Covering the bases

Union says teams acted against Bonds

The baseball players' union says it has found evidence teams acted in concert against signing Barry Bonds but it reached an agreement with the commissioner's office to delay the filing of any grievance.

The union expressed concern in May about the lack of offers to the home run king. Filing a grievance would trigger proceedings before arbitrator Shyam Das.

Union general counsel Michael Weiner confirmed the deal with Major League Baseball, which was first reported by murraychass.com.

"There were numerous things that occurred that made me believe that the clubs were acting in concert," Bonds' agent, Jeff Borris, said Thursday. "When I testify as a witness in the case, I will delineate each and every one of them."

Bonds was indicted last Nov. 15 on charges related to 2003 grand jury testimony during which he denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. No team signed Bonds when he became a free agent after the 2007 season.

Baseball attorneys repeatedly have denied that teams acted in concert against Bonds. Management lawyer Dan Halem said Thursday that MLB would have no additional comment.

After spending a lot of time during the first half of 2008 trying to get Bonds signed, Borris has stopped his efforts.

"I am convinced based on MLB's actions in 2008 that they will never let him wear a major league uniform ever again," he said.

Melvin stays; Sveum goes

Doug Melvin will get a 3-year contract extension as the general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, but the team also said Friday that Dale Sveum is no longer under consideration to become manager.

Sveum was promoted from his coaching position and served as interim manager after Ned Yost was fired with 12 games left in the regular season.

The Brewers reached the postseason for the first time since 1982, but lost to Philadelphia in four games in the opening round of the playoffs.

Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said the team reached a "significant milestone" by reaching the postseason for the first time in almost three decades, "and this could not have been accomplished without the efforts of Doug Melvin and his staff."

Tigers hire pitching coach

Rick Knapp was hired as the Detroit Tigers pitching coach on Friday.

Knapp joins the coaching staff after 12 seasons as the minor league pitching coordinator for the Minnesota Twins.

He replaces Chuck Hernandez, who was fired along with bullpen coach Jeff Jones last month at the end of Detroit's disappointing 74-88 season.

Knapp began his coaching career as the pitching coach at Class A Gastonia in 1988. He pitched five seasons at the minor league level with the Texas Rangers.

Wang throws off bullpen mound

New York Yankees ace Chien-Ming Wang threw 25 pitches Friday in his first throwing session off a bullpen mound since hurting his foot in June.

Wang partially tore a tendon and sprained his right foot running the bases during the Yankees' 13-0 interleague win at Houston on June 15.