spring training

Don’t forget, MLBtv auto-renews on March 1st.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

Since the lockout is dragging on potentially into March, this is your friendly reminder that MLBtv usually auto-renews on March 1st. Less than a week ago, I heard the owners debate that players in the minor league should not be paid for Spring Training, they also argued in defense of cutting a ton of jobs, and we were blessed with the idea of expanding the playoffs. Baseball is becoming a joke, and I am not letting that organization take my money, considering the season is likely to be delayed.

The owners are making a ton of money. Every year prices increase when it comes to food, drinks, ticket prices, and this year you can bet a trip to the stadium will cost a pretty penny. That’s assuming that there is a reason to go to the stadium. 2022 is giving off serious 2020 vibes, and I’m not about to fall for that trick again. I ponied up the money to watch a short season because there was a worldwide pandemic occurring, but there is no excuse this year.

The only silver lining I can find in this situation is that the lockout has allowed the Yankees to pretend like they were ever going to sign a big-name player. The organization showed the fans their true colors with the rehiring of Boone as manager. Before the lockout, there were no movements with any true significance, and I have no hope that the period after the lockout will be any different.

How can the players get an extension done before the (theoretical) season gets started if Spring Training is already delayed? This is a serious question that I have not seen many people bring up on social media. We all act as though the pen will start flying and that all these gigantic contacts will spring out of the front office, but why would that be the case? These owners will retaliate if they come out on the losing end.

I realize that a lot of this is just rambling to people who do not follow baseball, but it’s something that is more than a little aggravating, given that most fans just want to feel like things are back to normal. The idea of not being able to watch baseball is depressing, and I really do hope the two sides can come together and agree.

Will Spring Training start on time?

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

Edited 2/10/2022

The owners are set to meet up today, and hopefully, they will change their tune and come to the table with a new offer once this group of meetings is completed. We have progressed to a spot where the owners want to turn to federal mediation, yet the players are not interested in that route. The players have come down from their initial numbers a couple different times, and now it is time for the owners to come up with their offer. This has been dragged on long enough, and it is beginning to look like the 2022 season will not be starting on time.

I watched an interesting video the other day from the guys over at Talkin’ Baseball and they explained in detail why the players rejected the call for federal mediation. I’ll never be able to do their segment justice, so head on over here and watch the video.

Photo by Rachel Xiao on Pexels.com

It’s been nearly a week since the meeting between the owners and the player’s union of the MLB. There seems to be no second meeting on the calendar, and the world of baseball remains silent. The fans are beginning to get restless. Again. While we all knew the talks that began last week weren’t going to come to an immediate conclusion, I think everyone expected there to be something happening. Trades aren’t being made, players aren’t able to work out and use the sports complex athletic trainers and other staff. This entire shutdown to the world of baseball is so detrimental to the sport itself. It felt like baseball was just gaining momentum again, and here we are, putting the emergency brake on.

Generally, at this time of year, talk is ramping up with the arrival of pitchers and catchers for spring training. Fans would be getting ready to make the trek to the various sites to get the first glimpses of their team in action. Sure the preseason games don’t matter, but it’s still fun to watch baseball. It is so gross to go look for the start date for baseball and see nothing but TBAs marked by all the teams.

The fans want baseball to come back. It’s already a long enough time from the last pitch of the world series to the first one the following season. Can we please just come to an agreement already? I don’t understand why the owners want a shortened season just so they can cram the postseason full of teams, and I don’t know why the two sides want to argue over numbers. Let’s be honest, if you have enough money to buy a baseball team, you have enough money to pay the taxes too.