Rob Manfred Summoned by Governor Newsom to Black Out LA Wildfires

California Governor Gavin Newsom has reached out to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred with an unusual request this afternoon. According to sources close to the situation, Newsom texted Manfred asking him to "black out" the Los Angeles wildfires, leveraging Manfred's notorious reputation as a "black out artist" for his history of blacking out numerous MLB games on MLB Network, leaving local fans unable to watch their teams.

The request comes at a time when California is grappling with intense wildfires, and Governor Newsom seems to believe that Manfred's expertise in media blackouts could be repurposed for public safety. The idea seems to be that by blacking out the wildfires from media coverage, it might reduce public panic and perhaps focus efforts more on containment rather than media spectacle.

When asked why he summoned Rob Manfred in particular, Newsome replied: "He has a very particular set of skills."

Fan reactions have been overwhelmingly humorous yet supportive. One Dodgers fan tweeted, "If Rob Manfred can black out the wildfires like he blacks out our games, we might actually see some peace and quiet for once! This is better than the National Guard!" An Angels fan echoed, "Manfred blacking out wildfires? Now that's a crossover event I never expected. Go Halos and go Governor!"

In what seems like a strategic quid pro quo, it's rumored that in return for his assistance, Manfred has asked Newsom to endorse Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers' two-way star, as the next Governor of California. While this seems far-fetched, in the world of sports and politics, stranger things have happened.

Note: Gavin Newsome did not actually ask Rob Manfred to black out the LA wildfires, as far as we know.