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Speaker 1: Boom. If you thought four hours a day, minutes a

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Speaker 1: week was enough, I think again. He's the last remnants

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Speaker 1: of the old republic, a sole fashion of fairness. He

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Speaker 1: treats crackheads in the ghetto cutter the same as the

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Speaker 1: rich pill poppers in the penthouse the clearing House of

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Speaker 1: hot takes break free for something special. The Fifth Hour

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Speaker 1: with Ben Maller starts right now in the air everywhere,

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Speaker 1: and a very very happy Friday to you. Do we

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Speaker 1: have baseball ow hell now, but we do have the

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Speaker 1: Fifth Hour with Ben Maller and Danny g back for

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Speaker 1: another weekend here. And we're always debating the the balance,

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Speaker 1: But who do we have on on Friday? We like

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Speaker 1: to bring somebody in and chat. And so this week,

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Speaker 1: considering the big story that we've talked a lot about

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Speaker 1: on the Overnight Show has been the labor dispute in

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Speaker 1: Major League Baseball. Who better to comment on that. That's

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Speaker 1: someone that has covered baseball for years, that is a

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Speaker 1: friend of mine. I've known this guy for many, many

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Speaker 1: years from MLB Network and he's all over this here

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Speaker 1: on Fox Sports Radio all the time. You have seeing

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Speaker 1: him over the years as a reporter on baseball coverage

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Speaker 1: on Fox Sports and FS one, and he's multidimensional. He

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Speaker 1: covers hockey as well for the NHL Network. John Paul

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Speaker 1: Morossi better known It's just John Morrossi, and he joins

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Speaker 1: us now on the Fifth Hour with Ben Maller and

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Speaker 1: Danny g to talk all things baseball, labor. What We're

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Speaker 1: gonna try to make this relatable in layman's terms, because listen,

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Speaker 1: I'm not that bright. So let's just get into it

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Speaker 1: right now, and we welcome to John to the show.

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Speaker 1: And the thing that has annoyed so many, including yours

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Speaker 1: truly who love baseball, John, is the delay in getting

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Speaker 1: the talk started. Now. I know they talked a lot recently,

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Speaker 1: but this should have been done months ago. Why do

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Speaker 1: you think both sides ended up procrastinating so long to

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Speaker 1: get the negotiation jump started. Well, Ben, it's an excellent question,

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Speaker 1: and it's been asked by people close to the process

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Speaker 1: and people who are fans of the game and love

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Speaker 1: the game. I think the reality is that both sides

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Speaker 1: perhaps needed the deadline, which effectively was the deadline that

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Speaker 1: we saw pass on Monday or Tuesday. We should say,

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Speaker 1: uh to not sacrifice any regular season games that perhaps

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Speaker 1: we were not going to see a real negotiation, a

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Speaker 1: real grinding of those last details until that arrived. So

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Speaker 1: I do think if there is any blame on that,

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Speaker 1: it's somewhat universal to say that there were aspects of

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Speaker 1: this that could have been worked through earlier. But I

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Speaker 1: suppose the facts that deadlines tend to motivate was perhaps

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Speaker 1: evident by the reality that we didn't see a deadline

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Speaker 1: missed on Tuesday, and then a deal happened the next day.

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Speaker 1: This is I think on some level we are all

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Speaker 1: creatures of deadlines and and routines, and in this respect,

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Speaker 1: and for better or worse, this is a deadline sort

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Speaker 1: of a game, whether it's a trade deadline or arbitration

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Speaker 1: salary figure deadline. Unfortunately been this was one deadline that

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Speaker 1: was missed, and I think the blame is is shared

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Speaker 1: around the game, and the reality is the fans of

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Speaker 1: those that are are suffering the most right now. All right,

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Speaker 1: So I have a theory, John. I was on the radio,

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Speaker 1: I do the Overnight show and whatnot, and we were

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Speaker 1: on the air when all this was was going down,

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Speaker 1: and because they went past two in the morning, and

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Speaker 1: my theory is if they had just stayed there until

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Speaker 1: the sun came up. They if you believe the reporting,

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Speaker 1: they were close to a deal on Monday and that's

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Speaker 1: why they came back on Tuesday to to finish it.

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Speaker 1: My theory is they would have gotten something done they

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Speaker 1: the moment they left. Both sides left. Then then other

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Speaker 1: people entered the conversation and were able to change their mind.

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Speaker 1: People go to bed, they wake up, they have different

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Speaker 1: feelings from the night before. Uh. Do you agree with that?

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Speaker 1: Do you think if they just stayed a few more hours,

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Speaker 1: we would have had a deal done Monday At six

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Speaker 1: in the morning, they would have gone out and had

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Speaker 1: eggs and bacon and then played baseball. It's possible, Ben,

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Speaker 1: I suppose we'll never know. A couple of points on

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Speaker 1: that where I I believe that that your argument is

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Speaker 1: valid in a couple of different ways. Number One, even

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Speaker 1: on Tuesday morning, we heard different different opinions between the

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Speaker 1: union side and the league side as exactly how close

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Speaker 1: they were the night before. Perhaps MLB thought they were

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Speaker 1: close to a deal, the Union seemed to think they

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Speaker 1: were close enough to continue talking. And those are two

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Speaker 1: different related but to different conceptions of what was going on. Uh.

