Baseball remains locked out between MLB and the Players Association (file photo CBS TV)
MLB Lockout, Matt Olson, Oakland voters and Warriors
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
By Amaury Pi-González
Lockout: MLB and the MLPA have held their first important negotiations round via Zoom this Thursday. Both sides are in the top of the first inning in this 2022 very important Collective Bargaining Agreement. MLPA: Looking to shorten the years for free agent eligibility, also revenue sharing at the top of their list. MLB offered a 14-team postseason and a Competitive Balance Tax. There are many other issues that are yet to come to the forefront.
Many in the industry believe for them to start the season as scheduled on March 31, they will have to come to an agreement before the early part of February. Otherwise, Spring Training (to begin mid-February) is in jeopardy, and by then, even the possibility of regular-season games being canceled.
Matt Olson: The New York Yankees and Oakland A’s have a deal on the table for A’s first baseman slugger Matt Olson, who would be traded to the Yankees for some of the Yankee’s top prospects. That is likely to happen after the lockout ends. For the Yankees is what they are looking for, since Mike Rizzo is a free agent and not expected to return to the Yankees.
For the A’s is nothing new. Their system is to develop stars and then trade them for younger future stars and although it has not produced a World Series title, they continue to be competitive most of the time. Would this trade benefit either team? only time will tell.
The Yankee’s last World Series was 2009, which is a long time for the most successful team in American professional sports and their fans to wait; Yankees are a top baseball franchise, they always have the urgency to win. As far as the A’s, (if the trade is made) they get more young future stars and they keep their plan to be a competitive team every year. So, let’s say the Yankees win this year’s World Series and the A’s win their division, which would be a good trade for both teams.
Oakland A’s poll: A recent poll of 500 registered voters shows that 46% of Oakland citizens oppose spending their tax money to build the Howard Terminal park for the Oakland A’s. The poll also revealed A’s fan support of 44 percent to 42 percent. Originally there was no plan anyway to spend any taxpayer money for the project. The A’s are fishing in two markets, Oakland and Las Vegas and both are still alive for the hopes of a new ballpark.
2022 will be the year we know if the A’s stay or they go. Anybody that knows Oakland politics can’t question Oakland citizens, they were left on the hook paying for the construction of Mount Davis (20,000 seat section) at the Oakland Coliseum in 1995 after Raiders owner Al Davis left for Los Angeles and then came back to play in Oakland.
Warriors: One of the minority owners for the Golden State Warriors was recently embarrassed and had to apologize nationally, after he made a remark on Twitter that “nobody cares about the Uyghurs in China”. For years the United Nations have written and spoken about the crimes against humanity committed in communist China.
The last 3 years about the Uyghurs (Muslims) include torture, mass arbitrary detentions, mass surveillance, cultural persecution, and forced labor camps. Last October Boston Celtic’s player Enes Kanter Freedom strongly criticized China for its human rights abuses. China censored the Celtics games after those remarks. There are 500 million fans that watch the NBA games in China, a business worth over $5 billion.
Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary podcasts every Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
