Are MLB Owners Short Sighted?

This article has 61 Comments

1. Great job, Jeff!

   I wonder what the COVID-19 impact will be on franchise values going forward. I think it will dramatically impact it.

   There are 6+ owners who should be forced to sell.

   1. Admittedly this was more analytical than I would have hoped. What do you expect, I am a bean-counter. But unless you know what the additional cost may be with additional games, the arguments are just rhetorical. There is no way that MLB franchises cannot abosrb an additional $8.666MM for ten games (on average). It is not that they can’t, it is that they won’t.

      1. The 8.6 mill isn’t all that those teams are losing though, it’s an additional loss added to what they lose in the first 60 games. But I agree there should be a way for teams to generate some additional revenue via expanded playoffs, commercial advertising rates, team profit sharing and ?

         1. The additional tv revenue, and product placement ads should be enough to limp through the season.

         2. Agreed the $8.6MM is not all of the owner losses, which will be significant this year. It is strictly the aditional salary cost on a prorated basis over 10 games.

2. That is a great piece Jeff, clearly setting things out.

   I still think a much shorter season gives those small market teams a much better chance of winning, if that’s what they want to do?

3. William posted this late yesterday:

   “How can they be so foolish and selfish? They will never control this unless and until there is a very effective vaccine, and then it has to be distributed. Maybe this will happen by next year, but if it does not, we will be no better off than now.“

   He went on about baseball, then the thread was slammed shut. This morning I read that many regions, including the one I live in, have spiking numbers and with that knowledge people are walking around maskless, even eating at restaurants and attending rallies as if all was well.

   All is not well. And whether baseball is played or not played this summer should be the least of our priorities now. We can talk about survival rates, and minimize them because it’s only the old, mostly minorities and otherwise weak, but it does not change the reality that people world wide are getting deathly ill from this virus and our leaders have not and are not taking this seriously. For our leaders, and the Uber wealthy they represent, it’s only about the economy. Well it’s my opinion we can walk and chew gum at the same time.

   It’s also my opinion that baseball should show some respect, shut it down for the year, and join the fight to conquer this disease. We need to come together, develop a vaccine (and no, it’s not gonna happen in a month) and save as many lives as we can by pooling our resources. We are the United States. If we are, as many of you say we are, the greatest nation in the world we need to step up and lead. So far all we have done is show the world how not to do it.

   I’ll join William and be the first to say it here – wait til next year.

4. How does baseball shutting down and joining the fight to conquer this disease help? What does that mean. Every pharma company on earth is on hyper drive to develop a vaccine. Shutting baseball down doesn’t affect that. We can’t just shut the world down until a vaccine is developed. The ramifications of that is far more devastating than Covid

5. The cases are spiking up, but the other part is that deaths are spiking down. Way down. That’s the part they don’t report.

   1. Huh?

      Not according to the WHO

      https://covid19.who.int/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlOmJg-GV6gIVhsDACh0Z6Q8pEAAYASAAEgI43vD_BwE

      Notice the graph on the left. New cases, confirmed cases, deaths. All are trending up.

      Cassidy. Easy. If you don’t have to go out, stay at home. If you do have to go out, wear a mask. There will be no vaccine until 2021. I see no value in opening stadiums across the nation. But, that said, I am not blind to what is going on out there. I’m observing our response, I’m listening to what others are saying, I’m watching behaviors. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. I also don’t expect the numbers to go down. If baseball is played in empty stadiums as virus numbers continue to spike, yes, I’ll watch the Dodgers. Why? Because I’m a fan.

      1. On Sunday a major positive milestone was reached for the first time, coronavirus deaths declined by 90% in this country from the high set on April 21st. That’s an incredibly positive story about our national battle with the virus. Yet, shockingly, it has received almost no media attention.

         That’s indefensible because this is not complicated data to track down. You can see it yourself on this chart here, on April 21st 2,693 people died of the coronavirus.
         https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1274888329352355842/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1274888329352355842&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foutkick.com%2Fmedia-ignores-90-coronavirus-death-collapse-in-country%2F

         1. Nationwide (and globally) deaths are down. Unfortunately some states are seeing an uptick (Texas). Hopefully this is an anomaly (not clear to me what would be a good sample size for meaningful statistics), but with 20 some odd states seeing an increase in cases I’m not sure this will hold. Guess we will see over time.