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Speaker 1: I also think that to your point, it's a correct

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Speaker 1: point to make that both sides of this are made

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Speaker 1: up of rather diverse constituencies. And on the MLB side,

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Speaker 1: this is not always the will and the best negotiating

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Speaker 1: wisdom of Rob Manford Dan Halum. It is what can

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Speaker 1: I put out there that two thirds of the owners

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Speaker 1: will ratify. And on the player side, it's the same

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Speaker 1: thing between large salary earning players and those that are

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Speaker 1: earning closer to the minimum. The analogy I've made is

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Speaker 1: to a majority leader or a minority leader of the Senate,

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Speaker 1: and when a negotiation is happening on legislation, the individual

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Speaker 1: whims or beliefs of that majority or minority leader might

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Speaker 1: be X. But if that set of values is not

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Speaker 1: going to pass with the three the two thirds majority

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Speaker 1: of of your constituency, of your caucus, if you will

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Speaker 1: to use this example, it's not gonna work. And so

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Speaker 1: I really think Ben that this is a time where

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Speaker 1: the beliefs along those uh continuums of players and owners

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Speaker 1: are quite diverse. There are a lot of different interests

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Speaker 1: that the Dodgers have or the Yankees have that are

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Speaker 1: fundamentally and perhaps diametrically in opposition to the Rays or

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Speaker 1: the Pirates or the Royals. It's there's a different set

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Speaker 1: of circumstances. And what I think has happened right now, Ben,

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Speaker 1: is there's been a real difficulty in arriving at what

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Speaker 1: that compromised point is. That the final point I'll make

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Speaker 1: on this this particular topic is it is disappointing, vexing, confusing,

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Speaker 1: whatever word you'd like to choose. That the issue that

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Speaker 1: is probably the most significant one right now, which the

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Speaker 1: CBT threshold and what that number is going to be,

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Speaker 1: is in it a number and a behavior that is

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Speaker 1: entirely within the purview of the teams. Nothing in this CBA,

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Speaker 1: Ben says the cb A threshold, or the CBT threshold

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Speaker 1: rather is two twenty million dollars and everybody's got to

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Speaker 1: spend that amount of money. That's not at all what

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Speaker 1: it says. It just says that's the maximum that you

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Speaker 1: could spend before you begin incurring penalties, which is entirely different.

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Speaker 1: And so it really is up to to the discretion

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Speaker 1: of each team if you want to spend up to

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Speaker 1: that level or not. And the irony is that you

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Speaker 1: consider the World Series two years ago, you had the Dodgers,

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Speaker 1: one of the richest teams in the game. We're pushed

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Speaker 1: to a sixth game and perhaps could have been a

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Speaker 1: seventh had a decision been different with respect to pitching

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Speaker 1: against the team with one of the lowest payrolls in

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Speaker 1: the sport. So, I I don't know. It's really you

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Speaker 1: take a take a step back and consider where the

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Speaker 1: economics of the game are on either side. It is

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Speaker 1: to meet a little bit baffling that the number that's

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Speaker 1: holding everybody up is the number that affects half a

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Speaker 1: dozen teams. Really, and even then, is that the discretion

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Speaker 1: ben of those teams. No one is ever forcing a

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Speaker 1: team to spend close to at or above the CBT threshold.

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Speaker 1: And yet it's that number that seems to be the reason,

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Speaker 1: the chief reason at least why we don't have spring

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Speaker 1: training open right now. Well, and the other thing to John,

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Speaker 1: just to follow up and piggyback on what you were

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Speaker 1: saying that I used to work in San Diego and

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Speaker 1: the Padres always kind of small market team. I remember

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Speaker 1: many fire sales for the Padres back in the day

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Speaker 1: when I was getting started in radio, and they are

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Speaker 1: they're a big swinger now and there you know, to

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Speaker 1: my knowledge, the San Diego market has not changed that

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Speaker 1: they're one of the smaller market teams in baseball. And

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Speaker 1: is it true, John, that there's other teams that are

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Speaker 1: upset with the Podres because they went out and spent

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Speaker 1: a gazillion dollars on Manny Machado and a couple other guys,

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Speaker 1: And so they've got a a hey roll which is

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Speaker 1: near the very top of baseball and a market where

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Speaker 1: you compare them to some of these other teams like

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Speaker 1: Pittsburgh and whatnot that have have spent no money like

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Speaker 1: the Podres are upsetting the Apple card, if you will.

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Speaker 1: Is that a legitimate opinion. I'm sure there's a lot

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Speaker 1: of truth to that. And Ben, that's also not it's

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Speaker 1: not a novel concept in the game. Remember back to

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Speaker 1: the stories of of when the A Rod deal was

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Speaker 1: signed with Texas back in two thousands. Uh and and

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Speaker 1: there was the famous press conference given by Sandy Alderson,

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Speaker 1: who was obviously not not the GM of the Rangers

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Speaker 1: outside the Winter Meetings room where the deal was announced,

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Speaker 1: and he was lamb basting the deal about what a

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Speaker 1: terrible deal is was for baseball because uh now it

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Speaker 1: was going to create this inflation effect on all the

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Speaker 1: different wages and oh my gosh, where are we going

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Speaker 1: in the sports? So it's that has been a part

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Speaker 1: of the game for as long as there has been

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Speaker 1: a divergence in team spending. Happens, probably since the dawn

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Speaker 1: of free agency. So notable, yes, novel, not at all,

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Speaker 1: And and I do think it is representative of of

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Speaker 1: I guess what I would say, Ben, is one data

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Speaker 1: point because you might have an agent who says to

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Speaker 1: another team just let's just say the Rockies for example,

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Speaker 1: they're in the same division. Hey, listen, the Padres are

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Speaker 1: spending this amount of money. You had better sign my

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Speaker 1: player and and bring your money more in line with

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Speaker 1: what the Padres have and and the Rockies GM could say,

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Speaker 1: we wait a minute, the Padres this past year, we're

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Speaker 1: a colossal failure. And teams that were paying significantly less money,

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Speaker 1: like the Rays were a success. Why do I have

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Speaker 1: to spend for your player at all? So I think, Benny,

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Speaker 1: it it's the system. It's it's interesting because we can

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Speaker 1: talk about the money, and obviously the money is huge

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Speaker 1: part of this at the top line, but at the

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Speaker 1: end of the day, for the vast majority of teams.

