No one should be surprised to hear that the commissioner of Major League Baseball doesn’t think there is a hope in H-E double hockey sticks that the 2020 season will be played.
In my humble opinion, it is only a matter of time before Rob Manfred will be forced to announce the cancellation of the baseball campaign that has already been suppressed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am not confident,” Manfred told ESPN, adding that there is a “real risk” the season will be scrapped “as long as there’s no dialogue with the MLB Players Association.”
The proclamation from baseball’s highest power is in stark contrast to his stance just last week during the MLB Draft, when Manfred opined that “unequivocally, we are going to play Major League Baseball this year.”
So why the sudden about face?
With the season hanging in the balance, MLBPA president Tony Clark said over the weekend “it unfortunately appears that further dialogue with the league would be futile,” and asked MLB to release a shortened schedule, saying “it’s time to get back to work. Tell us when and where.”
Manfred responded by calling the union’s move a ‘bad faith tactic,’ knowing that if he issued a shortened schedule the players association could file a grievance against the league
On Monday, the league told the players that there would not be a 2020 season unless the union waived its right to make any legal claims against MLB.
So that’s where we stand: both the league and players are digging deep into the batter’s box and ready to take another swing — at each other.
Rick Zamperin is the assistant program, news and senior sports director at Global News Radio 900 CHML.
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