No team in baseball is undergoing a sudden transformation like the Marlins, and MLB Productions, along with Showtime, will chronicle the new-look club’s journey this season, Major League Baseball announced on Monday.

The rebranded Miami Marlins, who are preparing to open the 2012 season at new Marlins Park this spring, will be the next subject of Showtime’s series “The Franchise,” which launched last year with an in-depth look at the Giants as they sought to defend their World Series title.

“Miami is not only one of the most sexy and cosmopolitan cities in the country, but has become one of the best sports towns as well,” Showtime Networks Inc. President of Entertainment David Nevins said in a statement. “‘The Franchise’ has worked for us because it appeals to both the hard core sports fan as well as audiences interested in compelling unscripted drama. A newly rebuilt Miami Marlins franchise full of big player personalities, and led by the larger-than-life Ozzie Guillen, are an ideal team for season two of ‘The Franchise.’”

Guillen, whose colorful personality is sure to provide the audience with an entertaining behind-the-scenes perspective, is joined in South Beach this year by free-agent acquisitions Heath Bell, Mark Buehrle and Jose Reyes, who have helped to bring a breath of fresh air — along with the new ballpark in Little Havana and redesigned uniforms — to the National League East club, which could find itself in the thick of a heated division battle.

The show has already begun production, and shooting will take place in numerous locations during the offseason, then in Jupiter, Fla., for Spring Training before also joining the club for the regular season. The premiere date will be announced later in the year, but Season 1 of the show launched in mid-July last year. It was eight episodes, lasting through the end of August.

“The Miami Marlins are thrilled to have been selected for this season’s taping of ‘The Franchise,’” Marlins president David Samson said in a release. “As we continue to sprint toward Opening Night and our new ballpark, we cannot think of a better way to share this season’s excitement — both on and off the field — than with Showtime and MLB Productions.”

The Mariners already set up camp over the weekend. This week, everyone else joins them, with their tent stakes, sleeping bags and World Series dreams in tow.   On the sun-dappled diamonds of Arizona and Florida, Spring Training has arrived, with pitchers and catchers on their way to fill the complexes of the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues for the next six weeks prior to every baseball fan’s favorite two-word event: Opening Day.   For Seattle, this week’s jump on things was a necessity. The team will travel to Japan on March 22 for the regular-season Opening Series against the Oakland A’s on March 28-29, and with almost another week in between those games and their first regular-season game back in the U.S., it will give them the chance to start their ace, Felix Hernandez, in the first game on both continents, which means Games 1 and 3 of the 2012 campaign.

“Obviously that’s why we’re here early,” Mariners pitching coach Carl Willis said on Saturday from the team’s spring complex in Peoria, Ariz. “I don’t think it’s a secret we’re expecting Felix to start the first day, and I don’t want to leave here and have a game that counts on the 28th of March and not have him able to throw 75 pitches. We need to get him stretched out. So coming early kind of eliminates any pressure.”   As for the rest of the teams in the Major Leagues, the road to a championship starts this week, and there are plenty of questions to answer.   One of the big ones is whether last year’s World Series winners, the St. Louis Cardinals, can forge a new, victorious identity without their best player — Albert Pujols, who signed with the Angels in early December — and legendary manager, Tony La Russa.   Select a team: AL East Baltimore OriolesBoston Red SoxNew York YankeesTampa Bay RaysToronto Blue Jays AL Central Chicago White SoxCleveland IndiansDetroit TigersKansas City RoyalsMinnesota Twins AL West Los Angeles AngelsOakland AthleticsSeattle MarinersTexas Rangers NL East Atlanta BravesMiami MarlinsNew York MetsPhiladelphia PhilliesWashington Nationals NL Central Chicago CubsCincinnati RedsHouston AstrosMilwaukee BrewersPittsburgh PiratesSt. Louis Cardinals NL West Arizona DiamondbacksColorado RockiesLos Angeles DodgersSan Diego PadresSan Francisco Giants

The Redbirds will, however, see their staff ace, Adam Wainwright, return when pitchers and catchers report to Jupiter, Fla., on Saturday. Wainwright spent last year on the shelf thanks to Tommy John surgery. They’ll also have to see how they jell under the watch of new manager and former player Mike Matheny. Plus, veteran outfielder Carlos Beltran, fresh off a rejuvenated 2011 season, joins the effort to replace Pujols’ bat in what became a very potent lineup by last October.   The runners-up in last year’s big dance, the Texas Rangers, face a similar spring of change. Gone is C.J. Wilson, who, like Pujols, jumped ship to the loaded-on-paper Angels. Now with the club is Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish, a gamble for Texas of well over $100 million.

