Page 23 - AT

A23
SPORTS Thursday 13 december 2018

Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost speaks during a news
conference at the Major League Baseball winter meetings,
Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018, in Las Vegas.
Associated Press
Shift to go

Continued from Page 17 so were hits. Singles have
been in decline for the last
They haven’t for some time five years, and the league
because they play base- average of .248 was the
ball to make money and worst in 46 years. Mean-
the players who make the while, for the first time there
most money try to hit the were more strikeouts than
ball as hard as they can hits in the game, and the In this file photo dated Tuesday, July 10, 2018, Team Sky with Britain’s Chris Froome, 3rd left, during
to the place they’re most World Series — at least on the fourth stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 195 kilometers (121 miles) with start in La
comfortable hitting it. the Dodgers’ side — was a Baule and finish in Sarzeau, France.
Hitters aren’t going to badly flawed microcosm Associated Press
adapt. There’s no real in- of what the game has be-
centive for them to go the come. That’s a big reason Team Sky future in doubt after
other way, even when all why baseball’s competi-
the numbers add up. tion committee is looking
So while managers at this at doing away with the owner withdraws from cycling
week’s winter meetings shift, a move Commission-
talked about players ad- er Rob Manfred has said
justing to situations and he is open to considering. By ROB HARRIS 2017 from shareholders Sky under Dave Brailsford to re-
shifts, their real audience Though baseball tends to AP Sports Writer and 21st Century Fox. main one of the most suc-
is the guys in the dugout. move slow, there’s an out- LONDON (AP) — The fu- Fox held the largest stake in cessful in cycling. “While
And they, for the most part, side chance both the com- ture of the most success- Sky until September when Sky will be moving on at the
aren’t listening. missioner’s office and the ful cycling team of the last it was outbid by Philadel- end of next year, the team
Push one down the third players’ union could agree decade was put in doubt phia-based Comcast to is open minded about the
base line for an easy hit? to do something about the Wednesday when Sky an- win control of the compa- future and the potential of
You’d have better luck increasing use of the shift nounced its withdrawal ny, which is based in Britain working with a new part-
getting Manny Machado before next season. from the sport following the but also has broadcasting ner, should the right op-
to hustle down to first. Banning the shift, of course, European pay TV giant’s operations in Ireland, Ger- portunity present itself,”
“The majority of the hitters, won’t magically make all takeover by American many, Austria and Italy. said Brailsford, the team’s
I’d say 90 to 95 percent, the problems of the game company Comcast. “The end of 2019 is the right general manager. Team
say to heck with it, I’m go- go away. It might not Team Sky, which had a rid- time for us to move on as Sky was established in 2009
ing to try to hit a homer change much at all, if you er win the Tour de France we open a new chapter in by Brailsford, the brains be-
and a double,” said Kansas believe the analytics that this year for the sixth time Sky’s story and turn our fo- hind Britain’s 14 medals in
City manager Ned Yost. show the shift mainly takes in seven races, will require cus to different initiatives,” cycling at the 2008 Beijing
“Our numbers for singles hits away from slow left- new ownership if it is to con- Sky group chief executive Olympics, with the target
as a baseball league last handed power hitters. tinue competing — under Jeremy Darroch said. of producing the country’s
year dropped way down. But it’s a step toward mak- a new name — from 2020. Fox, which has a 15 per- first Tour de France champi-
And you just lose strategy, ing baseball look like base- “We plan to be together cent stake in Team Sky, is on. “The vision for Team Sky
you lose the ability to steal ball again. And it’s a step in 2020 if at all possible,” also pulling out of cycling, began with the ambition
bases. You lose the ability toward being more proac- said Chris Froome, who has said Sky, which owns the re- to build a clean, winning
to hit and run or bunt if you tive when it comes to win- raced for Team Sky since its maining 85 percent of the team around a core of Brit-
want to.” In other words, ning back fans turned off debut in 2010 and won four outfit through the Tour Rac- ish riders and staff,” Brails-
you’re losing a big part of by the slow pace of games Tour de France titles. “We ing company. ford said. “The team’s suc-
baseball. and the interminable peri- will all be doing everything “The start of a new chapter cess has been the result of
The shift, if you haven’t ods in games where noth- we can to help make that for Sky is a natural moment, the talent, dedication and
noticed, is killing baseball. ing ever seems to happen. happen — in different col- 12 months gives Team Sky hard work of a remarkable
Maybe not by itself, but “I just think that shift, it ors with a new partner with time to plan for the next group of people who have
as part of a new analytics makes the game much, the same values, focus and phase,” team chairman constantly challenged
culture in the game that much more boring in my desire to win.” Graham McWilliam wrote themselves to scale new
doesn’t value steals, sac- opinion,” said Yost, one of Sky spent 34.5 million on Twitter. “The decision heights of performance.
rifice bunts, hit-and-runs or the few managers to take pounds ($43 million) last was taken by Sky in the last None of this would have
any kind of strategy that a stand against the shift. year and generated only few weeks. Comcast are been possible without Sky.”
doesn’t always make sense Thankfully for baseball, 6.7 million pounds ($8 mil- aware and supportive of Only one other team since
when all the numbers are there is an easy solution. lion) in revenue that didn’t what we have decided to 2012, Astana with Vincenzo
crunched. Major League Two infielders on each side come from the owners. The do, but this is our decision Nibali, has won the Tour
Baseball has noticed, main- of second base. Both with team was reliant on the not theirs.” McWilliam said it de France title as Froome
ly because attendance at least one foot on the in- 25.3 million pounds ($32 was a “priority” to find new won four times and Geraint
was down last season and field dirt.q million) in title sponsorship in backers to allow the team Thomas once.q