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| (Don Wright/Associated Press) |
As other Pittsburgh blogs have been active in the baseball space during the work stoppage, we have been, relatively, quiet. This has nothing to do with our lack of attention to baseball, nor our fanhood being less than others.
In fact, I am a Pirates season ticket holder, and both Brian
and Cody, our other Gold Lot Sports contributors, have talked extensively with
me recently about baseball and Pirates article ideas. My first ever fantasy league I was in was a fantasy
baseball league with Brian when we were in the 5th grade. We are as big of fans as any.
They have been clamoring to get baseball content on the
site, and it will start soon. And don’t
worry, when it does, you’ll all more than likely feel we’re putting out too
much than too little. We are all avid
baseball fans and love the Pirates.
However, as editor-in-chief I have shut down some baseball article ideas
for the time being. Why would I do
that?
We are not ignoring baseball, and we are all chomping at the
bit for a season. I crave baseball games
in the Spring, and it’s really what gets me out of my seasonal depressive funk caused
by the winter cold.
The reason we are holding off for now is because as Pirates
fans, we already lost.
We lost. Pirate fans
lost, and we continue to lose every single time one of these CBA’s expire and a
new one is agreed to. The MLBPA, and the
owners, really have no interest in fixing what is actually wrong with the game
of baseball. Instead, Scott Boras
gathers round his group of the highest paid players in the game and goes up
against petty and stubborn billionaires as they fight over who gets the extra
$2 we paid for our already overpriced hot dog and if a handful of more players
can hit arbitration quicker.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers will still receive $120
million for their local television contract, keeping a large majority of it, while the Pirates receive $40 million, despite the fact that without
teams like the Pirates there’d be no money to split. Also, the Dodgers will just go on spending
that money to their limit, and then some, because the limit is really just a
recommendation and not a rule.
I recently read a tweet from, well-respected, MLB writer,
Jeff Passan. Someone asked the
likelihood of a salary cap or salary floor being implemented. He replied with “0%. Saying cap to the union is like saying Voldemort
at Hogwarts. It’s a non-starter.”
That’s crushing to read.
The players themselves are turning down the salary cap and floor. However, if they thought even for a second
about the economics of it all, 80% of the players would benefit mightily from
the salary floor, the middle 15% would probably benefit a little as well, and that top 5%
would be mildly affected negatively by the salary cap. But who’s representing the player’s union in
these negotiations? That top 5%.
Baseball has no desire to fix what’s actually wrong with the
sport, and we as Pirate fans are among the most affected. Not only do we have one of the most selfish
owners in all of baseball, but we’re in a city that generates 6x less in
television revenue than others. It’s as
if you are the CEO of Tim’s Windows and Doors, and you’re stumped as to why you’re
not generating the revenue of Home Depot or Lowe’s, while still trying to compete in the same space (if Tim’s Windows and Doors is a
real company, this is a metaphor and not a shot at Tim, I’m sure he’s a nice
guy).
The inequity will continue, the lack of spending from most
of the smaller market teams will continue, and the losses will continue for
Pirate fans. “But baseball has the most
parity!” some will yell without realizing that sure, over a 162-game a new team
or two will make the playoffs every year, but there will be 12 large market
teams and 2 small market teams that make the playoffs in this new proposal on
the table.
It’s a shame.
We will
bring you some of what I believe will be the best baseball opinions and coverage
in the city because we’re truly that invested in the team. But not yet.
Instead of idle speculation of our starting lineup, or who
the DH will be, we’re delaying our baseball coverage until (hopefully) these
negotiations end this week. Even though
we expect it will change nothing for the Pirates, because nothing ever does
change for the Pirates. *Sigh*