When the Rangers’ pitchers and catchers show up in Surprise, Ariz., on Feb. 22, they’ll do so with Darvish and another new starter, who happens to be their former closer — Neftali Feliz. They’ll also have veteran Joe Nathan to pitch the ninth inning.   About an hour from Surprise, the Angels will carry that glittering new roster and some weighty expectations into their digs at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Pujols, Wilson, LaTroy Hawkins, Chris Iannetta and a core of younger players, including top prospect Mike Trout, plus an on-the-mend Kendrys Morales, will take the first steps, along with new general manager Jerry Dipoto, toward re-annexing the American League West for the first time 2009. Their pitchers and catchers will first filter in Sunday.   Meanwhile, across the country, the annual high-intensity battle for the AL East will begin in earnest, with the Red Sox and Yankees doing their best to forget about how their 2011 seasons ended. The Red Sox will file into their new complex in Fort Myers, Fla., on Sunday with a new manager (Bobby Valentine), a new general manager (Ben Cherington) and new players (Andrew Bailey, Mark Melancon, Cody Ross and others).

The Yankees, meanwhile, will check into Tampa on Sunday with a beefed-up pitching staff, having added Hiroki Kuroda via free agency and Michael Pineda via trade.   The Tampa Bay Rays — playoff participants in each of the past two seasons and three of the past four — have seen some turnover, too. They’ll hit their spring camp Feb. 20 with Carlos Pena, Luke Scott and Jose Molina in the fold, and they’ll see what their top pitching prospect, Matt Moore, can do after stunning the world with his Game 1 gem in last year’s AL Division Series.   The Detroit Tigers won’t be far away, either. Reigning AL Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander will headline the defending AL Central champion Tigers’ pitchers and catchers, who will arrive in Lakeland, Fla., on Sunday, and the Tigers’ new $200 million man, Prince Fielder, will check in soon after to buoy an already-imposing lineup featuring Miguel Cabrera, who has slimmed down and will take on the challenge of switching back to third base.   In Clearwater, the Phillies will be back at it, boasting their fantastic rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels (plus Joe Blanton and Vance Worley) and their veteran lineup.

They’ll be hoping for a quick recovery for first baseman Ryan Howard and a return to a full season of health for second baseman Chase Utley, and they’ll be hoping that an influx of new veterans — Ty Wigginton, Jim Thome and Laynce Nix on the offensive end, Chad Qualls in the bullpen — will make the puzzle pieces fit alongside the club’s huge offseason prize, closer Jonathan Papelbon.   The Phillies, however, have an intriguing competitor right in their own division. The Miami Marlins have a new name, sort of, plus a new ballpark, new uniforms, and a new attitude, proven by their stunning winter haul of shortstop Jose Reyes, starter Mark Buehrle and closer Heath Bell to the tune of almost $200 million.

They also traded for starter Carlos Zambrano, will be counting on a healthy season for ace Josh Johnson, and will hope that Hanley Ramirez’s transition to third base not only goes smoothly but results in a better season for their star infielder. It all begins Feb. 22 in Jupiter for the Marlins and their new skipper, Ozzie Guillen.   Out West, the D-backs will settle into their second spring at Salt River Fields (pitchers and catchers show up on Feb. 20) with an unexpected NL West crown under their belts and what they hope will be improvements in the form of starter Trevor Cahill, slugger Jason Kubel, and a full season of first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.   The Giants, winners of the World Series in 2010 and victims of injuries last year, hit Scottsdale Stadium on Saturday with the comforting knowledge that catcher Buster Posey should be ready to go soon, along with closer Brian Wilson, and that new additions in the outfield (Melky Cabrera and Angel Pagan) provide offensive spark to a lineup that needs plenty of it.

