Rather than attempt to respond to Turns and Nancy about the latest in baseball news, I just thought I would start a new post.
What I have read is this. Last month the owners agreed to pay each of its players on a game by game basis. Their salaries would coincide with what they are normally paid, just not by the year but by the game. I am unclear whether that agreement was based on how many actual games were played or how many would have been played. I think that 82 games was the agreed number. (Not sure if that was based on the previous Memorial Day weekend opening or the July fourth opening). The MLB already knew that there would not be fans in the stands.
Now the owners are reneging saying that because of the lack of fans and possibly fewer advertisers, the players should get half of that. MLBPL and player's agents are saying no way! They say the owners knew about the lack of fans when they agreed to the original pay plan and the owners are just being greedy.
If anyone thinks that these players are going to be in unemployment or food lines, think again. How much money do they have now? Enough to last a year? Probably. Do I think they should hold out? Yes! The owners have always been greedy bastards ever since owners began owning teams. Would I like to see baseball return? Yes, but not on just any terms. Am I, like KJ, irritated by the proposals to tweak the rules here and there for this season (should it begin)? No.
This is the very first time in the history of baseball that there has been absolutely no baseball! It is a damned shame, because it would certainly help everyone's mood if we could watch our teams play while we are mostly prevented from any socializing. I am not even tempted to watch Korean baseball on television with their cardboard fans. It's not the Cubs!
Turns, in order to answer your question about our county and that county to our west that has the Fort, I would have to get back into librarian mode and research the army's regulations during this time. Perhaps they are not allowed off base. I'll let you know later.
I was curious about MLB major league salaries, so I looked it up. In 2019, the average salary was 4.36 million. The minimum salary was $555,000. So, no unemployment or food lines for them, unless they really spent every penny they made. Should they hold out? Probably, but I have a hard time having much sympathy for any of them. At least the players know what it is like to work hard to get where they are. Not so sure about most of the owners (although some are probably self-made).
ReplyDeleteBaseballReference.com is publishing all the box scores, every day, for a virtual baseball game. Every pitch is described - exit velocity etc. kind of cool, but also kind of stupid. Has not been a single rained-out game in April and May - yea, right, that happens. And the plays show a lack of programming imagination, but what the hey, it is a box score, KJ.
ReplyDeleteI will email one to you kj - don't want to clog the blog.