MLB is doing its best to get the 2020 season off the ground. But the Time for democracy left the gate long ago. Pick a plan and run with it. Opt-in or not?
MLB is stuck in neutral considering any number of proposals, each with their nuances, to resurrect the 2020 season, and it’s their damn fault.
Commissioner Rob Manfred has promised to “leave no stone unturned” as he looks for the “best” way to resume the baseball season. That is a fruitless exercise, and here’s why.
Among the many plans being considered, none is worthy of being dismissed outright. And you give fans and the suits at MLB more Time, ideas like the one I proposed yesterday will join the fray as food for thought.
Ironically, that positive turns out to be the main culprit. Everything has possibilities, but not one proposal has the backing of all interested parties.
And you give fans and the suits at MLB more Time,
Consider the blocs of “voters” involved, each with varying self-interests.
There’s MLB itself, team owners, players, umpires, coaches, team medical personnel, TV networks, mayors, governors, and ultimately the U.S. Center For Disease Control (CDC).
Take It To The Top – Don’t Waste Time
Situations like this can only be resolved at the top.
To use a relevant example, the Federal Government needs to assume the responsibility to provide COVID-19 testing supplies to all fifty states in the union, eliminating the need for fifty states, countless hospitals, and local communities to compete for the same limited supply.
There will not be a perfect plan to resume the MLB season. Commissioner Manfred cannot satisfy the needs of everyone.
That is, except for the TV Networks whose only concern is to get the games going yesterday so the ad revenues will once again start rolling in. Ditto the owners.
It’s the players, though, who will bear the most onerous burden. Quarantined in a hotel away from their family for four months – who would jump at that opportunity just to get the season underway?
Let me guess. Certainly not Clayton Kershaw, Mike Trout, Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander, David Price, Nolan Arenado, or Max Scherzer – each of whom is contracted for $30+ million for the 2020 season.
These players are not the norm. The Player’s Union () will do what they’ve always done, backing the big boys at the expense of the majority earning the major league minimum, or worse, the already negotiated agreement for minor leaguers pay.
MLB: Consider, Then Lead With THE Plan
Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the pot. Understandably, Rob Manfred may be reluctant to take the lead, but he is the only entity that can lead baseball from this quagmire.
Lead, or hide behind the desk fighting incoming mortar (phone calls and proposals) to create a political cover – well, you know I did the best I could in a stressful time – bullshit.
Commissioner Manfred: Cut Through The Fog
In due Time, stop the auditions and rehearsals.
Announce THE plan for what’s left of the 2020 season. Up and down the line, you know the concerns of all “the players”. Chances of a grand slam are nil.
But there is a human side to this as well.
When presented with decisive action and given time to absorb its effect and implications relevant to each party with interest – the practical side of the American character typically takes hold.
No one can predict a start date to the MLB 2020 season, but at least everyone will know what the regular-season schedule and possibly even the postseason will look like.
Rob Manfred – Answer Me This
Are you, Rob Manfred, going to sit back “passing the buck” to your constituents – whether they be players, owners, or any of those cited above – looking to delay the process while you “leave no stone unturned”?
Or, do you have the grit to hold a press conference in the (very) near future with an announcement that begins with – “After much consideration and thoughtful nights, I am pleased to announce MLB is executing the following plan to begin the 2020 season…”
Otherwise, it’s getting late, and you might as well take me to 2021 and cut the crap…
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
