Alex Cora explains how MLB’s sports gambling rule will affect daily routine

Alex Cora explains how MLB’s sports gambling rule will affect daily routine originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com

How can you quantify sports gambling’s effect on Major League Baseball?

For starters, it will alter something Alex Cora does almost every day.

MLB announced Thursday it will now require teams to submit each game lineup at least 15 minutes before they plan to announce them publicly.

“We now ask clubs to submit starting lineups in a uniform fashion in order to reduce the risk of confidential information being ‘tipped,’ ” the league said in a statement to the Associated Press. “This approach mirrors those of international sports leagues in more developed betting markets.”

That doesn’t seem like a huge deal, but Cora said Friday the new directive absolutely will change his daily routine.

“This whole thing is serious,” the Red Sox manager said, via MassLive.com. “It’s serious stuff. For us to send the lineup, and if something happens, we have to re-send the lineup and keep doing it. Hopefully I don’t forget, honestly.”

As Cora pointed out, he and his staff – video coordinator Billy Broadbent writes the initial lineup, then Cora and bench coach Ron Roenicke double-check it – will have to be more diligent about reporting last-minute lineup changes, as well.

“There’s stuff that happens, like somebody gets sick or somebody pulls something swinging the bat … and you scratch somebody five minutes before the game,” Cora said. “You just have to be alert with people and pay attention to that.”

Cora added the Red Sox had their annual meeting with MLB’s security office Wednesday in Fort Myers, and the topic of sports gambling – specifically, the issues of integrity it creates – was a primary focus.

“We all have concerns,” Cora said. “It’s just a matter of staying true, I guess. Hopefully, nothing happens. It’s something new that we have to deal with. The players know it. We know it, the organization does.

“We’ll do our best to follow the guidelines and do what we’re supposed to do.”

It’s uncharted territory for Cora as he enters his second year as Boston’s manager, but he’s seemed to adapt well to change so far.

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