I told my wife yesterday that the players rejected the owner’s offer and that there was going to be NO BASEBALL SEASON this year. She said: “Honey, that’s negative, think positive!” so, I thought about it for a while and realized that I am a “glass half full person.” I am optimistic in general. I am a positive person!
So, I have changed my opinion on the baseball season: “I am POSITIVE there is not going to be baseball this year!” At least, as we know it. As it stands today, the Commissioner says they will not make up games, so the max that will be played is 155. MLB is not going to pay players for the full 162 games – they will pro-rate their pay. The players think they should be paid the full amount, so here is another sticking point.
I read what Ross Stripling said yesterday and took it with a grain of salt:
“They were trying to sneak things through us, it was like they think we’re dumb baseball players and we get sleepy after midnight or something. It’s like that stupid football quote, they are who we thought they were. They did exactly what we thought they would do. They pushed us to a deadline that they imposed, and then they tried to sneak some shit past us at that deadline and we were ready for it. We’ve been ready for five years. And then they tried to flip it on us today in PR, saying that we’ve changed our tone and tried to make it look like it was our fault. That never happened.”
Ross is a smart guy and his comments would have more weight if he included some examples of how the owners tried “to sneak shit past the players.” The players have plenty of lawyers, like MLB. You can call a person names, but it has no weight unless you cite chapter and verse. I’m not saying it didn’t happen, but if Ross had said, “They tried to slip in ____________ and _________,‘ then his words would have more weight. As it is, it is just posturing!
If I were the owners… I would move on. Like the NFL Strike of 1987, let’s play ball. Each team needs 26 players. Cut the ticket prices in half. Cut concessions by 30% and given everyone MLB.TV for free. Ross is right – there are quite a few teams who do not want the CBT to go up. Until they get some kind of revenue sharing, some teams cannot play that game. The haves can. The have not’s can’t! Many don’t like “tanking” but for some teams, it is the only way they can win. Witness: Kansas City, Chicago, Houston, Miami.
They only won by tanking because that is the only way they can compete and then they are castigated by the MLBPA. The Top teams like the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Phillies, and a couple of others can afford to spend on free agents. Most other teams cannot! Keep the players locked out. Get the minor leaguers, scrubs, and scabs in there, and let’s play ball!
Corey Seager, Mookie Betts, Max Scherzer, Freddie Freeman and dozens more will lose $30+ Million and never get it back. Maybe that will cause them to re-think their position. The players want a system that is absolutely fair to all of them when that system is only fair to less than half the owners. If it smells like doo-doo, it’s doo-doo! Move on let’s play with whoever wants to dance. I am sick of this BS!
Yes, my wife gave me great advice… again!
There’s a fog upon LA
And the players have lost their way
“It’ll be over soon” they said
Now they’ve lost themselves instead
Please don’t be long
Please don’t you be very long
Please don’t be long, for I may be asleep.
I think there’s a fundamental difference between the concepts of trade and conflict.
When two parties are negotiating a transaction there is the understanding that both sides need to benefit. One party is more likely to see things from the other party’s point of view. There is a higher likelihood of making a concession to reach an accord.
With conflict, one party sees the other party as a rival or an enemy. They are less likely to see things from the other party’s point of view. Their objective is not to reach agreement that benefits both sides, but to beat the other side; to win the war; to extract the most possible from their adversary.
Both sides are fantastically rich beyond anything that normal people like us could even comprehend. If both sides were willing to try to understand the positions of their negotiating partners and were willing to compromise without the need to “win,” a deal could be made in an hour.
In the grand scheme of things, the minimum salary argument, to use one example, is stupid. $650k vs. $750k/year means nothing. It’s just a number. Either way, it’s an insane amount of money for a 24 year old kid with a high school education. But, an issue like this will likely derail the season because one side has to “win.”
Because it’s a war, and both sides hate each other and see other as The Enemy, then they will dig in their heels and ultimately cut off their noses to spite their faces because they’re damaging the game.
