With Shapiro likely to stay, Blue Jays’ murky future takes some shape | Canada News Media
Connect with us

Sports

With Shapiro likely to stay, Blue Jays’ murky future takes some shape

Published

 on

TORONTO – Mark Shapiro is well-versed enough in the art of navigating difficult questions that if he wants to give a non-answer, he certainly knows how. On Wednesday, when I asked if his expiring contract as president and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays had been extended, it seemed like he was going to Connor McDavid his way through the matter.

Then, after the usual stuff about how much he enjoys living in Toronto, wants to remain in the city and intends to “finish the job” of rebuilding the club into a championship contender after this year’s playoff appearance, Shapiro cleverly planted an answer inside his non-answer.

“The desire to be here long term has been reciprocated by the people I work for,” said Shapiro. “That’s as simple as I can be for you. I’ll be here until I’m not here. Based upon my desire to be here and the reciprocation of that, I would expect that that’s going to continue to happen.”

Now, as simple as he can be would have been a “Yes, my contract has been extended,” or a “No, my contract hasn’t been extended yet, but it’ll get done.” Better to not make everyone parse words. Since we’re here, though, there’s no way Shapiro would say such a thing publicly if the five-year deal he signed upon arrival in November 2015 wasn’t either already extended, or in the final stages of renewal.

Watch every game of the 2020 World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers on Sportsnet and SN Now.

To do so otherwise would be a reckless attempt at strong-arming team owner Rogers Communications Inc., which also owns this website, into signing a new deal. Shapiro isn’t doing that, which is why you have to think an extension is all but done, if not signed and sealed.

Why the chicanery, then?

Great question.

A fanbase deserves transparency about the terms of a team’s leadership when the organization is, in part, a public trust. And since players, managers and coaches all have to perform with their contractual status up for debate in the public domain, why shouldn’t executives like Shapiro have to do the same?

“To me, when things are going well, there’s not a lot of discussion about front-office executives,” replied Shapiro. “At least there shouldn’t be. We’re not celebrities. We’re not stars. We’re here to do a job and that job is ultimately for our fans, which is about the players in the field. It’s more of an extension of the desire to have that focus be on the players. I think when things are going well, that naturally happens anyway.”

Decide for yourselves on that one.

Either way, the “reciprocity” about Shapiro’s future apparently removes one of the lingering questions about the Blue Jays’ future from the long list of uncertainties they and countless other businesses face amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Most pressing among them for the Blue Jays are whether they will be able to play in Toronto next season, if fans will be allowed in the Rogers Centre, what their payroll will be and how they’ll be able to sell a situation more uneven than any of the other 29 clubs to free-agent targets. Not to mention how to improve a club that went 32-28 in the abbreviated season before getting bounced in two games by the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays.

In a sense, they’re all interconnected as the club’s finances are impacted by whether it is allowed to both play and host fans at Rogers Centre, and remember that commissioner Rob Manfred has said some 40 per cent of Major League Baseball revenue derives from attendance.

Still, Shapiro raised expectations for an active winter by saying that “we will conduct this off-season much like last off-season,” which, for reference, included the signing of ace Hyun-Jin Ryu to an $80-million, four-year deal, Tanner Roark for $24 million over two years and the acquisition of Chase Anderson and his $10 million guarantee, among other moves.

The club right now is conducting its usual baseball operations and scouting meetings in preparation for a presentation to ownership next month, which will include a payroll recommendation and revenue projections that are far from certain.

Bolstering Shapiro’s bullish outlook is that he’s received “consistent encouragement that we continue to progress in our plan, that we continue to move forward,” from ownership.

“And every indication has been very strongly that they expect us to continue to pursue where we need to add to our core, continue to pursue players this off-season,” he added. “That takes two parties, not just us, but also the players we’re pursuing. But I think the resources are going to be there. If we think the right deals are there and we make those recommendations, the resources are going to be there for us to add in a meaningful way.”