Other stories waiting to be written abound. Which teams that came this close last year have the goods to turn it around this spring? Will it be the Atlanta Braves, who need better health and production from the youthful trio of Jason Heyward, Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson? The Brewers, who lost Fielder but gained Aramis Ramirez? Or will it be the Dodgers, who added veteran tweaks (including Aaron Harang, Chris Capuano, Mark Ellis, Jerry Hairston and Adam Kennedy) to a roster that played impressive baseball in the final month of 2011?   And which teams will the real shockers of the season, possibly poised for greatness on the back fields and in the hitting cages of the quiet spring mornings to come?   \

Will it be the Kansas City Royals, with Eric Hosmer leading a corps of young, exciting players? Will it be the Washington Nationals, who boast a pitching rotation led by phenom Stephen Strasburg and new acquisition Gio Gonzalez and also have Jayson Werth, Michael Morse and Ryan Zimmerman in their lineup? And how about the Cleveland Indians, who got off to such a hot start last year, fell victim to a lack of depth, but worked all winter — adding Casey Kotchman and Derek Lowe to a large group of newcomers — to shore up their deficiencies?   And what about the guys who haven’t signed yet or might be traded in the days to come?

The names Roy Oswalt, Yoenis Cespedes, Johnny Damon, Vladimir Guerrero, Magglio Ordonez, Kosuke Fukudome, Jon Garland, Mike Gonzalez, Michael Wuertz, Raul Ibanez, Hideki Matsui, Derrek Lee, Miguel Tejada, Jason Varitek, Javier Vazquez, and, yes, Manny Ramirez are still out there, waiting to figure out where they’ll spend the spring … or at least part of it. And they’re not the only ones still on the board.   But as the week kicks off and the Mariners pitchers run through their fielding drills and pop gloves in early bullpen sessions in Peoria, it’s clear that baseball has arrived once again.

OAKLAND — Following a series of unpopular moves, the A’s changed the course of their busy offseason on Monday, agreeing to terms with Cuban sensation Yoenis Cespedes for four years.   The 26-year-old outfielder is set to make $36 million during that time, MLB.com confirmed.   The deal, which won’t be officially announced by the A’s until Cespedes has taken a physical, precludes Oakland from offering him arbitration, meaning the outfielder will automatically become a free agent at the conclusion of the 2015 season.

Oakland is believed to have outbid the Miami Marlins, who had been considered the favorites to land Cespedes amid a competition that also included the Cubs, Tigers, Orioles and White Sox. Just last week, Cespedes was in Miami via a travel visa, touring the Marlins’ new facility with agent Adam Katz.   The Marlins reportedly offered Cespedes a six-year deal ranging in value from $36 million to $40 million but were not willing to give him $9 million per year, as the A’s did.   Moreover, Cespedes’ representatives felt “the A’s wanted him more than anyone else,” MLB.com’s Peter Gammons reported via Twitter.

Oakland was among the finalists for Cuban players Aroldis Chapman and Alexei Ramirez when they were free agents after defecting in recent years.   By snagging Cespedes, thought to be a five-tool player, Oakland has landed a power-hitting center fielder who will perfectly slot into the middle of what was previously a lackluster lineup. He can play all outfield positions but is best suited for center, meaning Coco Crisp could potentially settle at one of the corners.   The A’s, who essentially entered the offseason with a blank outfield, also have Josh Reddick, Seth Smith, Collin Cowgill and Jonny Gomes in the mix — a scene that should make for an eventful Spring Training.   Monday’s move also perhaps restores faith in doubtful fans who, earlier in the winter, watched Oakland trade All-Star pitchers Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey as it looks ahead to the potential of moving into a new stadium in San Jose.

Cespedes’ signing would seem to complement the A’s plans of contending in that new home, although there’s no guarantee he’ll still be with the A’s when that time comes.   The 6-foot, 215-pound Cespedes played eight seasons for Granma in the Cuban League, tallying a record 33 home runs to go along with a .333 average and 99 RBIs in 90 games during the 2010-11 campaign. He was also Cuba’s starting center fielder during the 2009 World Baseball Classic, batting .458 in six games.   The Cuban defector, who recently gained temporary residence in the Dominican Republic, was declared a free agent by Major League Baseball on Jan. 25 but was not allowed to sign with a team until legally cleared by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.   Recently unblocked, Cespedes was free to sign with the A’s, and he’ll need to obtain a worker’s visa before joining the team in Arizona for Spring Training.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Down the stretch, the Utah Jazz’s shooting and defense spelled the end for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Utah was 12 of 19 from the field and caused six Memphis turnovers in the final period to pull away for a 98-88 victory Sunday night.