Yeah, I’m sure Stripling is a smart guy, but when he makes noises about anticipating the plan of attack by the owners for the past five years, it’s disappointing. Has Ross Stripling been treated unfairly? It’s clear they don’t want to make a deal. They just want a war.
Ross Stripling is the definition of a mediocre player. In six years, he’s amassed 4.8 WAR. He’s slightly better than a replacement player. He’s guaranteed $4.4M next year and will have a career earning of just over $11M at that point. He’s the poster boy for the argument that players make more than enough money. No one is buying tickets to go see Ross Stripling play baseball. He’s just a guy on a team that can retire and never work again any time he chooses.
And if I remember, one of the reasons AF even traded him is because he was a bit of an extra cog and would not really get a chance to be a regular part of the deep starting rotation. He was doing him a favor by trading him to a team that would allow him to start full time and AF said as much at the time.
MLB Players will start losing $20 Million a day. Two weeks is $280 Million. The Union has a War Chest of a little over $170 Million. Do the math. If the owners play hardball and say “We absolutely will pro-rate everyone’s salary based upon the number of games played, not 162 games,” then it’s “Well, okedoke, let’s go back to work.”
The players cannot win this. It’s like Ukraine vs. Russia.
The player’s words would have more weight if they would agree to use a mediator now that most things have been agreed upon…
I read a very long winded article on DN this morning by perhaps the worst writer in all of sports, Michael Elizondo. He references a peice by The Athletic that explains the windfall the Braves received after winning the World Series. He states that their revenue hit a new record of $568M which generated $111M in profit. Their previous high in revenue was $476M. So, if you subtract the $111M profit from $568, you get $457 as a break even point. If their previous high in revenue was just $476M, you can extrapolate that they made just $19M in profit during their previous high! That’s not a lot of wiggle room. Sure, they’ll make more money this year and probably a couple more seasons after winning a World Series, but under normal circumstances, the money is not as much as people probably think. Aren’t the owners allowed to make money?
Of course the Athletic’s article doesn’t do the math, they try to make a case that the Braves can afford to sign Freddie Freeman since they made a nice chunk of change with that record $111M profit. But that wouldn’t even pay Freddie’s desired salary for 3 years, much less the 6 years that he wants. What about the 40 guys on the major league roster that also want a raise? What about the $130K raise for every player making the minimum?
I still think the owners should increase the CBT, but that would cut into revenue sharing for the smaller market teams.
It seems to me that the players want what they perceive as their fair share of every nickel that falls onto the floor. They say that there’s going to be more revenue from online betting. Well, the CBT is just for the next 5 years. How about waiting to see that revenue come in before they start grubbing for it?
So far, in just this offseason with 200 free agents still unsigned, 13 players received contracts of at least $50M. Of those, 8 of them have an AAV of at least $19.5M (Just about equal to the profits of the Braves, pre World Series Title). These are not perennial All-Stars. Gausman and Ray cashed in after one really good season. Eduardo Rodriguez has a career 4.16 ERA and is coming off a 4.74 ERA last season and got $77M guaranteed! Give me a freaking break. The players are paid fairly, really lavishly. You can tell by the gold chains around their necks and the cars in the players parking lot.
Line up the mediator and settle this thing you greedy SOB’s.
Excellent comment B&P!
A lot of attention has been given to the Braves profits as disclosed in Liberty Media financials.
Most MLB writers convey this information in a biased fashion.
They typically look at profits of the Braves in the most favorable fashion by excluding depreciation, interest, taxes and other expenses. For example in 2021, the Braves group reported a net LOSS of $11 million, operating income of $31 million, and adjusted operating income of $104 million. And the Athletic starts with income of $111 million!
In 2020, the Braves group reported net after tax loss of $78 million, operating loss of $121 million, and adjusted operating loss of $53 million.