            1. Perspective

               CDC:

               “Key Updates for Week 24, ending June 13, 2020

               Nationally, levels of influenza-like illness (ILI) and COVID-19-like illness (CLI) remain lower than peaks seen in March and April but are increasing slightly in some regions. The percentage of specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, also increased slightly from last week in some regions. Mortality attributed to COVID-19 decreased compared to last week but remains elevated above baseline and may increase as additional death certificates are processed.“

               Compared to how fast they were escalating 2 months ago is not relevant. The numbers are going UP

6. Well done Jeff! As with most negotiations, there is more at “play” than just what we read in the newspaper(does anybody do that anymore?) or online. To be successful, each side has to define and stay focused on its BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement). Often though, one of the parties chooses to settle for their WATNA (Worst Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement).

7. A couple of thoughts:
   1 – I find it interesting how easy it is to spend other peoples’ money. Sure – the owners should just “eat” the losses – they’re rich anyway and everyone knows that it’s OK to hate the rich.
   2 – The 10 game difference between the owners and players – according to AC , it’s a quarter-billion in salaries alone.
   3 – According to MLB, the loss in revenue from having no players in the stands is $640K per each game played. Multiply times 15 and you’re up to $9.6MM. For ten games played by all 30 teams, it’s $96MM.
   4 – The way that baseball owners make money from baseball is from the sale of their franchises. Andy McCullough of The Athletic quoted Scott Boras as saying ““The ownership valuations are the foundation of the game,” Boras said. “And the ownership valuations are all good because teams are not for sale. And the reason they’re not for sale is that when you play the full seasons, apart from these interruptions, the reality of it is that this is a very, very successful business. My God, they’re making almost $175 million a year in appreciation for each franchise.”.
   5 – So it’s a profit on paper – you make the money when you sell the team. In the meantime, what’s a billionaire to do?
   6 – So the owners are the caretakers of The National Pasttime. And they do owe the game and the paying fans a duty to leave the game in better condition then they found it. How much money does this responsibility mean that they should lose? Is a billion enough? More?
   7 – And who says that you (or I) should be the one to decide how much money that the owners have a duty to lose to fulfill their responsibility to the game?

   1. “The Owners should just eat the losses” – Well…Yes. It is their investment. They do not seem to have a problem asking the players to participate in that loss, asking them to take less than what was agreed to…full prorated salary over the number of games played. The players do not come back and demand a greater share of the revenue when teams make money, and the owners are certainly not offering. It seems to be a one way street with the owners. When the owners make a profit it is theirs, when they lose, the players have to participate in that loss (or the other owners).

      I absolutely agree that the owners will profit once they sell. I hated the way the McCourts ran the Dodgers into bankruptcy, but I do not begrudge Frank for making a huge profit from his sale. That is what he was supposed to do. But while they are operating their team, owners need to assume the losses as well as enjoy the profits.

      The owners had already agreed to full prorated salaries over a 60 game schedule, and were willing to accept the loss. The players asked for 70 games. It is doubtful (improbable) that the calendar will allow MLB to assume any more than 70 games. The MLBPA gave the owners the right to set the schedule, and the owners have stated NO MORE than 60 games. And we will know today if MLBPA accepts a 60 game schedule. I recognize that the losses are significant, but my contention was to try to break down the additional salary costs incurred for those additional 10 games. If an owner assumes the responsibility of the operations, then they need to accept the losses if the ownership group votes to play a certain number of games. The owners can choose to stand on 60 games. I just want to voice the question…Can not Pittsburgh afford to sustain an additional $3.47MM in salaries? Baltimore – $3.93MM? Miami – $4.46MM? Seems incredulous that they cannot sustain those additional salaries, but if not, then the rest of the oligarchy needs to step and absorb those costs. If 22 of the 30 teams wanted to expand the schedule to 70 games, they would not be allowed to. In this case. all it takes is 8 teams to dictate Baseball policy. That doesn’t seem fair, but the owners knew what they were getting into when they bought the team.

      The revenue challenged teams also have zero problem with tapping into revenue sharing. Those funds are supposed to go to increased salaries to enhance competition, and yet most of those teams ignore that part of the equation. Owners like Bob Nutting and Peter Angelos are taking the revenue sharing funds and sticking it into their pockets and not re-investing as should be required.