A statement like that can cause the imagination to run wild, but in a market clouded by the economic fallout of pandemic restrictions, that’s a signal the Blue Jays are prepared to do business.

Where exactly they’re going to play is sure to be among the first queries they get from free agents, with the season the team just spent at Buffalo’s Sahlen Field after getting booted from Toronto, Pittsburgh and Baltimore not exactly a selling point.

Money talks in free agency, but the Blue Jays will need to convince their targets that any hiccups in 2021 will be short-lived and all inconveniences, minimal.

“I am certain that will not be an issue, especially over the length of a long-term contract for a free-agent player,” said Shapiro. “I’m hopeful and optimistic it won’t be an issue this year, at all, and pretty confident it won’t be at some point this year. But we’ll deal with the uncertainty the way we have all along, and we’ll be honest and forthright and open. Part of what makes playing here so exceptional is this place and the team and the players and the environment and the atmosphere around them. So with those things won’t change regardless of where we are.”

The club’s revenues will, of course, which is part of what makes the current planning process so tricky.

While the Canada-United States border remains closed, the pandemic’s trajectory leads Shapiro to believe that “the public health picture is likely to improve to the point that I would think the border would be open at some point during next baseball season, and that would alleviate a lot of the issues.”

The Blue Jays, who were hit by an outbreak at their Dunedin facility before summer camp started, had no positive cases during the regular season. According to data released by Major League Baseball and the players union, 21 clubs had a COVID-19 positive during the monitoring period, so that would leave them among the outlier clubs.

More important to their fate, however, is whether any of the vaccine candidates currently in the final testing stage receive governmental approval for distribution and are widely taken by the public. If the process is slower or less effective than expected, the Blue Jays may find themselves homeless again, and Buffalo isn’t an automatic answer since what happens to minor-league baseball next year “is also in question at this point,” said Shapiro.

The club’s focus will obviously be on a season in Toronto, but “we will clearly also have to look at other places as well, which we will do.”

Trying to project ticket sales through all that uncertainty has led the Blue Jays to undergo what Shapiro described as “more of a scenario planning than a formal budgeting process that we would normally go through.”

“We normally have a ticketing model that would take into consideration competitiveness, the teams we play, the history. In this case, we have nothing to build that model upon because we have no history to work from,” said Shapiro. “So what we did do was talk to obviously the other teams that exist in this market, we talked to teams in similar peer markets throughout Major League Baseball. We talked to other entertainment businesses in Toronto and in Canada to ask them, whether it’s theatres or concert venues, how are they thinking about 2021. We talked to MLB. We factored in all those opinions and then we made our best guess, the best guess that we could possibly make, which is tough to do.”

Chasing a moving target is a reality of the times, which for baseball means a 60-game season without peer is due to be followed by an off-season like no other. It all makes for a murky path forward, one the Blue Jays seem poised to keep taking with Shapiro at the helm.

Source:- Sportsnet.ca

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Champions Trophy host Pakistan says it’s not been told India wants to play cricket games elsewhere

Published

 on

 

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.

“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”

Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.

The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.

Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.

“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”

Pakistan hosted last year’s Asia Cup but all India games were played in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model for the tournament. Only months later Pakistan did travel to India for the 50-over World Cup.

Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.

“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”

The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.

“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”

Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.

“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.

___

AP cricket:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Dabrowski, Routlife into WTA doubles final with win over Melichar-Martinez, Perez

Published

 on

 

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.

Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.

The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.

The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.

Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.

Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Winger Tajon Buchanan back with Canada after recovering from broken leg

Published

 on

 

Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.

The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.

Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.

There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.

Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.

But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.

The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”

The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.

Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.

Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.

Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.

Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.

“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”

“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.

Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.

Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.

The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.

Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.

Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.

Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.

Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.

Canada Roster

Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).

Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).

Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).

Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).

Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version