One last bit of news has rolled out of the owners meetings. It’s not major news, but it involves something more visible than how money is divided or what have you: it’s about the color of players’ shoes.
From the league’s official release:Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) today announced that they have reached agreement regarding certain amendments to the Basic Agreement’s rules governing the appearance of footwear worn by Players on the field. These amendments will provide Players increased flexibility with respect to the colors and design of their on-field footwear, while coordinating with the Clubs’ uniform color schemes.
Among other things, MLB and the MLBPA have agreed to eliminate the previous rule that the majority of a Player’s on-field footwear must be in his Club’s designated primary shoe color. Instead, Players may wear shoes displaying any of the following colors, in any proportion: (i) black, white, and gray; (ii) any colors displayed on the Player’s uniform (and certain variations thereof); and (iii) any additional colors designated by the Player’s Club.
In other news, there is no agreement between the MLB and MLBPA regarding how much of the new $5 billion TV deal with Fox will go to the players, but I’m sure the ability to wear different colored shoes will make the players happy enough.
