Frayed Knot

=Fman99 post_id=86424 time=1646310482 user_id=86] The original is still funny to me - it came out when I was 11 years old and much of the humor I think was aimed right at me. Everything afterwards, including GBII, was and is garbage.

I was only 'Meh' on the original so have never been even slightly tempted by the existence of sequels, remakes, re-boots, re-castings, re-imaginings, etc.

Several sources are saying that the owners are prepared to lose the first month of the season. If they follow through on that then I'm prepared to skip the next five.

First two series of reg season canceled. Fuck both sides in the ear.

'Progress made' in talks that went into the wee hours but issues still remain. Talks to resume at 11AM today with a new deadline of 5PM

So I guess the general consensus is that these assholes are going to fuck this up tonight, eh? Small and mid-market owners seem to be driving the agenda and have no problems missing games in an attempt to get their way.

=kcmets post_id=86315 time=1646066358 user_id=53] What's the over/under on how many days/weeks before a Yankee announcement that the captain is back in the pinstripe-fold where he belongs?

Whatever you say

Atlanta can pay Freeman any salary they choose to and are also free to reject any salary request.

I'm not arguing FOR market constraints and never have. But MLB salaries are down in recent years because teams are giving large and longterm contracts to 30+ y/o players less often these days and in many cases NOT paying players in their 30s for the production they gave in their 20s turns out to be a good decision by the club. Those players instead get lesser contracts which are likely to drop them more into the 'middle class' by MLB standards while some previously middle class guy moves into his old penthouse. But none of that has anything to do with F.F. He's a FA with an idea of his own worth and apparently that differs from Atlanta's idea. Maybe one is wrong, maybe the other is, or maybe it's both or even neither; those things will pay out over time and once (if?) this shit ends he'll be able to get an idea about what other teams think of his worth. But this system puts Atlanta under no constraints as to size or length of contracts other than their own self-imposed ones, and if he winds up some place else I don't find that any more of a 'shame' than his re-upping where he is now. The Braves opted not to re-sign Raffy Furcal or Andruw Jones (and others) for instance -- dropping both before each hit 30 -- and I'm sure were happy with both decisions. Going forward, MLB can change their future rules of engagement in any number of ways, but there are still going to be future 32 y/o top level free agents who are going to get contract offers and/or kiss-offs from their current team. Some will be pissed, others will find greener pastures.

I've been hearing about the predicted disappearance of baseball's middle class for multiple decades now but have yet to see evidence of it. The Braves & Freddie can reach an agreement or they choose to part ways. I see neither outcome as the forced outcome of a broken system.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I'm thinking that we'll be lucky if the season starts by June 1. By which point I'll be boycotting.

I don't see where 'the system' is forcing or incentivizing anything. The Braves (assuming this break becomes real) are making a decision that they don't want him or that they don't want him at his asking price. StL made that same call at a similar age with Pujols and were better for it.

So ... other than what is looking like a delayed season, and a shortened season, and one with a permanent DuH rule, and one which, when and if it concludes, it will do so with a choice of either too many playoff teams or far too many playoff teams, ... how's the off-season going so far? But at least they fixed their time-of-game/pace-of-play issues ... oh wait!

At the beginning of the off-season, Freddie's return to Atlanta was considered a virtual certainty. I'm not sure what happened but the 'He may not' stories started slowly and have only picked up steam since.

As stories about him NOT re-upping with the Braves have become more prevalent as the winter progressed, it would certainly pay to talk to him. 1B, though, obviously not the most important need and I REALLY hope they're not just doing this simply to 'steal' him from the Yanquis.

Stroman adds to his rant by claiming he regularly received death threats and racial taunts while pitching in New York and that the front office was indifferent. Tweet: “Endless death threats, being called a n—– often, hearing black lives don't matter, and playing for a front office who didn't care about any of that,” https://nypost.com/2022/02/24/marcus-stroman-mets-fans-used-n-word-sent-death-threats/https://nypost.com/2022/02/24/marcus-stroman-mets-fans-used-n-word-sent-death-threats/

So MLB is saying that if an agreement is not reached by Monday 2/28 games will start being cancelled, they will not be made up, and players are not going to be paid for any games not played. The players have responded by saying they will not agree to the owners' pet project, expanded playoffs, unless they play a full 162. Being a fan of neither a shortened season nor of expanded playoffs, I find this a bit of a dilemma.

Sounds to me that Stroman was already pissed off about something (lack of contract offer?) or about several somethings, and is using the Eppler hire (not exactly timely now, eh Marcus?) or whatever else he can conjure up as an excuse to tee off on the org in general.

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: I might be too optimistic here bit predicting an agreement is signed by late Friday afternoon, and camps reopening Monday. I'm tempted to jump on this train simply because I can't believe the owners really think that, after decades of rejecting salary caps, the players are suddenly going to swallow this attempt at a cap in all but name. They can't possibly believe this is really going to work, and when exactly was the last time the players broke ranks and buckled on one of their core beliefs?

I wouldn't think that just one flying monkey would be strong enough to carry the framed photo. I'm sure the Monty Pythons could have a lengthy discussion about how to grip it and about weight ratios. As has been widely reported, citizens of Stockholm are currently stoically enduring a swarm of giant praying mantises Not to mention Underdog. And funny how I had never noticed that bridge during my trips out to Orient Point. Must have been a cloudy day each time I was out there.

Willets Point wrote: I read that too quickly and at first thought it said the minimum age for the NFL was three. The draft-niks start tracking the players at age three. But considering the amount of 'red-shirting' that goes on at the college level, a lot of the players are closer to twenty-three by the time they're finally draft eligible.

The current set-ups in the various professional leagues are allowed to survive because they all got there through collectively bargained agreements with their unions. The minimum age restrictions in the NBA (one year post-high school) and NFL (three) have been deemed legal because they have the players union stamp of approval as are the various rules governing requirements or restrictions for free-agency, plus minimum wages and other such stuff. The infamous anti-trust exemptions allow the leagues to control such things as franchise additions or movement, something which is certainly an issue, but also which long ago ceased to have control over player salaries. The days when sports could operate with unilaterally imposed lifetime servitude rules are long gone so the removal of any remaining exemptions isn't going to be some sort of magic bullet that some seem to believe.

=duan post_id=86008 time=1645206216 user_id=99] the owners are pathetic. They're a cosy cartel who make money out of an anti-trust exemption, yet they're still so greedy that they fuck this up to be sure they don't go near allowing people to earn what they should earn for their value. If the structure of ownership/industry like this was replicated in Europe it'd have been broken up by a legal challenge long long long ago. 30 owners controlling players ability to move and earn? bonkers.

ex-Angels employee found guilty of supplying the drugs that led to pitcher Tyler Scaggs' death. https://nypost.com/2022/02/17/ex-angels-employee-found-guilty-in-overdose-death-of-pitcher-tyler-skaggs/https://nypost.com/2022/02/17/ex-angels-employee-found-guilty-in-overdose-death-of-pitcher-tyler-skaggs/