationship with some of the players in there than I guess I do,' said DeRosa, who is also the manager of Team USA during the World Baseball Classic. 'The comment I made was completely in jest, completely kidding, amongst a group of about 10-12 players. Guys were laughing, guys were joking. I had managed some of them with Team USA, I had played with Bryce in 2012. Literally making a joke.' Earlier in the meeting, Harper, one of the game's best-known players, challenged Manfred over the possibility of a salary cap, as first reported Monday by ESPN and the New York Post. 'If you're talking about a salary cap you can get the f— out,' Harper said, as first reported by those outlets Monday. After Manfred's portion of the meeting was over, DeRosa stuck around to talk further. Harper, one of the game's best players and highest earners on a 13-year, $330 million contract, would have been the type of free agent hurt most by the implementation of a limit on salaries. If MLB proposes a cap, as many in the industry expect, MLB will likely advertise benefits to lower earners. But the MLBPA's position has long been that a cap hurts all players, not just its top earners. Advertisement In a statement to The Athletic, agent Scott Boras explained why Harper feels so strongly about a cap. 'Young players need to talk with veterans like Harper,' Boras said Monday. 'Harper has been fighting the consequences of caps his whole life. Harper received the potential for a total of $10.9 million, $9.9 million plus $1 million in roster bonuses, for his draft signing in 2010. 'Two years later, in 2012, a draft cap was implemented and the top-paid player in the draft, Byron Buxton, got $6 million. Fifteen drafts later, the top player is receiving $9.25 million, well below Harper. Harper knows what caps can do to players' rights, especially young players.' MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association declined comment. The Harper and DeRosa episode is the latest development in an increasingly controversial series of meetings Manfred has been holding with each team annually. This year, Manfred has been talking to players about economics during the meetings in a way that is suggestive of a cap, which MLB does not have but owners have long sought, to great resistance from the players. The meetings come at a time when labor tensions are rising overall: collective bargaining between owners and players is likely to begin next spring, ahead of another potential lockout in December 2026 at the end of the current agreement. The meeting with the Phillies, some details of which were first reported by The Bandwagon, was the longest session Manfred has held yet, lasting over an hour. Numerous Phillies veteran players left disappointed in the tone the commissioner and DeRosa took, believing all it did was create a deeper distrust, attendees said. One player said Manfred 'should have just said the words out loud' — referring to a salary cap. The union has been generally leery of what's gone on in Manfred's meetings with teams. Manfred explained his approach to them in a public setting in June. Advertisement 'There seems to be kind of a mismatch between what we see at the union leadership level and what the players are thinking,' Manfred said in June. 'The strategy is to get directly to the players,' Manfred continued. 'I don't think the leadership of this union is anxious to lead the way to change. So we need to energize the workforce in order to get them familiar with or supportive of the idea that maybe change in the system could be good for everybody.' Newly introduced Hall of Famer CC Sabathia, another league employee, sometimes goes to Manfred's team meetings as well. Sabathia also has a role in a group Manfred organized called the Commissioner Ambassador Program, which is composed of highly respected, retired players. The commissioner's office uses the group in a variety of ways, but the players' union thinks that includes advocacy for Manfred's bargaining positions. (DeRosa is not formally in that group, but serves a similar function in his role with MLB.) Tony Clark, the head of the MLBPA and a playing contemporary of virtually all of the CAP participants, told The Athletic this month that he has advised players in CAP 'to stay away from the conversations about labor.' When approached by The Athletic on the topic, Manfred said, 'They're not out there carrying my water on what I think on any topic, forget labor.' Earlier in July, MLBPA's second-in-command, deputy Bruce Meyer, was critical of Manfred's meetings on the television show Foul Territory. 'I will say, there are players who are being paid by MLB and who are going with Rob to the locker rooms and trying to sell players on a system that this union has historically thought was bad for players, and that they themselves didn't have to live under when they played,' Meyer said on the show. With contributions from The Athletic's Matt Gelb (Top photo of Manfred and DeRosa: Rob Tringali / WBCI / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
World Aquatics Championships 2025: Gretchen Walsh wins gold in 100m butterfly, Summer McIntosh wins again