“When we make some stops on the defensive end, we’re able to push it a little bit more and get into our offense, instead of just walking the ball up the court and being stagnant,” said Gordon Hayward, who had a season-high 23 points to lead the Jazz. “That’s really where we turned it around.”

Al Jefferson had 21 points and a season-high 15 rebounds as Utah snapped a three-game losing streak. Paul Millsap finished with 16, shooting 7 of 11. Raja Bell had 10 points.

Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said Jefferson played in control and made the right decisions — shooting if he was one-on-one and passing to the open man if he was double-teamed. That led to four assists from the Jazz center.

“He did a great job of sticking within what we do,” Corbin said. “We always put the ball in his hands to make plays, and I thought he made some great passes.”

Hayward shot 8 of 12 from the field, part of a 51 percent shooting performance by the Jazz. Starters Hayward, Millsap, Jefferson, Bell and Devin Harris ended the night hitting 33 of their 56 shots.

Rudy Gay led Memphis with 22 points, while Mike Conley (six assists) and Marc Gasol scored 17 apiece.

Utah was able to pull away in the fourth quarter by not only forcing Memphis into turnovers, but getting to the rim on offense. On three occasions out of the half court set, Derrick Favors was able to score on alley-oop dunks.

That and Hayward’s outside shooting helped Utah rebuild its lead to 96-84 when Jefferson converted a 3-point play with 2:18 left. At that point, Memphis had no answer.

Memphis had trailed 81-76 with just under 7 minutes left, but the Grizzlies missed two free throws and mishandled a fastbreak opportunity to give Utah momentum.

“From there, the dam broke, the flood started, and that’s what happened in the fourth quarter,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. “To put it bluntly, we didn’t guard and execute offensively.”

Utah built an early lead and carried a 46-40 advantage into intermission.

Memphis got off to a terrible start, missing its first eight shots, and was still shooting 2 of 11 as Utah built an early double-digit lead, eventually reaching 13 points.

Memphis would score the last eight points of the opening quarter to get back in the game.

But the misfiring continued for Memphis in the half as the Grizzlies shot 35 percent for the first two quarters.

The Jazz seemed to be in much better control, and their 45 percent shooting was accurate compared to Memphis.

“People were aggressive, like controlled aggressive,” Bell said. “We were moving the ball, and there were times when people were getting double-teamed, and the ball swung around the perimeter and we found an open look.”

Hayward and Jefferson had 14 each to lead the Jazz in the first half, while Gasol scored 10 for Memphis before halftime.

Memphis took its first lead on a 3-point play by Conley with about 5 minutes left in the third. But it was Gay who sparked the rally with 10 early points in the period.

As the game got closer, Memphis was having trouble with turnovers. Utah was getting on the glass, and Bell, who was scoreless in the first half, began connecting on his jumper.

Utah scored six unanswered points late in the period and carried a 69-66 lead into the final period.

“We should be finishing these games like we’re supposed to: closeouts, anything. We didn’t have any of that finish,” Gay said of the Grizzlies’ problems down the stretch. “It’s a lot of things. Basically effort and going out there with a certain amount of will.”

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets will forever be tied together for making the same spectacular misjudgment on budding NBA sensation Jeremy Lin.

The next guard in the rotation is making a future decision a little easier on both.

Rookie reserve Klay Thompson had 14 points and sparked a late run with fellow guards Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, leading the Warriors past the Rockets 106-97 on Sunday night for their second straight victory over a Western Conference playoff contender.

Thompson, selected 11th overall out of Washington State, shot 4 of 6 from 3-point range in his latest sharp-shooting effort. After a slow start this season, he is 12 of his last 16 from beyond the arc.

“The thing I love about him is nothing bothers him,” said Warriors coach Mark Jackson, who was stunned last week when Thompson didn’t make the roster for the rookie-sophomore game during All-Star weekend.

“It’s absolutely funny,” Jackson added. “He doesn’t care. He’s a big-time shooter, but he’s a big-time competitor and an underrated defender, underrated passer.

“It’s scary to think just how good he’s going to be.”

Ellis had 33 points and seven assists and David Lee added 15 points and 13 rebounds for the Warriors. But it was Thompson and Curry, who also scored 14 points, providing some big shots late to help Golden State upset another top team.

The Warriors (10-14) also won at Denver on Thursday night.

“We want to get on a little win streak here and get back in the playoff hunt,” Thompson said. “We’re more than capable right now.”

