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In this interview on @MLBNetwork Commissioner Manfred *guarantees* baseball will be played in 2020! (3 min 27 sec in) Even if there is no agreement between owners & players. He has right to impose play. Discusses prorated pay, health protocols. @fox5ny https://t.co/Ed1Q8pIsNV
— Tina Cervasio (@TinaCervasio) June 10, 2020
Manfred says November baseball won't happen because MLB medical experts warn of second wave of pandemic; and promises to TV partners for October postseason.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) June 10, 2020
Days passed from Wilpon/Manfred comments about needing to renegotiate March agreement until first MLB proposal: 41
Days for union response: 5
Days for MLB response: 8
Days for union response: 1 pic.twitter.com/SnxIc3BAAm— Craig Edwards (@craigjedwards) June 11, 2020
Two very smart friends of mine, Eno Sarris and Derek Carty, did an assessment of how the number of games played relate to the end result.
For those who do not subscribe to The Athletic, here is a summary.
“But it’s still interesting that 50 stands out as a number of games that doesn’t provide much information about the quality of the teams. At 48 games, a team’s current win percentage describes 61 percent of its end-of-season record. At 89 games, that jumps up to 81 percent. That seems like a big deal.”
Thabks so much to @DerekCarty and @ootpbaseball for their help showing that there is a big difference between even 50 and 65 games, per the data.
— Eno Sarris (@enosarris) June 12, 2020
Of course the data would show that. It’s self fulfilling because the only data available is from 162-game seasons. That is inherently statistically biased.
Good GMs and managers make decisions they believe are optimal over 162 games — not 48 or 80. If they know going into the season they will play only X number of games, then it’s a whole different problem space they must solve. This impacts the team’s plans and strategies (e.g., how often does the number 5 or 6 pitcher start, how often does pitcher y close, how often does does the rookie 4th outfielder start for his development, how long do you give the slumping vet time to figure it out, etc.
Having said all that, we can all agree more baseball is better — because we like baseball.
My take is even more generic. No matter what, this season will be different from the others. And with more than half the teams in the playoffs (if the owners get their way), all a team has to be is average in the regular season and it will play in the post-season. With 16 of 30 teams getting in, the playoffs could include a team or two with a losing record. 50 games or not, if you can’t at least play .500 ball, you should go home quietly, IMO.
the owners are a joke. The players proposed reasonable offers. now we got the cardinals owner trying to claim poverty. I think he should just sell the team to someone who actually cares about the game.
How good will MLB be in empty stadiums? The players are the product, but the fans create the atmosphere of the event. I think most fans like baseball as an event with atmosphere rather than just as a product. Even watching on TV, the excitement and energy of the fans is what makes the event feel special.
I’ve watched a couple of the tennis “re-open” events recently where there are no fans, no ball boys/girls, no line judges, players have separate balls they use to serve with, no hand shakes, etc. I love to watch the sport and it was nice to see, but it feels hollow with no fans present.
This weekend in Serbia, Novak Djokovic is leading a charity event with some of the top players. The stands are packed, only a very few are wearing masks, ball boys/girls and line judges are participating, and the players were arms-around-shoulders for the ceremonial pre-match photo. The difference in the atmosphere makes a big difference in the quality of the event.
ED wrote: How good will MLB be in empty stadiums?
I am with you ED. NASCAR has had several races with no fans and while it is not as close as baseball it seems to have had an effect on the overall sport. Before I quit watching last week it seemed as if the drivers were just going through the motions and being a little too careful for my liking but I know that the roar of a crowd at the races sure does insert a lot of emotion in the teams and drivers. Drivers may not hear much but they can see when the fans stand up and start going crazy. Gotta have fans to have a complete baseball game.
MM3, I didn’t watch the races, but what you say is not surprising to me. I despise the term “new normal” in the context of covid.
Within this story, some news for #Cardinals as a season of some type (forced, negotiated) inches ever closer:
– Permission to house taxi team at Class AA Springffield.
– More players gravitating toward STL.
Plus Mozeliak on mending fences with players: https://t.co/QSjs5adYfu— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) June 15, 2020
The #MLB conference call with owners has ended. The two sides still have to negotiate safety and health protocols before a determination is made on the length of the season
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 15, 2020
Not good at all. This would seem to cover any potential grievances on either health and safety or MLB not proceeding in good faith to play as many games as possible.
Source: In a letter today, MLB told the MLBPA there would be no 2020 season unless the players waived any legal claims against the league.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) June 15, 2020
BREAKING: MLB commissioner Rob Manfred tells @Espngreeny that he’s “not confident” there will be a 2020 baseball season. “Unfortunately," Manfred said, "I can’t tell you that I’m a 100% certain that’s gonna happen.”
News at @espn: https://t.co/h1I6Yh5R55
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 15, 2020
Manfred admits on ESPN this has been “a disaster” in terms of optics for MLB. That’s something we can all agree on.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 15, 2020
They’ve really made a mess of this one. It’s really disappointing to see that they can’t seem to get their act together. Ah well. This should really set things up for some pleasant negotiations next year. Could we end up with multiple years of no baseball?
FWIW, there is a contract to play in 2021 – assuming the virus threat is diminished enough for a normal season.
Even so, I predict a player grievance when owners don’t pay free agents this coming winter.
FWIW, there is a contract to play in 2021 – assuming the virus threat is diminished enough for a normal season.
Even so, I predict a player grievance when owners don’t pay free agents this coming winter.
Yeah…I just think we could get some early acrimony after how this year’s negotiations ended up. Perhaps all those who were hinting at an early work stoppage (like Waino) will turn out right. It would be totally crippling for the sport, but foresight isn’t so strong in these players.
“There are definitely more than eight owners who don’t want to play,” one player agent said.
Sources told The Athletic that the commissioner’s office is loathe to impose a season on players against their will when the Players Association likely would counter such a move by filing a claim for financial damages. The league says it wants to negotiatehttps://t.co/jbG96PuQdu
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) June 16, 2020
"Does Major League Baseball Consider Itself Bulletproof?"
A series of recent public comments by MLB team officials, coupled with poll data, suggest they may be taking fan discontent too lightly. (free) https://t.co/FE1HF4DN6I pic.twitter.com/5uF1X0Es1h
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) June 16, 2020
The #Cardinals said last week they’ll train in St. Louis. https://t.co/JvXsUvkgoF
— Mark Saxon (@markasaxon) June 17, 2020
The original STL 2020 schedule had 63 games from July 19th to September 27th, and 8 off days in 10 weeks.
I missed this last week. While I am not surprised, it is yet another reason to suspect that MLB is totally taking its fans for granted.
I asked about this last month and was told they will not.
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) June 12, 2020
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