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Speaker 1: If you've raft well and develop well and keep your

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Speaker 1: talent and build a good culture, and have a good manager,

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Speaker 1: and and and check all these boxes, you're probably going

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Speaker 1: to be a successful, sustainable team, even if you're not

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Speaker 1: spending the most money. It's it's it certainly said. Yes,

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Speaker 1: you've got two teams that spent over the wax Street

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Speaker 1: Tax Dodgers pod Race. One was a very good team

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Speaker 1: and one wasn't. So there are still multiple pathways to

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Speaker 1: getting this this success in baseball that every team is

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Speaker 1: is pursuing. And the point men that I would make

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Speaker 1: that I think should guide everybody in this conversation. The

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Speaker 1: Players Union set out to say at the outset of this,

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Speaker 1: we want younger players to be paid more well. In

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Speaker 1: the last proposal, the minimum seller ran up more than

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Speaker 1: a hundred thousand dollars and and to the credit of

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Speaker 1: the union they should be congratulated for that number. And

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Speaker 1: also the creation of the arbitration bonus pool to pay

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Speaker 1: for the players who have not yet achieved salary arbitration,

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Speaker 1: so that the players who have between two and three

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Speaker 1: years of service, that is new money, found money, if

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Speaker 1: you will, thirty million dollars just put into that to

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Speaker 1: incentivize great performances by superior young talent. Then to me,

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Speaker 1: that seems pretty darn good. Maybe you could argue that

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Speaker 1: that numbers should go up more. But because we've never

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Speaker 1: had it before and the Union has put put press

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Speaker 1: for it, and mL we put it in there, it's

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Speaker 1: really hard for us to know what the fair number is.

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Speaker 1: It's never existed. It's like putting something on the market

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Speaker 1: and say, well, what what is this worth? Well, we've

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Speaker 1: never seen this before, so I don't know. I don't

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Speaker 1: know what it's worth. And I think that's part of

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Speaker 1: the issue that they're dealing with right now, is what

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Speaker 1: that number ought to be. That certainly there are still

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Speaker 1: some distances been to be able to bridge. I'm encouraged

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Speaker 1: that on on this Thursday, there was a smaller conversation

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Speaker 1: reportedly between Dan Ailum and Bruce Meyer, the lead negotiator

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Speaker 1: for MLB, the negotiator for the union, Great Small group Workshop.

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Speaker 1: The ideas talk about a lot of different ideas, and

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Speaker 1: I am still opal that there's enough sense here on

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Speaker 1: what this agreement could look like that there is no

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Speaker 1: reason for us to lose all of April. And I've

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Speaker 1: heard plenty of conversation about well, the national TV contracts

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Speaker 1: they pick up in May and the owners will make

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Speaker 1: that they'll make more, or that they'll be coming out

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Speaker 1: just fine if they don't pay any wages in April

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Speaker 1: and then come back and May. That might be true

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Speaker 1: for the balance sheets of April and May of two.

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Speaker 1: But whether it's the owners or the players, then you

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Speaker 1: you host a show that talks about all different sports.

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Speaker 1: You understand this frankly better than I do because I

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Speaker 1: work largely in baseball and hockey, so I've got my

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Speaker 1: two sports that I focus on. This is an issue

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Speaker 1: where if if baseball goes away for a while and

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Speaker 1: and and fans and people around the country find other

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Speaker 1: things to spend their summer evenings doing, they might not

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Speaker 1: come back. And then what you gained with some pyric

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Speaker 1: victory in April or May of evaporates because the overall

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Speaker 1: business is not growing in the fashion that you expected

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Speaker 1: to grow. And so ben as much as there's a

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Speaker 1: lot of points being scored on either side, frankly, both

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Speaker 1: camps have to take a step back listen to what

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Speaker 1: the people who are actually paying the tickets have to

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Speaker 1: say for them. For themselves, and realize that if we

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Speaker 1: don't get this game back on the field and improve

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Speaker 1: the quality of the product, with the with the pace

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Speaker 1: of play, a lot of other issues, if we can't

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Speaker 1: get to a point where we can talk about these things,

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Speaker 1: the business is going to shrink. It will become continually

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Speaker 1: less relevant, not irrelevant, but just less relevant, which is

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Speaker 1: which is to me concerning I love the game, the

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Speaker 1: game is my liveli and did it matters a ton

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Speaker 1: to me. We have to find a way to get

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Speaker 1: it back, end the deal, to talk about the things

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Speaker 1: that will actually resonate with the people who buy the tickets,

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Speaker 1: and then that will hopefully allow this national pastime to

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Speaker 1: get to a better place. All right, So, John, you

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Speaker 1: know I've known you for a long time. I love

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Speaker 1: baseball as well, and I do talk about everything on

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Speaker 1: the Overnight Show. And so I'm at the point now

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Speaker 1: when it comes to the fan issue where I am

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Speaker 1: convinced both the owners and players they both use the

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Speaker 1: fans as ponds, but I don't think they truly either

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Speaker 1: side is really concerned about the fan. I think it's

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Speaker 1: just rhetoric that they toss out and it's a good

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Speaker 1: talking point. People like it, but I'll tell you what's

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Speaker 1: gonna happen, John, What's gonna happens. People are just they're

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Speaker 1: not gonna worry about baseball. They're gonna do other things.

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Speaker 1: We saw this a couple of years ago when the

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Speaker 1: pandemic started and there was no sports for a hundred days.

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Speaker 1: People just you know, they find Netflix or whatever else

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Speaker 1: to watch and then if sports come back. I think

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Speaker 1: this is this is the argument that the owners and

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Speaker 1: the players both both will make that if it's July

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Speaker 1: and it's eighty degrees and you want to take your

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Speaker 1: family out to a game, and you know the weather

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Speaker 1: is wonderful and you want entertainment, it's an experience, you're

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Speaker 1: gonna do it. And so I'm convinced both sides know

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Speaker 1: that whenever they get a deal done, assuming there's baseball,

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Speaker 1: they'll be they'll be out there. But in terms of relevance, yeah,

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Speaker 1: I mean pretty much all we do in sports radio

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Speaker 1: these days is obsessed about different free agents in the NFL.

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Speaker 1: That's pretty much what we do. And it's it's very frustrating,

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Speaker 1: uh you know, from that perspective, because you know, everyone's

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Speaker 1: talking about the fans, both Tony Clark and uh and

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Speaker 1: also Rob Manford all these other guys that if issue

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Speaker 1: statements is all about the fans, this that you listen.