Kevin Martin started to break out of a recent shooting slump with 28 points and Luis Scola had 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets (16-12), whose three-game winning streak ended. Houston is 3-2 on its current road stretch and has a chance to head home with a winning trip Tuesday at Memphis.

“It just seemed to me like the whole night it felt like we were playing in 8 inches of water,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. “We just couldn’t get going.”

The Warriors pulled away in the fourth quarter with a mix of substitutes and starters.

Ekpe Udoh came off the bench and finished with a strong layup at the rim, drawing a foul on Chase Budinger to convert a three-point play. Thompson followed with a 3-pointer on the next possession, Lee added a put-back dunk and a three-point play and Golden State opened up a 93-80 lead with 7:24 remaining.

Too late and too much for Houston to come back.

The Rockets scored six straight capped by Patrick Patterson’s tip to quickly close within seven and give Golden State a brief scare. Then, Curry dribbled along the baseline and finished with an acrobatic, one-handed reverse layup underneath the rim despite getting sent tumbling to the hardwood by Scola. Curry made the free throw for the three-point play to put Golden State back in front by 10 and seal the victory.

The two franchises suddenly tied together by a similar move are trying to make their own marks this season.

Lin was waived by Golden State in December — in large part because of Thompson’s and fellow rookie Charles Jenkins’ presence — after splitting last season between the Warriors and the NBA Development League. Houston picked the point guard up for a couple of weeks before cutting him, and the Knicks decided to give him a look.

All Lin has done since is help New York to five straight victories and engulfed the NBA in swift and stunning fashion. So much so that McHale acknowledged he went to a Bay Area sports bar Saturday night to watch Lin lead the Knicks past the Minnesota Timberwolves, where McHale had previously coached.

Sunday’s matchup had little of the same intrigue.

After going scoreless for almost three minutes to start the game, the Rockets scored 13 straight — including the last six points by Scola — to take a 13-5 lead. Martin also made 3 of his first 4 from beyond the arc to put Houston ahead by nine points later in the first quarter.

The Warriors whittled the deficit down in a hurry behind some strong 3-point shooting of their own. Golden State made eight of 13 from long range before the half, taking an eight-point lead during one stretch with Curry leading the sparkling shooting display.

Both teams settled down and neither created much separation until Golden State pulled away in the fourth quarter behind Thompson and a flurry of 3-pointers. The Warriors finished 13 for 24 from beyond the arc.

“The good news is that if he continues to play like he’s playing and continues to work hard, he’ll be in the big show,” Jackson said. “He won’t have to worry about freshman-sophomore games.”

And the Warriors certainly won’t have to worry about missing out on the next big thing.

When Carmelo Anthony talks dominated the digital airwaves last winter, it was widely speculated that Melo’s departure could mean the Denver Nuggets’ demise. Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri proved to be a hard bargainer, however, and despite having only one real option as a trading partner, he managed to bring in four quality players along with draft picks in the deal. And not only did Denver not fall out of the playoff race, they have played better since the trade, slowed only recently by a massive slate of injuries.

Just days after Anthony was shipped to New York, the Utah Jazz traded Deron Williams, their own discontented superstar, to New Jersey. Utah hasn’t been quite as successful as Denver, but despite a haul heavier on youth and draft picks, the Jazz aren’t far behind the Nuggets, and are squarely in the playoff picture out West.

Trading a superstar, in other words, is by no means a death sentence — not even in the short run. But it’s not always a winning move, either. New Orleans went from a No. 7 seed in the playoffs to a 4-23 start after sending Chris Paul to Los Angeles. While it’s true that the Hornets are the unluckiest team in the NBA so far (defined by TeamRankings.com’s NBA luck rankings, which compare expected wins to actual wins), they’ve also gotten almost no production from Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman or Al-Farouq Aminu. If Denver and Utah “won” their respective superstar trades, New Orleans definitely lost.

There’s one more superstar domino to fall, though. Dwight Howard is on the market, and moving him could change the future of many NBA franchises.

How important is Howard exactly?

First, take a look at how Howard, Paul, Anthony and Williams compare. While all these players are considered perennial All-Stars, there are surprisingly large differences between them.

While no individual statistic can perfectly assess a player’s total value, there are a few that do a decent job. The chart to the right shows how these four players compare in PER, win shares and adjusted plus/minus from last season.

