Are things breaking the Phillies way this season? phillyvoice.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from phillyvoice.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
morning afternoon, Athletics Nation!
The Oakland A’s are off to a tough start to the 2021 season on the field, so let’s take a break from that for a peek behind the scenes. Today’s top story is actually from last week, but it’s too important to let pass by without a headline on AN.
On Wednesday, A’s equipment manager
Steve Vucinich announced on A’s Cast that he will retire after spring training in 2022, relays Alex Coffey of The Athletic.
Vucinich, 68, has been with the A’s as long as they have played in Oakland. He started with the team in 1968 as a sophomore in high school and worked as an assistant in the home clubhouse from 1969 through ’73. He was Oakland’s visiting clubhouse manager from 1974 through ’93 and is going into his 28th season as the A’s equipment manager.
Royals Rumblings - News for April 3, 2021
Share this story
KC Star writes about the relationship between Danny Duffy and Salvador Perez.
If for all that it seems like they ought to be able to read each other’s minds by now, well, they can.
There’s little language barrier between them: Perez learned English well before he even reached the major leagues, and Duffy understands Spanish well enough to know what’s being said directly and around the clubhouse even if he’s more comfortable responding in English.
But as he considered the dynamics of their work relationship and the trust between them, the first thing Duffy said was, “We can communicate without saying anything. We can communicate without motioning anything. I feel like I know what he’s thinking. … You can’t teach that. It just comes with time.”
I’ve always been a big fan of Hughes (who isn’t?), but I just don’t catch enough games on the radio. This will be a nice compromise.
Now let’s get to some news from the rest of the league …
Lindor Extension Talks Will Begin Soon
For all the reasons Brett laid out in his post, I wasn’t
particularly worried to learn that the Cubs haven’t yet had any extension discussions with Kris Bryant this spring, despite it being the right time of the year for those sort of talks. But I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t a little concerned that talks with him – or also Anthony Rizzo and Javy Báez – wouldn’t begin at all. Like, what’s the hold up, right?
Minor leagues to have experimental rule changes this season
Share this story
Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has seemingly entertained every proposal to change the game, but this year, he will actually experiment with some of those rules in minor league games. On Wednesday, MLB announced several experimental rule changes in the minors, with the expectation that if successful, some could be incorporated into the big leagues. Here’s a rundown of some of the changes:
Larger bases (Triple-A only)
The size of first, second, and third base will be increased from 15 inches square to 18 inches square. The Competition Committee thinks this could lead to greater success on steals and more runners beating out infield hits. Baseball is also looking to reduce injuries and collisions, such as baserunners accidentally (or intentionally) spiking first basemen as they run by.