Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
Labor Negotiation News
For five glorious minutes, we were allowed to believe that Jon Heyman had delivered us to the promised land, the land of baseball. Then Ken Rosenthal and Jeff Passan came in and made us realize that we had seen what was not in Heyman’s tweets and leapt to conclusions. And here we are once again.
The warring parties are once again acting like they might be able to make a deal. This time the starting basis is 60 games with prorated pay and expanded playoffs, although that still could change. It also includes two years of universal designated hitters. Rob Manfred and Tony Clark basically had a meeting but the MLBPA says that doesn’t mean there is an agreement. Here is the punctuation mark from the MLBPA. So they can’t even agree on whether they agreed on anything, since the Commissioner’s Statement says they agreed on a framework that could lead to an agreement. If they can work this out, though, spring training version 2.0 could begin June 29.
COVID-19 News
Dr. Fauci rains on the post season parade, though it remains to be seen whether we will ever get that far anyway.
Minor League Baseball News
The MLB Players Trust is donating $1 million to help minor league players survive the coronavirus pandemic. Some teams are offering 2021 deals to incoming amateur players both drafted and undrafted. This is apparently intended to add a year of team control.
Reading many glowing reports about the Angel’s selection of Werner Blakely in the 4th Rd, however the big problem is the way Arte gutted and hollowed out the scouting and player development department. He or somebody like him would’ve been great during Jered Weaver’s time, but not now with our atrophied organization and 4 straight losing seasons under the Dark Ages of Billy Eppler.
Ads?
Hey, MLB and MLBPA, I have an idea! How’s about, instead of trying to actually be “America’s Game” (A title you haven’t actually held since the 90s) and making a glorious July 4th comeback that captures the sole attention of a nation starved for ANYTHING positive and fun to watch while cementing your place in the hearts and minds of millions of new fans, why not hiss and bitch at each other like a couple over ripe homecoming princesses at a 20 year reunion over whose huge pile of money isn’t huge enough until no one gives a shit if you ever play again?
All you have to do is keep your dicks tightly knotted together and continue tugging for another couple of weeks. That way your Spring Training will end right when the NBA play offs start and we can all watch really exciting basketball games instead of your weak ass, rusty, empty stadium shit. After the NBA finals you can have your two weeks in the sun. Then the NFL will kick off and we’ll all have the sport America actually can’t live without back and you can limp through your ice encrusted commercial break bloated Glaxo flipper baby of a November World Series while no one cares. Then throw some lube on the cactus and finish us off with a labor dispute next year.
By then I will have learned Hockey and taken up a new hobby or two and I can stick you in the dark closet of my past loves that I now totally ignore next to college basketball and Death Metal.
I am starting to fucking hate both sides of this whole thing very very much.
I just want to make slightly sexual jokes about home runs.
Why can’t they give us that?
Also, I just saw Pujols is picking up the salaries of Angels staff in the DR. What a awesome thing to do.
Yes, it’s pretty much impossible not to like Pujols.
I’ve always thought he was a fantastic human being. I just wish he was still fantastic at other things.
I heard Pujols wife says he still hits Home Runs.
Is that a Louisville Slugger in your pants or are you just happy to see me?
LOLBAH
https://imgur.com/Y3yHd62
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Damn, Erin looks amazing here.
Fantastic gif.
“tell us where and when but then maybe add a little spice and a bit more marinara. Don’t make it too thick, though”
The players wanted full pay for x number of games. I’ve been solidly on their side all along. If the number is 60 then play 60. Are they going to want 75 games, then complain about doubleheaders? Lack of days off? Come on, guys, fan sentiment is in your favor. Don’t blow it!
You make a good point, Eric. Now would be a good time for MLBPA to make some peace-making concession to allow MLB to save face and get this show on the road. Assuming, of course, that that is even possible at this point.
What’s up with the Top Angels player Countdown??
It has been several days since the last entry.
When it looked like there would be no season, we slowed down to one about every three days on the anticipation that there might not be much to write about for the next half a year or so. Then when Heyman seemed to tweet that there was a deal of some sort yesterday, we were looking at accelerating them rapidly. Then, 15 minutes later when the MLBPA said reports of a deal were false, we didn’t know who to believe. The next one should happen soon and I think it’s going to be a pretty good one.
It looks like stirrups vision of NASCAR baseball may come to fruition with advertisements on players uniforms for “2020 AND 2021”.
They’ll probably end up looking like Captain Amazing from Mystery men.
I’m trying to picture the Angeles uniform with 714 Tickets emblazoned on it.
Every ones new N&NOB
That will be the biggest change that will stick around forever because of COVID-19.
“Ah need mah revenue.”
I’d be okay with it if it were CTPG instead of 714-Tickets.
Uggh. This is so depressing. The beauty of the uniform will be ruined by ugly patches and advertisements.
It may start small but once you go down that road there’s no going back.
Yeah, you are not getting that genie back into the bottle. But it will be negotiated in the next labor agreement, on how that funding source is split between the players and the owners.
Without opening any books
If they wanna go with advertisement on jerseys it should be on select nights. Save some games for the jerseys without the cheesy advertising.
You will still be able to buy the non defaced version of your favorite teams and players, at a reasonable cost.
You will have to pay the for extra costs on the removal of our brand recognition patches, by our in house professionals, and pay a recurring monthly fee based on the teams jerseys, and/or pants, you purchased, that will be adjusted monthly on what brand names are currently available for the teams merchandise that you have purchased. If you purchase non-modified merchandise, you will be charged a flat rate which will be the average for said brand recognition application costs to jerseys, pants, jackets, towels, keychains, et al …
So enjoy your merchandise, and don’t forget to update your current contact information with Karen in billing.
Enjoy NEO-MLB,
Mr. ManBearFred