What of Baseball?

Brewers host Cardinals at American Family
Field. 9/21/2021 dwm photo

We are less than six weeks from the day when pitchers and catchers are supposed to report to their respective Minor League camps.

The players and owners don't have a contract for the 2022 season right now and aren't negotiating.  The owners are locking the players out of team facilities and there is no contact between the two sides except during a negotiation.

The two sides will reach an agreement... eventually, but there's no indication it will happen soon.

I'm excited for the Brewer season.  My son and I are planning a road trip to see them play several states away, but until there is a contract everything is on hold.  I'm not buying tickets for games in American Family Field until there is an agreement either.

Both sides are making money - insane amounts of money for owners and the very best players - so this seems like a real-life version of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.  

From what I've read, both sides seem to agree on making some rule changes to the game, but it's all about the money, so there is no effort to at least check the boxes where they both say yes.  

The last time there were actual games missed was in the 1994 and 1995 seasons. 

The big problem then is still the big problem - the large gap between large and small market teams.  

A few teams play one or two players more than other team's entire roster.  Players don't want a cap on salaries owners want to create some parity and owners do not want to give players freedom they want when it comes to marketing themselves on the open market (players drafted by a club are generally under team control for five or six seasons). 

Some fans will get upset by the whole thing and might stop watching or buying tickets forever or at least a while.  Most of us will come back.  But these battles between billionaires and millionaires are a ridiculous exercise when the two sides should figure our a way to play ball.