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Speaker 1: Let's be honest here, John, just like you and I,

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Speaker 1: if we're in the negotiation, you're looking at the players

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Speaker 1: are looking out for the players, the owners are looking

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Speaker 1: out for the owners, and you know the fans are

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Speaker 1: somewhere down the list here. And so I every time

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Speaker 1: I hear the fans this the fans lad from owners

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Speaker 1: and players, I kind of cringe because being completely transparent,

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Speaker 1: that's not the case. You you buy that or you

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Speaker 1: don't buy that. Well, I mean been on some levels

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Speaker 1: they have to on a macro basis listen to the

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Speaker 1: fans because they're their customers and whether or not they

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Speaker 1: whether or not they are truly considering the fans wishes.

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Speaker 1: And I believe certainly with MLBS moved to the change

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Speaker 1: pace of play, eliminate the shift, universal d H, some

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Speaker 1: other things that fans want, I do believe they are

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Speaker 1: listening to the fans in that respect and want to

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Speaker 1: change and improve the game because all these the rule

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Speaker 1: change has been When you consider where we're at with

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Speaker 1: with a lot of different sports, rule changes happened quite

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Speaker 1: frequently all the time in fact, for baseball, that there

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Speaker 1: is this retstance change the game too much because it

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Speaker 1: is sort of this high bound traditionalist sport. And look around.

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Speaker 1: I mean you know what again better than I do

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Speaker 1: when you consider the popularity of the NFL, the popularity

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Speaker 1: of the NBA. Uh, certainly you look at soccer. Soccer

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Speaker 1: is in a very differ in place now that it

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Speaker 1: was when when best when baseball was last on strike.

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Speaker 1: So there is a tremendous competition for the hearts and

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Speaker 1: minds of of people, and certainly young people. And if

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Speaker 1: you cannot find a way to develop a passionate following

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Speaker 1: among younger people to watch the game for three hours,

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Speaker 1: three and a half hours, it's a long time. It's

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Speaker 1: a long time for it. Don't to sit and watch

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Speaker 1: one thing. And so if we are going to grow

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Speaker 1: the game, as we always talk about, so the the

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Speaker 1: Zeit guys were talking to hear about growth, mindset, growth,

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Speaker 1: business probably going to grow the business, how are we

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Speaker 1: gonna make families and young people believe that a baseball

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Speaker 1: game traffic, paying for the tickets, paying for the concessions,

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Speaker 1: whatever it is, it is worth our time and money

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Speaker 1: and if your point been, a lot of people in

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Speaker 1: the last two years have reevaluated what that time and

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Speaker 1: money ought to go to, and there's been a lot

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Speaker 1: of soul searching for out of of a reason, and

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Speaker 1: that that process is very much ongoing, and I would

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Speaker 1: say been the worst thing that you can do. The

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Speaker 1: worst thing that you can do is remove your your

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Speaker 1: conversation piece, your sports, your brand from shows like yours.

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Speaker 1: And if you take baseball off the airwaves, you take

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Speaker 1: baseball out of circulation for a while. Consumer preferences and

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Speaker 1: what kids are into and what all people are into

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Speaker 1: change so quickly. Now, Ben, and we know this that

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Speaker 1: if you take yourself out of circulation for a period

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Speaker 1: of time, there's no guarantee that you're ever going to

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Speaker 1: get back in the rotation of of the family's mindset.

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Speaker 1: In Illinois, in Michigan, in Nebraska, in Texas, in California,

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Speaker 1: wherever it might be, they'll move on. And I think

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Speaker 1: expecting America to have routines like America has always had

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Speaker 1: routines is not really a winning strategy at this point

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Speaker 1: in time. You have to stay above and in the

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Speaker 1: head of the curve and and just fate and you

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Speaker 1: cannot do those things if your product is not being

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Speaker 1: played at a given time. So how much money we

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Speaker 1: talked about? I read that the salaries per game that

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Speaker 1: has been canceled. I read a number. It was like

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Speaker 1: twenty million dollars per day if you know all the

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Speaker 1: games are canceled, which we've already seen some in the

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Speaker 1: teams are gonna lose like a hundred thousand per per

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Speaker 1: home game in in revenue. Do those numbers sound right?

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Speaker 1: Is that? Does that sound like a ball? That seems

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Speaker 1: low to me? On both sides? Is that is that

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Speaker 1: where we are? And that is that we've heard there's

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Speaker 1: differing estimates, I think based on market size, based on team, uh,

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Speaker 1: depending on circumstances. Again, obviously, the the national TV revenues

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Speaker 1: for baseball, and that's that's real. Where that that really

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Speaker 1: starts to kick in and may there are some make

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Speaker 1: goods that exist for the local regional television piece that

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Speaker 1: only really start to become a factor if you have

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Speaker 1: missed twenty games or more. So those things are admittedly

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Speaker 1: a bit on the line, but it's not forever. And oh,

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Speaker 1: by the way, April fifteen is Jackie Robinson Day, anniversary

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Speaker 1: of his debut, and that to me is as sacred

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Speaker 1: of an occasion as we have, certainly in baseball, definitely

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Speaker 1: in sports, and arguably in our country when you think

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Speaker 1: about what that day means, uh, in American history. And

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Speaker 1: so that is to me one of the most hall

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Speaker 1: old days that we have to observe in our in

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Speaker 1: our corner of the sports universe. And and darned if

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Speaker 1: we cannot find a way to get major league games

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Speaker 1: played on the seventy anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut, and

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Speaker 1: shame on all of us. Really, I mean, there's there's

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Speaker 1: no there is no credible excuse for that for anybody.