Considering that the Braves were the world champions and were second to Dodgers in MLB attendance in 2021, their results were hardly overwhelming. By contrast, the Atlanta Braves CBT payroll for 2021 was $173 million. So even using the inflated Athletic figure, the team made pretax operating profit of $111 million, while the players made $173 million. In actual terms though, the Braves team lost $11 million, while the players made $173 million in 2021.
And this is before the owners offer to increase minimum salaries by $130,000, add a pre-arb pool, and increase CBT thresholds. This hardly seems like an unfair split of MLB profits.
I still blame both sides for not reaching an agreement. The minimum salary increase to $700,000 would positively impact so many young players and is fair in my opinion. If the MLBPA really cared about most of its members, they would focus on the minimum salary more than the CBT threshold. But most of the executive committee are Boras clients who focus more on the super wealthy players. And another under reported item is that the Boras Corp collects over $100 million in commissions per year. So Boras is more profitable than most MLB franchises!
On the owners side, they should raise CBT threshold more to allow for future revenue growth, and to reach a compromise with the players. And both sides should do more for the MILB players who are make average salaries of $25,000 per year while the MLBPA complains about being offered $700,000 per year minimum.
It’s hard to argue against tanking since some teams have done it successfully. Asking a team to carry a minimum payroll if they receive money from MLB and big spending teams is also fair.
If the players were actually concerned about MLB minimum salaries, they would cap the big contracts, both years and salaries. Maybe $25 million and five years, then raise the minimum first year pay to a million or $1.5 million, increase second and third pay accordingly. They won’t, of course. They want unlimited contracts and more money in the early years, the best of all worlds to players, agents and the like. They should use a system based on a percentage of revenue. As part of this, they should have to provide more money and housing for minor leaguers.
Not to point out the obvious, but baseball is losing relevancy. The game takes too long to play, lacks action and continues to cost more for families to attend. No question, fans are being ignored as all this plays out. So are the cities which built spring training complexes to lure tourist dollars. Not to mention the people who work at the stadiums.
At the same time, teams should be able to spend whatever they want on payroll without specific penalties attached.
The league should use a percentage of MLB outside revenue to provide funds to assist smaller market teams.
Okay, none of this will happen. Both players and owners living in a box. Probably reaching a deal is being held hostage by a group of owners, who are both shortsighted and greedy. For the good of the game means nothing to them. Do the fans really count? Do we believe MLB or the players actually care?
As someone who has followed the Dodgers since 1959 I am beginning not to care. It’s a two way street. After two years of a pandemic, masks, isolation, no one in seats to a step toward normal, now this nonsense. Why should any of us care? They obviously don’t care about us.
Good thoughts sbuffalo.
My CBT plan that I have shared before and also won’t be entertained is for the tax to be on individual contracts and not on total team payroll. I haven’t done the math so I only can wonder if this is possible. I would like to see how much tax was collected last year and then figure out how to create that much tax from individual contracts.
Put a 15% tax on contracts greater than 8 years or $20MM AAV.
Put a 18% tax on contracts greater than 8 years or $24MM AAV.
Put a 20% tax on contracts greater than 8 years or $28MM AAV.
Reduce a teams revenue sharing amount by 10% if their total payroll is less than the average total payroll of the lower third of teams as ranked by total payroll and consider increasing that penalty based on how far below that average.
The only positive thing I see is that if the season is not fully played or there is a strike, the Dodgers will have a very good chance of being champions… They will be known as the team that can only win in NOT COMPLETE seasons!
Considering that every other season is being shortened lately, I’ll take it.
Which is totally wrong. 55, 59, 63, 65 and 88 were all full seasons. And in the two seasons that were shortened that they won, they had to come from behind in the NLCS both times. Against the Mets and then in 2020 against the Braves. In 59 they had to beat the Braves in a playoff. And also every other team in the both leagues had the same chances they did. I am sick and tired of everyone calling their 2020 and 1981 Championships bogus. Pretty much fed up with both sides. Even Mike Trout is ripping Manfred a new one.
