Op-Ed – MLB and MLBPA need to grow up and work together
Like many MLB fans, I’ve had enough of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark. They should grow up and work together to get something done for the players’ health and the health of the game.
I’ve been through every Major League Baseball work stoppage so far and hated every one of them. It seems so stupid to watch millionaires and billionaires squabble over dollars. In 1995, I got so ticked off I canceled my Florida Marlins season tickets. At the time, it seemed like the only thing I could do to register a personal protest, not to give either side my money.
Before we get too far, an Op-Ed is usually the newspaper’s opinions written by the editorial staff. Why is this an Op-Ed? Aside from being an editor, this is my opinion, and my name happens to be Ed. The difference is today’s article personal and not the position of Pacific Northwest Sports as an entity. Back to the show.
What happened to good faith?
The current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires at the end of this year. Historically, the league and union don’t agree until the very last minute. Several times, it’s gone way past the last minute. Basing a multi-billion dollar business on a high stakes game of chicken is a moronic way to do business.
As things stand, baseball fans should pack all the enjoyment they can get into 2021 because the 2022 season will be very short, if it’s ever played. Both sides are posturing for a position on the new CBA. Meanwhile, it’s the game and its supporters that suffer.
It’s also obvious MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA President Tony Clark don’t like each other. Worse, there is no mutual trust. This is bordering on personal. Clark and Manfred are more interested in sticking it to the other side that neither man shows he is operating in the best interests of the game or those who are part of it.