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The Death of Baseball
Not many fannies in the seats
Rob Manfred’s “defensive lockout” has canceled Major League Baseball regular season games after the owners and players association failed to reach a deal. As one guy stated on Twitter, baseball has been dead and “this is just the nail in the coffin.”
I hope not. I love the game. Spring has not sprung until I hear the crack of the bat and a flaming fastball popping into a catcher’s mitt. The last thing I want is a lockout, especially in a chaotic world in need of a healthy distraction.
I am already a depressed baseball fan as it is. Rooting for the Seattle Mariners will do that to anyone. It feels like a lifetime ago since I watched guys like Edgar, Griffey, and Buhner rock the Kingdome in the mid-90s. We have yet to relive that 1995 magic, and I was hopeful that maybe 2022 would be the year we finally break the longest playoff drought in baseball (since 2001).
It has now been over 20 years of pain. Yet my masochistic self is always excited for the return of baseball and the promise each new season brings.
But this latest labor battle and lockout strongly suggests that America’s favorite pastime may belong in the past. While the league tried to control the labor negotiation narrative, their overall approach to making a deal was questionable at best. As one…