Interesting tidbit that hasn’t been picked up. Manfred reportedly used language that the owners had made their “last best and final offer” This is a term of art in collective bargaining which means that once the offer is rejected, the parties are at impasse.
The ramifications of this are:
1 – owners can unilaterally impose terms and conditions of employment. They can order players back to work in which case the players could strike. Or the owners can continue the lock out.
2 – the union has stated that it wants to continue to negotiate. This means that they don’t believe that they are at impasse. Ultimately, the union can file unfair labor practices charges if owners refuse to bargain.
3 – thus far, even though management used the last best and final language, they have stated that they are still willing to bargain.
4 – once the last best and final language is invoked the feds can get involved and mediation is more likely.
Good stuff Rick. Bring on the feds.
The problem is that he did not say that. The media-manufactured that!
I heard him say that he would not characterize it as the last and best offer. He said that there was always room for negotiation. I am not a Manfred fan, but he did not say that and the media specifically asked him that.
He said that the owners would start again as early as Today.
MLB Trade Rumors, ESPN and Yahoo Sports all reported that Manfred used that language. I also read that he tried to walk it back afterwards and that MLB was still willing to negotiate. But he said it right before canceling the 1st 2 series of the season and leaving town. There are no bargaining sessions currently scheduled.
Maybe he said that BEFORE I tuned in, but I heard most of his news conference and he said the union and the owners worked hard but did not get an agreement…. but they certainly tried. Someone asked him if it was the best and final offer and he said ” I would never characterize it like that, There is always more negotiation. The owners are ready to go back to the bargaining table as soon as tomorrow. ”
Now, I did hear the media say what you reported, but Manfred said the opposite when I listened with my own two ears.
I believe he specifically said they were not at an impasse.
Excellent comments today, gentlemen. Some astute takes on the absurdaty of these negociations.
Patch, I especially liked your comments like “In the grand scheme of things, the minimum salary argument, to use one example, is stupid. $650k vs. $750k/year means nothing. It’s just a number. Either way, it’s an insane amount of money for a 24 year old kid with a high school education. But, an issue like this will likely derail the season because one side has to “win.”
Mark, on a couple of occassions lately you have made a statement about the lack of revenue sharing; “Until they get some kind of revenue sharing, some teams cannot play that game. The haves can. The have not’s can’t!” Now I’m plucking this out of context perhaps but I thought there IS revenue sharing in MLB.
Teams presently contribute 48 percent of all local revenues, including gate receipts, local TV revenue, concessions, parking, sponsorships, etc, and the funds are then divided equally among all 30 teams. Teams receive more than $110 million through revenue sharing. So, I’m confused about your revenue sharing comments.
If the point is it behooves “have nots” to tank and to not spend it’s share of revenue on players, than I agree that’s a problem with an easy remedy. The CBT has a minimum of 100 million to a max of 220 million for salaries, with annual increases. Luxury Tax but no draft picks forfeited until $235 million and a 1st rounder forfeited at $255. There’s no reason why the 5 small market teams who get more than 110 million in revenue sharing shouldn’t have a 100 million required for player salaries (with a draft lottery to avoid tanking).
And I’m still dumbfounded over the Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool idea. I can’t believe the League has agreed to any bonus pool let alone 30 million. And the Union wants 100 million.
So let me get this straight. A “reasonable” minimum MLB salary might land at $700,000 a year using round numbers with yearly increments built in. For the 1st 3 years in the bigs, a players has to scrape by on 2.1 million plus. He’s then eligible for arbitration.
But wait! This really isn’t a minimum salary afterall. The players want another 100 million paid out to 150 players based on some voo-doo performance criteria and awards earned. So, 150 guys would make the $700K minimum PLUS another $666,000 (the 100 million pool split equally). So the minimum salary average for 150 guys could be close to $1.4 million. Now I know that bonus pool $ won’t be split equally but that’s not my point. My point is you have a minimum salary established for 3 years (or 2) but than you add to that individual portions of a 100 million dollar “slush fund” for 150 guys. To me that’s total bullshit. 2.1 million is plenty until a player gets to arbitration. And any impasse over a bonus to 150 players is more bullshit.
