You’d suppose after negotiating a CBA, earlier than which Rob Manfred received to stay out his lifelong dream of canceling baseball video games, the place the house owners received a brand new stage of luxurious tax penalties, didn’t actually should pay youthful gamers all that rather more than the pennies they already have been, and definitely didn’t undergo any main modifications that might value the house owners more cash or limit their franchise values, they and their stooge may simply sit and grin and watch the cash roll proper in.
On the Sports activities Enterprise Journal’s World Congress of Sports activities, the place he was fielding questions from Dan Beckerman and Peter Guber — so simply rename this fucking factor A Stupefying Assortment of Assholes — Manfred answered one of many questions posed to him by saying that having no limits on contract lengths was transferring cash to older gamers and never leaving any for youthful gamers, who make up nearly all of at this time’s stars. As a result of groups solely have a certain quantity they’ll spend, as soon as a extremely paid participant goes off the boil he’s immovable, and therefore those that may deserve a much bigger paycheck can’t get it from groups which can be carrying these anchors (hasn’t stopped the Padres, who’re nonetheless paying Eric Hosmer, thoughts).
Let’s be clear: The solely impediment holding younger gamers from getting paid extra is the individuals Manfred works for, and that’s the house owners. The San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels have had no downside handing out long-term offers and discovering more cash for different gamers too. Identical goes for the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners and a few others as well. We all know there’s greater than sufficient cash there for everybody, they simply horde it just because they’ll.
It is a administration tactic as previous because the goddamn hills, attempting to pit one part of the labor power in opposition to one other to maintain them from uniting in opposition to administration. Make it appear to be those that have earned their long-term offers are the villains, and instantly perhaps the youthful gamers is likely to be receptive to listening to a cap on gamers they understand aren’t them.
When is it sufficient for these dickbags? They get to run a multi-billion greenback business, the worth of their franchises has multiplied 4 or 5 instances and can solely proceed to roll over as a lot, they’ve received primarily a wage cap in place, they’re 4 years from this CBA ending and so they’re already received their hatchet man setting targets for a method they’ll seize a bit extra.
And in the event that they need to, when 2027 rolls round, they might lock the gamers out lengthy sufficient to get it. Solely a shit-for-brains like Manfred would take the nice buzz baseball has lately because of the rule modifications, faster tempo of play and sport instances, and the shine from the WBC highlighting a few of the sport’s finest gamers in a brand new method and toss it into the closest pig pen he might discover.
I’d say I hope somebody’s garden mower goes rogue at some point and runs him over from the knee down, however these jackasses would simply discover one other.
Nice begin, Leafs
Nicely, that couldn’t have gone a lot worse for the Leafs.
In a pivotal collection that may resolve the way forward for a whole group and form numerous careers, the Toronto Maple Leafs received fustigated by the Tampa Bay Lightning to the tune of a 7-3 scoreline that wasn’t that shut. Even once they had managed to tug inside 3-2, they instantly tossed up their lunch after which utterly melted down when Michael Bunting determined he might do one higher than Draymond Inexperienced within the chucklehead division. Hopefully he’ll obtain a suspension as effectively for that low-cost shot on the worst attainable time. However every thing is on the worst attainable time for the Leafs.
There’s nonetheless a really lengthy solution to go, and the Leafs will know from final yr an emphatic Sport 1 win ensures nothing. However they might already, or must be, asking themselves if a group can actually be severe a couple of Stanley Cup when it’s beginning Luke Schenn, the husk of Mark Giordano, Justin Holl, Jake McCabe, and TJ Brodie on protection with a straight face. They have been gradual and ponderous and beat all around the ice to free pucks, as a result of they’ve the collective mobility of syrup.
The Leafs’ forwards can get them out of numerous jams, and it’s wanting like they’ll should.
Blue Shirts win
Elsewhere, the New Jersey Devils realized there’s a distinction between enjoying quick and being in a rush. New Jersey is quicker than the N.Y. Rangers, and so they tried to manifest that in opposition to the Rangers by attempting to power turnovers above their blue line or on the forecheck However they have been in such a rush they have been manic with the puck for the primary interval, left some gaps once they turned it over, and so they didn’t get the large saves that Igor Shesterkin gave the Rangers. As soon as they settled down on the finish of the primary and thru the second interval they have been far the higher group, however by then it was too late. Give Shesterkin a lead he can sit on and it turns into fairly the mountain. Lesson realized.
Max Muncy crushes one
Meant to get to this yesterday. I do know Max Muncy crushes this ball, Dodger Stadium ops, however there are a couple of individuals within the bleachers who is likely to be concerned about catching it, and turning the lights off ups the chances of them getting some seams imprinted on their dome by like 700 p.c:
I do know L.A. loves its darkish bars, however strive to not flip your ballpark into one when there’s a baseball hurtling at your patrons. First rule of enterprise faculty.
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