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If 2020 baseball games have no fans, MLB may ask players to take less pay
Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drelich, The Athletic
“Mr. Wilpon apparently failed to inform Governor Cuomo that players and owners already reached a good-faith agreement which contemplated MLB games without fans and at neutral sites,” agent Scott Boras said. “Further, the players in this agreement agreed to be paid a fraction of their full salary based upon games played divided by 162.”
It was a pretty quiet weekend — or perhaps everything paled in comparison to the 2020 season news that broke. First, MLB had an 82-game plan to vote on and then propose to players. Second, MLB is attempting to strong-arm players — players who already may be literally putting the health and lives on the line by trying to squeeze in a season as coronavirus ravages society — to accept less money for doing so.
This issue is very simple. The owners are assuming no physical risk, and still benefit from broadcast revenue, fans or not. The players are assuming all risk. Frankly, they deserve full salaries for a half-season. They sure as hell deserve at least pro-rated salaries for the games they do play. A discount on the discout? Get the hell out of here.
These shenanigans do not bode well for the next labor agreement. If this is simply first-offer gamesmanship, MLB needed to pick a better time for hardball. As it is, they’re putting out a bad-faith plan, then will turn and clutch the flag, saying that owners wanted to play, but the big bad ballplayers are denying America baseball. Nauseating.
Edit:
Some of what I was trying to get at right above, Sean Doolittle just encapsulated to perfection, as is his norm (I’d click on the tweet below to read his whole thread, if I were you):
Bear with me, but it feels like we've zoomed past the most important aspect of any MLB restart plan: health protections for players, families, staff, stadium workers and the workforce it would require to resume a season. Here are some things I'll be looking for in the proposal...
— Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) May 11, 2020
Morning Music
This is my first cup o’ joe since learning of Little Richard’s death. As one of many, many acts I’ve seen live over the years, it’s hard not to drop a track here. But Little Richard was virtual kin to another belter from Macon, Ga.: Otis Redding. Richard was Otis’ hero ... and somehow, in a Hall of Fame induction speech, Little Richard manages to make that plain as day. His vocal ability is rather extraordinary, and coupled with Richard’s embrace of absurdity, makes this a pretty fun watch. Otis is very likely my favorite all-time male singer, but when you watch this, Little Richard’s claims as the “architect of rock and roll” seem pretty spot-on.