Mike's Mets - Manfred Practices His Golf Swing While MLB Burns

 

By Mike Steffanos

No doubt that everyone who visits this space is already aware that Opening Day has become a casualty to MLB owners' overwhelming desire to break the resolve of the Players Association. There was some optimism Monday night when the deadline was extended one more day after negotiations lasted deep into the night. I have to admit, despite my better judgment, I allowed myself to cling to some hope. Major League Opening Day is one of my favorite days of the year. It has supplanted Christmas and my birthday at this late stage of my life — particularly the birthday.

Make no mistake about it. Rob Manfred and his cabal of poverty-crying billionaires personally delivered this gigantic lump of coal to baseball fans everywhere. It was their decision to lock out the players in December. They allowed almost 2 months to go by before remotely meaningful discussions even began. There never seemed to be a real good faith attempt to avoid disaster.

Despite Manfred's protestations, repeated at his press conference Tuesday, that no one wanted to lose games, this seems to have been the owners' plan all along. They want to avoid sharing the sport's profits with players as much as possible. They're willing to lose some less profitable April dates because the loss of paychecks is likely to erode the resolve of at least some of the players. These ultra-rich guys are used to getting their own way, and that's obviously more important to them right now than the good of the game. The time of less privileged owners who loved the game with all their hearts like the legendary Bill Veeck has long since passed. These guys are in it for themselves and their oversized egos.

Make no mistake about it. This will undoubtedly damage the sport of baseball. Fans who already prefer football and basketball will only be more confirmed in their opinions. Young people who already roll their eyes at the sport their parents grew up loving probably won't even notice baseball isn't being played. Meanwhile, the fans of the sport will continue to skew older and older to the long-term detriment of the game. Eventually, baseball might find itself behind soccer and hockey in the pantheon of American sports.

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