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Speaker 1: It's just it's it's unforgivable from what I said. If

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Speaker 1: that's if that's the outcome, so uh, And if that's

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Speaker 1: going to be the outcome. To avoid that, we've got

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Speaker 1: to get a deal about the next ten days, which,

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Speaker 1: by the way, they can do the number I'll repeat

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Speaker 1: the number that is the most significant pediment here is

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Speaker 1: the competitive Palace Tax special, which is an entirely discretionary

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Speaker 1: amount of spending on a per team basis. If you say,

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Speaker 1: as a team, I don't really want it to be

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Speaker 1: two thirty eight I wanted to be too twenty. Okay,

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Speaker 1: then don't spend more than two twenty. You have that

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Speaker 1: right as a team. And and we have seen many,

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Speaker 1: many times that teams that spend more money don't always

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Speaker 1: benefit from those expenditures. And and so I just I am,

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Speaker 1: I am a little bit just dumbfounded, frankly as to

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Speaker 1: why that number is the big issue here when it

401
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Speaker 1: is one that a team like Tampa Bay or Pittsburgh

402
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Speaker 1: or Kansas City will never even come close to. So

403
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Speaker 1: what's the difference to them? I just, I just I

404
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Speaker 1: don't I do not get the reluctance of of of

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Speaker 1: the teams, frankly to move that number up a little bit,

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Speaker 1: because they that's not the concern of a majority of

407
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Speaker 1: the teams on a functional basis, right look at them.

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Speaker 1: It is not a number that is entirely relevant to

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Speaker 1: that many teams. Well, and I don't, like, you know,

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Speaker 1: my head is spinning by all the numbers in these

411
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Speaker 1: negotiations and all the you know, I'm not a math guy,

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Speaker 1: but the I'm generally against salary caps and salary floors.

413
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Speaker 1: But that really sounds like the issue that the players,

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Speaker 1: they're big complaint. They want a salary floor in here

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Speaker 1: where every team has to spend X number of dollars.

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Speaker 1: But as we have seen John over the last ten

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Speaker 1: years fifteen years in baseball, the owners, uh to their credit,

418
00:23:36,119 --> 00:23:40,160
Speaker 1: are tremendous robber barons of baseball. They they have figured

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Speaker 1: out how to bend whatever rules they have. When you're

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Speaker 1: talking about Tampa Bay, which is like a Frankenstein's Lab

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Speaker 1: for baseball with what they've been able to do with

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Speaker 1: finding players off the scrap heep and all that. So

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Speaker 1: whatever rules are in place, they're just gonna go out

424
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Speaker 1: and hire a new crop of IVY League guys to

425
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Speaker 1: come in or wherever they find the next crop of GMS,

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Speaker 1: and they'll just bend the rules. But it's it's like

427
00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:08,960
Speaker 1: the middle class in baseball just doesn't exist, and is

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Speaker 1: there really any way to get back to that. You

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Speaker 1: either have guys that are making, by baseball standards, not

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Speaker 1: a lot of money, and then all of a sudden

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Speaker 1: they get two hundred, three hundred million dollar contracts, but

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Speaker 1: there's there's no middle ground. It's not like you don't

433
00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:26,119
Speaker 1: go from zero to a hundred in real life. You

434
00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:28,439
Speaker 1: normally have to stop somewhere in the middle. And then

435
00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:30,520
Speaker 1: go all the way up. But in baseball, it's either

436
00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:32,640
Speaker 1: you're at the very bottom or you're at the very top,

437
00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:35,880
Speaker 1: and you're not in the middle. And I, frankly, John,

438
00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:37,719
Speaker 1: maybe you're you're smarter than me. I don't know how

439
00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:41,040
Speaker 1: you get that middle class at baseball back. I don't

440
00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:44,040
Speaker 1: see a path to that. Is there a path to that? Well,

441
00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:46,200
Speaker 1: A couple of things. I mean, number one, do you

442
00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:49,320
Speaker 1: look at the NLCS this past year, Braves Dodgers, the

443
00:24:49,359 --> 00:24:53,320
Speaker 1: team with low pay roll one Houston. They had the

444
00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:56,320
Speaker 1: richest player, ryland Or was not was not pitching because

445
00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:59,760
Speaker 1: he's hurt. They weren't able to resign Garritt Cole George

446
00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:02,760
Speaker 1: Or left, and they got to the World Series again.

447
00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:06,800
Speaker 1: So it's it's an interesting dichotomy there. And I should

448
00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:10,320
Speaker 1: point out before I go any further, the players. Briefly

449
00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:12,800
Speaker 1: the notion of a salary floor was on the table,

450
00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:15,560
Speaker 1: but then it was discarded. So the players are not

451
00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:18,399
Speaker 1: even asking for that anymore either. So there is no

452
00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:21,840
Speaker 1: there is no minimum to hit that is that is

453
00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:24,520
Speaker 1: not part of the conversation right now. It's just the maximum.

454
00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:27,760
Speaker 1: And even then it's it's it's not a hard it's

455
00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:29,560
Speaker 1: not a salary cap at all. It's not a hard cap.

456
00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:31,520
Speaker 1: It's something that you can go over if you want to.

457
00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:32,880
Speaker 1: You just have to pay a tax on it. That's

458
00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:36,920
Speaker 1: that's all that means. So I think the Braves have

459
00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:40,040
Speaker 1: been a team has been successful while spending somewhere in

460
00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:44,159
Speaker 1: the middle range. Obviously, the Dodgers, they don't win the

461
00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:47,280
Speaker 1: World Series without Mookie Betts, and he's someone that their

462
00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:50,320
Speaker 1: market size allowed them to sign to a multi year

463
00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:54,000
Speaker 1: deal and keep long term. Now, of course, the Dodgers

464
00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:58,400
Speaker 1: they lost Corey Seeger. They can't even spend on everybody,

465
00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:01,320
Speaker 1: and in fact, someone are you It's not even always

466
00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:04,760
Speaker 1: in your best interest to spend on the biggest superstar.

467
00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:08,560
Speaker 1: Look at the free agent contracts of for example, Robinson Canoe,

468
00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:12,359
Speaker 1: Albert Pools, who the biggest contracts ever signed. Uh, they

469
00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:16,040
Speaker 1: have not necessarily aged as well towards the back end

470
00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:18,520
Speaker 1: of those deals. And then, to me, this is a

471
00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:20,880
Speaker 1: little bit of a granular point in baseball, but I'll

472
00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:23,720
Speaker 1: make it because I think it's important. The players ought

473
00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:27,240
Speaker 1: to be thrilled with the reality that there is no

474
00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:31,480
Speaker 1: longer direct draft pick compensation tied to free agent signings.

