MLB commissioner Rob Manfred says league, players 'owe it to our fans to be better'

After months of bitter negotiations, the MLB season is officially underway. And commissioner Rob Manfred knows that the hostile nature of the dispute between players and owners likely turned off many fans and he called on both sides to "be better" as they head towards the season.

"We need to get back on the field, and we need to in a less-charged environment start to have conversations about how we -- and the we in that sentence is the commissioner's office, my staff, the clubs and the MLBPA and the players - can be better going forward," Manfred told the Associated Press. "We owe it to our fans to be better than we've been last three months."

The 60-game season is scheduled to begin on July 23 or 24, with players expected to report to training camp at the start of July. One of the big questions facing baseball is whether or not there will be fans at games. But while Houston Astros owner Jim Crane sounds determined to have fans in seats, Manfred says that the season will likely begin without fans.

"I think we need to get on the ground running and get comfortable that we can play games in empty stadiums safely before we move forward fans," Manfred said. "My patience in that regard is in part based on the fact that there are so many different situations. Some places there looks like there's no prospect, other places they're more aggressive. I think we need to be patient and even where we have the option, we need to make sure that we know exactly what we're doing before we jump into it."