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 That could take some time, but commissioner Bud Selig and MLB
Players' Association executive director Tony Clark both expressed
optimism before the All-Star Game on Tuesday in Minneapolis. Clark
believes education efforts focused on the risks is the way to go.
Selig anticipates the issue to come up in negotiations for a new
labor agreement in the next two years.
"We give the players the opportunity to make the decision they're
going to make against the backdrop of it being legal," Clark said.
"At the end of the day, we don't condone it and they know we don't
condone it."
Gwynn was an eight-time batting champion and Hall of Famer who died
June 16 at age 54. He believed his cancer, which first appeared in
2010, was a result of chewing tobacco use.
 ---Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera is not fully
recovered from offseason groin surgery, he told USA Today.
"There are times when I feel good, but there are always muscles that
are tightening, muscles that are not functioning properly," Cabrera
said.
The cleanup batter for the American League All-Star team Tuesday,
Cabrera hit .306 with 75 RBIs in the first half of the season. He
smacked 30 homers in the first half in 2013, but only 13 this
season.
Cabrera is not the only Tigers' star on the mend. Right-hander and
former Cy Young winner Justin Verlander is still bothered by a
similar injury, Cabrera said. Verlander, who had surgery in January,
is 8-8 with a 4.38 ERA, well above his 3.51 career ERA.
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---In the wake of Jason Collins becoming the first openly gay NBA
player and Michael Sam becoming the first openly gay player selected
in the NFL Draft, Major League Baseball took a step toward promoting
gay rights Tuesday when it appointed Billy Bean as its first
"Ambassador for Inclusion."
Bean, a journeyman major-leaguer in the late 1980s and 1990s, came
out as gay after his playing career.
The announcement was made by commissioner Bud Selig and Lutha Burke,
the sister of late major league outfielder Glenn Burke. During his
playing career, Glenn Burke came out as gay to teammates and team
owners, then later made the announcement publically.
According to MLB, Bean, 50, will be charged with advising and
training teams in the major leagues and minor leagues to support
members of the gay, lesbian bisexual and transgender communities. He
also will produce educational initiatives opposing sexism,
homophobia and prejudice.
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