475
00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:34,919
Speaker 1: Once upon a time as recently as less for example,

476
00:26:35,040 --> 00:26:38,440
Speaker 1: last offseason, I would be talking to team executives and say, listen,

477
00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:40,600
Speaker 1: this player is a good fit for you. Why don't

478
00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:42,960
Speaker 1: you sign him? And the answer would beat John off

479
00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:45,520
Speaker 1: the record. I can't give up the draft pick because

480
00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:47,879
Speaker 1: the draft is the most efficient way that I can

481
00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:50,480
Speaker 1: add talent to my organization, and I'm not going to

482
00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:53,760
Speaker 1: give up that ability to sign a player to a

483
00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:56,399
Speaker 1: multi year deal into his thirties when I'm not entirely

484
00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:59,080
Speaker 1: sure if he's gonna be worth that money the longer

485
00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:02,480
Speaker 1: e place. I might be willing to take that risk

486
00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:04,760
Speaker 1: if I didn't also have to give up a draft pick.

487
00:27:05,080 --> 00:27:08,840
Speaker 1: That draftick compensation Ben is now gone. That is a

488
00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:12,200
Speaker 1: huge deal on a level that I wonder if the

489
00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:16,160
Speaker 1: players fully appreciate how significant that victory is for them

490
00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:19,040
Speaker 1: in this negotiation. I think that part of this Ben

491
00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:23,200
Speaker 1: has not been talked about nearly enough when you consider

492
00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:25,160
Speaker 1: how important that's going to be in the free agent market.

493
00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:27,720
Speaker 1: Well yeah, yeah, I haven't really read much about that.

494
00:27:27,800 --> 00:27:29,239
Speaker 1: But let me ask you this, Jane. As far as

495
00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:32,880
Speaker 1: the rule changes, I've talked to a number I want

496
00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:34,600
Speaker 1: to talk about the shift here because there's always a

497
00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:36,200
Speaker 1: pet peep of mind. You talk to some of these

498
00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:37,920
Speaker 1: old time guys that played in the seventies and the

499
00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,520
Speaker 1: eighties back in the day, and they will tell you

500
00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:43,679
Speaker 1: they know how to beat the shift. It's called choking

501
00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:45,920
Speaker 1: up on the bat and you're hitting the ball the

502
00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:50,720
Speaker 1: other way. The players are so stubborn that the owners

503
00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:53,760
Speaker 1: have to put the ban of the shift and they

504
00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:57,439
Speaker 1: have to implement an actual rule because the players are

505
00:27:57,520 --> 00:27:59,960
Speaker 1: unable to adapt that. That to me is very frustrated

506
00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:04,560
Speaker 1: when just like basic baseball, just choke up on the bat,

507
00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:06,480
Speaker 1: hit the ball the other way, get a base it

508
00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:09,160
Speaker 1: They're giving you the entire side of the field. It's

509
00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:13,639
Speaker 1: very frustrated they have to do that. And the pitch clock, Uh,

510
00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:17,200
Speaker 1: that's also the's like certain pictures just take forever. And

511
00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:20,920
Speaker 1: in baseball has always prided itself on not having a clock. This,

512
00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:23,399
Speaker 1: that and the other thing. Uh, those two things. I

513
00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:25,720
Speaker 1: don't think the base thing, the oversized base thing, is

514
00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:27,879
Speaker 1: that that big a deal. But the banning of the

515
00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:32,920
Speaker 1: shift seems unnecessary. And and the pitch clock is that

516
00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:35,960
Speaker 1: is that going to go over like a lead balloon? John?

517
00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:38,600
Speaker 1: And first of all, I agree with you on the

518
00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:41,760
Speaker 1: on the shifting aspect, we shouldn't have to do it,

519
00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:45,800
Speaker 1: but here we are. And I would point out too,

520
00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:49,360
Speaker 1: this is the thing then that I just shake my

521
00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:52,000
Speaker 1: head every single year. You look at the way the

522
00:28:52,040 --> 00:28:55,320
Speaker 1: playoffs playoff, look at the look at the Nationals. Okay,

523
00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:58,400
Speaker 1: when they won the World Series. Who is the player

524
00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:01,640
Speaker 1: that the Dodgers couldn't get out and that even the

525
00:29:01,760 --> 00:29:05,840
Speaker 1: Astros couldn't get out that year? Howarde Kendrick, one of

526
00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:08,840
Speaker 1: the oldest players in that World Series, someone who didn't

527
00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:11,600
Speaker 1: really ever have like a forty homer season, but he

528
00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:15,040
Speaker 1: put the ball in play, had good at baths with short,

529
00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:18,840
Speaker 1: simple approaches late in the game, and Howie Kendricks was

530
00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:21,840
Speaker 1: the reason why the Nationals won the World Series. And

531
00:29:22,040 --> 00:29:25,480
Speaker 1: every year, every winter bend, there are players on the

532
00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:29,480
Speaker 1: open market like Howie Kendrick, and they never get the

533
00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:33,320
Speaker 1: respect they deserve because the skill of putting the ball

534
00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:37,160
Speaker 1: in play, moving runners, having a professional late late inning

535
00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:41,400
Speaker 1: at bath is totally forgotten about until it comes time

536
00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:44,200
Speaker 1: to decide the championship. And everybody says, you know what,

537
00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:47,120
Speaker 1: why fill in the blank? How many times do we

538
00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:49,680
Speaker 1: read the obituary of a particular team in particular series.

