Despite a global health crisis, it isn’t a pandemic that has
ultimately thwarted the resumption of Major League Baseball in 2020, no instead
it’s those directly involved with the game. Regardless of fault, fans are on a
roller coaster ride they never signed up for, and it’s hurt the sport
substantially.
Today the Major League Baseball Players Association will
vote on whether they’ll accept or reject Major League Baseball’s proposal for
resumption of play. 38 voting members will give a yay or nay with a majority
vote needed to cement a decision one way or another. The expectation is that
the proposal will be rejected on the grounds of not wanting to lose an
opportunity to grieve the circumstances in court.
What we really have is posturing, and it’s what we’ve had
during so much of this process, and what baseball labor negotiations have
become synonymous with. Owners and players don’t trust each other at all, and
it’s why every renewal of the CBA ends up coming with a significant possibility
of lockout.
It wasn’t until recently that Rob Manfred and Tony Clark got
in a room together to has things out. Both sides came out of that meeting with
different understandings of what took place, and it only furthered a battle
that has played out with public barbs being fired back and forth. Regardless of
the structure imposed by the current deal, it would seem to be a non-starter
for players in that acceptance represents failure of sorts.
I’ve long operated with the belief that there will
undoubtedly be baseball in 2020 (barring a shift in circumstances regarding the
virus), but that I have no idea what it would look like. The initial suggestion
of a full season seemed laughable, but so too does the suggestion of an
implemented 48-game playthrough. We’re obviously much closer to the latter than
former at this point, and it’s because of all the feet dragging that we’re
here.
Siding with the players should be an easy choice in this
whole battle, but the reality is that both parties have dug in so harshly what
we as fans are left with is a bastardized version of what could’ve been.
Finances tied directly to games played left us with one side looking to cut
down the calendar, and the other trying to recoup as much of their income as
possible. It isn’t a matter of what we want to play at this point, but instead
what the calendar will allow for.
So again today, when there’s a vote on whether the season
should start under a certain set of conditions, we’ll likely be left waiting.
One side’s disagreement will shoot down the opportunity for an official
announcement, and like the many weeks and days of vast importance before it,
the day will again be wasted.
Tomorrow and going forward Rob Manfred, who has failed
miserably in providing any direction or leadership while instead allowing his
sport to burn, will need to decide whether or not he’ll implement a season. The
players agreed to that possibility back in March, and it’s a scenario that
makes all too much sense not to fulfill. Then again, we’ve crossed plenty of
these bridges already throughout this process and they all still remain smoldering.
I still believe we’ll have baseball in 2020, but the waiting
has turned away many future fans forever, and it’s cost the current one’s
significant amount of trust for ultimately no necessary reason.