If those numbers seem to differ quite a bit, well, it’s because they do. Both Paul and Howard were in the top six in all three categories, but neither Anthony nor Williams were in the top 15 in any of them. Carmelo and Deron may be All-Stars, but D12 and CP3 shine brighter.

It’s not just coincidence, then, that trading away Anthony or Williams didn’t ruin the Nuggets or Jazz, but trading away Paul has left the Hornets far worse off. With Dwight Howard being possibly the second-best player in the league, the Magic face a very tough situation if he departs.

There is one hope for a Howard-less Orlando, however. While the NBA’s big stars have flocked to a few select teams such as the Heat, Knicks and Lakers, other teams such as the Nuggets, Pacers and 76ers have managed to thrive with rosters full of what could be considered second- and third-tier players. There is room for successful teams in the NBA that don’t have an elite player but instead have many good ones. If Orlando can get quality assets in return for Howard, its future doesn’t have to be a disaster. Here’s a look at how Orlando can “win” in a Dwight Howard trade, or at least not give away the keys to the kingdo   Howard is clearly the Magic’s best player, but there’s a definite second-best: Ryan Anderson. One of the few players in the league with a PER higher than his age, Anderson is not just a 3-point specialist but a piece to build around. His flaws, namely defense, would be more exposed without Howard clogging the middle, but he still looks like a future All-Star.

Unfortunately for Orlando, besides Anderson there’s little to build around. Jameer Nelson, Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu are all aging players who can offer value to a young contender lacking depth at a specific spot, but you don’t rebuild a team around those guys. So adding any of those three into a Howard trade might sweeten the pot for another team, while also helping the Magic unload some salary.

One last advantage for the Magic, though, is the existence of multiple trade options. Magic GM Otis Smith might be able to increase his haul by playing the Lakers, Nets and Bulls against each other. Even Dallas, despite having limited trade pieces, could scare a team into trading for Howard now instead of waiting for the summer to sign him as a free agent.

So how do the Magic maximize their benefit? Let’s look at three possible deals with the Chicago Bulls, New Jersey Nets and Los Angeles Lakers.

WASHINGTON — The NFL, which is trying to maintain its TV blackout of home games that don’t sell out, missed an opportunity 40 years ago to preserve an even more restrictive policy when it rebuffed an effort by President Richard Nixon to lift the hometown blackout just for playoff games.

On a previously unreported tape recording, now in the National Archives, Nixon told his attorney general to offer the league a deal: Allow playoff games to be televised in the hometown city, and the president would block any legislation requiring regular-season home games to be televised. At the time, the NFL blacked out all home games, whether they were sellouts or not.

The president was a serious fan and in the early 1970s, he shared the anger of Washington residents who couldn’t watch Redskins games on TV, former aides recalled.

The Redskins routinely sold out and the NFL blackout policy left no way for Washington fans without tickets to watch home games. In October 1972, Nixon’s Justice Department had even told Congress it was time for some modification of the blackout policy “in the public interest.”

By December it was clear the NFL would black out that season’s playoff games, including the first-round Redskins-Green Bay Packers game in Washington.

In a Dec. 19, 1972, telephone call just days before that game, Nixon told Attorney General Richard G. Kleindienst to relay this message to NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle: “If you make the move, for these playoff games, we will block any — any — legislation to stop anything else. I will fight it personally and veto any — any — legislation. You can tell him that I will veto it. And we’ll sustain the veto. … Go all out on it and tell him he’s got the president’s personal commitment. I’m for pro football all the way, and I think it’s not in pro football’s interest to allow this to build up because before you know it, they’ll have the damn Congress go all the way. We don’t want Congress to go all the way.”

Nixon told his attorney general that the NFL “should have absolute protection on all regular-season games” and that “if we can get the playoff games, believe me, it would be the greatest achievement we’ve ever done.”

As Kleindienst began to outline what he would tell Rozelle, Nixon interrupted him.

“But let me say, that I want us to get some publicity out of this,” the president said. “I just don’t want to do this to accomplish it.”

“I understand that,” Kleindienst responded. “And that’s what I’m going to tell him. That without putting your neck on the line …”

“Oh, I don’t mind my neck on the line at all,” Nixon said.

“Now see if you can work that out and tell him this would be the greatest move he could ever make,” Nixon said at the end of the call. “He’d be a hero to the nation.”

Incredibly, the next day Rozelle rebuffed the attorney general.

