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As a Techdirt reader, the business of professional baseball is not required reading. That said, for many reasons, the baseball business aligns nicely with many of the topics we discuss here, and baseball in general is probably the math-iest of sports. That’s why it seems necessary to push back on this Chicken Little piece at the Wall Street Journal, which claims that the laughably large baseball contracts players are signing…

The World Series will have new voices in 2016. Fox confirmed on Tuesday that Harold Reynolds and Tom Verducci (who is a senior baseball writer for Sports Illustrated) will no longer serve as the lead analysts on its baseball broadcast package, which includes the All-Star Game MLB postseason and World Series. The new team will consist of longtime play-by-play announcer Joe Buck and Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz. Andy…

HAVANA (Reuters) – Major League Baseball is asking the U.S. government for special permission to sign players in Cuba, handing the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama the opportunity to try some baseball diplomacy while dealing a setback to human traffickers. The U.S. trade embargo generally bars MLB from any agreement directing money to the Cuban government, but the White House says baseball is one area where it…

Steve Harvey holds up the card showing the winners after he incorrectly announced Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez at the winner at the Miss Universe pageant. (AP Photo/John Locher) The news cycle will have moved on by next spring, but that won’t stop the Frisco RoughRiders, a minor-league affiliate of the Texas Rangers, from attempting to capitalize on one of this week’s most viral stories — the bungled crowning of Miss Universe….

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To save articles or get newsletters, alerts or recommendations – all free. Don’t have an account yet?Create an account » Subscribed through iTunes and need an NYTimes.com account?Learn more » Need to connect your Home Delivery subscription to NYTimes.com?Link your subscription »

The power of pro sports, in all forms, may reach its peak during the gift-giving holidays. Not just season tickets or a big-screen televisions to watch games. Not just Red Zone packages or the latest Madden console game. Not just the jerseys of hometown stars or on-line subscriptions for fantasy league tips. Not just game-worn memorabilia or a framed photo of the ballpark where you want your ashes scattered someday….

The Deadspin staff pick their favorite sports moments from 2015, and explain what made them so special. Here they are. Stephen Curry’s Existence Two years ago, Steph Curry’s defining performance was his 54-point strike in Madison Square Garden, but in 2015 there was no comparable moment. Sure, he was named the MVP while leading the Warriors to the NBA title—and looks to be even better this season—but there was no…

Reuters sports schedule at 1400 GMT on Thursday: – – – – SOCCER Van Gaal in need of cheer, Hiddink back at Chelsea LONDON – Seasonal cheer has been scarce for Louis van Gaal after a six-match winless sequence for his Manchester United side intensified rumours that he will be sacked and Stoke City are unlikely to be offering any solace on Saturday. (SOCCER-ENGLAND/ (PREVIEW), moved, by Martyn Herman, 400…

For a list of all the latest deals, check out the transfers page. Manchester United are ready to make a move for Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola as executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward looks to get in ahead of Manchester City and Chelsea. (Daily Mail) But Guardiola, 44, would become the highest-paid manager in football history, earning £21m a year, if he joins Manchester City. (Sun) Louis van Gaal will never…

Reckon you know all about bad football kits and the men who bravely stepped out wearing them? Well, it’s time to put that knowledge to good use. Have a crack at this little quiz we’ve put together for you to do over a mince pie and a sherry this festive period. Because some of these kits will hurt your eyes, we have thrown in the…

It is better to give than to receive. That’s what parents and teachers try to tell kids around this time of year. Many kids, however, are thinking about what they will receive for Christmas. But FC Strikers, an under-13 soccer team that’s part of the Laurel Soccer Club in Maryland, is thinking about giving . . . all year long. It started in September when Luca Utterwulghe asked his mother to buy…

The honors for the Penn State women’s soccer team and Raquel Rodriguez keep rolling in. The Nittany Lion senior was named winner of the Honda Sport Award, given the nation’s top player for women’s soccer, on Wednesday by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards. The midfielder started each of the team’s 27 matches, posting six goals and six assists, and scored the game-winning goal to beat Duke 1-0 for the program’s…

As I’ve done in the past when revealing my ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame, I’ll begin with my email address: sbuckley@bostonherald.com. That’s not bravado. That’s a genuine interest in wanting to know your opinions, for the simple reason that it was an impassioned email from a reader, several years back, that inspired me to dig a little deeper . . . and then add Jack Morris to my ballot. Morris…

As a Techdirt reader, the business of professional baseball is not required reading. That said, for many reasons, the baseball business aligns nicely with many of the topics we discuss here, and baseball in general is probably the math-iest of sports. That’s why it seems necessary to push back on this Chicken Little piece at the Wall Street Journal, which claims that the laughably large baseball contracts players are signing…

The World Series will have new voices in 2016. Fox confirmed on Tuesday that Harold Reynolds and Tom Verducci (who is a senior baseball writer for Sports Illustrated) will no longer serve as the lead analysts on its baseball broadcast package, which includes the All-Star Game MLB postseason and World Series. The new team will consist of longtime play-by-play announcer Joe Buck and Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz. Andy…

0 Shares print It’s a new dawn of the sport in Cuba when Major League Baseball’s current stars, even some who fled the island nation years ago, step into the outfield. It happened recently and ESPN’s Marly Rivera was there to experience and document it first-hand. Now she’s back on the Max y Marly podcast to share her experience. “It was amazing,” Rivera said of her trip. .@ClaytonKersh22 les muestra…

LOS ANGELES – None of their rivals have gotten worse, and plenty of them have gotten better. That’s how it looks, at least, halfway through the offseason in both the Angels and Dodgers’ divisions, with most of the league-wide improvement seemingly concentrated within one region. “It’s like the Gold Rush all over again,” Colorado Rockies manager Walt Weiss said at this month’s Winter Meetings. “Everyone’s going…

It is better to give than to receive. That’s what parents and teachers try to tell kids around this time of year. Many kids, however, are thinking about what they will receive for Christmas. But FC Strikers, an under-13 soccer team that’s part of the Laurel Soccer Club in Maryland, is thinking about giving . . . all year long. It started in September when Luca Utterwulghe asked his mother to buy…

As a Techdirt reader, the business of professional baseball is not required reading. That said, for many reasons, the baseball business aligns nicely with many of the topics we discuss here, and baseball in general is probably the math-iest of sports. That’s why it seems necessary to push back on this Chicken Little piece at the Wall Street Journal, which claims that the laughably large baseball contracts players are signing…