Page 16 - aruba-today-20220301_Part3

A16 PEOPLE & ARTS
Friday 4 March 2022
Don't come back until baseball has been made better

By TIM DAHLBERG tip every time the beer guy
AP Sports Columnist comes down the aisle.
The talks are over, at least No one should feel sorry
for now. Opening day is for baseball players, either,
gone, too, and now we're who make an average of
forced to wait to see if we $4 million a year to play a
get any baseball at all. child's game. Indeed, the
If there was any good news argument advanced by
coming out of baseball's the union that they are bar-
labor talks in Florida it was gaining for a system where
this: At least now we know all teams are competitive
who to blame. is simply a smokescreen for
Here's a hint: It's not anyone higher payrolls on smaller
wearing a uniform. market clubs.
No, baseball players aren't But salaries that once
blameless in any of this, far seemed to have no ceil-
from it. They keep wanting ing in the past have slipped
more when they historically a bit in the last few years
have always had the best — a trend players want
deals in all of professional reversed. That's largely be-
sports. cause front offices now use
But this one is mostly on the analytics to figure out value
30 miserable, conniving Baseball fans watch as Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during a news and teams know that — ex-
owners who have always conference after negotiations with the players' association toward a labor deal, Tuesday, March cept for a few superstars
cared more about squeez- 1, 2022, at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla. — players are pretty much
ing every last dollar out of Associated Press exchangeable.
the game than they ever No reason to pay a veteran
cared about the game it- ers' union can be demand- they really didn't. Outside Afterward, they cried poor, reliever $15 million a year
self. ing and is prone to asking of opening day, early sea- as if anyone believed them. when teams can bring in
Once again, they've sto- for far more than owners son games are not general- "The last five years have young fireballers at a frac-
len from baseball fans. This are willing to deliver. ly moneymakers for owners been very difficult years tion of the price to replace
time they made off with But the issues weren't so despite Commissioner Rob from a revenue perspec- them without skipping a
opening day and at least complex they couldn't be Manfred's contention that tive for the industry given beat.
six games out of the regular solved with some more missing the games would the pandemic," Manfred "The game has suffered
season. time at the table. And the be a tragedy for baseball. said. damage for a while now.
Sadly, that may just be the truth is, there was nothing For weeks, owners refused They've been difficult for ... The game has been
beginning. The tempera- on that table that would tilt to negotiate at all. When baseball fans, too, though manipulated," union chief
tures could easily hit 100 the playing field so badly they finally did, it was with that's another story. The Tony Clark said. "The value
degrees Fahrenheit (38 de- that franchises around the warnings of missed games fact that fans are fleeing inherent and how players
grees Celsius) in Arizona by country would start bleed- and salaries and, finally, the game isn't all econom- are respected and viewed
the time spring training be- ing money. an ultimatum that opening ic, but they've certainly has changed. Players have
gins, if it ever does. It's almost like the owners day would be scratched grown weary of paying $75 been commoditized, mon-
For what purpose, it's hard didn't want the season to if players didn't agree to a for a mediocre seat, $25 etized in a way that is really
to figure out. Yes, the play- start on time — and maybe last and best offer. for parking and $18 plus hard to explain."q

NFL suspends all COVID protocols, cites 'encouraging trends'

32 teams Thursday in which status, players and staff room usage.
it mentioned "encourag- no longer must wear face Contact tracing devices
ing trends regarding the coverings at team facilities, have not been required
prevalence and severity though each club can re- since Jan. 3, and the ser-
of COVID-19, the evolving quire it individually. Social vice is being discontinued.
guidance from the CDC, distancing signs no longer The league is encourag-
changes to state law and are required as well. ing everyone to continue
the counsel of our respec- The league eliminated monitoring for symptoms of
tive experts" as reasons for mandatory testing of play- COVID-19 on a daily basis
the move. ers and staff, regardless of before entering the team
Should the NFL find reasons vaccination status. Testing facility. Any individual who
to reimpose any aspects of will occur only when clini- tests positive must isolate
the protocols, it will do so cally indicated or at the for five days after the posi-
in conjunction with the NFL direction of a team physi- tive test.
Players Association. cian. No NFL games were can-
Carolina Panthers defensive end Brian Burns (53) wears a mask
as he warms up before an NFL football game against the New Teams are required to re- But each team must have celed during the past two
Orleans Saints in New Orleans, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022. main in compliance with a facility to accommodate seasons because of the
Associated Press state and local laws and anyone who reports symp- pandemic, though many
may continue "reasonable toms that require testing. were moved during the
By BARRY WILNER showing that the spread of measures to protect their Weight room restrictions, 2020 schedule. About 95%
AP Pro Football Writer the coronavirus is declining. staff and players," said the including capacity lim- of the players and nearly
The NFL has suspended all In an agreement with the memo obtained by The As- its, have been dropped, 100% of team person-
aspects of its COVID-19 pro- players' association, the sociated Press. though each team can im- nel were vaccinated, the
tocols, citing recent trends league sent a memo to the Regardless of vaccination pose its own rules for weight league reported.q