While I haven’t personally visited the minor league camps, the word around ny pool is that the facilities are closed to spectators wanted to watch minor league workouts. Fans were told it is a “covid concern”. I reakky hope they aren’t locking the fans out of minor league practice, as well.
Here’s a great resource. I don’t have time to deal with it now, but it is interesting:
https://www.morssglobalfinance.com/major-league-baseball-finances-what-the-numbers-tell-us/
That’s really interesting. I didn’t know how much TV revenue the Dodgers have to pay to subsidize other teams. Socialism lives in MLB! (From each according to his market size to each according to his needs. )
Thx.
Came across a breakdown of the finances of all the MLB teams.
https://www.forbes.com/mlb-valuations/list/#tab:overall
What struck me was the difference between revenue and profit/loss and the overall longer value trends of the organization. If a team’s valuation is growing at an average of a 10% annualized rate, it seems to me there’s less of an imperative to make sure you’re breaking even in gate receipts – but that doesn’t account for TV contract $$$, merchandise, etc. Most owners or ownership groups made their fortunes elsewhere, and owning a baseball team is just an investment. It doesn’t need to turn a profit. The one org that seams to be struggling as a business and an investment is are the Marlins. Maybe it was smart for Jeter to cash out.
Not sure what the solution is
Mark makes some great points. I’ve also run businesses my whole life . People who haven’t often make some wild assumptions about profitability (apparently sports writer are no exception). Margins are fickle things. If your running with a net operating margin in the high single digits or low double digits, it doesn’t take much of an issue to go into the red. Especially when a business has high fixed costs (like a stadium lease and player contracts) verses variable costs (concession costs, stadium employees, other staff). I have no doubt there were many teams who lost money last year after all of them lost money in 2020.
Frankly, if it wasn’t for the Dodgers winning in 2020, this would have been the worst two years of baseball in my lifetime. The in person experience sucked in 2021. Covid restrictions were a combination of inconvenient and illogical. I went to three Angels games last year. It was expensive as hell, the concessions had to be ordered on an App and there is nothing like a 20 year old yelling at you to pull your mask over your nose when you have your hands full of food and drinks trying to walk down to your seat. It was terrible. I only went to minor league games the rest of the season. No such issues there.
I’m sure (but can’t verify) that many teams were unprofitable last year. The stadium capacity limits likely had a massive impact on the bottom line. Yet, the players had their salaries paid in full. The players don’t seem to be willing to recognize that.
So MLB owners have had two bad years in a row. Fans have had two bad years in a row. A shortened season without fans followed by a season with a combination of higher prices and a bad stadium experience.
Baseball isn’t in a good place, even before considering the issues of declining ratings and an aging fan base.
I have been equally hard on both sides. But I believe the last offer by the owners was fair. CBT being the one area where I believe the owners should have met the players half way. But I get the feeling the players simply don’t recognize , or care, what the sport and fans have gone through the past two years and all the challenges facing the sport going forward.
I owned two restaurants going into the Great Recession. By early 2009 they were both in the red. Sales down 25%-30% almost overnight. I had to lay off staff, cut hours and make substantial changes to all aspects of the business. I thought I had a adequate reserve (I didn’t). I had to sell off personal assets to make payroll on multiple occasions. Yet, I had employees who were extremely bitter for having their hours cut. I fully understood this was having a negative effect on them. But they didn’t seem to understand or believe me when I said the business was losing money. Payroll was never late and not a single check bounced. Yet, many employees (even long time employees) felt we were jut being cheap and protecting our profit at their expense. I have a similar feeling about the MLBPA right now. They aren’t living in reality.
