As late as March 1, scores of free agents were still unsigned as front offices divest from players who are 30 or older — All-Star outfielder Adam Jones is 33, Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel is 31, closer Craig Kimbrel is 30. At the same time, teams manipulate the service time of big-league-ready young players such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. by leaving them in the minors. Teams do this assured in the knowledge that while these veteran and rookie players could obviously help a team, the public condones the anti-labor practice of tanking. Many teams simply aren’t trying to win, and fans don’t care.
[snip]
But today’s player, across sports, was born into a country that has demonized labor so thoroughly that some of them do not even believe philosophically in the principles of unions and more quickly turn on one another. It should forever be remembered that when the owners squeezed veterans in the NBA and NFL, the players responded by attacking younger players, advocating for a rookie wage scale.
[snip]
Baseball’s ownership is now reaching a brazen point. The new generation of Ivy League GMs, with their own metrics and measures for paying players (how is it not collusion if everyone is seemingly using the same methodology?), have crossed two lines:The first is their philosophy of no longer paying players for what they’ve done, only for what they are projected to do. The second is controlling players for six full years and then refusing to pay them once they reach their free agent seventh. The modern player, richer than ever, is faced with a question: Is a punitive free agent market, and a culture that threatens any player over 30, enough to shut down the game?
So far, the players aren’t looking like Curt Flood, while the owners are looking like Charles Comiskey (the reason the Black Sox threw the Series was because their owner was such a cheap man). The players seem to be opting for the security of multi-year contracts, which is rational seeing what’s happened to the stars who’ve hit free agency and received no offers at all.
Opening Day!!!!!
Sooooo ready!
In a close race the Dodgers are tied for first place. Early game today folks that is televised on ESPN.
I’d rather hear Joe Davis than ESPN, but at least it’s not Steiner.
Maybe you can get Joe on channel 738
Today’s game starts at 5 pm Chilean time, so I’ll get to see the whole thing. Friday and Saturday are a different matter.
NPUT @ 0800 HST, 1100 PDT, 1400 EDT
1500 CHDT
1200 CST. Mexico doesn’t flip to daylight savings time until April 7.
Apparently Ryu will start Opening Day, which is important. More important, maybe, is the number of new items appearing on the menu at Dodger Stadium.
That’s Houston Mitchell’s LA Tmes “Dodgers Dugout” column.
http://fantasy.espn.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/2019/en/group?groupID=2972558
Oh look! With Hill and Kershaw on the IL (formerly known as the DL), the Dodgers have more righthanders than lefthanders in their starting rotation: Ryu (LHP), Stripling, Maeda and Buehler (RHPs), and Urias (LHP).
Kiké will be the regular second baseman, sez Roberts.
The Babe at bat. https://twitter.com/mike_petriello/status/1109096799342657536?s=21 Jane Leavy’s Book is really something. She did the Mantle and Koufax biographies they are great as well.
After giving up a leadoff homer to Adam Jones, Dennis Santana fans the next three Snakes in a row.
Hill to DL. Gonsolin out for some reason. Pitchers dropping like flies?
The Dodgers are very conservative with their starting pitchers.
Yeah, they build up the depth and then use it.
Here’s looking at you Dustin May!
Dropping like flies = Flyed out.
Players and owners are already talking and already agreeing on tweaks. That is a good sign that leans toward labor peace.
We are all looking good after Thursday’s NCAA games. http://fantasy.espn.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/2019/en/group?groupID=2972558
Ryu, having a terrific spring, looks outstanding v. the Cerveceros today (but just when I say that, Grandal hits a RH dinger off him, and now the bullpen is really stinking it up).
https://twitter.com/alannarizzo/status/1108871362624389120
I’ll go with the lefty…
Ryu, having a terrific spring, looks outstanding v. the Cerveceros today (but just when I say that, Grandal hits a RH dinger off him).