TONY CLARK IS OUT! NOW WHAT?

The upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) was already going to be dramatic....and now it's going to be extra dramatic. Everyone get ready to grab your popcorn, this one is going to be a doozy.

Players just reported to spring training in Arizona and Florida, so as focused as we are on a new season we are also questioning what is going to happen in nine months when the existing agreement expires? That's very much in the air now that Tony Clark the MLB Players Association Director is resigning, read more HERE. As Clark leaves, baseball is getting ready for it's most critical labor negotiation in years....and he won't be around to fight it.

This was going to be a very tough fight already, and now without Clark it gets harder. He's been instrumental to the players union. He's accomplished a lot over the last 13 years, including the steady increase in salaries to MLB players. He has been the most consistent and coherent voice for the players, and now the union will need to find a new voice.

The timing of this couldn't be worse. Without Clark, the union will fill this role soon. They will look to stabilize the union and get ready for what is to come over the winter. According to MLBtraderumors HERE, the next director could be Bruce Meyer who is currently the union's lead negotiator. He helped Tarik Skubal win his arbitration case against the Tigers and has been gaining support among the players to take over as the new director.

The last CBA negotiation was volatile enough that it resulted in a 99-day lockout led by commissioner Rob Manfred and the owners. This lockout will be even worse. Several owners are advocating for a salary cap, which has been a non-starter for Clark in the past. Now he isn't here to fight that battle, so right now owners have the upper hand. Meyer has also shared the same view as Clark, so if he does become the new director, it will be interesting to see if he is as successful in the role as Clark was.

The new CBA is going to have new player representation.....and it's going to be a very bumpy (and probably long) ride. I hope this lockout won't be as long as I think it will be, but I don't think we are talking about 99 days on this one. Stay tuned....

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

MANFRED STINKS... WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?

I’ve been ranting about Rob Manfred for ages, and frankly, I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. The guy is reshaping baseball in ways that make purists want to rip their hair out. But does he care? Absolutely not. He knows baseball is America’s pastime, and as long as fans keep shelling out cash for tickets and merch, he can ignore the noise.

And speaking of greed—I can’t stand it. I don’t love when athletes start demanding insane contracts, like Juan Soto asking for nearly a billion dollars. It changes people. They forget why they picked up a bat in the first place. But at the same time, I respect it. You have to know your worth. The problem is, the entire salary system has spiraled into absolute absurdity. But I digress.

Back to torching Manfred—ugh.

So now, Manfred is dropping hints about another lockout. He thinks of it as a "necessary tool" to keep negotiations moving without ruining the regular season. His reasoning? Players don’t get paid in the offseason, so it’s "not painful."

Well, that take did not sit well with the players’ union.

Tony Clark wasted no time shutting that down, making it clear that the only people pushing for a lockout are Manfred and his cronies. Instead, he emphasized the importance of negotiating in "good faith," which, by law, means actually trying to reach a deal—not just flexing power moves.

“Unless I am mistaken, the league has come out and said there’s going to be a work stoppage,” Clark said after meeting with the San Francisco Giants players at Scottsdale Stadium. “So, I don’t think I’m speaking out of school in that regard.”

Clark’s frustration is based on Manfred’s own words, including comments he made to The Athletic in January, suggesting that offseason lockouts aren’t necessarily a bad thing. If you read Marc Normandin—who I do—you’ll see he wasn’t buying that nonsense:

“Manfred, if you’ll recall, talked about the usefulness of a lockout to getting the conversation going and forcing bargaining to happen. Which is a lie, of course, especially when, at the time of the comments, the league and PA were over a year from even beginning their negotiations in earnest. If the league wants to bargain, then they can just do that—they don’t need to wait until the existing CBA has expired so they can lock the players out and force the issue. Maybe they’ve forgotten as much, though, since they very intentionally avoided taking bargaining seriously in 2021 until the CBA had expired and they could enact their plan of a lockout, as they attempted to force the players to take a bad deal while the clock ticked away the days until the season was supposed to open.”

Manfred’s latest comments bring back unpleasant memories of the infamous 2021 lockout—a 99-day disaster, the longest in MLB history. It delayed Opening Day, wiped out nearly 100 spring training games, and left players fuming as they fought for higher minimum salaries and fairer revenue-sharing. The major sticking points? Expanded playoffs and the competitive balance tax.

Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa captured the whole mess perfectly back then: “I really don't want to think about the possibility of a lockout but...I believe CBA talks were going to go sideways anyway, so this only makes it worse. The players were already frustrated with Manfred unilaterally deciding how to handle last season due to the pandemic, so if 2022 Spring Training starts on time, it will be a miracle.”

And that’s the crux of the problem—Manfred and the players are never on the same page. Not even close. And that’s a huge issue. Right now, I have to side with Tony Clark and the players. Manfred talks like he’s just making neutral observations but come on—we all know exactly what he’s saying.

Marc Normandin put it best: “Rob Manfred wants to pretend he didn’t say the things he said, but hey, guess what.”

Why are we still stuck with this guy as commissioner?

Like This? READ THIS: 

THE PLAYER'S REBELLION AGAINST ROB MANFRED IN FULL SWING!

YANKEE LEGEND SABATHIA TO HELP MAKE CLOTHING LINE HONORING BLACK PLAYERS

Former MLB pitcher CC Sabathia is working with the Roots of Fight apparel company to create a clothing line to honor former Black MLB players. He will serve as the clothing line's creative director, and he hopes it will raise awareness of baseball's history of Black players.

A portion of the revenue will go to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM), the estates of legendary Black players, and the Black Lives Matter movement. In a statement announcing the partnership between MLB Players Association (MLBPA) and the NLBM, this charitable donation will "preserve and celebrate the rich history of African American baseball and its significance in the social advancement of America at large."

The MLB meant to honor the NLBM this year before the pandemic hit, but the MLB did celebrate the museum's 100th anniversary last February. "It's near and dear to my heart, that museum," said Sabathia, "so I wanted to do something to commemorate the 100th year of the Negro Leagues and something for the museum to bring awareness to it and drive people to Kansas City to go check it out."

The clothing line will include hoodies, long-sleeved baseball t-shirts, and jackets. Jackie Robinson's name and likeness will also be there, and the items will cost up to $350.

Sabathia said he wants to raise awareness of the dwindling portion of Black players in the MLB, which was recently at a historic low. For instance, only 7.7% of the MLB were Black players in 2017, the lowest in history of the league going back to 1991, when 18% of MLB players were Black. MLBPA executive director Tony Clark called this the "exact opposite of growth and advancement."

At the same time, the MLB plans to fight the declining number of Black youths playing baseball with its Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program and its Youth Academy. "It's on us to step up and get these kids in the inner-city back playing," said Sabathia. "It's up to us to get these kids equipment, provide instructions, and get them playing."

Sabathia's motivation for these philanthropic endeavors harkens back to his childhood. "The reason why I started playing is because Dave Stewart looked like me," he said. "It was so many different examples of faces in the game that looked like me...and it's not that anymore. We're not represented well."

With the MLB planning to reopen later this month, it looks like the league could be reborn with this spike of racial awareness. While there have been delays with Opening Day being pushed back to July 23rd-24th, Sabathia advised that players should approach returning to the season "one day at a time."

"I think guys are just trying to make it work," Sabathia added. "Guys want to get out there and play and want to be as safe as possible, but they want to play baseball. We're baseball players; that's what we do in the summertime."

That's what we all want.

--Anthony Orlando

BYB Contributor

Twitter: @landi52orlando

THE BATTLE IS OVER BUT THE WAR HAS JUST BEGUN

Waive the white flag of surrender! On Saturday night the union rejected MLB's latest "Return to Play" proposal and made it clear...they've had enough.

The time for negotiating is done. Failed and disgraced commissioner Rob Manfred is going to unilaterally force a 2020 season so they are just going to play at Manfred's discretion. Here is the official statement from Tony Clark:

"TELL US WHEN AND WHERE" and not just that, "We demand that you inform us of your plans by close of business on Monday, June 15." The deadline is superficial at best, they cannot force the deadline but it definitely shows us how unhappy the union is.

So the players begrudgingly accept that they will have to play Manfred's shortened season but tension will be long lasting after news broke that MLB is finalizing a billion-dollar broadcasting deal with Turner Sports that will begin in 2022, read more HERE. So after months of listening to owners complain about lost profits, they will still be able to cash in later.

This isn't going to sit well with the union. Long lasting impact will remain and the collective bargaining agreement expires in 18 months. The players union could choose to file a grievance alleging that MLB did not negotiate in good faith and schedule as many games as possible. In turn, MLB could refute and say the union did not negotiate pay in good faith. A grievance could take several years before it concludes and the players could get back some money in a settlement similar to what we saw happen in the 1980's.....or could we see another strike?

Even if there is no grievance, animosity and distrust will remain. The emotions and events from the past few months will not fade away and it could shape the future of this game. It could cast an even
darker shadow on the sport and infuriate more fans. It's not a good look for baseball right now.

So the league may have one for now. One side had to eventually cave, and ultimately Manfred's unilateral power was not going to allow the players union to come out the winner. So now the union looks like they are choosing to "be the bigger person" and give up. Both sides have reached an impasse, the union will no longer fight, so now it could be all up to Mindless Manfred.

So we are finally getting closer to baseball. Other sports are on their way back, and baseball is long past due. It is time to get America's Favorite Pastime back and get through the ugliness of the past could of months...for now. There will be plenty more ugliness ahead I am sure. The battle may be over, and MLB may have won....but the war is yet to come and the union has time to prepare.

Now it is time to play ball, whether the players like it or not.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj 

DAVID CONE'S SOLUTION TO GETTING BASEBALL BACK!

We here at Bleeding Yankee Blue LOVE David Cone.  He's a smart baseball guy.  I love that he's in the booth, but dare I say, I'd love to see him as a manager one day. He has what it takes. I've always said that.  No idea if that's in the back of his mind, but it should be.

With all this stuff going on with the baseball season being in jeopardy and now a dispute with the union, Cone has a solution, because both sides are just not budging and it's getting late early as Yogi used to say. Steve Serby of the New York Post writes:

"...the sides should meet back in the middle on an 82-game season with an expanded 14-team playoffs to get the ball rolling on a deal. 

'I would say a fair number would be somewhere in the 82-game region,' Cone said. 'If I was the commissioner that’s where I would try to start the conversation.'” 

It's reasonable and very fair. And to be honest, it's a solid solution. I mean look, we understand that Blake Snell is worried for his life and all this stuff, but it's not like he's going full contact with people on the baseball field. He's pitching... chill.

Major League Baseball will make sure everything is done right to keep these players safe, starting of course with no fans.  Then add in masks, tests, you can't go wrong.  The country needs baseball right now. We've waited long enough.

Hell, My 17 year old will be competing in Florida and Georgia in July... AND THAT'S HAPPENING. And guess what... he plays for free, and guess what, Perfect Game, the organization that runs these events is doing everything in their power to make it safe for these young players including having us parents stay away.

And College recruiters will now not be able to attend live... only watch live feeds.  If these kids can do it, Tony Clark can sack up and get these players back on the field.

Anyway... now that I'm done ranting, way to go David Cone for stepping up and being a leader in all of this! Love this guy!

By the way, book plug here for 2 of my favorite people, Coney and Jack Curry. Make sure you pick up FULL COUNT if you haven't already. A terrific read. You can get it on Amazon HERE.

DOES AMERICA EVEN NEED BASEBALL ANYMORE?

As I moved from room to room in my house to get a little exercise in between Zoom calls, I heard a local sportscaster say that a 2020 baseball season decision is coming down to the wire.  Sigh.  I miss baseball but the arguing over salaries amidst all of the unrest we are all experiencing on the heals of the pandemic, the talk of baseball is just insignificant. Nonetheless, here are some of the latest words on the 2020 season.

According to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post, "The 30-60-game season very likely won’t happen. It sounds like MLB didn’t offer this during Sunday’s virtual meeting as much as wryly mention it as a possibility that would give the players their prorated pay while not financially overextending the owners. Everyone knows how silly such a short schedule would look, especially with the decks clearing to hold a three-month regular season plus expanded playoffs in October."

This is on top of the players wanting their full prorated salary despite the shortened schedule and no spectators.  The continued tensions between owners and players continues to play out.  Players are still sore about the March Agreement, which many believe the players didn't fully understand.

Source: DAMON SCHELEUR, HUFFINGTON POST

Tony Clark, Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players Association shared during the Sunday meeting with Major League Baseball deputy commissioner Dan Halem  that "players were aware that the March Agreement did not resolve the issue of player salaries in a season without fans. And he said the players’ decision to accept nothing less than 100 percent of their prorated salaries was due to the risks of playing the season, not because they were promised it in the March 26 agreement,” reported the Post.

MLB owners stand to lose the most if the season does not come to fruition. On top of that, with all that has happened over the last two years with the changes to the game, the cheating, the rise in ticket prices and now the turbulence between ownership and players, baseball the sport is taking a tremendous hit.  Does America even need baseball anymore? Has it lost its relevance given the changes to our country? These are also some words to consider when we think of the 2020 season that may not happen. I can continue to be hopeful, but the reality appears to be setting in as the days continue to pass us by with no resolution in sight.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

IT'S TIME TO STOP BALKING & GET IT DONE!

Baseball is already a "GO".... just not here. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has been playing games, and on Monday Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) will kick off its regular season on June 19th. Games will be played without fans in attendance, but even in a condensed season they are preparing to play 120 games out of the normal 143-game norm. It's encouraging for MLB fans to see that logistically it IS possible for baseball to return. Now if we could just figure out the financial parts of this we'd all be happy....but it's not sounding good.

Even outside of baseball, other sports have resumed or they are in the planning stages and we should be much further along. NASCAR is already back in action. The PGA Tour will be back in two weeks. The NBA is working on a July return, likely in Florida. Tuesday afternoon the NHL announced the leagues plan to get back to playing. The regular season is over but playoffs will begin likely in July and may be hosted in two different cities. Sports are on the comeback, just not baseball. The union and owners are still striking out in negotiations....and it is driving us all crazy!

On Tuesday, owners gave the players union their latest proposal on player salary. No more 50-50 revenue sharing plan that prorated salaries based on the number of games played, now owners propose a pay scale where the higher paid players will take a bigger salary cut and lower paid players will not take the same salary hit. That's a much better deal for maybe younger players, or those who earn closer to league minimum but big stars like Gerrit Cole for example, take a huge hit. ESPN gave a good breakdown on the salary scale HERE.

So we can probably all guess that this new proposal didn't go over well. In fact, two players tweeted about it and MLBPA executive director Tony Clark immediately shot down the proposal calling it a salary cap.

Brett Anderson isn't saying anything we've already talked about on BYB but Marcus Stroman's tweet hits me the hardest. We've all known this salary feud was going to be a challenge, but we have all been clinging on to hope. Blake Snell already said he was going to plan for 2021, and now Stroman says the 2020 season isn't looking promising and that he was going to look at "life after baseball" projects.

Players are balking and the more we see it on social media the more I wonder if 2020 will be a lost season.

I really hope that's not the case. If all of these other sports are playing and baseball isn't then shame on BOTH PLAYERS AND OWNERS. There has to be concessions on both sides. Why not consider a deferred compensation program? Seriously, it could work and it sounds like the players union will counter this in the coming days.

Here's the basic idea behind it....I'm not an expert but something along these lines might work.
I mentioned above that Gerrit Cole would one of the players that would lose the most amount of money under the owners new pay scale proposal.

He's owed $36 million in 2020. Instead of the 20% payment that the owners proposed, take a large chunk of the funds owed to him for this season and tack them on to the back of his contract.

Do I like the idea of paying Cole a lot more money later when he well past his prime (assuming he doesn't opt out)? No. However, this allows the owners not to pay a lot of money in 2020 where they will be losing a lot of revenue and pay it later. The players still get all of the money owed to them and owners have time to make some money back and pay it in the future. Players get paid their full contracted amount eventually and owners may not lose up to $4 billion in one season as Rob Manfred estimated last week.

Is it a perfect solution? No, but it might make the players a little bit happier in the long run and we could get baseball back sooner. Time is of the essence here....if baseball is going to start in July after a 3 week training camp a compromise needs to get done in the next few days.

If the 2020 season doesn't happen BOTH sides are to blame. I get it billionaires and millionaires don't want to listen to each other talk about money.....but neither do all of us. It's not a good look for baseball.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj 

PUMP THE BRAKES ON THE 2020 SEASON - THE PLAYERS AREN'T HAPPY!

I may have Twitter induced whiplash. I jump from feed to feed and see one argument only to be sucked into a new direction and I see another argument. We all got excited when MLB owners approved a plan that could bring baseball back in July. That's a big first step....but there is still another big hurdle to jump, namely the Players Association.

Here comes the drama.

It's a business....so it's all about the money and the owners want to hold onto as much money as possible. Back in March, the MLBPA agreed to prorated pay, essentially a reduced salary. Owners now recognize that if and when the season resumes, games will likely be played without fans in the stands which takes away some of their revenue. So now the pressure is shifted to the players. The owners have okayed a plan to start playing, but to get some money back they want the players to take less also by agreeing to a 50/50 revenue share, read more HERE. Revenue sharing is common in other sports like the NFL, NHL and the NBA - but not baseball. MLB players are not happy with the proposal, it's like a salary cap....and we know that isn't in baseball either.

So here we are, waiting to see who will fold first. The owners are optimistic that players will negotiate. Randy Levine tried to appeal to the Yankees by trying to appeal to the sense of civic duty. "I think our players are patriots. They want to do it. We are all trying to get there," Levine said. Talk about pressure, I'm sure the Yankees don't WANT to take a pay cut and MLBPA executive director Tony Clark has already said that the union WILL NOT agree to it. Some players are already saying that they won't support it.
Here's Adam Jones:

And Trevor Bauer:

And what about former Yankee Phil Hughes?

I understand the sentiment, regardless of if I agree with it or not. These owners are very wealthy, and that didn't happen by accident. Are they feeling the pinch financially right now? Sure, like most of us are. They aren't getting the cash flow that they normally get right now. It's a month into the season and they haven't made money. That doesn't mean they are struggling though. They made a commitment to players when they signed them....and the players are expecting them to live up to that commitment with some minor concessions, which they have already made a few. I get it.

I also understand when Phil Hughes is coming from. The next CBNA is coming up soon. The Players union have had a long hard fight to get to this point. Years ago they didn't have the same favorable terms so to agree to owners requests would be taking a big step backwards in their point of view.

Would we feel differently if it was you or me? Maybe we have a similar situation. I know several people right now who have agreed to a temporary pay cut during this pandemic in order to keep their jobs. A little less income is better than none, right? What if we agreed to a pay cut due to the circumstances with the expectation that we would get our original full pay later when the crisis has past? What if....we never got back to our original salary? If this is what the MLBPA is concerned with, I understand the concern.

Not all current or former players feel the same way, there's usually someone with a different opinion right? Well, we have a different opinion with Mark Teixeira.

I will say this much....in my history here with BYB I have been the biggest supporter of Tex out of anyone on staff. I defended him all the time. I don't think I can here. It's easy to say you would rather make "pennies on the dollar" after you have already cashed in a large contract, retired and have nothing to lose. I just don't buy the symbol of hope he is trying to sell all of us....but that's just me.

So where do we go from here? The owners and MLBPA need to sit down and hash this out. Is one side being too greedy? If they reach an impasse and can't make this work it's a bad look for baseball. We need our baseball back! 

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

MESSAGE TO LANCE MCCULLERS JR.--- YOU JUST PLAYED YOURSELF, LOSER!

Dumb, Dumb, Dumb, Dumb, Dumb, Dumb, Dumb.  The Houston Astros are idiots, are they not?

You know, the other day I said on Twitter that the Astros are the happiest team on earth right now, because with all this talk of Coronavirus... the season gets postponed, and Altuve can pray at his pillow every night that the baseball world would forget about how they took integrity from the game by cheating their way to a championship in 2017.

Astros are the happiest people right now. No one’s talking about them. That’s ok, when this gets back to normal, the world will go back to mocking them. They cannot escape!!

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) March 15, 2020

Not to mention they probably cheated in 2018 and 2019 as well.  When I saw Alex Bregman tweet this today, I couldn't help but remind him that we will NOT forget about how despicable these losers are, despite charity work.

That crap doesn't fly with me... because one you break my trust, be it a family member, a close friend or even a baseball player and I am their fan, you will have a hell of a time ever winning that back. And because these Astro morons were not sincere with their apology... the gloves are off. Not just for me, but for millions of baseball fans.

Anything you can do to not be on the losing side of your cheating career I guess, right Alex? I’ve seen this movie before. Trust me, baseball fans won’t forget that you and your teammates took integrity from the game. #asstros #AstrosCheatingScandal

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) March 15, 2020

Now...of course I'm blocked, so he never got the message, but it's true... these guys are a-holes and the Astros will always be in the forefront of baseball fan's minds, and mine especially, because what they did was so horrible, the fact that they weren't punished severely will always make their lives in baseball worse for them. To the point where they will wish they were punished.

And now this... Lance McCullers Jr., who decides to take the attack route against a baseball fan, because well... he doesn't get why he would be attacked in the first place.

Junior's thinking is "Hey, I'm doing charity work! How dare you question my character!"  By the way, nice work bill_newc.

Oh and Lance... you were on the Houston Astros, you were fully aware of the cheating scandal you team orchestrated, and yes... you fall into the category of LOSER despite the good deed you're doing. GFY... of course we would go after you!

Guys like Correa, Bregman, Altuve… now McCullers... guys that get defensive when we go after them verbally are the reason why the game of baseball is tainted.  If they really were innocent... if they REALLY didn't do anything, they wouldn't give us fans the time of day, ESPECIALLY ON INSTAGRAM OR TWITTER.  The fact that they are defensive, angry, uneasy is because they were caught and did it.

And that's what they need to live with.  It doesn't matter if McCullers saves a kid from a burning building from this day forward... he will always be labelled a cheater. ALL OF THEM SHOULD BE.  Why? Well... blame Rob Manfred and Tony Clark for that.  They thought if they didn't punish the Astros and just fined the team it would all go away. But it hasn't. In fact... it's gotten worse.

Too bad for the Astros.  Too bad Lance... suck it bro.  Reputation is hatched with the people you hang with.  You were in that #Asstros clubhouse... you're tainted just like the rest of them. And acting out against angry fans? You just played yourself.

Be a man and take your lumps dipshit.

ANGER AGAINST LOSER ASTROS GROWS AT A FEROCIOUS RATE

The Astros and Jim Crane might be the biggest group of tools in the country. They all need to go away.  It's crystal clear to me that the baseball world is now aiming to destroy them all mentally and eventually financially. They've turned the baseball world upside down.

And here's the other thing. They're lost in the batter's box this Spring training. Are you watching? They no longer walk up confident. They now flinch. They now swing for the fences like little leaguers trying to prove a point. Well, the problem these Astros players have right now is there's no garbage can to bang. They can't decipher pitches anymore. They relied too long on the banging garbage can. It's quite comical... losers.

.⁦@GeorgeSpringer⁩ it’s hard to hit a baseball when there’s no garbage can banging... isn’t it loser? #byb #AstrosCheatingScandal #asstros pic.twitter.com/5AT3kMFrwF

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) February 27, 2020

Or... they're just afraid they're gonna get it on the chin.  I don't care anymore about safety. Retaliation is a real thing... and it really doesn't matter if Rob Manfred wants to puff his chest and claim repercussions for retaliation or if Dusty Baker says he's concerned about premeditated retaliation.

With Alex Bregman’s HBP today, the #Astros now lead the league with 7 hit by pitches in Spring Training.

1.) Astros: 7
2.) Reds: 6
2.) Tigers: 6
3.) Phillies: 5 pic.twitter.com/1odDShWRmj

— Danny Vietti (@DannyVietti) February 26, 2020

Those pro players the Astros are playing against? They're PISSED! And they should be.

Some dude tried to tell me that the MLB pitchers and teams... even the Yankees should turn the other cheek and beat them on the field.

Oh... that's nice in theory, but this is more about competition. This is about integrity and character. And when the Astros decided to do whatever they wanted, and then Rob Manfred didn't punish the cheaters and Tony Clark decided to publicly acknowledge that he would do whatever it took to protect players... essentially the entire life rule about pride, respect and humanity went out the window.

And so I wrote MANFRED JUST MADE MLB THE WILD, WILD WEST! RULES DON'T APPLY! and guess what... I'm right. I'm literally always right when stories about integrity fall into my lap. Why? Because I am a very good judge of character. Jeez.. even Tim Kurkijan of ESPN said he didn't expect this scandal to still be hanging on.

ESPN MLB analyst Tim Kurkjian says the Astros' scandal has 'gotten bigger' than he thought it ever would https://t.co/UVuZHXEDZc - @NBCSWashington pic.twitter.com/NaL2RDkWZk

— Redskins Gold Pants (@SkinsGoldPants) February 26, 2020

Well... he's obviously misguided and a dinosaur... because social media will help the Astros Cheating Scandal NEVER go away. And thank God. Wrongdoing needs to be dealt with.

And the fans are pissed too. Yet another story about a lawsuit against this failed and disgraced Astros team.

KIIITV South Texas writes:

"The lawsuit is on behalf of fans, and once the law firm is done, they believe they will have filed a total of five class action-style lawsuits over the Astros cheating scandal. 

'Those tickets, in our opinion, are based off a lie,' attorney John Duff said. According to Duff, fans who bought tickets to Astros games feel they were duped into watching dishonest games. 

'Everyone who went to those games, it was not a fair game, it was essentially rigged there was no point in buying those tickets, so we want to get those people compensated,' Duff said. 

Three Major League Baseball managers and one General Manager have lost their jobs over the Astros illegally stealing catcher's signs during the 2017 season. Some baseball fans are suing because they feel duped after paying to go to Minute Maid Park in Houston and believing they were watching an honest game of baseball. 

'It's not just the tickets, some people spent $6,000 per seat, it's not just the ticket it's everything that leads up to going to the game being there coming home,' Duff said."

And you know what? Those fans will win that case... because they're right.

The Astros are a lie. The Astros are cheaters. The Astros? They're pathetic. Jim Crane must be forced to sell the team... and Baseball? They need to punish these losers.

WE WILL NOT GO AWAY.