BALTIMORE - Rob Manfred was elected baseballs 10th commissioner Thursday, winning a three-man competition to succeed Bud Selig and given a mandate by the tradition-bound sport to recapture young fans and speed play in an era that has seen competition increase and attention spans shrink. The 55-year-old, who has worked for Major League Baseball in roles with ever-increasing authority since 1998, will take over from the 80-year-old Selig on Jan. 25. Its a generational change much like the NBA undertook when Adam Silver, then 51, replaced 71-year-old David Stern as commissioner in February. And like Silver, he was his bosss pick. Manfred beat out Boston Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner in the first contested vote for a new commissioner in 46 years. The third candidate, MLB Executive Vice-President of Business Tim Brosnan, dropped out just before the start of balloting. "I am tremendously honoured by the confidence that the owners showed in me today," Manfred said. "I have very big shoes to fill." Selig has led baseball since September 1992, first as chairman of the sports executive council following Fay Vincents forced resignation and as commissioner since July 1998. After announcing his intention to retire many times only to change his mind, he said last September that he really, truly planned to leave in January 2015. One baseball executive who attended the meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity because details of the 4 1/2-hour session were not be divulged, said Manfred was elected on approximately the sixth ballot. The initial vote was 20-10 for Manfred, three short of the required three-quarters majority. His total increased to 21 on the second and 22 on the third. While teams put written ballots into envelopes, keeping their choices secret, from team official speeches it was evident that Tampa Bays Stuart Sternberg and Milwaukees Mark Attanasio likely switched, the person said. Manfreds total dropped to 20, then increased to 22 before a dinner break. He got the needed 23rd vote on the next, apparently from Washington. Owners then made the final vote unanimous. The person said it appeared Arizona, Boston, the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati, the Los Angeles Angels, Oakland and Toronto had been the final holdouts. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and Toronto president Paul Beeston spoke out strongly against Manfred, the person said. Angels owner Arte Moreno joined Reinsdorf in leading Werners support. "While Rob may not have been my initial choice for commissioner, the conclusion of a very good process was to name Rob as the person best positioned to help baseball endure and grow even stronger for the next generation of fans," Reinsdorf said in a statement. "Todays decision was reached by 30 owners voting separately but speaking, in the end, with one voice." Manfred started with baseball in the late 1980s as an outside counsel in labour negotiations and was hired by Selig as executive vice-president for labour relations and human resources in 1998. He received an expanded role of executive vice-president of economics and league affairs in 2012 and last September was promoted to chief operating officer, becoming the likely heir apparent. He helped lead negotiations for baseballs last three labour contracts and the joint drug agreement that was instituted in 2002. In the last contested election, in 1968-69, owners turned to their outside labour lawyer, Bowie Kuhn. The 55-year-old Manfred, whose term was not specified, grew up in Rome, New York — about an hours drive from the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. He must address issues that include decreased interest in baseball among younger people and an average game time that has stretched past three hours. "There is no doubt in my mind he has the training, the temperament, the experience to be a very successful commissioner," Selig said, "and I have justifiably very high expectations." Baseball has had labour peace since a 7 1/2-month strike in 1994-95 that cancelled the World Series. Talks to replace the collective bargaining agreement with players that expires after the 2016 season will be conducted with a new union leadership headed by former All-Star first baseman Tony Clark. "I have known Rob for more than 15 years, and Im confident that his vast experience in all aspects of the sport will serve his commissionership well," Clark said in a statement. Cionel Perez Astros Jersey . Braves reliever David Carpenter was also fined for throwing at Rockies outfielder Corey Dickerson in the same game, which featured several ejections, including Colorado manager Walt Weiss. Lance Berkman Astros Jersey . 42 sitting next to the bench. The 57-year-old with greying hair couldnt box out or grab a rebound, but owner Ted Leonsis waved his red towel and egged on a cheering crowd that chanted "Free Nene!" The Wizards did just fine without the suspended Brazilian forward. https://www.cheapastros.com/2583o-craig-...astros.html.com) - A chant of Zeke reverberated around AT&T Stadium before Ezekiel Elliott powered into the end zone for his fourth and final touchdown. Joe Biagini Astros Jersey . According to a police report, Douglas is accused of grabbing his girlfriend by the neck and slamming her against the wall several times while he carried her from the elevator to their Hartford hotel room early Sunday morning. Carlos Correa Jersey . The league announced Thursday that Tom Higgins is leaving that post effective immediately.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks may not be at the very top of the NHL standings, but they recently showed they can run with the leagues elite. The Blackhawks and Sharks both aim to build off recent victories on Saturday night when they clash in San Jose. Chicago and San Jose are coming off wins over the Anaheim Ducks, who lead the NHL in points with 70. The Sharks topped their division rivals 6-3 on Thursday, while the Blackhawks handed the Ducks a 4-1 setback last night. San Jose got 25 saves from Antti Niemi and goals from six different skaters in picking up the home win. Joe Pavelski had a power-play goal and Brenden Dillon scored shorthanded. Patrick Marleau, Barclay Goodrow and James Sheppard each tallied a goal and an assist as the Sharks moved to 3-1-1 on a seven-game homestand. Special teams got us going and it was good to see, Pavelski said after scoring for a third game in a row. The Sharks are second in the Pacific Division with 58 points, one ahead of the Vancouver Canucks and 12 back of the Ducks. San Jose didnt lose ground in the race for first place thanks to Chicagos victory last night. Patrick Kane scored twice and had an assist on Friday versus the Ducks, while Patrick Sharp assisted on all four goals. Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith lit the lamp as well,, while Corey Crawford finished with 21 saves.dddddddddddd The Blackhawks, who were up 3-0 entering the third, blew three one-goal leads in Wednesdays 4-3 loss at Los Angeles, and perhaps thoughts of that game entered their minds when Anaheim finally scored with 9:54 remaining. But Kane put Chicago back up by three with 6:35 left as Chicago won for the third time in four games. I thought that fourth goal was a big goal for us, said Chicago coach Joel Quenneville. The Blackhawks, who play the fourth of a seven-game road trip tonight, have a four-point edge over the Winnipeg Jets for third place in the Central Division and are two points behind St. Louis in the division standings. The Hawks won the first of three meetings with the Sharks this season 5-2 at Chicago on Nov. 9. Toews had a goal and an assist and Crawford made 32 saves. Backup Antti Raanta is expected to start tonight for Chicago and face San Jose for the first time. He is a solid 7-3-0 on the campaign with a 1.87 goals against average, .939 save percentage and two shutouts in 11 games (10 starts) overall. Pavelski had both of the Sharks goals versus the Blackhawks, Joe Thornton had two assists and Niemi yielded all four goals on 36 shots. Niemi fell to 6-7-1 versus Chicago with a 2.94 GAA and.910 save percentage in 14 games. ' ' '