On a side note. Some of the personal assets I had to sell were my lifelong vintage baseball card collection. It was valued at around $50,000 around 2010. I sold it for $15,000. It was comprised of a substantial number of high grade pre-war HOF players. Foxx, Cobb, Williams, Ruth.. ect. Since 2010, prices of vintage baseball cards have gone up about 10 fold. I almost want to cry even thinking about what that collection would be worth today. I did save most of my vintage Dodger cards. But sometimes employees have no idea just how bad things are for a business and to what length owners go to deal with losses and adversity. I sold assets to pay payroll for several months. That ultimately cost me at least $250,000 – $400,000 over the next 10 years in lost value.
My sympathy has shifted towards the owners, after yesterday.
Great points, Jayne!
The 2008/2009 great recession was hard on many people, and I sympathize with your circumstances during that time. It was a rough time for a lot of us, but it is a distant memory for many now. It is striking how different the 2009 environment was compared to the current environment. Your employees were complaining about getting their hours cut, compared to today where many employers cannot find employees to work even if they double the pay.
On another front. Last year I theorized that the vaccines could possibly contribute to soft tissue injuries. I was roasted for that. Oh well. A new study may shed some light on this. It’s still early and the mainstream media is loathe to discuss this, but here is a new Swedish Study:
https://peckford42.wordpress.com/2022/03/01/pfizers-covid-19-vaccine-goes-into-liver-cells-and-is-converted-to-dna-study/
Read it carefully… I have a feeling we will be hearing more about this. We were told this was not possible.
If I try to read it carefully I get a headache. My brain hurts already from trying to separate reality from the fiction from all sides in this whole Covid mess. Did you know the largest criminal fine in history was levied against Pfizer? It was for misleading advertising and not for dangerous drugs, but it does make you ask yourself why we put so much faith in some huge drug company. I got two Pfizer jabs and I sometimes question the decision. I have some minor health issues going on and I wonder. If I had waited till now that it’s over I could’ve called myself a “pureblood.” 🙂
Dr McCullough was mentioned in the article and is one of the guests that got Rogan labeled as “disinformation.”
Is that a plus or a minus?
Neither. Just an observation. … why are you spreading disinformation? 😉
I suppose it’s a positive that we’re even able to read his opinion and assess it for ourselves. Heterodox thinking is essential, as long as you understand the underlying bias and agendas to rationally identify clear thinking.
peckford42.wordpress.com sourcing Epoch Times.
I know… it’s just one of the few places you can even read about it.
Mainstream media does not want anything to do with it.
He also has an agenda…
Of course, they all do.
Screw covid, screw Manfred and to hell with all of them.
But how do you really feel? 😉
I could write a very long essay!
Bill Madden Interview with Chris Russo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUSY-hLjzBM
Scott Boras, the richest Agent and Max Scherzer, the largest AAV this offseason blew up the deal. As Mark Pointed out, the deal was just about done, then Max came in and started yelling at everyone and squashed the deal.
MLB already conceded on raising the minimum salary which gives a huge raise to a third of all players, added a bonus pool, removed the qualifying offer and draft pick penalties, reduced additional taxes for going over the CBT and raised the CBT by $10M.
Boras is a piece of crap. Scherzer is another one. Glad he’s gone after choking at the end of last season. He’s damaged goods and the Mets will have to deal with 3 years @ over $40M for an old, injured pitcher.
“When did Max Scherzer become Samuel Gompers?”
Exactly.
I’m almost to the point of agreeing with Mark’s take that the owners should just nuke the season and use scabs.
MLB managed to survive without a season in 2020.
What would happen if MLB just voided all contracts if they refused to play? Who can wait it out longer? I would imagine it would be the players who blink first.
Remember the year they brought replacement players in? There was a deal made pretty quick after that happened. I do remember a couple of those guys who actually got some MLB time, were really given the cold shoulder by some members of the team, most notably, Brett Butler.
and the 1987 NFL season.