      “So it’s a profit on paper – you make the money when you sell the team. In the meantime, what’s a billionaire to do?” IMO – Operate the team in a fiscally responsible manner and one that enhances competition amongst all 30 teams. If the owner cannot make an operating profit, then they need to sell and enjoy their Capital Gain on Sale. Mark made a comment above…” I wonder what the COVID-19 impact will be on franchise values going forward. I think it will dramatically impact it.” This year will have an impact on the appraised value of a baseball franchise, but how much I do not know. This year is an anomaly, and values are generally determined as to how buyers view future net operating income, real estate value escalations, and brand recognition. I doubt the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Giants, and Cubs will have that much of a negative impact (if any). I am looking forward to seeing how Forbes will value the franchises come next April.

      To the owners – if you do not like it…open up your books and show everyone what losses you are incurring.

      1. MLB teams are willing to assume a certain amount of loss. They are not required to assume more.

         The players have a contract, but it assumes that MLB will play a full season. In front of fans. The players can demand full value of their contracts. If the teams play 60 games or 162, the contract doesn’t distinguish – they can demand payment for 162 games regardless of the number of games played. They have negotiated a pro-rata reduction.

         I taught a labor law class for 3 years. This was back in the ’80s, when American businesses were being “overtaken” by Japanese businesses and were being encouraged to be “more like the Japanese”. (Japan, like China today, was much more a mercantile economy, and everything crashed 20 years later.)

         The average American auto worker made 3 1/2 times what the average Japanese auto worker made. The increased labor costs were baked into collective bargaining agreements and passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices or lower quality cars (more the latter than the former). Tariffs were enacted to try to bring the prices of Japanese vehicles closer to the cost of American vehicles.

         The American auto industry never recovered. The UAW and other unions didn’t want to reduce their wages and benefits to allow American business to compete with Japanese and so the quality of the Japanese car outpaced their American counterparts. The sales of American cars plummeted and brands like Pontiac, Plymouth and Mercury no longer exist. The Japanese opened plants in the US but these are largely non-union, allowing them to continue to make higher quality cars at lower costs. American unions killed the goose that laid the golden egg.

         The players can kill the goose that laid the golden egg if they choose. After all, the owners are all billionaires. They should just spend more – who cares if they loose money? The owners “owe” baseball after all.

         The one thing that I agree on totally – most of the teams that receive “revenue sharing” money don’t seem to spend it on player salaries. So-called “small market” teams don’t really necessarily play in small markets at all. The Miami metro area has a population of over 6 million and is the 7th largest in the nation. They are “small market” because people don’t attend their games. They should be called small revenue teams, not small market teams. So contract them out of existence or get someone in there who can run a baseball team.

         The Yankees had revenues of $683 MM in 2019 – the Marlins $222MM. (dead last by the way) There is no reason for this.

         According to Baseball Reference.com, in MLB all teams receive 48% of combined local revenues ($118MM per team in 2018) plus a percentage of national revenues ((an additional $91 MM per team). So a team like the Marlins received over $200 MM in revenue sharing. Per William Juliano, “After applying refunds and reallocating forfeited amounts, the end result is a net payment into or distribution from the revenue sharing plan. Even though the percentage of total local revenue transferred ends up being quite small (about 6%), there are big impacts at the margins. The Yankees end up chipping in nearly 20% of their gross local revenue (using Forbes’ 2018 estimate of $712 million), while teams like the Marlins and Rays increase their local take by over 50%.”

         Yet, teams like the Marlins, Pirates, Rays, et al seem to spend almost nothing in salaries and so where does the money go? In an article in Baseball America.com in 2/18, JJ Cooper notes that with caps on salaries for draftees and international free agents, it’s not like the low revenue teams can spend the money on other things – they almost have to spend on the major league roster – but they don’t.

         So low revenue teams make a profit off of the teams that try to win. Totally wrong.

8. I am not sure what Badger meant by “then the thread was slammed shut”. However, for clarification, the comments are closed on any previous post when there is a new story published. This is consistent with the way that Mark administered the site. William’s post was posted at 8:49PM (PT) and the new article was published at aorund 5:00AM (PT). That is 8+ hours.

   Also for clarification, not one person’s post has been censored. Not one word. As happened with Mark, there seems to be a glitch in the software whereby some posts are waiting for approval. I do not live on the computer, so sometimes it may stay unapproved for a bit until I can approve it. But they are always approved.

   In addition, no one has been banned, and no one has even been considered.

