Average Salary Hits Record $2.63 Million

Baseball’s big-money boom pushed the average salary to a record $2.6 million on opening day, and the New York Yankees’ payroll of just under $200 million topped five teams combined.

After a rare drop from 2003 to 2004, the average climbed 5.9% to $2.63 million, according to a study by Associated Press.

While the players on the Yankees’ opening-day roster totaled $205.9 million, cash received by New York in trades, notably last year’s deal to acquire Alex Rodriguez from Texas, cut their payroll to $199.77 million.

The World Series champion Boston Red Sox were second to the Yankees, with their players adding to $121.3 million. The New York Mets were next at $104.8 million, followed by Philadelphia ($95.3 million) and the Angels ($95 million). The Dodgers are No. 11 at $81 million.

NBA players averaged $4.9 million in the 2003-04 season, according to a preliminary estimate by their union, which did not provide a figure for the current season.

In the NHL, where a lockout canceled the current season, players averaged $1.83 million in 2003-04. NFL players averaged $1.33 million last year, according to their union.

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Major League Baseball, with the only Latino owner in a major American pro sports league plus numbers of minority managers and league office staffers rivaling the NBA, improved its racial diversity last year.

Baseball also created more opportunities for women, according to the study by Richard Lapchick of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport.

The study also noted the number of black players declined to the lowest percentage since the report began in the mid-1980s. Only 9% of players on 2004 rosters were black, compared to 37% for Latinos and 2% for Asians.

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Four-time Gold Glove winner Charles Johnson requested a leave of absence from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to handle a personal matter.

General Manager Chuck LaMar said that if the catcher did not return to the team by noon Friday he would be put on a restricted list without pay.

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Three Pittsburgh Pirate minor leaguers were suspended for failing drug tests last year, with triple-A pitcher Brian Mallette drawing a 30-game penalty as a two-time offender.

Outfielder Jon Nunnally, also with Pittsburgh’s Indianapolis team, was given a 15-game suspension as a first offender, as was infielder Tom Evans, who plays for double-A Altoona.

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Oakland A’s shortstop Bobby Crosby was put on the 15-day disabled list because of a broken rib.