The Good and the Ugly of Baseball 2020

Sometimes I really hate Major League Baseball and would be much happier sticking to my Second Chance League.

Will There Be Baseball In 2020?

If this question is really about whether there will be a Major League Baseball season in 2020, the answer is probably…yes. What it will look like is anyone’s guess and at this point I’m not holding my breath for anything even close to half a season.

Here’s the latest from the Major League Players Association:

Players want to play. It’s who we are and what we do. Since March, the Association has made it clear that our No.1 focus is playing the fullest season possible, as soon as possible, as safely as possible. Players agreed to billions in monetary concessions as a means to that end, and in the face of repeated media leaks and misdirection we made additional proposals to inject new revenues into the industry — proposals that would benefit the owners, players, broadcast partners, and fans alike.

“It’s now become apparent that these efforts have fallen upon deaf ears. In recent days, owners have decried the supposed unprofitability of owning a baseball team and the Commissioner has repeatedly threatened to schedule a dramatically shortened season unless players agree to hundreds of millions in further concessions. Our response has been consistent that such concessions are unwarranted, would be fundamentally unfair to players, and that our sport deserves the fullest 2020 season possible. These remain our positions today, particularly in light of new reports regarding MLB’s national television rights — information we requested from the league weeks ago but were never provided.

As a result, it unfortunately appears that further dialogue with the league would be futile. It’s time to get back to work. Tell us when and where.

Obviously the players are not interested in working with the owners on a 2020 season so I don’t hold much hope there.

Here is the latest from the owners:

We are disappointed that the MLBPA has chosen not to negotiate in good faith over resumption of play after MLB has made three successive proposals that would provide players, Clubs and our fans with an amicable resolution to a very difficult situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The MLBPA understands that the agreement reached on March 26th was premised on the parties’ mutual understanding that the players would be paid their full salaries only if play resumed in front of fans, and that another negotiation was to take place if Clubs could not generate the billions of dollars of ticket revenue required to pay players. The MLBPA’s position that players are entitled to virtually all the revenue from a 2020 season played without fans is not fair to the thousands of other baseball employees that Clubs and our office are supporting financially during this very difficult 2020 season. We will evaluate the Union’s refusal to adhere to the terms of the March Agreement, and after consulting with ownership, determine the best course to bring baseball back to our fans.

Obviously the owners are not interested in working with the players on a 2020 season so I don’t hold out much hope there.

It’s really sad to see that the game that used to be the national pastime has fallen so far that players and owners can’t figure out how to split billions of dollars in revenue. It’s truly sad that the children choose to bicker and squabble and expect the fans to just flock back when they decide it’s time to start taking their money again.

I say – screw the owners, screw the players – let them do whatever they want – if they are not playing baseball, they are NOTHING.

Neither side deserves ANY MONEY in this endeavor unless they are playing the game and I am ashamed that I want them to start playing again.

Second Change League Continues

In the meantime, I am continuing my own league. The Second Change League is going to continue and play out an entire 162 game 2020 season with full playoffs and enjoyment. I will not allow the idiot players or the idiot owners to ruin MY fun in the game of baseball.

Do the babies who claim to be professionals recognize that they are fighting over how to split BILLIONS of dollars when so many MILLIONS of people have lost their jobs?

Do these idiots realize that they are fighting over getting paid $20 million for the year instead of $25 million when there are MILLIONS of people who are just trying to keep a roof over their head and food in their children’s mouths?

I am truly saddened by the state of Major League Baseball and the fools who have been granted the privilege of playing a game for a living.

It’s a Wrap

Oh well, I guess I needed to rant about these idiots and get it out of my system. I will still use their names and likenesses when I report on my games in the Second Chance League. I will still hope that they get their collective heads out of their asses and start PLAYING a game they get paid MILLIONS of dollars to play.

For the Players union to say they want to play and then hear them fighting over how much compensation they should be getting to PLAY their game – or to BE WHO THEY ARE – I think the bottom line is they are LIARS. They are GREED – they are not BASEBALL PLAYERS because baseball players PLAY BASEBALL.

For the Owners, they’ve already made their bed by laying off so many of the support personnel that the teams employ every year. They’ve already cut salaries of minor league players and they don’t seem to be interested in helping any of the concessionaires or ticket vendors or minor league announcers.

I’d just be as happy playing my Out of the Park Baseball than paying any of these fools and idiots to PLAY A GAME!

Ramble 2020.02.39 | The Good and the Ugly of Baseball 2020