Author : Unknown
Email Address : UnknownI love baseball. But I hate baseball. A paradox? Not really. You see, I love the game of baseball - its tradition, its structure, its drama. Love it. What I
hate is the business of baseball; that is Major League Baseball (MLB). And this page will not only tell you why, but will also explain why the alternative to MLB is better!
During
the strike of 1994, I decided I could no longer support a group of players and owners who continued to show me that my interest in and support of their business had no importance to
them and certainly was not a factor in their decision-making process. Over the last twenty years or so there have been eight work stoppages in MLB, and after each one I always came
running back simply because I loved the game.
But the 1994 strike was different.
In 1994, the MLB establishment robbed the fans of the best baseball season in years. Pennant races
were tight. Many long standing records were poised to fall. Teams which hadn't been "in the race" in years past were finally on top of their divisions. 1994 was shaping up
to be a truly great year. But MLB put greed before greatness and stole from the fans a piece of baseball history....and, for many, baseball's future.
The same MLB establishment -
the people who always purport to do what is best for the game - then canceled the World Series. That was best for the game? Unbelievable.
When MLB resumed in the spring of 1995,
nothing had changed. The whole strike and the resulting slap in the face to baseball fans GAINED NOTHING! Even today, THEY STILL DON'T HAVE AN AGREEMENT. This means it is possible
that another work stoppage is on the horizon. In effect, MLB is holding every fan hostage to the threat of another strike.
And when MLB came back, it had the audacity to throw
another shortened season at us. This created a situation where the pursuit of many records was impossible before the season even started. MLB could easily have attempted to redeem
itself - and rebuild fan loyalty - by scheduling doubleheaders every Sunday to make 1995 a complete 162 game season, but they didn't. Why not?
Also, during the 1995 season, there
were several instances where so called replacement players were needed to fill the MLB rosters. In some cases, the "union" players made it clear to management that such
replacements would not be acceptable and effectively roadblocked their use. In situations where the management appropriately ignored the "employees" and utilized the best
players available, the new players were shunned by teammates, creating an atmosphere of pettiness that was unconducive to winning. In either case the message to the fans is that the
MLB establishment doesn't care about putting the best team on the field, but only about their own greedy desires.
Through all of this, not once has a public apology been issued to
baseball fans. Not that it would matter - after all the fan abuse, an apology would be too little, too late. But it would serve to lessen the arrogance which now seems to isolate MLB
from the fans that once supported it.
The owners and players have obviously proven that they are not the least bit concerned with the fans of baseball. They have taken this lack of
concern to the ultimate extreme by not filling the commissioner's position. A commissioner whose primary concern is to protect the best interests of the game is a necessity if MLB
intends to show its ex-fans that it genuinely appreciates us and wants us back.
Given all of the above, it is obvious that I am not attending, watching or listening to any MLB
games. And the ONLY way I'll be back is if I have a friend or relative who is participating or if one of my children becomes interested in MLB and wants to watch, listen or attend a
game with Dad. And then it will be to support my friend or relative, not to support MLB. (Yes, my family and friends are much more important to me than my commitment to boycott MLB.)
Even if MLB totally straightens out its act and brings the game back to the fans where it belongs, I WILL NOT BE BACK! Why? Simply put, MLB gave me the oportunity to try the
alternative, and guess what?.......THE ALTERNATIVE IS BETTER!
What is the alternative? Collegiate and Minor League Baseball. Here's why they are better than MLB:
- CHEAPER! Although concession stand items are comparable in price, ticket prices are much lower, and parking is usually free. Yes, you can take your family to a day at the
ballpark without having a co-signer!
- LESS TRAVEL TIME! Not all baseball fans live in the metropolitan areas that provide MLB. I personally live three hours from the closest location (actually about five when I
consider the time to get in or out of the parking lot). It simply doesn't make sense to travel such long distances when other quality levels of the game are provided much
closer to home.
- BETTER SEATS! College and Minor League games are played on intimate fields where there are no bad seats. I find the game much more interesting when you can actually hear the
participants. I enjoy hearing the home plate umpire yell "Did he swing?" to the first base umpire on a check swing, and hearing him answer "NO!"
- MUCH MORE FUN! Inevitability there is much more happening at College and Minor League games than just the baseball game. Our College team has baseball bingo, scavenger hunts,
winning programs, and dash-for-cash events at every game. I've also seen pizza giveaways and radio control car races around the bases (between innings of course). Promotions
like these encourage everyone to come to the games, where even family members who do not care for baseball have a good time.
- FAN COMERADERIE! Generally the same people attend College and Minor League contests, game after game. You get to know the people around you and have a lot of fun talking about
the one thing you have in common: a love for the GAME of baseball!
- PLAYER ENTHUSIAM! It is refreshing to see athletes who are playing the game for the love of it - players who acknowledge and appreciate the fans who support them. Sure they
are all working hard to get to the big show known as MLB, but that hard work is something that oftens disappears when the influence of MLB hits them. And the fact is that very
few of them even have an outside chance of ever making it that far.
So to the MLB establishment: Thank you! By taking your product away from me, you gave me the opportunity to find a better one. And I did!
It is obvious that a true baseball fan
does not need MLB. There are literally hundreds of places around the country where a fan can enjoy the game without supporting the greed and fan apathy of MLB. If you have renewed
your support of MLB, and don't feel good about it, give your local College or Minor League (or even High School or Babe Ruth) team an opportunity to show you that the game (not the
business) of baseball still exists. No matter how much MLB wants us to believe that it IS the game, it simply isn't. It is just one level. A level that has done its best to ruin the
game it claims to represent. You CAN love and enjoy the game without supporting MLB.
AN ADDENDUM: THE LABOR AGREEMENT
Well, the MLB establishment has FINALLY
reached a collective bargaining agreement. This is obviously good for those who have not boycotted MLB, and for many others who are holding out "until they have an
agreement."
But for me, it is too little, too late. It is unbelievable that this group of people and their egos had to put the fans through what they did in order to ultimately
reach an agreement. There is simply no viable reason why they could not have come up with the solution long before the strike and World Series cancellation was even considered.
Is it possible that MLB will learn from this whole mess and treat its remaining fans with some dignity? Sorry, but I don't think so. Its track record speaks for itself.
Again, no apologies or serious ways to make ammends to the fans have been forthcoming. And as they have progressed in their talks, I haven't heard any of the individuals involved
express any concern or sympathy for the fans. No, I believe it will be business as usual and in a few years, when this agreement expires, there will be another work stoppage. But this
ex-fan will not be there with his back turned waiting for the knife to enter.
So, MLB, congratulations. You finally accomplished what you set out to do three and one-half years ago.
(I really believe that it should have and could have been done in a matter of weeks, if not days.) But your efforts will not bring me back. I'll continue to satisfy my craving for
baseball by supporting levels of the game that are not going to arbitrarily, without my input, take it away from me
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