Hockey’s Fixed; How About Baseball Next?
Apparently, the hockey lockout, in one sense the dumbest thing any major sport has ever done, is over.
At the same time, the right ending was reached: the union has been brought to its knees, and competitive balance is probably back. Barry Melrose had the best line: “It’s a level playing field now,”" former NHL defenseman Barry Melrose told ESPN. “Minnesota can easily spend $40 million, same as the New York Rangers. “Thirty teams have a chance at winning the Stanley Cup now. Three hundred and one days ago that was not the case.”
Exactly. And exactly unlike major league baseball, where the playing field isn’t even close to level. Baseball, folks, is badly broken, and if we have to miss a season—or two—for the owners to bring the union down, for the sake of competitive balance—then it’s time well-spent. Unfortunately, you’ve got greed-meisters like George Steinbrenner, who care more about amassing more wealth than any person will ever need, than they do about the health of the national pastime, who will fight change as much as the players. But baseball is broken, folks, and despite my theme and post of the last day, I’ll never be nearly the fan again that I once was—until they fix it.
I’m no huge hockey fan, but I am happy that the owners didn’t cave, and fixed the problem.
This phrase comes from the 1978 "Jonestown massacre" in which most members of the Peoples Temple cult, blindly following their leader Jim Jones, committed suicide by drinking cyanide-laced Kool-Aid.
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5 Responses to “Hockey’s Fixed; How About Baseball Next?”
Good point, byron, but too bad baseball will never be as exciting to watch as hockey
Wes Ykema ~ Jul 15, 2005 at 9:14 am
You mean hockey was gone? Never noticed…
Warren throckmorton ~ Jul 16, 2005 at 12:10 am
Baseball is broken indeed. Yes, it is the fault of the union and the Steinbrenner types. Ultimately though it is the fault of the fans. We enable the whole system because we are such short-term oriented people. Unwilling to abstain from the game short-term in order to fix it long-term. I’m guilty too. I didn’t watch a single game in 1995 ‘until’ the Tribe got into the playoffs and I got the chance to see them against Seattle at Jacob’s field. Then somehow I became less of a man of principle, and more of a fan. It’s tough because Baseball is truly the ‘Perfect Game’ as Larry King puts it.
Mark Merritt ~ Jul 16, 2005 at 4:42 pm
You know, the best idea, in theory, is to form a “fans union”…but it’s been tried, and never gotten any traction. What a wonderful thing it would be if 2 million sports fans united to throw their collective weight around…but it’ll never happen, for as much as we complain, we generally come back.
I will say that I’ve not ever “come back” as a fan to where I was before the strike of ’94. When I moved to PA, I probably went to 6-7 Pirates games that first summer. The Pirates have been in PNC for 4 1/2 years now, and I’ve been to one game. And it’s a beautiful park, no doubt, and I plan to go this year, without fail…although here it is July and I haven’t gone. Still, the main reason is that baseball has lost its grip on me…that’s probably a good thing, in many ways, anyway.
Byron ~ Jul 18, 2005 at 9:39 am
Actually, Wes, I used to be a HUGE hockey fan; I grew up in Roanoke, VA, and the Roanoke Valley Rebels were my team, in the old Eastern and Southern Hockey Leagues. I was a devoted fan and still have programs and other memorabilia from those days. Loved it, and followed the NHL with a passion when in junior high. Fell away, and only have come back, a little, during Stanley Cup playoff time. I really followed Jiggy and the Ducks a couple years back!
Byron ~ Jul 18, 2005 at 9:41 am