News » eady begun rehab, which will be long and challenging.My main goal is

CLEVELAND -- With help from teammates and clubhouse workers, Michael Brantley slipped his uniform over his head and the sling cradling his right arm.Nothing was easy this season for Brantley, who missed so much but wanted to be a part of the team photo -- a keepsake for a year he probably would rather forget.Brantley, who recently underwent a second operation on the right shoulder he injured late last season, spoke Tuesday for the first time since the Aug. 15 surgery. Although disappointed that he was limited to just 11 games, the former All-Star, who endured numerous setbacks during his failed comeback, said his only goal at the moment is to help the Indians reach the postseason.Im here for them, he said.Brantley expects to have his arm harnessed for six more weeks as he recovers from the most recent procedure in which his biceps was moved to take pressure off his shoulder.As he gets well, Brantley is cheering on the Indians, who lead the AL Central by 4 1/2 games and are closing in on their first division title since 2007.I still feel like Im almost there in the game sometimes when Im rooting from the couch when theyre on the road, except Im not able to be there for them, he said. I basically turn into a super fan. But thats all right. I get the chance to be in this locker room and be in this atmosphere and do anything I can to help a young guy, any question they have.Brantleys season never really got started.He initially injured his shoulder last September while diving for a ball in Minnesota. He had surgery in November and came along quicker than expected in spring training. He was activated in late April and played in 11 games before he was placed on the disabled list in May.Over the next three months, Brantley did everything he could to get back in the lineup. But every time he seemed to get close, there was another obstacle.It didnt go his way, but Brantley has no regrets.I feel like I did everything in my power and so did the Cleveland organization, he said. I felt great at times. And at times I didnt feel so well. It was something that just happened. Im not happy it happened. I want to be out there and play with my team, of course. I did everything this organization asked me to do and I know I gave it my all. I dont think it was mishandled at all.Brantleys resolve was not lost on his teammates or manager Terry Francona, who marveled at his determination.Nobody is every going to second-guess, ever, his commitment, Francona said. The guys know what hes been through. Thats part of it. There are a lot of things about him that make you respect him, not just like him, but respect him. If he could play now, he would. Hed take that sling off and play.And thats part of why we feel hell come back and hell find every way to be as good as hes ever been. Thats just kind of how hes built.Brantley anticipates being back for the start of training camp, where he will again try to get back to being one of the ALs best all-around outfielders. He has already begun rehab, which will be long and challenging.My main goal is when I come to spring training, Day One, I dont have any limitations, he said. I want to be able to play from the time they say `Play Ball the first day I get there. 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NEW YORK -- Baseball owners and players have ratified the sports new five-year collective bargaining agreement, extending their labor peace to 26 years through 2021.The sides announced their approvals Wednesday, a day after holding votes in separate telephone meetings.This agreement allows us to build on the positive momentum from last season and promote a generation of young players, baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.After eight work stoppages from 1972 to 1995, the sides have negotiated deals without a strike or lockout in 2002, 2006, 2011 and this year. The new deal expires Dec. 1, 2021.Teams voted 29-1 to approve, and Tampa Bay Rays managing general partner Stuart Sternberg was the lone dissenting vote, a person familiar with that meeting told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the vote breakdown was not announced.While Sternberg declined to comment on the vote, he did express his views on the deal.I am thankful for the hard work, leadership, and spirit of compromise that were essential to this agreement coming together, he said in an email to the AP. However, twice a decade, the bargaining process provides an opportunity to address the extraordinary and widening competitive gap that exists on-field between higher and lower revenue clubs.dddddddddddd. I feel that opportunity was missed here.The union said its executive board unanimously ratified the Basic Agreement, Benefit Plan Agreement, Joint Drug Agreement and Joint Policy on Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse.Former All-Star first baseman Tony Clark led the unions negotiations for the first time. He took over as executive director of the MLB Players Association after the death of Michael Weiner in November 2013.The players involvement during negotiations was both essential and unprecedented, and todays unanimous vote was the culmination of those efforts, Clark said in a statement. This was a team effort from beginning to end.Negotiators reached an agreement Nov. 30 in Irving, Texas, about three hours before the expiration of the previous contract.The deal raises the luxury tax thresholds, increases some of the tax rates, imposes a hard cap on signing bonuses for international amateurs and bans smokeless tobacco for players who do not already have major league service.It also eliminates the provision that gave World Series home-field advantage to the All-Star winner and bans rookie hazing that includes costumes as women. ' ' '