They say that money is the root of all evil. Who’s “they”, you ask? Everyone. Since the dawn of money it has magically held a terrible place in the pantheon of human problems.
And, in 2,000+ years of advancing civilizations and exploring the universe, we still haven’t found a way to keep adults who play a game for a living from money trouble.
Major League Baseball announced Tuesday it’s canceling the start of the upcoming regular season, which was scheduled to begin March 31st.
The announcement follows the breakdown of labor negotiations between owners and players, who’ve been locked out since the beginning of last December.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said he’s canceling each team’s first two series of the season, totaling 91 games. Players won’t be paid for games they don’t play.
This is the first time regular season games have been cancelled because of a work stoppage since the disastrous player’s strike in the 1994-95 season.
And why not just postpone it?
“I’m really disappointed,” Manfred said after the player’s union rejected the owners’ most recent offer Tuesday afternoon. “This is a first time situation. Since we’ve gone to interleague play, we’ve never cancelled games.”
Baseball introduced interleague play in 1997, where a National League team plays one from the American League.
When he was asked why games are being cancelled, instead of postponed and rescheduled, as has been the case during the coronavirus pandemic, Manfred said the unique nature of interleague play makes it impossible.
The disparity between the players’ demands and the owners’ concessions are said to remain rather large, leaving Atlanta Braves fans to wonder if they’ll get to hold the World Series trophy for another year.