9. MLBPA is voting today. Personally, I am not at all encouraged by this. To me, this is a wasted year. I see all those billions being made, and I just will no longer contribute to it. I made my mind up about this last week. A couple of days in the mountains made my decision even stronger. I can no longer support either side. It might be a one man protest, but they have made enough money off of me over the years, and none of them have any regard for the fans, so they can all go piss up a rope.

   1. How was the fishing? I hope it was relaxing.

      1. Very relaxing. And totally peaceful. Best stress reliever in the world. Communing with nature. Seeing animals in their natural habitat. Saw an eagle while I was up there. Soaring over the lake, then he plunged down and caught a fish. Nature at it’s best. The lake I go to is small, but it is rarely crowded. There were maybe 10 people that I could see. The other day, our keyboard player, Patti, took a video of a small black bear in her backyard. They like to come and eat off of her fruit trees. Deer come into her yard a lot too. Something people in big cities do not get to experience. We have had an albino deer roaming around town for the last couple of years. I remember seeing it when it was still a fawn. Grown up now, and spouting it’s antlers. Beautiful sight. Pristine lakes, no trash on the highway, a respect for the environment you do not see in other places. The Arkansas River runs pretty much right through the town. There is a river walk where people walk their pets, and bicycle along the river. There are 4 lakes in my vicinity, all within a 50 mile drive. 11 mile, DeWeese Reservoir, Isabel, and Brush Hollow. Pueblo Reservoir is close too. Plus fishing on the river. A little north west of here are 4 more lakes. Little longer drive, but just as nice and peaceful. Now you know why I retired to such a small community.

10. Great information Jeff. You are doing a great job keeping this site alive with amazing content.

    It seems to me that for some reason many of the owners of baseball teams are all about the business part of the sport while the owners of NFL and NBA teams are more about winning championships. The valuations of NBA and NFL teams are also going thru the roof but you don’t see their owners being the penny pinchers that MLB owners appear to be.

    I personally think that the MLB has too many owners who are billionaires only because of their franchise values and who are perfectly happy pulling out $10 or $20 million from their team per year for “living expenses” – all the while being totally content with a mediocre team. That doesn’t sound like a steward of the sport.

    1. NBA and NFL have salary caps. Salary’s are not guaranteed either. So they can sign guys and then pull the plug if they do not perform. Winning Championships? Tell that to Cleveland, Cincinnati, the Jets, and most of the other teams. Getting to the Super Bowl is what they want, but doing that is something else. Baseball players have the strongest union in sports.

11. Bob Nightengale
    @BNightengale
    Everything appears to be coming to a head today: #MLB and the #MLBPA are trying to see if they can reach a last-minute agreement on a 60-game season this afternoon or Commissioner Rob Manfred will implement a 54-60 game season.

    1. At this point Bobby, I am hoping they just cancel the whole thing and quit stretching this out and irritating the fans even more.

       1. haha. i’m desperate. i’ll take a 3 game season and a 30 team playoff. just give me some sports

          1. I totally understand my friend. I was really into spring training. I watched every game that was televised. I was really liking a couple of the kids who were there in spring with the Dodgers, McKinstrey and Thomas. Saw Mookie play a few games. Pollock was still having a lot of problems making contact. But there were some bright spots. Graterol looked unhittable. Price was pitching well. Then they shut it all down. Now, after all of these months and having to do other things, it was sort of a flashback to the end of 94 and into 95 when we had no baseball for close to 9 months. Made do doing other things then. I love the game, always have since the first time I hit a ball hard when I was a kid. All those years living in LA, waiting for the season to start. Going to almost 20 games every year. Sitting in the pavillion, which cost only 2.50 as long as the O’Malley’s owned the team. Sometimes splurging and sitting in the box seats at field level or the loge, which I really loved. First game ever was at the coliseum way down the right field line. Players looked like ants. Kind of like sitting up in General admission at Dodger Stadium now. I listened to Vinny every night when I was a kid. Transistor radio under the covers. Heard him call Sandy’s first 18 K game against the Giants. We went to about 6 games a year when I was living at the home in Highland Park. Got free tickets. Never great seats at the coliseum, but at least we were there. Bought a photo pack every year. The were only 50 cents. Had yearbooks from all those years and a few programs, which were a quarter. Once in a while, I would buy and 8X10 color photo. Had Big D, Sandy, Willie Davis. I was in love with the game. Collected cards. The jersey’s back in those days were not like what you can get today. My mom got me a Dodger uni for my 11th birthday. You could get the whole thing like a Halloween costume for about 10 bucks. Now I have 7 jerseys hanging in my closet. Robinson, Koufax, Bellinger, Gibson, Gonzalez, Seager, and Kershaw. I also have an old Brooklyn jersey that is wool. # 7. So even though I want to see baseball, I am not too happy with either side, and I feel that if Manfred implements a season if no agreement is reached, that the negotiations on the next CBA are going to be a real cat fight.

