MLB: Are You Disappointed That Rob Manfred Let Basketball Reach an Agreement First?
What. A. Week. Staying in my lane and sticking to sports here, the first week of June was set up to be a triumph for baseball. MLB had paved its path to proudly announcing that “baseball is back.” Instead, players and owners argued with each other on Twitter through Jeff Passan and Ken Rosenthal.
Meanwhile, the National Basketball Association drew up and agreed upon a radical plan for teams to return to play. NBA commissioner Adam Silver gets it — the wildly popular, revamped All-Star game in February proved as much, and this cements it — he gets it.
However, Silver’s success is a bright spotlight on the failures of MLB commissioner Robert Manfred.
Baseball has spent the last few weeks arguing over money very publicly arguing over money. Manfred has aided in creating a space where either the club owners or the players themselves will appear greedy and evil in the eyes of fans.
For our great game of baseball, it’s a huge disappointment. Moreover, what makes it worse is seeing the NBA come together so quickly and put together a plan that looks fun and exciting to watch. Of course, we know how set in its way our national pastime is, so the idea something remotely different is undoubtedly making the old guard tremble in fear.
At any rate, I asked on Twitter: are you disappointed that basketball was able to come to a season-resumption agreement before baseball? The answers weren’t terribly shocking.
Yes, massively.
— A.J. (@ElessarDarkStar) June 4, 2020
Extremely disappointed
— Offszn ? Catchers ? (@dodgermacncheez) June 4, 2020
Kevin here sees the greater missed opportunity.
Yes! Especially right now when Baseball can help heal a broken country – like it has time after time. Now the NBA may take over that role in America.
— Kevin Hobbes (@khobbes10) June 4, 2020
Related: Dodgers Analyst Jerry Hairston Says America Needs Baseball Now
Miguel brings some logic to the table, which is never welcome (especially in 2020).
The difference ,I believe, was their season is almost ending, and they have been paid the majority of the salary. Meanwhile it’s the opposite for the MLB.
— Miguel (@mikethereal) June 4, 2020
Ryan takes the optimistic approach that MLB so desperately needs to consider.
Let this be the catalyst that gets Manfred fired. In less than 9 months, he blew the biggest investigation in baseball history and then might get baseball 2020 canceled. pic.twitter.com/BlRbA08O3d
— _ryan ???? (@ryanatanner) June 4, 2020
Roach takes the zero titles in 32+ years and cheated out of two of the last three approach…
Being a Dodger fan, I’m used to disappointment pic.twitter.com/53fNiXNour
— Roach! (@JRoach_909) June 4, 2020
For the optimistic, yes, baseball could still technically return first. The NBA has July 31st set as its return date. MLB is reportedly hoping for a July 4th opening day.
Hope in one hand…
NEXT: Club Owners and Players at Odds as 2020 Season Hangs in the Balance
Actually disappointed in sports writers that have no concept of the real world. I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t pony up with 40/50% of your net worth no matter how small and risk it on a baseball game. If your choice was to lose some money or more money what would you choose? You see? Right now the owners are at risk whether the season starts up or doesn’t. If they start up and play 3 weeks and have to shut down, then what? The players have no risk ( they can always get a job bagging groceries), but you can be sure they will want full pay . You whine about fans who can’t afford to go to games anymore. Some of these owners will lose their teams. Dodgers maybe czn afford to lose $280 million. Other teams can’t. I actually can’t believe the owners would even consider starting up again. 50, 114 or maybe 15. If players want to get paid, share the risk!
Disappointed? That would assume that I would think that Rob Manfred has a brain in his head, and any capability to use it to make the game workable and better. He has his head firmly up his behind, as he showed with his execution of the Asstros cheating affair. This shows no different. He has no clue, and should be removed if the owners had any brains themselves. He does not care about the game of baseball, or how it looks to us, the fans who pay the money to support the game and make it a business for the owners themselves. No clue. Look at NASCAR. They are doing what they do for the good of their sport, and it will stand to pay great dividends to them in the long term, as to how they care for the fans and the show they are producing for the fanbase. The know what they are doing and are pandering to the people who make it so their bills and salaries get paid. They got it right. Baseball needs to take a few lessons from them.
you see this is the problem so sides being greedy…basketball does it best
Funny how writers such as the writer of this article act as though it is all on Manfred, when in reality there are 30 owners and hundreds of players (represented by a union that is making unreasonable demands, by the way) who would have to reach an agreement. But it’s all Manfred’s fault! Right? Such simplistic and idiotic logic.
Manfred screwed up the Astros cheating punishment, but this situation is not completely on him whatsoever.
Manfred should be the man in the middle bringing the two sides together. Instead the divide has grown under his stewardship. He has failed baseball by pushing the union (also bad leadership) and club owners (business people) into separate corners.
Go Lakers. The Dodgers weren’t going to win anything anyway
Clint, this isn’t a competition about which sport gets going first. Each sport has it’s own issues and logistics to deal with. What matters is that they handle this like professionals and get this done! And I agree w Steve, there are many factors, not just Manfred.
No worries guys..Manfred and his New World order masters won’t allow the crowds to return..So if you want to get your CROWD fix just suit up in a Looting outfit and go Peacefully protest..That’s o.k…..But don’t go to any Ball Games, too much danger there.