Major League Baseball Strike

[sq764]

Let me start by saying I love baseball, huge Phillies and Red Sox fan..

With that being said.. Is there anything more digusting than hearing a baseball player, who makes more in a week than we make in a year, complaining that he doesn't make enough??

I have about had it with their shit.. Its time to turn the channel and ignore them..

[Tom]

You mean they came back from from the last strike?
I must have missed it.....haven't watched a game in years and dont miss it at all I used to be able to not only name almost every player in the American League East, but their position and batting order. Today, I couldn't name 10 active players.
Now, let's see what I remeber about the game....a switch hitter
can scratch himself with both hands? A bunt is when you spit and it lands on your shoe?

[sq764]

Its a shame that baseball has regressed to what it is now..

And on the flip side, I read in the paper that Brazil's leader delegated the other day a national holiday due to them winning the World Cup..

What happened to America's past time?

[andicap]

While I have hesitated to join these extremist discussions, I have to say this is one area where I'm moving very far to the right.
Not just because players are getting paid a lot of money -- after all, if the owners are doing well, so should the players -- but they are making way too much money.
Football players make a lot of money too, but they have agreed to set up a sane system that caps salaries and prevents someone like Steinbrenner from just laying out another $12 million to steal a player like Raul Mondesi because he needs another outfielder.
I could go on for hours I'm so outraged by how the players union has hijacked the game -- with the owners assent of course -- and ruined it. How ticket prices are way too expensive for anyone but corporations and rich people. (Besides families who have to save up for months to scrap together the $200 it costs to park, buy tickets, eat, have a beer, buy a program, etc.)
How the teams are getting fat cable contracts that cause cable companies to increase rates to you and me to pay for these salaries.
How spoiled players like Mondesi decide to basically stop caring and trying even tho they are making more than most people do in a lifetime because they don't like where they are or the manager.
How a player like Bret Boone, who has one good year in the final year of his contract can command a huge salary and long-term deal based on that one year and come back and hit .230

I say...let them strike.
Who gives a damn.

Can't wait for football season

.

[Dick Schmidt]

Andy,

You read about the potential football player's strike, I trust?

Dick

[sq764]

Too bad they don't all strike, then we could get horseracing back on the map!!

[Lefty]

Actually, not really with the owner's assent. A few yrs ago the owners tried to get together and agree among themselves to their own salary caps on players, sort of a gentlemen's agreement. Yep the govt threatened an anti-trust suit.
Old Curt Flood really opened the "flood gates" didn't he?

[andicap]

Lefty (kind of an ironic name for someone of your political stripe eh?)

Let me say this: I totally agreed with Curt Flood. The players were basically slaves. In no other job was an employee prevented from choosing his employer. And Curt Flood actually lost his case. The players became free agents after the "Messersmith" decision in which an arbitrator ruled that Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally were free agents.

The owners could have held the line on salaries but did it in such a clumsy obvious way. They wouldn't sign free agents at any price! If the owners hadn't signed utlity infielders at $2 million, no one would have sued them. If the owners hadn't started paying players $20 million, no one would have sued them.
No one forced the Texas Rangers to pay A-Rod an obscene salary. No one forced Toronto pay Raul Mondesi, an OK, but not great player $12 million.

I have no problem with pro athletes making decent money -- after all, people will pay good money to see them: the free market and all that.

But again, the fans have only themselves to blame. If they were to boycott baseball for one year -- just not attend games -- you know the situation would change.

Reminds me of a few years back, some guy was complaining to me about the high cable rates, etc. I said if everyone turned off their cable for two months in protest the cableoperators would have to do something. What, he said, no way would he go without his cable?

So people do get what they deserve

[Lefty]

I disagreed with Flood. If he didn't like the terms of his employment he was FREE to do something else. He lit the fuse.
And you're right, people should just stop going to the games. A few yrs ago TV Guide asked in a poll that if the World Series and Superbowl became pay per view would they pay> A majority said yes. Sounds like a self fulfilling prophecy.

[sq764]

Do you realize that Alex Rodriguez makes $155,000 per game??

He pays more taxes per game than most people make in a year..

Yeah, they should strike, they're hurting.. He's probably home eating spaghettios as we speak.

[cj]

I grew up a die hard Orioles fan, but I haven't been to a game in years, and have no intention of going back after that last fiasco that led to the World Series being cancelled. That said, the owners are as much to blame as the players in my opinion. Nobody twists their arm to sign guys to these huge deals.

CJ

[Lefty]

Seinfeld had a funny observation on Leno's show couple yrs ago: I paraphrase:Used to we rooted for our teams and the players and they were pretty much the same for a long time. Now a player we root for is traded and we boo him and root for the new player we got. Essentially, we're just rooting for laundry.

[superfecta]

How about NTRA cutting some commercials saying like:
"No baseball?Come to the races cause picket signs can't be held with a hoof"

Or maybe"Come to the track,and bet on our game ,Pete Rose does"

Or "Steroids?We got your steroids right here!"

Or my favorite "Come watch the ponys and win some money or go watch overpaid pu----- play a childs game and whine cause its really hard to stand in the sun for four hours and hit a baseball.":mad:

[Tom]

How about,"Come to the track...baseball players scratch and spit.
We have scratches and we have a spit box, plus we got ponies!"

[andicap]

Originally posted by Dick Schmidt
Andy,

You read about the potential football player's strike, I trust?

Dick

Now, you're just trying to get a rise out of me :)

[andicap]

What do you know, Steinbrenner just grabbed another $5 million a year pitcher. Now the Yankees have six pitchers!

And I've been a Yankee fan for 40 years (ever since I was 6). But I don't want to win like this.
At least the Mutts are stinking up the joint with their inflated payroll.

[sq764]

Boston's going to spoil his parade this year.. Steinbrenner should have spent the $5 million on a nice yearling..

[boxcar]

Wonder if the Sox or Steinbrenner will get into a bidding war over frozen Tedsickles at the time of the big thaw...

Boxcar