Everyone Loses

It really does seem MLB owners and players don't pay any attention to the fans. Few are excited to see the return of baseball for 60 games.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

"The 30 Major League Baseball owners want to play 60 games this year. The players want to play 70. Here’s a better idea: How about 0?

On Monday afternoon, the players voted against the owners’ most recent proposal, leaving it to commissioner Rob Manfred to mandate a season. He will likely try to set a schedule of 50 or so games. It doesn’t matter. This isn’t safe anymore. It probably never was.

Many of us have been distracted in recent days by calculating teams’ EBITDA when we should have been calculating states’ coronavirus case rates. I wrote last week that the owners are being intransigent. They are. But the news on Friday of COVID-19 outbreaks in Phillies camp, in Clearwater, Fla.; and in Blue Jays camp, in Dunedin, Fla.; and in Giants camp, in Scottsdale, Ariz., have made it clear: The labor issue is not the problem. The virus is."

Crisis Management

Manfred gets a failing grade.

Even though some factors are beyond his control, he is ultimately responsible for this disaster.

He doesn't even seem like an interested party. He doesn't even seem excited for the return of baseball.

The Commissioner of MLB is doing a great job.

He doesn't even seem to care if MLB has a 2020 season.

A great article by Mike Lupica about Hank Aaron.

“I see kids out there,” he said. “I see black and white. But I see those kids. You know where the social change everybody’s talking about is going to come from? It’s going to come from them. Black or white. They’re the ones who are going to make the change that we need in our country.”

Finally the great Hank Aaron said this:

“I’m not able to move around much anymore. But if I could, I’d be out there marching. I’d be right there at the front of the line.”

Yes, I hope they play baseball this season. This is encouraging.

The commissioner of baseball announces the return of his sport with the enthusiasm one might expect when reviewing the findings of an internal audit.

Living in the past.

Matt Harvey's best season was probably 2013. A long time ago in MLB years.

He did not get a lot of wins in 2013 (9), but he was fourth in the Cy Young Award voting and made his only All Star appearance.

For a few years, Harvey struck out a lot of batters and had an excellent SO/W ratio.

Those days are long gone.

He has not been a good major league pitcher since 2015.

I have never heard anyone refer to Gary Sanchez as "El Gary."

Gary Sanchez's 162-game average is .246, 46 home runs, and 114 RBIs ... and this writer is questioning whether the Yankees should sign him.

If that production was cut in half, even with his defensive troubles and seemingly lazy attitude, Sanchez would be one of the top catchers in baseball.