I can’t believe that labor and management reached a new deal without any hint of possible strife. You can read about it in the NY Times. But the bottom line is that both sides decided to proceed with the status quo.
A quick gripe about this, they have made that stupid rule linking home field advantage in the Series to the All-Star Game. As a Mets fan, my team had this year’s game won pretty much single handedly until that bozo Trevor Hoffman gave it back in the ninth.
Other than that, there is really nothing to gripe about in the agreement. Its clear that players and owners are both making more money than they could ask for. It is also very clear, considering that 7 different teams have won the world series in the past 7 years, that competitive balance is alive and well despite having no salary cap.
My esteemed collaborator, the million dollar arm with a ten-cent brain, tends to be stubbornly pro-management. Yet he likes to wax poetic about players staying on a team for life. I agree that one player on one team for an entire career is ideal. But nothing will kill that faster than a salary cap. The roster turnover in the salary capped sports is insane. I am very happy that we don’t have to face that negotiation again for another five years.
Ultimately, as Jerry Seinfeld famously quipped, sports fans root for the laundry. I think having long-term players on a team is all well and good. However, what is more important to me, as a fan, is having a team identity. Though the Mets don’t have any lifers on their team right now, the team has identity for the first time in years. Its strength is the bullpen and a well-rounded lineup. Every year teams like the As and Twins play well into October and even though the players change they somehow seem like the same team. Effective general managers pick a style of play for the team and prepare their rosters accordingly. I think that kind of thinking will lead to longer-term relationships with players. But we can’t expect to stem the tide of commerce, so in its place I happy with the consolation prize of a strong (winning) team identity.