539
00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:53,040
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, we struck out too much. We couldn't

540
00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:55,360
Speaker 1: catch up to their Their relief pitchers were throwing up

541
00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:59,360
Speaker 1: ninety nine and we just couldn't catch up. We struck

542
00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:01,840
Speaker 1: out too much. But yeah, jeez, you could have signed

543
00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:04,720
Speaker 1: Howie Kendrick ten months ago for a song and you

544
00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:07,440
Speaker 1: didn't do it. What were you doing back then? It's

545
00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:09,520
Speaker 1: not like Howie Kendrick won the World Series. In the

546
00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:12,760
Speaker 1: World Series was was in like a black and white

547
00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:16,120
Speaker 1: movie reel from that was like two years ago. And

548
00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:19,960
Speaker 1: I think teams just don't they don't watch. They just

549
00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:22,800
Speaker 1: don't watch the games. You know, they don't watch. When

550
00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:25,640
Speaker 1: when the Royals won the World Series seven years ago,

551
00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:29,320
Speaker 1: putting the ball and play al city Is Escobar, uh,

552
00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:32,680
Speaker 1: players like him, Eric Cosmer, These guys were not like

553
00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:36,920
Speaker 1: fifty Homer players and they were winning players. Okay, they won,

554
00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:40,640
Speaker 1: and I just I it baffles me every year react like,

555
00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:43,160
Speaker 1: oh my gosh, I've never seen this before. Yeah, yeah

556
00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:44,680
Speaker 1: you did. It was like in the World Series two

557
00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:50,000
Speaker 1: years ago, Howie Kendrick, Alfis Escobar, Eric Cosmer, Lorenzo Caine.

558
00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:53,400
Speaker 1: Players like that win you championships, So go sign them.

559
00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:55,920
Speaker 1: And they're not gonna cost you fifty million bucks a year.

560
00:30:56,200 --> 00:30:58,520
Speaker 1: So I I think I'm with you on the frustration

561
00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:00,920
Speaker 1: of the lack of an adjustment. The pitch clock works

562
00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:03,360
Speaker 1: and part of the reason then why it works is

563
00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:06,800
Speaker 1: that you don't have to spend a minute to shift

564
00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:09,480
Speaker 1: somebody from one side of the field to the other,

565
00:31:10,240 --> 00:31:13,960
Speaker 1: get the ball and go. Your defense is more active, Uh,

566
00:31:14,200 --> 00:31:17,760
Speaker 1: throw more strikes. But again when when the whole focus

567
00:31:17,880 --> 00:31:20,200
Speaker 1: is you gotta throw a hundred thirty five hour to

568
00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:23,239
Speaker 1: get scouted now, and and the ball is spraying all

569
00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:25,520
Speaker 1: over the place because they can't control it because they've

570
00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:28,080
Speaker 1: been focused on just throwing the ball to the radar

571
00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:31,080
Speaker 1: gun for their whole lives. Yeah, you get problems with command,

572
00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:32,760
Speaker 1: and they don't work as fast, and you don't have

573
00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:36,000
Speaker 1: a lot of Mark Burley's anymore unfortunately. So it's just

574
00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:39,080
Speaker 1: that it's it's funny to me because a lot of

575
00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:41,640
Speaker 1: these things were talking about. Now, this is not like

576
00:31:41,800 --> 00:31:44,560
Speaker 1: I'm not an analytical genius. I'm not a genius at all.

577
00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:47,360
Speaker 1: I just watched the games and and these are common

578
00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:50,760
Speaker 1: sense things that that are there for any of us

579
00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:53,560
Speaker 1: that actually take the time to watch. And I just

580
00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:57,560
Speaker 1: think there's way way too many calculations, and there's too

581
00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:00,640
Speaker 1: much reliance on the numbers, not enough reliance observing the

582
00:32:00,720 --> 00:32:03,440
Speaker 1: way the game is played and and making your decisions

583
00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:05,800
Speaker 1: based on that. I'm hoping that the CB will represent

584
00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:09,080
Speaker 1: some of these concerns and address them and getting better

585
00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:12,040
Speaker 1: in players like Howie Kendrick respected and paid what they

586
00:32:12,080 --> 00:32:14,600
Speaker 1: deserve in the market. But there are a lot of

587
00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:16,800
Speaker 1: issues right now, Ben, I think we've we've touched on

588
00:32:16,840 --> 00:32:18,120
Speaker 1: a lot of them over the last half hour, but

589
00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:20,800
Speaker 1: there are certainly other things that still sort through here

590
00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:23,320
Speaker 1: in the in the days of weeks to come. Yeah. Absolutely.

591
00:32:23,440 --> 00:32:26,320
Speaker 1: The PR battle is also a big part of this, John,

592
00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:27,840
Speaker 1: I know you a little little time left, So the

593
00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:31,080
Speaker 1: PR battle is not particularly great. Rob Manford did not

594
00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:34,120
Speaker 1: have a good day on Tuesday when he was smiling

595
00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:36,800
Speaker 1: and chuckling and all that. The the other part of

596
00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:39,640
Speaker 1: this is the players and social media. Now. I did

597
00:32:39,720 --> 00:32:41,880
Speaker 1: a rant on my radio show the other night about this.

598
00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:44,160
Speaker 1: I there are many people saying how great this is

599
00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:46,680
Speaker 1: now because we didn't have Twitter and Instagram back the

600
00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:50,560
Speaker 1: last time there was that elongated work stoppage. But I

601
00:32:50,720 --> 00:32:53,400
Speaker 1: say this is actually bad for the players, because there's

602
00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:56,640
Speaker 1: many more players than owners John, and the chances that

603
00:32:56,720 --> 00:32:59,040
Speaker 1: the players are going to be united on social media

604
00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:01,400
Speaker 1: and some of these guys are gonna start snapping are

605
00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:03,840
Speaker 1: very low. So I think this will actually turn out

606
00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:06,440
Speaker 1: to be a net negative for the players. What say you,

607
00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:09,920
Speaker 1: you know, it's a fair question. I don't know, to

608
00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:13,800
Speaker 1: be honest with you, where where the um where the

609
00:33:13,920 --> 00:33:17,000
Speaker 1: public opinion will come down. I think that if if

610
00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:20,560
Speaker 1: anything has been instructive to us in recent years, I

611
00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:23,600
Speaker 1: certainly just know it just from my own experience reporting

612
00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:26,280
Speaker 1: and and uh having to exist in the social media

613
00:33:26,360 --> 00:33:29,880
Speaker 1: sphere that typically you you you don't often hear the

614
00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:33,600
Speaker 1: concordance of agreement from everybody. It's more often than the criticisms.

