The Off-Season: The Stalemate Continues by Tim Kabel March 10, 2022 *** If I’m not working, I don’t know what to do. – Paul Lynde How do we pass our time, when America’s Pastime is shut down? The Major League Baseball lockout began on December 1st. It is now March 9th. The lockout is a tedious and lonely place. It is a stagnant swamp of stale speculation and repeated hopes and whispers that it will soon be over. Yesterday, Major League Baseball Commissioner, Rob Manfred, a

MLB Is Not Taking Into Consideration Its True Source Of Income By Derek McAdam March 4, 2022 *** Just over three months into the MLB lockout, there have been plenty of negotiations between the Player’s Association and the owners. There has not been a deal that has been agreed upon, and it doesn’t seem as if the sides are even close in their negotiations. Because the two sides were not able to come to an agreement, Rob Manfred decided to begin canceling games. While only the f

The Lockout Continues (I’m Down) by Paul Semendinger March 2, 2022 *** The handwriting was on the wall. The moment the players were locked out and no negotiations took place for about a month, it should have been clear. And now it is. Baseball, well, Major League Baseball at least, won’t be returning on time. The Winter Meetings were cancelled. Spring Training has been delayed. Now it has been announced that the first two series of the season will be cancelled. The Yankees we

I put off writing this for as long as I could – in hopes that the labor talks would yield either a clear yay or nay as to whether Opening Day would come to pass. The good news is that after weeks of dismaying stories about quick meetings that have gone nowhere, negotiations appeared to finally take place with some sense of urgency. Reporting from Bob Nightengale showed that the sides are finally closing in on a deal. After 11 negotiating sessions, MLB and the MLBPA have agree

By Derek McAdam February 18, 2022 *** I have never been a fan of Spring Training. Don’t get me wrong. I love the idea of Spring Training since it means that baseball is just a few weeks away from Opening Day. I’m just not a huge fan of watching the games, since they don’t necessarily have that same feeling as a regular season game. But now, it almost seems as if I would love a Spring Training more than ever before. Just being able to see the players down in Florida or Arizona

MLB hired an expert at the rate of $775 per hour to make an argument for minor league players remaining unpaid during Spring Training. — MLB News Network ®  (@newsnetworkmlb) February 12, 2022 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js MLB presented a 130-page proposal, raising the minimum salary to $630,000 and the CBT to $222 million in 2026. The union's last proposal was a minimum salary of $775,000 and a $245 million CBT beginning now. So yes, spring training will be delaye

by James Vlietstra February 1, 2022 *** With the current labor negotiations taking place between Major League Baseball and their Players Association, I decided to take a deep dive into root of all Collective Bargaining Agreements…. Money. At the time of the 1994 work stoppage, I was a 16 year old. Because, the term “strike” was being used, I was firmly on the side of the owners, believing that the players were being greedy. In the process this stoppage cost the Yankees a cha

by Ed Botti *** It’s been a long, hectic and relaxing week. My week started last Sunday at 6:00 AM as my wife and I left for Newark Airport for an early morning flight to a place we had never been; Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. Photo by John Rizzuto As with most “time off” it takes a day or so to get acclimated. The resort we went to was huge; made up of 4 different themed sections (Caribbean, Italian, French, and Key West). After that first day of trying to figure out w

by Patrick Gunn So, MLB is not budging in terms of its lockout. Commissioner Rob Manfred and the owners did release a proposal, that did little to improve the situation and even makes a season delay more plausible. But at least they are playing Spring Training games in Los Vegas (if the season starts on time)? Yah, Major League Baseball is in a rut, but there are some ways to stay connected to sports and the fun chaos that comes with baseball. That may not make a perfect offe

by Ed Botti January 13, 2022 *** February 17, 2021 was the date Pitchers and Catchers reported to spring training in Tampa last spring. If that date held in 2022, we are just over a month away from the first workouts. The holidays are behind us, and most people in the world are back at work or school. We are all firmly planning our 2022 fiscal years, closing all loops on 2021 work, and preparing for the next 12 months of our businesses, careers, education, and lives. In other