Bad news, MLB opening day is canceled, for more details, have some links.
News
Just as Jeff Passan has been saying, there is no deal, there never was going to be a deal. Rob Manfred has cancelled opening day and the first 2 series of games for 2022.
On the night of the deadline, there was some optimism for a deal to be made, but it was all a lie in the end. Nightengale is always wrong.
For a long rundown on everything, read this. No idea how it moves on from here, however.
The players have released a statement on what happened.
Meanwhile, what Manfred had to say. He didn’t even put it in an image to make things easier, the jerk.
The minor league player advocates have also released a statement.
Anyway both Manfred and the union got press conferences, although coverage was certainly biased.
Well, at least we get more Mike Trout drawings. So there is that, I guess.
Anything I missed? Post below for upvotes.
Hard to disagree with this assessment
https://twitter.com/CantHitWRISP/status/1498814809852157952
Our Lord and Savior Michael Nelson Trout has spoken:
https://twitter.com/taylorblakeward/status/1499093602202390528?s=21
Good on Mike. Calling out “Rob.” I don’t favor either side but I just don’t care of Manfred. Can’t stand him.
The disrespect just calling him Rob!
I just love that guy. Mike Trout, that is.
i remember this conversation well, it lasted a few minutes.
Rob just talked and Mike looked at him the whole time like he wanted to punch him in the face.
The MLB and the MLBPA are wasting Mike Trout!
Somebody must be reading CtPG and stealing my comments
https://fansided.com/2022/03/02/mike-trout-mlb-lockout-angels/
3 years straight of limited seasons for trout. Sucks, man.
Think Bowie, Cha-cha- changes, start with a commissioner from outside the Owners Circle of choices. Employ 3 arbitrators to come to a compromise in this and future bypasses. One from each the players side, owners’ side and At large side, meaning somehow the fans side. A National Sportsfan group that will call for, through the pressure of the almighty dollar mind you, boycotts or sponsor boycotts to get heard by those that forget about who pays the freight.
Furthermore no Government shall pay for the building sports stadiums any longer for any ML Sports franchise.
As much as I dislike Manfred, at least his statement provided actual content of what the MLB offered. That’s a heck of a lot better than a pretty image and a silly claim that the players want a “fair deal” without describing what a fair deal is.
And frankly, most of the MLB proposal sounds like a reasonable improvement for the players. A $130,000 raise to league minimum plus a chance for the top players to share in a $30 million bonus pool is pretty darn nice. If the players want a bigger bonus pool, they can create an internal agreement for the top-paid free agents to add a portion of their salary to a pool that will be distributed to low-payed players.
And while I do have sympathy for the current MiLB players, I don’t care one iota that the current MLB players were formerly abused and exploited there. They knew what they were getting into and did so for the dream of making more money in 10-15 years, playing a game, than most people will make during their entire working lives.
Yes, the owners are greedy dirtbags, but so are the players and their agents. Talk to me when they are fighting for higher MiLB wages, higher stadium and support staff wages, lower ticket prices, and the end of black out rules. When they are fighting for the fans and the other stakeholders without a seat at the table, then I’ll listen. All I see right now is the MLBPA is just as, if not more concerned with increasing the luxury tax so the top free agents can make more than they are with helping the cost-controlled players.
Honestly, I probably would have stopped caring about the MLB if it wasn’t for this community. Maybe the owners and union should throw in a clause funding fan sites. At least that would do something to preserve the fanbase and game.
If MLB were to come to a deal tomorrow with the players, there would be start of games at the quickest April 22nd. The Owners are not giving any more at the table and the Players are now not being reasonable either with what they call a hard cap, CBT.
Can the sport fix what is really wrong such as over 30 players receiving more playing time? Stop fielders from getting even better? Pitchers going into the 7th and 8th innings as a starter. Hitting more groundballs for base hits? Less pitching changes? Keeping a pitch clock going through out a game?
I have 3 suggestions to add.
First make fielders mitts a standard size and make them smaller. This will result in the infield adjusting by stepping up a foot or two. Groundballs will appear to have eyes and get through the infield.
Second change would be to deaden the baseball. While HRs are fun to see, the HR has done nothing but aid in bringing the Game down to it’s collective knees. It is estimated that over 2200 base hits have gone to the wayside as the HR has increased by 8 %. Strikeouts are well over the top with hitters piling on over 200 per season. Some may say that the HR is good for the game more than by slowing the event down and I reply to that “Just what did the Manfredball do to assist the Game? Slugging the ball is still going to happen, but there will be a return to more Doubles and Triples along with Stolen Bases.
Lastly is speeding the game up with penalties, such as autoBB if the pitcher does not deliver a pitch within 15 seconds after receiving it from the catcher. Batters must stay in the box throughout the AB. Only allowing a max. of 3 pitching changes after the 6th inning. While I deplore having to change the game, we must acknowledge that the Math Geeks changed the game to what is hard to recognize any longer. Bring back the excitement and bring back our game.
In other words, “Let them eat cake”, but the cake is a lie.
From the “glass half full” perspective: Trout and Rendon are still not on the IR list.
It’s crazy, I have no memory of a single Rendon AB since he signed here.
do you have something that’ll make a person forget every single Pujols AB too? (asking for a friend)
Rex, that is quite possibly, the best question ever asked on this site!
They really should call them floories, because you’re more likely to end up on the floor than on the roof.
I remember him fouling a ball off his knee….so that’s one at bat
I remember arguing with you over that injury, but have no memory of the AB!
He’s that guy who carried the team in 2020 when Mike was sidelined
Correction : We don’t know if they have been released from the IR list yet! Unless I missed something.
I’m streaming games illegally this season, whenever that is, and I encourage you all too as well!
Fuck the owners, fire Manfred, and cry for Mike Trout’s career numbers.
The one thing Arte was correct about, voting against Manfred. He is a pox upon baseball.
Even a broken clock is correct twice a day.
Perhaps the best F bomb usage ever. I’ve already been pirating my brother’s SoCal feed but I will vote with my wallet. The owners crying poverty when the franchise valuations are going sky high makes me angry. They might need to sell the team to realize those riches but they’re still getting generationally wealthy and they can utilize lending off that valuation at their whim.