- August 17,2002 --

Ballplayers Would Be Crazy to Strike Now

 "What the hell is wrong with these guys?"

  That was the first thought that went through my head when I read the headline "Ballplayers set Aug. 30 strike date" in today's Chicago Tribune. Does anybody have a single clue how devastating a strike would be to their sport if they strike again?

  Back in the late '80s and early '90s, Ron and I used to make a pilgrimage each year to both Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park the first weekend tickets went on sale, usually late February. We'd stand in the cold, rain, and snow, sometimes for an hour or more, and walk away with tickets to an average of one game per month at each stadium. That's 12 games a year, plus 6 or 8 more on the annual Baseball Trip; throw in a weekend in Milwaukee or St. Louis, and I figure we were going to roughly 22 Major League Baseball games every year. If you figure an average ticket price of 15 bucks (it was probably more; we like getting good seats), we spent a combined 660 dollars a year on MLB, not even counting concessions and souvenirs.

  After the strike of '94, though, that all changed. Disgusted by the cancellation of the World Series, and disillusioned by the fact that '95 began without a collective bargaining agreement, we made the decision to avoid Major League Baseball until a contract was signed. We actually ended up staying away much longer, not setting foot in a Major League stadium intil 1998. Even now, we average only about 2 Major League cities during our Trips, and go to 2 or 3 Cubs and White Sox games at the very most.

  Now, I'm not fooling myself into thinking that my 330 dollars a year will make or break the League, but I know Ron and I are not alone on this. Many people we know have cut back on their MLB consumption since '94. Given the tens of millions of Baseball fans across the country, if even a million of us are spending 330 dollars less per year on baseball, well, it isn't hard to imagine why the game is in such a sad state, especially given the ridiculously rising player salaries.

  And now they plan to walk out again.

  What the hell is wrong with these guys?!

  According to the Tribune article, "Alex Rodriguez, the highest-paid player, would lose nearly $3.6 million of his $21 million dollar salary" in the event of a season-ending strike. Sorry, but I don't consider that "losing" when he still pockets $17.4 million. Forgive me if I don't run out and start a collection for a guy who makes more by the 7th inning stretch than my wife and I make all year - combined. As fans, we try to ignore such ludicrous numbers and just enjoy the game. But that becomes impossible when we see these multimillionaires cry poverty and expect us to feel sorry for them.

  It should go without saying that another cancelled World Series will chase away fans in droves - this time for good. But somehow it doesn't. Maybe they'll start to "get it" in a few years when we're still staying away, and the league finally folds. Think that's far-fetched? They're already fighting over contraction, and besides, pro sports leagues fold all the time. Remember the WFL? The CBA? The MISL? The XFL? Sure, none of these leauges enjoyed the sheer enormity of MLB, but all died from a combination of bad management and lack of fan support. Major League Baseball, beware.

  What the hell is wrong with these guys?!?!