I plan to keep as busy as possible. I am going today to see the new version of “Death on the Nile” Maybe I can figure out some way to get rid of Manfred! This is not fun. At this time of year we all should be enjoying the smell of the grass, crack of the bat, and the sound of balls hitting catchers mitts. The MLBPA and MLB are robbing us of something we have all come to expect every spring. I am not a business man. I know nothing of the inside operations of the game. I know they make a lot of money for both the players and the owners. I know I have spent thousands over my lifetime on MLB memorabilia and gear. Plus the concessions, tickets, and parking. I should be able to expect a little continuity in return. The price of everything has soared over the last couple of years. When you look back and see how much the salaries have increased over the years it is not hard to understand why prices are so high. Star players make more in a couple of weeks than some fans make in a year. Then you go to a card show and pay them cash for their autograph. Is it so hard to sit down and negotiate a deal and think just a little about the people who are footing the bill? A guy like Scherzer, who is set for life just can’t speak for all players can he? Baseball definitely needs to improve conditions for their minor leaguers. Baseball is the only sport where the contracts are guaranteed. Someone mentioned something about a 24 year old player making 750 thou a year and it being a lot of money, way more than college graduates start at. But some of those players make a lot more than that a lot earlier. Puig was what, 21 when he signed that 40 mil plus deal. Basketball players get millions thrown at them at 19, 20 years old. It has all gotten so crazy and the fans still fork over the cash like lemmings jumping off of a cliff. I love the game, and when I was younger, I had many different favorite players. I would go out of my way to get their photos and gear. I had a Duke Snider model bat, and a Gil Hodges firstbaseman’s mitt when I was 11. The last time I really had a player I could call a favorite was Garvey. Since then, I cheer for the name on the front, not the back. I still have a collection of baseball cards, mostly Dodgers, some reprints, some originals. Cards from the 50’s are pretty expensive. But I have the entire 59 team set. And a few cards that were produced of players on that team who were not in the Topps set. Wills, Churn, Sherry, Essegian. I have well over 100 bobbleheads. I bought maybe 30 of those. A few i got at bobblehead nights. The rest came from my brother. And Mark sent me a really nice one of Ernie Lombardi. But I am through spending what little free money I have for entertainment on baseball. If they come back, and right now I am not very encouraged, I am not getting my MLB package again. I dislike that I pay that much money and still have the games with the Rockies blacked out. In Iowa, some fans cannot see games of the 6 major league teams in their viewing area. All the streaming services have increased their prices. Amazon is 139 a year, Netflix is going up to 16 bucks a month. I get four streaming services, but my sis lets me use her accounts. There are no games on local TV here since the Rockies left Root Sports and moved to Sportsnet. So I would guess I am going to spend a lot more time researching stories, fishing and playing as much music as I can. Thank you MLB and MLBPA for screwing up my entertainment schedule.
Here’s a link to an LA Times story about the use of replacement players in 1994
https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2019-08-11/mlb-1994-strike-anniversary-replacement-players-provided-comic-relief
My recollection of 1994 was that replacement players were has beens, never will be’s and guys looking for a last shot. Not up and coming minor leaguers who may feel an obligation to their big league brothers and refuse to be scabs. The animosity in 1994 for the scabs was strong and lingering. A few guys made it their opportunity to the Show but most were spurned and run off. It would be very interesting to see how many minor league players this day and age would be willing to fill big league rosters if the MLB owners decided to void contracts and move on.
Interesting stuff. If memory serves, wasn’t Tracy Woodson one of the players?
Whomever – I just posted some thoughts and a link to an old LA Times article on replacement players in 1994. And it disappeared.
Just wondering what happened?
I fixed it for you Phil
Thanks Bear. I mean the post was so awesome I didn’t want anybody to miss it!
I checked up on Tracy Woodson and his last fling was 1993. I can find no evidence he played in 94.
