Tampa Bay Rays’ player Blake Snell reacted to a plan whereby Major League Baseball owners proposed a 50-50 split of revenues if only half of the games are played by announcing that he wasn’t about to give up anything in his five-year, $50-million contract. He flatly stated, “I’m not playing unless I get mine … .”
Back in the 1970s, a union negotiator by the name of Marvin Miller won an arbitration case that awarded free agency to all players. This simply translated to the fact that they could negotiate salaries for themselves. Until that ruling, players did not refer to themselves as “union.” They were known as the Major League Baseball Players Association.
If the owners’ lawyers had been smart, they might have insisted that the association be recognized as a union, and simply established a union scale and moved on with the game. Instead, they missed that train and today, the fans must find it in their collective hearts to sympathize with guys who trip over their wallets on a daily basis.
As for me, I don’t care if they never play baseball. I saw my first game in 1947 at Forbes Field. None of those players then would have traded their spot on those teams for a steady, year-round job at any mill along any river that runs through Pittsburgh.
N.A. Liberto
Blawnox