NFL flexing its muscles. Could MLB be impacted?
End of an era. Trade deadline at hand. Tigers roar
Good morning, all! I hope your Thursday is off to a great start!
I have written on my Substack for sometime now that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is peeved that the NFL television contracts are not being maximized. It seems a few years back, the networks paid the NFL big bucks to carry its games. Since then ratings - already high when the last TV deals were signed - have skyrocketed. Now Goodell believes his league, which already generates billions per year, should be making even more billions.
Word emanating from media row at the Super Bowl is that the commissioner is about to tear up existing television contracts, - even though they do not expire until the early 2030s - and demand the networks pay him even more in rights fees. Word also is that the networks, knowing they need the NFL, are willing to comply. The NFL has the networks over a barrel and they know it.
One FOX suit has even stated publicly, his network is willing to rearrange its other sports properties to come up with more money to pay the NFL. What are those other sports properties? FOX also carries MLB, NASCAR, NCAA football and basketball. Considering that of the other sports, MLB has the worst ratings, might FOX be willing to dump MLB or cutback on what it pays baseball in rights fees to channel that dough over to the NFL? It’s a reasonable question that has got to be making the baseball people nervous.
This is going to be an interesting battle to watch, as the NFL flexes its muscles to prove once again why it is the most valuable programming content not only in sports but in television, period!
End of an era
The guillotine fell on the Washington Post Wednesday, with those rumored layoffs becoming reality. The paper announced it is laying off a third of its workers and eliminating its sports department. The Post at one time had one of the most respected sports sections in the country with top writers such as Shirley Povich and Thomas Boswell.
Outcry from the media world over these latest cutbacks is deafening and the Post’s leadership is being blamed for the newspaper’s financial mess. But is it poor leadership or is it just that not enough people read the newspaper? The blueprint of producing a newspaper, getting the customer the latest news, and delivering to said customer’s doorstep first thing in the morning, is no longer affordable for publishers and has not been since the last century.
People can criticize the Jeff Bezos-owned Post all they want, but the reality is newspapers, as we know them, are on life support, operating under an outdated system. They have been failing and going out of business for quite some time. The Post is just the latest to fall, as much as we yearn for the days, when the latest box scores were delivered to our doorstep each morning. Now that same information gets to us via our smartphones and tablets the second a game is over. That is the reality of it all and why the Post’s sports section is soon to be no more.
Here are some other thoughts:
The NBA trade deadline is this afternoon at 3 ET, for those keeping score at home.
Days before the start of spring training and free agent lefty Framber Valdez is going to the Detroit Tigers on a three-year deal worth $115M. That gives Detroit a formidable one-two punch in defending two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and Valdez. By the way, that’s $38.33M per season for Valdez, yet the Tigers offered Skubal $19M in arbitration. There was talk the Tigers might try to trade Skubal, entering his walk year, but with the Valdez signing, they are committed to going for broke in 2026. Good for them.
Reports indicate Tigers manager A.J. Hinch was the big reason Valdez chose Detroit, although the $115M (opt out after second year) did not hurt. Hinch managed him in Houston, when Valdez was launching his big league career.
R.I.P. Mickey Lolich. The former Detroit Tigers left hander died Wednesday at the age of 85. He pitched three complete game victories in the 1968 World Series to lead the Tigers to a World Championship over the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. Lolich also pitched one season for the New York Mets and two seasons for the San Diego Padres.
Had he been a half-inch closer to home plate with his lead off third base, Isiah Kiner-Falefa would have been a world champion. Now the former Toronto Blue Jay is going to the Boston Red Sox on a one-year deal. Good pick up by the Red Sox IMHO.
Speaking of good acquisitions, smart move by the New York Yankees for taking a flyer on former Colorado Rockie Yanquiel Fernandez. I broadcast many of his games, when he played for the Hartford Yard Goats, Colorado’s AA affiliate. Fernandez, a left hand hitter with power, has a stroke made for Yankee Stadium’s short, right field porch, has a strong arm and is only 23. Why not take a chance? The Yanks claimed him off waivers and will have to make room for him on their 40-man roster.
The Hartford Yard Goats formally introduced their new manager for the 2026 season, Robinson Cancel on Wednesday. In his brief time with the New York Mets, Robinson played under manager Willie Randolph and caught both Pedro Martinez and Johan Santana. Randolph, by the way, will be joining the New York Yankees TV broadcast crew this season.
Looks as if tomorrow is going to be a busy one in sports. UConn-St. John’s have a huge Big East matchup in men’s college basketball and the 2026 Winter Olympics get underway in Milan, Italy. Plus the pre-game Super Bowl hype continues. Enjoy!
As always thank you for subscribing to my newsletter and have a terrific day!
DAN