News stories at the time reported that Rozelle declined Kleindienst’s request to televise the upcoming playoff games, but made no mention of Nixon’s offer to maintain the regular-season blackouts in exchange. Kleindienst responded by announcing the administration would “seek legislation that is more in keeping with the public interest.”

The league had predicted that broadcasting home games would hurt attendance, and Rozelle repeated his oft-stated fear of pro football becoming a “studio show.” As Congress considered legislation the following year to lift the blackout, Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson wrote Nixon on Aug. 2, 1973, that “lifting of the ‘blackout’ on sold-out games poses perhaps the most serious threat to the overall well-being of professional football that it has faced in recent history.”

But Congress did pass legislation the following month preventing blackouts of professional sports games that are sold out 72 hours beforehand. Nixon signed it in time for the 1973 season.

NFL executive Joe Browne, a college intern under Rozelle in the 1960s and now senior adviser to the current commissioner, Roger Goodell, said in an email to The Associated Press this past week that Rozelle faced a “pick-your-poison” choice.

“The reason the White House/DOJ deal did not pan out was that Pete was more comfortable with what he was hearing from Congress,” Browne wrote. Rozelle simply preferred lifting the blackout for 72-hour advance sellouts to the risk that postseason games might end up with half-filled stadiums, Browne believes.

The blackout law has since expired, but the NFL agreed to make it league policy.

The Federal Communications Commission passed a regulation in 1975 preventing cable systems from carrying a sporting event that is blacked out on local broadcast television stations, effectively reinforcing the NFL blackout policy. But the FCC is now considering a petition by the Sports Fans Coalition to rescind this rule, which would seriously dent the league’s blackout policy, although it wouldn’t affect viewers who don’t subscribe to cable or satellite.

At his news conference before the Super Bowl, Goodell noted that the league had only 16 blackouts in 2011 and said the goal is zero. The commissioner said the NFL has to balance making games available on free TV with encouraging fans to come to the stadium.

“The policy has served us very well over four-plus decades,” he said.

The number of blackouts has decreased steadily over the years: 50 percent of games in the 1970s (after the 1973 law); 40 percent in the 1980s; 31 percent in the 1990s; and 8 percent in the 2000s. Last season’s 6 percent was the fifth-lowest, according to the NFL.

But some teams still have high numbers. The Cincinnati Bengals had six of their eight home games blacked out last season, for example, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were blacked out five times.

“Blackouts may be down nationally, but tell that to the folks in Tampa,” said Brian Frederick, executive director of the Sports Fans Coalition. “By and large, the cities paid for these stadiums.”

That group receives money from Verizon, which provides pay TV, and has received funding from Time Warner Cable in the past. But Frederick insisted the coalition “driven by fans.”

In another previously unreported taped White House conversation the week before the first 1972 playoff game, Nixon vented to Kleindienst and White House aide John D. Ehrlichman about the game not being televised locally.

“The folks should be able to see the god—- games on television,” he said. “Playoff games. Playoffs — all playoff games should be available.

“Now, you might say this. You might also point out, and say listen, just so you understand … the president is not speaking for himself in this instance, because he’s going to be in Florida. And he’s going to be watching the game in Florida — it’s going to be carried there. But he’s speaking for all the people in Washington that didn’t vote for him,” Nixon said to laughter. The president had lost only the District of Columbia and Massachusetts in his landslide 1972 victory over Democrat George McGovern.

“Put it right that way.”

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski had arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle Friday, a source confirmed to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. The recovery time is expected to be about 10 weeks.

Gronkowski suffered a high ankle sprain in the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens. The second-year tight end played in Super Bowl XLVI, saying after the game, “I was good. I was 100 percent out there doing everything they asked me to do.”

Despite Gronkowski’s claim that he was 100 percent, he wasn’t much of a factor in the game, catching just two passes for 26 yards.

Gronkowski also made waves in the days following the Super Bowl when video surfaced of him dancing shirtless at the team’s postgame party.

Patriots president Jonathan Kraft, son of owner Robert Kraft, spoke Friday about the season, and Gronkowski in particular, on ESPN Boston Radio. He was asked about the tight end dancing at the party.

“I actually have only heard about it. I haven’t seen the video,” he said. “I was long gone from the party when that took place. The one thing I do know is the guy absolutely is 100 percent a passionate, passionate competitor when it comes to football. He loves football. He wants to win. He wants to get better. He doesn’t like losing. … He’s an ultimate competitor. We’re excited he’s on our football team.