I did drive through CamelBack Ranch and talked with the lot guys on the White Sox side and the Dodgers Big League lot and Minor league lots. The gates are locked up tight with no spectators allowed in. Nobody knew why. Obviously, it’s not their call but they knew or had heard nothing including if spectators would be let in for MiLB games after while. That’s subject to change with no notice.
The guy at the Big League lot confirmed that while there were cars there, there were no MLB players on site.
I really can’t figure out why spectators would not be welcomed in the watch the prospects? To me, just another box checked of the long checklist of things don’t understand about how MLB handles most everything.
Maybe Butler was just against them per se and was ranting. From the list I checked on the internet, no replacement player made the Dodger roster. Getting old and memory is not what it once was.
I seem to recall that Matt Herges was a replacement player and because of that they wouldn’t let him join the Union when he eventually made it to the Big Leagues. I’ll have to check on that but I’m pretty sure that happenned and that there were other players not allowed in the MLBPA because they crossed the picket line in the mid 90s.
I would joyfully give up watching or attending baseball games in 2022
if Russia would get out of Ukraine.
We complain about the greed of owners and players because it effects us, fans.
How about we take a breath, pause and think about the reality of the freedoms we do have, freedoms only heard of by others around the world.
I think Putin is of more concern right now than Manfred and the Ukrainian people of more concern than a 2022 season.
Dump this if it falls under forbidden political commentary
but seems a bit self centered to be so self centered
Baseball is a release from the everyday troubles of the world. I doubt there is a poster here who does not know what is going on. Reminding them of it is redundant. The Ukraine is a long way from LA.
“I would joyfully give up watching or attending baseball games in 2022
if Russia would get out of Ukraine.”
So would I, but I don’t think Putin cares too much about baseball so I don’t think that’s much of geopolitical gambit. So we argue about baseball.
Completely disagree.
Sports should be the one constant regardless of what is going on in our country and in the world. War, recession, pandemics, personal difficulties; baseball was always there (less most of 2020).
It’s why I was sympathetic to many who took issue with pro sports taking up so much politics in 2020. For me it wasn’t about anybody’s personal opinion. Sports should be the one place where none of that matters. The war in Ukraine is getting non stop, 24 hour coverage from every media organization. God forbid people want a brief reprieve from the, often, depressing realities we find ourselves in. The one place where the discussion and debate should be frivolous. With no worldwide consequences. Just entertainment.
I would joyfully give up watching or attending baseball games in 2022
if Russia would get out of Ukraine.
We complain about the greed of owners and players because it effects us, fans.
How about we take a breath, pause and think about the reality of the freedoms we do have, freedoms only heard of by others around the world.
I think Putin is of more concern right now than Manfred and the Ukrainian people of more concern than a 2022 season.
Dump this if it falls under forbidden political commentary
but it just seems a bit self centered to be so fixated on our own personal pleasure and displeasure,
GOT IT!
Don’t really need to be reminded though how MLB and MLBPS is robbing you of something you expect.
I get that too.
Fangraphs on how far apart the two sides are:
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/just-how-far-apart-are-the-league-and-the-mlbpa
I think 33% of players are overpaid.
I think ticket prices are too high.
I think food prices at ballparks are too high.
I think adults should get a beer ticket when they enter the gates that entitles them to a $5 beer before the start of the 2nd inning and let beer prices remain remain high without a ticket and after the start of the second inning.
I think parking is too high.
I think baseball caps sold at stadiums should not exceed $10.
I think time between innings are twice as long as they should be.
I think there are 10 franchises/owners that are preventing baseball from being played and should be called out.
You think all the prices are too high and you’re blaming the owners for no baseball? If they increase costs, how’s the price going to go down?
Where did I increase costs?
I read somewhere, I believe it was in The Athletic, that Minor League games have been closed to spectators because of the upcoming Rule 5 draft. Apparently teams don’t want scouts from rival clubs to see the “progress” prospects have made over the winter. They’re worried that “unprotected” prospects might be poached by another club. Since scouts and fans can’t be distinguished from one another, apparently, fans get screwed. Interesting theory.