If there’s a surer signal that baseball has had a winter of discontent, no less than for everybody exterior the LA metro space, it’s that the very best payroll within the American League Central belongs to the Kansas Metropolis Royals. That’s after they inked star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to an 11-year extension that’s price $288 million. Witt has opt-outs after years seven, eight, 9 and 10. Ought to he not take any of them, the Royals have a three-year membership possibility that might web Witt one other $99 million and a few change.

It’s definitely going to be one thing of a tradition shock for Royals followers to see a younger star of theirs locked up, and that they’ll get connected to, realizing it’s possible he’ll be round some time. It’s additionally heartening to see a crew that completely sucked ass final 12 months — the Royals gained solely 56 video games — and as an alternative of letting some endless and mythological rebuild slowly take them again to even consultant baseball, hit the fuel and attempt to speed up issues. Particularly in a division the place just about nobody else is making an attempt all that onerous.

Now, if you wish to be cynical — and that’s principally what we do right here — don’t fear, there’s loads of avenues for you. One, the Royals are angling for a brand new stadium regardless of enjoying in one of many extra picturesque parks within the land that’s Kauffman Stadium, even when it’s a little bit methods on the market. If it’s public subsidies you search from the market you’re already in, it’s a little bit simpler while you’re fielding a crew that followers really get pleasure from watching as an alternative of a set of misplaced vacationers the Royals had been sending on the market.

As well as, forking out for the likes of Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, and Hunter Renfroe isn’t precisely pushing the needle greater than giving it a playful nudge. Lugo and Wacha are stable sufficient in that they’ll take the ball . . . more often than not. Lugo was capable of duck the bullets in his one 12 months as a starter in San Diego final 12 months, avoiding some massive numbers towards regardless of some fairly arduous, constant contact towards him. Wacha additionally used the marine layer to his benefit, however appears destined for some depraved BABIP treachery very quickly. Renfroe will run into a pair fastballs for you whereas hopefully not falling right into a sinkhole within the subject.

None of those are signings which can be going to maneuver KC from lower than 60 wins to the playoffs. However they’re projected $150+ luxurious tax payroll goes to rank first within the Central, which ought to be embarrassing for the opposite 4 groups. The Twins may use the excuse that they didn’t know what their TV cash was going to be till like final week. Maybe the Tigers may argue the identical, besides they’ve been in a perpetual rebuild. Let’s not even get began on the White Sox.

Nonetheless, if the Royals can run a $150 payroll, what precisely are the Pirates or Reds or actually anybody else ready round for?

Gamers dominated ‘staff’ in Dartmouth basketball case

What may very well be massive information out of faculty sports activities, because the Dartmouth basketball crew have been dominated to be staff of the college by the NLRB and thus can kind a union. That is the same street that the Northwestern soccer crew tried to navigate some years in the past. The NU effort was reversed on the nationwide degree, which the Dartmouth gamers are nonetheless dealing with.

Nevertheless, the winds have modified on this kind of factor up to now few years, and if schools expect that, if push involves shove Congress will finally bail them out, they’ve discovered the federal government to be fairly chilly to their efforts not too long ago. Some group of gamers goes to interrupt by, and we might already be there.

From that Politico article, that is my favourite bit:

“If student-athletes develop into staff, it fully modifications the connection between a coach and a student-athlete,” Baylor College President Linda Livingstone, who additionally serves because the chair of the NCAA’s high governing board, stated in an interview. “They actually transfer from being a mentor and a coach and a trainer, to being a boss and a supervisor.”

Now image Bobby Knight or Coach Okay or Nick Saban or coaches of yore, who we solely see in clips of them yelling at some little one, and ask simply how a lot of a mentor and trainer they ever have been.

Some folks simply need to watch the NCAA burn. Like me and also you.

Anybody need to share the file on Deshaun Watson?

In yesterday’s entry into the file “This Ain’t It”:

Magic at MSG

Lastly, right here’s Nathan MacKinnon dancing by each Ranger he may discover to open the scoring final night time in what turned 2-1 OT loss for the Avs at MSG. Too unhealthy the Avs can’t discover anybody on one other line to do something: