On the TunneySide of Sports March 14, 2022 #891 Up next… They will come!
After further review… ”Oh, yes, Ray, they will definitely come,” said Terence Mann (played by Janes Earl Jones) to Ray Kinsella (played by Kevin Costner) in the 1989 movie ‘Field of Dreams’ (yes, folks that was 30+ years ago). Ray was debating whether building this baseball diamond was worth sacrificing his precious cornfields. “Yes, Ray, they (meaning baseball fans) will hand over their $20 without even knowing what they will be getting.” Mann continues, because “besball” (as Mann pronounced it) is America’s game. The “they” is later adjusted to “he” as in “If you build, he will come” meaning Ray’s father, John Kinsella, will come. And, of course, he does. However, we’re not sure the 2022 MLB fans will see baseball this year. Stay tuned!
‘Field of Dreams’ was made for me. My dad, Jim, Sr. and I played “catch” (“have a catch” as Ray said it) many times in our family’s front yard. My ambition as a kid was to be a major league baseball player. It was my field of a dream. There were many in my age group (11-12) who had dreams as there are today. As MLB labor negotiations dragged on as I wrote this, I was reminded that dreams don’t always come true.
While I can’t excuse Shoeless Joe Jackson of the Chicago White Sox for accepting $5,000 contained in a “confidential” envelope and then taking so long to own up to it, I am of the belief that Jackson played to win that 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. The debate goes on.
But how about this MLB 2022 debate? It’s certainly not about $5,000! However, the issue is always the same – $$$$$ – with a lot more zeros tacked on these days. Today’s major league players make a lot more money than Jackson and his 7 White Sox teammates (forever known as the Black Sox Scandal) did. With meetings continuing between MLB management and the MLBPA (the 40 players on each of the 32 MLB teams) for some 99 days of the lockout–neither side seems to be much closer to an agreement.
I am not privy to the terms/issues on that table. However, one of them is the “international rule” whereby a T*E*A*M is able to sign (under the table a 12-year-old from, let’s say, the Dominican Republic and then promises to sign him when he reaches the legal age of 16. The argument to eliminate this practice continues. Some say it will be harmful to the young foreign players.
Breaking News; MLB lockout is Over! A full 162-game schedule is “on” for 2022!
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