Kccitystar Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 All, As you know, the offseason is upon us this year with a lockout and all that on the horizon, but I've created a pretty solid space for us to talk about the offseason moves and newsworthy stuff that's gone on within the leagues and the sport overall. Non-MLB baseball talk is welcome here as well if you follow other leagues around the world, by the way. Carry on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kccitystar Posted December 2, 2021 Author Share Posted December 2, 2021 First round of business, Robert Manfred, the current MLB commissioner, pens a letter to baseball fans as the league commences a player lockout. Quote I want to explain to you how we got here and why we have to take this action today. Simply put, we believe that an offseason lockout is the best mechanism to protect the 2022 season. We hope that the lockout will jumpstart the negotiations and get us to an agreement that will allow the season to start on time. This defensive lockout was necessary because the Players Association’s vision for Major League Baseball would threaten the ability of most teams to be competitive. It’s simply not a viable option. From the beginning, the MLBPA has been unwilling to move from their starting position, compromise, or collaborate on solutions. For starters, I hate that every argument Manfred has ever made in his tenure in regards to anything in baseball is always framed as if MLB doing it for the good of the fans/the game. It's good to check out a quick guide by FanGraphs as to what's been going on between the MLB and the Players Union (MLBPA). Honestly, the ones that get screwed out of labor disputes the most aren't the owners or the players, but the fans overall. I feel like if this doesn't get resolved before Opening Day 2022, a lot of people will perceive it as billionaires and millionaires conspiring to screw over the fans. Baseball had a really hard time recovering after 1994, and if this dispute is anything like that one, baseball is in for a world of pain. Young people are increasingly ignoring baseball, so a prolonged work stoppage seems guaranteed to accelerate the existing trend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabugo Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 It has been argued that the 1994 lockout was a major reason why steroids become so widely used in the MLB. The league had a hard time to bring back the fans, so it 'allowed' for such a rampant steroid use. If people had a good chance of witnessing a 500ft HR, it would be harder to ignore baseball. I wonder if when baseball returns we'll see anything of that sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yankee4Life Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 As usual you make a very good point sabugo. While it probably won't be steroids this time only because we now know what to look for, it could very well be something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabugo Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 They already juiced the ball. What else can they do? Cork the bats? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kccitystar Posted December 3, 2021 Author Share Posted December 3, 2021 54 minutes ago, sabugo said: They already juiced the ball. What else can they do? Cork the bats? I mean, after the 1994 strike, Ripken's ironman streak gave the sport its first real shot in the arm, then steroids/1998's HR chase took it to a whole new level. For me to even get back to watching MLB games, probably a return of the WBC will do it for me. In the immediate term, there's a season going on in the Dominican Republic (LIDOM) where some guys are rehabbing from injuries and doing well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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