Reese Kaplan -- A Whole Lotta Nothing Is Going On

Apparently I was right on the money when I suggested yesterday that the expanded schedule for AAA was in anticipation of no major league baseball being played.  That was followed up by notification that the clubs are all expanding their rosters to fill them out with enough non-40-man men to play the game since it's only the folks who are in the lower echelon of the minors that are permitted to play.  

So think about that for a minute.  You will not be seeing the likes of Adam Oller, Thomas Szapucki, Jordan Yamamoto, Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos nor Khalil Lee.  Instead you will be getting the privilege of seeing the same types of players who otherwise wind up on the Long Island Ducks.  

The difference is that instead of being an affordable family entertainment, these major league affiliated minor league teams will charge big bucks for the same mediocre product.  Would you drive up to Syracuse to see the likes of a 34 year old Jordany Valdespin?

Now I'm not going to sit here and proclaim that independent baseball is not worth seeing.  I spent many evenings in Somerset, Newark and other franchise locations enjoying some terrific promotions by the teams, a genuine joy in playing the game and an inexpensive way to carouse with friends.  

It was kind of cool going to a game and seeing players you remember from the majors and others who never got the call but seem to have a good grasp on how to play the game.  

Apparently, I was right on the money when I suggested yesterday that the expanded schedule for AAA was in anticipation of no major league baseball being played.  That was followed up by notification that the clubs are all expanding their rosters to fill them out with enough non-40-man men to play the game since it's only the folks who are in the lower echelon of the minors that are permitted to play.  

So think about that for a minute.  You will not be seeing the likes of Adam Oller, Thomas Szapucki, Jordan Yamamoto, Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos nor Khalil Lee.  Instead you will be getting the privilege of seeing the same likes of players who otherwise wind up on the Long Island Ducks.  

The difference is that instead of being an affordable family entertainment, these major league affiliated minor league teams will charge big bucks for the same mediocre product.  Would you drive up to Syracuse to see the likes of a 34 year old Jordany Valdespin?

Now I'm not going to sit here and proclaim that independent baseball is not worth seeing.  I spent many evenings in Somerset, Newark and other franchise locations enjoying some terrific promotions by the teams, a genuine joy in playing the game and an inexpensive way to carouse with friends.  It was kind of cool going to a game and seeing players you remember from the majors and others who never got the call but seem to have a good grasp on how to play the game.  

As you delve a little further into the call for arbitration, apparently it's one-sided.  The owners are the ones pushing to bring in some neutral third parties, but the players union has not yet bought into this move.  Once again it seems to be a case of them going up against one another and trying to prove whose, ummm, desire to win is bigger than the other side's.

For now all fans and media types can do is wait for progress which seems not to be happening.  It's a frustrating thing to watch when you know that both sides are as interested in posturing as they are in resolution.  No one wants to come out of the negotiations looking like they were the weaker of the two parties and that ego stroking is likely playing a large part in why they don't simply sit at the table together like real adults and get the settlement done.  

Having spent much of my career in similar situations I have found that give and take is part of life.  You don't win every argument nor every standpoint you take.  The greater good has to triumph in the end.  Consequently, you must understand that there is an overall business objective to be met.  You can't allow personal priorities overtake common sense.  From the outside that certainly appears to be the case here.  

Right now, I'm preparing for a February without spring training, a late March without the traditional Cincinnati Reds early opener, and an April without the nationwide opening of the 29 other major league stadiums.  

I won't be looking forward to glorified amateur baseball with washed up veterans hanging on because they never built an alternate career path for themselves any more than I am for career AAAA players whose presence on a roster is more about filling positions than it is preparing for a major league future.  

If I wanted to see independent league quality, I'd be driving to some nondescript ballpark location to enjoy a few beers with my friends.  Syracuse and the many other AAA venues are not on my agenda.