WASHINGTON — You know what they say about conversations being two-way streets, right?
Well, it turns out Major League Baseball owners and players have different maps, because every day that goes by, the likelihood of baseball returning in 2020 drifts away like the last bit of cool weather in the dead of spring.
Here's the short of it. Weeks ago, the owners and players appeared to agree on compensation in the case of lost games. Players would receive a prorated amount of money based on games played. Now, with plans to return flying into motion at the speed of light, the owners want a new deal: one that pays them more money.
Since fans won't be able to attend games -- at least in the first phase of this proposal to return -- they are crying about lost wages and funding. In other words, some of them will have to sell a yacht or two to get by before 2021 returns closer to normalcy. The players aren't going along with that proposal, and for good reason.
They are taking the health risks of returning to play and since they are the people that bring people to empty parks in the first place, they want the original deal of prorated money. Can you blame them? It's easy to ask players to make a concession. After all, they've been making concessions for decades. At the moment, minor leaguers don't have a job or plans for 2020 outside of filling out an application for Home Depot.
One could summarize that Major League players should look out for the little man but the truth is right now, they are looking out for their families and the families of future big leaguers. Max Scherzer gets it.
In a tweet sent out Wednesday evening, Scherzer was the voice of the united uniform as he made clear the players weren't backing off their demands.
It seems honest and fair. Honor the commitment made in March. If the owners had second thoughts, they shouldn't have agreed to the prorated salaries. Please don't try to tell me they didn't know fans wouldn't be allowed to be in the stadiums. The coronavirus was setting alarms off all over the world and the idea of sports was becoming an afterthought. Owners had to know a return would have significant modifications. If there was hesitation, they should have held off. Silence can be golden.
But they agreed to it, and Scherzer, along with the rest of the players, will stand firm waiting for their cash. This is a matter of principle, not just 2020 circumstances. If the players move back here, why won't the owners try to bite off more than they can chew in the next round of negotiations? You give an inch, and they will take a foot. This is about 2021, 2025 and 2030. Scherzer and company have to dig in right now. Labor talks are a little more than a year away, so you may as well start now.
You couldn't find a better spokesperson than Scherzer. The Chesterfield native is one of the best pitchers in the game, humble and ferocious on and off the mound. A reigning World Series champion hanging out in the nation's capital with two different colored eyes and a temper.
How many owners want to step up to the plate and try to outduel him in talks? It may be more threatening than trying to get a piece of one of his pitches with a piece of lumber. I'd avoid it.
Each side will be taking a loss in 2020. Take a look around. Everyone is watching more holes develop in their pockets. But you have to separate the millions of dollars and see this impending holdout for what it is. The players have to stand up for themselves and get what was promised.
According to Jeff Passan, they will be sending their own proposal back to the owners by the end of the week. Scherzer has already pointed out that they will not make concessions. Owners will more than likely not back off either. Add up all the pieces and you can cancel the comeback.
Take a look over at the NHL. They are getting so excited, NBC has already tweeted out a party favor for the Chicago Blackhawks. It's getting real over there while owners and players are facing off in a deadlock. At some point, you just have to roll your eyes.
Each side needs to concede, not just one. It's a two-way street, remember? Any partnership involves both the employer and employee reaching a fair agreement on how to allocate funds. The owners have to realize this isn't the 1950's. You can't tell the players, your assets, what to do.
All the while, the fans will suffer, watching reruns of earlier games until they reach the 1994 season, which got canceled due to a labor dispute. Are we looking at that ahead in 2022 or 2023? I wouldn't doubt it based on the talks breaking down already between players and owners.
Just remember. Mad Max is right. He's simply calling the owners' bluff. Did I mention he's from Chesterfield?