             1. When were you living in Highland Park?
                Did you go to school there? In 1958 I was attending Buchanan Elementary and went to Luther Burbank Jr. Hi in 1959.

       2. I’m with Bobby, Bear. I’ll take whatever I can get.
          You just want to cancel the season because it’s going to interfere with your fishing. 🙂

          1. I can fish if they play or not. Nothing interferes if I want to go to the lake. Besides, I fish during the day, not at night when the games are on.

12. I’m with you Bobby – I’m sitting here now watching Man City demolishing Burnley – there’s no fans, but they are pumping crowd noise Into the stadium and it’s certainly better than nothing.

    Everyone is watching, because there’s nothing else sports wise to watch.
    I’m actually quite enjoying it.

    I think a shorter season would actually be very exciting because every game would become meaningful.

    Really hope it happens.

    1. One way or another, they will play Watford. Manfred can make that happen without the players union agreeing to anything. Just how they will do it is the question.

       1. Glad to hear that Michael.

          Will be great when it all actually happens.

          Glad the fishing was good.

    2. Man City looks fantastic today!

       1. They are awesome when in full flight.

          Your lot are getting better.

13. Spokane Bob, I went to live at Hathaway home for children on Ave 66 in June of 1958, I lived there until I was placed in a foster home in May of 1962. I was coming up on 14 years old, and they had a limit where no kid there could be over 14. I went to San Pasqual Avenue elementary school, and then to Luther Burbank Jr High for almost 2 years. Mr.Lingua was my homeroom teacher. He had also been a minor league ballplayer in the Red Sox system in the 40’s. A lefty hitting first baseman. He used to give me his copies of the Sporting News every week when he was through with them. You were a year ahead of me. When I got to my new home in Redondo Beach I graduated Jr High there and went to Mira Costa in Manhattan Beach for my high school.

14. 33-5 – Players vote NO!

15. When do we get to vote?!!!!!

    1. much like with California in general elections, our vote doesn’t mean squat

       1. Minority Rule Bobby. It’s just fact.

          The only vote we have with the baseball thing would be to disengage. Once they start playing, fans will pay up.

16. Bob Nightengale reporting MLB season will be 60 games, starting the weekend of July 24-26.
    Spring Training starts July 1st.

    1. It’s tiiiiiiiiiiimee…….for Dodger baseball?

       1. It’s ALMOST time for Dodger baseball.
          Don’t count your balls and strikes until they’re hatched.

17. The best face $aving(s) move now for the owners might be to wait for the first major Covid outbreak in spring training or the season and then in an effort to protect the players cancel the season. Seems like that would be a good defense against the player’s grievance which is sure to come.

    1. Interesting call John.

18. In case you are interested, you can go here and see cases and death trends for every state.

    There are wild variations:

    https://www.google.com/search?q=vcovid-19+by+state&rlz=1C1GCEU_enUS860US860&oq=vcovid-19+by+state&aqs=chrome..69i57.5391j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

    1. That CDC site is one I look at everyday.

19. 3 spring trainings the charm.

20. The Covid-19 Deaths have been the lowest since March 1 the last two days.

    There are more cases, but fewer deaths. Some conclude that the virus has mutated to a weaker version. Others say that larger amounts of young people are infected.

    The death trail will tell the story over the next two weeks.

21. From The Athletic:

    “It’s absolute death for this industry to keep acting as it has been. Both sides,” Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer wrote on Twitter. “We’re driving the bus straight off a cliff. How is this good for anyone involved? Covid 19 already presented a lose lose lose situation and we’ve somehow found a way to make it worse. Incredible.”

    MLB noted in its statement Monday “significant benefits” that players passed on by voting to turn down the 60-game offer, including a guaranteed playoff pool of $25 million in 2020. Players now are to be paid in the postseason as they are in normal seasons, by a percentage of the gate. And it is unclear whether fans will be allowed in parks by then.