It's been a tough go for Team USA at the World Aquatics Championships, but the team won't leave the event without a gold medal. Gretchen Walsh secured the squad's first gold Monday, winning the 100m butterfly and setting a championship-record time in the process. Walsh won the event in 54.73 seconds, a championship-record time. It's the second-best 100m butterfly time ever, behind only the 54.60 record Walsh set in May. It's been a battle for Team USA. A stomach bug ripped through the team at the championships. Multiple swimmers pulled out of events due to the illness, while others turned in disappointing finishes due to the bug. Walsh was among that group. She pulled out of the 4x100m relay Sunday due to illness. Walsh apparently felt good enough to compete in the 100m butterfly Monday, and said afterward that it "took a lot of guts" to make it happen. Walsh added she wasn't sure how she pulled off such an incredible time despite dealing with the illness, saying, "That race, it came out of somewhere, I don't know what. I'm really, really happy.' Roos Vanotterdijk finished second at the event, taking home the silver. Alexandria Perkins won the bronze. The victory could be the first of many for Team USA. After some early struggles due to illness, the team finally seems to be back on the mend. Swimming runs through Sunday, Aug. 3 at the event, giving the Americans a few more days to rebound after a disappointing start. Walsh's win Monday could wind up being exactly what Team USA needs to get back on track. As the rest of the team looks to recover, Walsh still has a few opportunities to take home more gold medals. She'll also race in the 100m freestyle, 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly, and could take part in relays the rest of the week. Summer McIntosh keeps five-gold dream alive On the non-USA front, Canadian Summer McIntosh picked up another win in the 200m individual medley. McIntosh also won the 400m freestyle Sunday. With the win, McIntosh could still make history at the event. McIntosh is attempting to become the second swimmer at the world championships to pick up five gold medals in individual events. The only other person to pull off that feat was American Michael Phelps. McIntosh still has three more events to go to match Phelps. She'll also compete in the 200m butterfly, 800m freestyle and 400m medley. Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi turns in impressive performance Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi turned in a fourth-place finish in the 200m individual medley Monday. While a fourth-place finish isn't usually notable, Zidi's age makes it quite the accomplishment. Zidi is just 12 years old. Zidi is a known name in swimming circles. In May, she posted a 2:10.63 in the 200m individual medley. That was the fastest time ever by a 12-year-old, male or female. Last year, she missed out on a 2024 Olympics qualifying time by just two seconds. World Aquatics usually has an age limit of 14, but Zidi was so fast in qualifiers that she made her way into the event. She didn't pick up a medal in the 200m individual medley Monday, but proved she belonged at the event.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
World Aquatics Championships 2025: Gretchen Walsh wins gold in 100m butterfly, Summer McIntosh wins again
It's been a tough go for Team USA at the World Aquatics Championships, but the team won't leave the event without a gold medal. Gretchen Walsh secured the squad's first gold Monday, winning the 100m butterfly and setting a championship-record time in the process. Walsh won the event in 54.73 seconds, a championship-record time. It's the second-best 100m butterfly time ever, behind only the 54.60 record Walsh set in May. It's been a battle for Team USA. A stomach bug ripped through the team at the championships. Multiple swimmers pulled out of events due to the illness, while others turned in disappointing finishes due to the bug. Walsh was among that group. She pulled out of the 4x100m relay Sunday due to illness. Walsh apparently felt good enough to compete in the 100m butterfly Monday, and said afterward that it "took a lot of guts" to make it happen. Walsh added she wasn't sure how she pulled off such an incredible time despite dealing with the illness, saying, "That race, it came out of somewhere, I don't know what. I'm really, really happy.' Roos Vanotterdijk finished second at the event, taking home the silver. Alexandria Perkins won the bronze. The victory could be the first of many for Team USA. After some early struggles due to illness, the team finally seems to be back on the mend. Swimming runs through Sunday, Aug. 3 at the event, giving the Americans a few more days to rebound after a disappointing start. Walsh's win Monday could wind up being exactly what Team USA needs to get back on track. As the rest of the team looks to recover, Walsh still has a few opportunities to take home more gold medals. She'll also race in the 100m freestyle, 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly, and could take part in relays the rest of the week. Summer McIntosh keeps five-gold dream alive On the non-USA front, Canadian Summer McIntosh picked up another win in the 200m individual medley. McIntosh also won the 400m freestyle Sunday. With the win, McIntosh could still make history at the event. McIntosh is attempting to become the second swimmer at the world championships to pick up five gold medals in individual events. The only other person to pull off that feat was American Michael Phelps. McIntosh still has three more events to go to match Phelps. She'll also compete in the 200m butterfly, 800m freestyle and 400m medley. Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi turns in impressive performance Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi turned in a fourth-place finish in the 200m individual medley Monday. While a fourth-place finish isn't usually notable, Zidi's age makes it quite the accomplishment. Zidi is just 12 years old. Zidi is a known name in swimming circles. In May, she posted a 2:10.63 in the 200m individual medley. That was the fastest time ever by a 12-year-old, male or female. Last year, she missed out on a 2024 Olympics qualifying time by just two seconds. World Aquatics usually has an age limit of 14, but Zidi was so fast in qualifiers that she made her way into the event. She didn't pick up a medal in the 200m individual medley Monday, but proved she belonged at the event.