615
00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:36,280
Speaker 1: So I would imagine that most people involved in the

616
00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:40,000
Speaker 1: process are hearing more negative feedback than positive. We all

617
00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:42,080
Speaker 1: want to see the game on the field. It's not there,

618
00:33:42,360 --> 00:33:46,160
Speaker 1: so we're frustrated. And if we're gonna say anything to anybody,

619
00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:48,200
Speaker 1: let's think about it. We're not gonna say, hey, we

620
00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:51,320
Speaker 1: we don't have baseball right now, good job everyone. No,

621
00:33:51,480 --> 00:33:53,800
Speaker 1: it's it's it's that's not what anybody is saying right now.

622
00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:58,040
Speaker 1: So I think that the feedback universally to everybody is negative.

623
00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:02,960
Speaker 1: The players themselves are are perhaps a bit more accessible

624
00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:05,800
Speaker 1: than the owners in terms of their their public profile,

625
00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:07,840
Speaker 1: and I point this out to it and I heard

626
00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:09,920
Speaker 1: Tim Kirkson talk about this recently on them We Net,

627
00:34:09,920 --> 00:34:11,920
Speaker 1: We're Radio. I think it's a very good point. We

628
00:34:12,200 --> 00:34:17,640
Speaker 1: don't really hear as much from the owners themselves anymore.

629
00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:22,399
Speaker 1: They are not people who are frequently quoted and seeing again,

630
00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:24,040
Speaker 1: maybe they don't want to say the wrong thing and

631
00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:27,600
Speaker 1: have it live forever on social media, whatever it might be.

632
00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:32,440
Speaker 1: But they've been very careful. We don't hear much from

633
00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:36,120
Speaker 1: them individually, and again that's their choice, but I think

634
00:34:36,200 --> 00:34:38,800
Speaker 1: it it's a little harder maybe for the fan to

635
00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:42,279
Speaker 1: understand what the owner wants to do, what the plan is,

636
00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:45,680
Speaker 1: when they only hear from that person a time or

637
00:34:45,719 --> 00:34:49,400
Speaker 1: two a year. And I do think that that just

638
00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:55,200
Speaker 1: accountability availability that helps. And perhaps after this is done,

639
00:34:55,600 --> 00:34:57,640
Speaker 1: it will be important for the owners to get out

640
00:34:57,640 --> 00:34:59,800
Speaker 1: in front of this, be out in front of their fans,

641
00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:02,800
Speaker 1: um be humble about things. The players have to be

642
00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:04,560
Speaker 1: humble about it too, I think once this deal is

643
00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:08,239
Speaker 1: done and focus on how do we grow the game

644
00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:10,560
Speaker 1: at that point in time, once the games have started.

645
00:35:10,920 --> 00:35:13,239
Speaker 1: I don't think that if you pulled fifty thousand fans

646
00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:16,080
Speaker 1: of Dodger Stadium, they're not gonna be talking about who

647
00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:18,920
Speaker 1: was right, who was wrong, CBT. They don't care. They

648
00:35:18,960 --> 00:35:20,520
Speaker 1: just want to see the game back on the field,

649
00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:22,480
Speaker 1: and they want to see the people who are on

650
00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:26,240
Speaker 1: the field and managing the games. Front office folks. Owners

651
00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:30,239
Speaker 1: realize that this is a public trust. Realize that this

652
00:35:30,480 --> 00:35:33,080
Speaker 1: is not uh, this is not the most serious thing

653
00:35:33,120 --> 00:35:35,279
Speaker 1: happening in the world right now, clearly, and so we

654
00:35:35,400 --> 00:35:38,120
Speaker 1: have to have a certain humility about that and and

655
00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:41,600
Speaker 1: earn back the trust of the fans through word and deed,

656
00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:45,640
Speaker 1: and have that ethic hopefully carried the day going forward.

657
00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:47,799
Speaker 1: All Right, Yeah, that's say that is the great point.

658
00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:49,920
Speaker 1: We remember when I was a kid, we had bigger

659
00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:52,680
Speaker 1: than life owners that seem to always be quoted in

660
00:35:52,920 --> 00:35:55,359
Speaker 1: a newspaper. We don't have that. I I I don't

661
00:35:55,400 --> 00:35:56,880
Speaker 1: some of these owners. I don't even know who they are.

662
00:35:56,960 --> 00:35:59,720
Speaker 1: But we'll get you out of here on this, John,

663
00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:04,000
Speaker 1: your crystal ball, the John Morosi crystal ball. Is this

664
00:36:04,280 --> 00:36:07,920
Speaker 1: a short term situation or are we gonna be talking

665
00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:10,400
Speaker 1: to you two months from now and there's still no baseball.

666
00:36:11,040 --> 00:36:14,600
Speaker 1: We'll certainly have baseball, I believe, Ben. By my hope

667
00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:16,880
Speaker 1: is by the early part of May at the latest.

668
00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:20,879
Speaker 1: And I really believe that that there is still a chance,

669
00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:23,160
Speaker 1: and I am an optimist in my core, there is

670
00:36:23,200 --> 00:36:25,480
Speaker 1: still a chance that we have baseball on Jackie Robinson

671
00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:28,759
Speaker 1: Day April. I'm gonna that will be my prayer, by

672
00:36:28,840 --> 00:36:31,239
Speaker 1: hope in the days I had my friend, and let's uh,

673
00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:34,400
Speaker 1: let's all work together towards that goal. Let's hope that

674
00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:38,520
Speaker 1: the negotiations progress. And so I'm gonna say April fifteenth

675
00:36:38,600 --> 00:36:40,160
Speaker 1: is the one that I've got circled for for a

676
00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:44,280
Speaker 1: positive reason for it to be Jackie Robinson Day with baseball. Awesome.

677
00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:47,279
Speaker 1: Thank you, John, Ben, my pleasure, my friend. Keep up

678
00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:49,080
Speaker 1: all they're gonna work that you do. I always enjoy

679
00:36:49,160 --> 00:36:51,160
Speaker 1: listening to you, especially when I'm out the West Coast.

680
00:36:51,400 --> 00:36:53,040
Speaker 1: I'll plate you do a great job of keeping the

681
00:36:53,120 --> 00:36:55,799
Speaker 1: conversation going all through the night, keeping us going all

682
00:36:55,800 --> 00:36:57,560
Speaker 1: the time, Benny, So I always love catching up