    The league’s offer also included $33 million in salary forgiveness and other enticements to the players. A $170 million advance paid to players over April and May counts against any 2020 earnings if games are actually played, but the proposal would have allowed players to keep some of the money, which MLB said “would increase the take-home pay of 61 percent of Major League players.”

    1. Bauer is a total loose canon but I love that he’s willing to put his opinion out there on any baseball-related subject. I happen to think he’s good for baseball because he doesn’t wait to hear what the union’s position is and then repeat it every time he’s asked. He does his own thinking and then forms his own opinion.

       Yes, his personality rubs a lot of people the wrong way, but I’m willing to put up with that. Did a podcast with Strip recently. Well worth a listen.

22. Then there is this:

    (CNN) – A new study suggests that as many as 8.7 million Americans came down with coronavirus in March, but more than 80% of them were never diagnosed.

    1. No surprise there. This gets back to the point of percent death rate as compared to the total US population. You previously said the current 5,2% value was silly. It’s not silly It points out two facts. The first is there is an undercount in total cases. The other is how badly we are handling the virus compared to the rest of the world.

       The European Union is averaging 4,000 cases per day right now. The US, 27,000. This dispute similar populations.

       Meanwhile Florida could become the next epicenter;

       The [Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation] model, which has been highlighted by White House officials, now projects Florida could see 54,000 new daily COVID-19 infections and 438 daily deaths come October.

23. Good write-up Jeff, very thorough. While it may be team valuations that are the foundation of MLB ownership, it is probably cash flow that is far more important. I’m really tired of the ownership/players issue and the battle over money. The country really needs baseball now and the dance is all about money. I’ve already rolled my season ticket money into 2021, but that’s probably where it ends. One more year and I walk as a season ticket holder.

    I can watch games on TV and if they have a future work stoppage, I’ll move on. Flying the plane into the side of the mountain doesn’t seem like a good idea, but both the owners and players seem intent on proving some self destructive point.

    Hey, if they don’t care about the fans, why should the fans care about them or the game?

    1. They are where they are because fans care as much as they do. We’ve always been there for them. Through the strikes, the shutdowns, the steroids, the recent cheating scandals. We will be there for them through the recent horses ass behavior from both sides AND through the coronavirus. Even if they open the stadiums prematurely this year, maskless baseball fans will fill them. Recent public displays have proven that.

       We are 5% of the world’s population and we own 20% of the world’s coronavirus cases. We’ve bungled this from the beginning. I see no reason why that will change any time soon.

       If the games are played, I’ll join the millions of baseball junkies in turning my tv to the Dodger channel. I won’t be going to any games. I actually stopped attending games 3 years ago.

24. Ken Rosenthal:

    In the end, we were left with owners who wouldn’t kick in an average of just over $4 million per club to play 65 games instead of 60, and players who for all their newfound unity could have ended up better off in any number of ways by striking a deal. The league’s implementation of a schedule only figures to drive the parties further apart, and more bad will is the last thing this sport needs.

    The timing of this dispute, though, is what people will remember most. The bitter email exchanges and tone-deaf public remarks came at a moment when the country was facing not only acute medical and economic concerns, but also in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, conducting an extraordinary conversation about who we are.

    Everyone on both sides should look in the mirror and decide: Do you like what you see?

    1. Rosenthal makes good points. But Rosenthal works for a living and speaks to millions of baseball fans who also work for a living. Nobody on either side of this argument in the Major Leagues actually work for a living. And it seems obvious to me that they spend A LOT of time looking in the mirror and when doing so they are just admiring themselves. These people don’t give a flying flock what fans think. Isn’t that obvious?

25. Both sides followed The Fart Of The Deal.

26. Players have to respond by 5 EST today. Enough of the doom and gloom. If they are going to play, play. Pollock said he might not play because of health concerns about a month ago. Not sure if he has changed his mind. A couple of people on twitter wondered if the Dodgers would take a chance and sign Puig for this shortened season as a replacement. I doubt it. That ship has sailed.

    1. I tend to agree with that, but then….

       if someone could just get him to FOCUS for 60 games!

       1. There in lies the rub. I think the guy really wants to play ball. And he knows he has to perform to a higher level than he has over the course of his career. But he is still a young man, 29 years old. Not like the guy is on his last legs or anything like that. For all his peccadillo’s, Puig is still one of the more exciting ball players to come along in years. Yeah, he misses the cutoff man, and his antics can get tiresome. But when that boy puts his mind to it, he can flat out play some baseball.

Comments are closed.