“The team did accomplish a lot this year, and unfortunately we fell just a little bit short of the ultimate goal. I do think he and the other players probably have different ways of both celebrating what we were able to achieve and then dealing with the disappointment of that night. I think it’s hard to personalize how any individual would deal with that and then project it on someone else.”

This was the second eyebrow-raising incident of the season for Gronkowski, who during the team’s bye week was photographed bare-chested with adult film star Bibi Jones, who was wearing his No. 87 jersey in an image that went viral on Twitter. Kraft was emphatic that neither episode concerned him because it didn’t affect what Gronkowski did on the field.

“He’s a young single guy. I’m not sure that Rob … I think he does everything, and then some, that he’s asked to do as it relates to the locker room, the football field, the weight room. And he brings huge time, energy and passion to that.

“As 21- and 22-year-old guys grow up and mature, different things happen. He hasn’t broken any laws, he doesn’t do anything else. I think it’s hard to place value judgments on things that are personally right for different people.”

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Minnesota Vikings spokesman said Friday that team owners don’t like a new proposal to fund a $1 billion stadium in the Twin Cities suburbs using ticket fees and other game-related charges.

The latest proposal floated by several Ramsey County commissioners was meant to replace a previous stadium financing plan that relied on a county food and liquor sales tax. Instead, it would draw $20.6 million annually from stadium user fees, an admissions surcharge, a stadium sales tax and parking lot naming rights.

The county board said the plan would generate $618 million over 30 years.

Lester Bagley, the Vikings vice president for stadium development, called the plan problematic. While Vikings owners have favored the Ramsey County site in the community of Arden Hills over options in downtown Minneapolis, Bagley said a prior agreement between the Vikings and Ramsey County hinged on the team receiving parking revenue and naming rights — and on the condition of no admissions taxes.

“When you change those things you change the underlying agreement between the team and the county,” Bagley said. “We need to refine it because of those reasons.”

Ramsey County commissioner Tony Bennett had called the new plan a “game changer” after meeting with Gov. Mark Dayton on Friday. He later acknowledged the Vikings may not like elements of the new plan.

Dayton did not comment specifically on details of the new plan but praised Ramsey County leaders for remaining consistent in their stadium efforts. He contrasted that with city council members in Minneapolis, who have been reluctant to throw full support behind a new stadium there.

“They all sit on the sidelines and carp about everything,” Dayton said. Later, he added: “They don’t have … the proper perspective on what’s best for all of Minneapolis.”

Earlier this week, Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission chairman Ted Mondale and stadium negotiators unveiled a new plan to quickly build a new stadium on a parking lot just east of the Metrodome. So far, stadium supporters in the Legislature have not put their weight behind any of the numerous stadium proposals batted around in recent weeks.

Bagley said a decision is far from made.

“The Minneapolis proposal has its share of issues as well,” Bagley said.

The Vikings have wanted out of the Metrodome for years, calling the 30-year-old stadium no longer sufficiently profitable compared to other NFL venues. The team’s lease at the Metrodome expired Feb. 1, and hanging over their new stadium push has been the fear among fans that the team will leave Minnesota.

Team owner Zygi Wilf has said the Vikings want a new stadium in the Twin Cities, even if it means building on the current site of the Metrodome.

Jockey Will Kennedy has been handed a seven-day whip ban and told to forfeit his prize money after winning at Kempton.

Kennedy won the prestigious Lanzarote Hurdle on 9-2 favourite Swincombe Flame but was penalised for excessive use.

“You work your backside off and lose two-and-a-half grand. You sometimes wonder why you bother,” said Kennedy.

The incident occurred just days before new British Horseracing Authority chief executive Paul Bittar begins his post .

Jockeys have claimed that penalties for breaking the new rules, announced in September before being amended the following month and again in November , are too severe.

A strong ride from Kennedy helped Swincombe Flame pass Featherbed Lane at the second-last to take the £25,000 handicap but Kennedy galvanised her to steal a nose advantage on the line.

Excessive use of the whip has re-emerged as a controversial topic this week, with amateur Robert Cooper and Flat rider Robert Winston receiving heavy bans.

Kennedy was aware he had broken the rules but said: “I’m not really one for hitting them but I missed the last and what do I tell the owners?

“I either hit her two more times and win by a nostril or I don’t and I get beaten. Who can say I would have won without those two hits? It’s disappointing.”