Note:
The following story is a FICTIONAL account. You may have heard of The Onion. Now
take a look at what we find when we take the newspaper out from under The
Birdhouse and see what's been piling up.
For the past couple weeks, the untiring mob of
telephoto lenses known as the Major League Baseball paparazzi have spotted
numerous times Commissioner Bud
Selig with an unlikely counterpart, MLB Players Association executive
director Donald Fehr.
The two have been meeting under unknown
circumstances, and the rumors have been flying. Some have floated the idea that
Selig might be grooming Fehr to follow in his footsteps when he ultimately
decides to step down. Others have speculated that the two are about to unveil
some new drastic drug-testing plan to include human growth hormone, also known
as HGH.
All
rumors and speculation aside, thanks to a statement released to the press this
morning, we now know what the two masterminds have been up to. And we call these
two "masterminds" only because the proposal they plan to describe in detail this
afternoon at a 4pm
ET
press conference is so crazy it just might make sense... and actually work.
It
is without coincidence that the announcement comes the day following last
night's events, during which Barry Bonds set a brand new career home run record, perhaps breaking what was
once the biggest record in all of sports. Selig received much criticism for not
being present at the game for Bonds’ achievement, but it is clear that he was
busy at work finalizing the details for this release.
The
proposal that Selig and Fehr will pitch this afternoon will change baseball
forever if approved. The owners and players will vote to decide if this is the
future for baseball, but ultimately it'll be the fans, which will determine with
their pocketbooks and spending habits if the economics will play out as
envisioned.
It's
no secret that the unspoken steroid scandal has turned baseball upside down.
Everyone has been guilty of the "Speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil"
steroid philosophy. Players, owners, league officers, managers, coaches, media,
fans, EVERYONE! The blame is shared
across the gamut. Whether it's because “money is the root of all evil,” or if
it's as they say that "chicks dig the long ball," steroids and other drugs have
ruined what was seemingly once a pure American pastime.
For
far too long it wasn't even against the rules to take enhancing drugs in
professional baseball. And now that we do have rules and penalties in place to
curb such behavior, the test makers can't even keep up with drug makers. Testing
seems almost pointless, and, quite frankly, only the true idiots and major
cheapskates are going to get caught now.
But
why do we care?
We
care because, in baseball, statistics are the name of the game. We love the
historical trends. We love the endless analysis. We love hearing what Albert Pujols' batting average is
during day games on Thursdays in the middle of April with a full count. We love
the countless different stats, categories, and splits that all those little
numbers fall into. From the WHIP to the OPS to the LOBs, we love it all.
And
yes, above all else, we love those baseball records. And we really love seeing
records broken. We absolutely love the idea of seeing history take place. And as
a testament to that, just think about what you were doing last week Wednesday
night. Now think about what you were doing when Mark McGwire hit number 62.
We
have just begun to realize the impact on our beloved game of baseball caused by
these chemicals, poor judgment, and need to look the other way. And we are now
forced to deal with a huge dilemma. We have no idea what records are the
products of pure, hard work and what records are the by-products of an empty era
filled with cheating. Sure the argument can be made that it's not really
cheating if everyone was doing it, but we're still cheating the past. And that's
where Bud Selig and Don Fehr have decided to step in with their
proposal.
Put
it simply, Selig and Fehr have proposed to give baseball a new start. To leave
the past in the history books and start from scratch. The baseball-scheduling
format will move to one similar to that of the National Football League. The
whole time Selig and Fehr were meeting, a remote participant called-in via a
secure line to crunch numbers and discuss strategy.
This
individual was none other than former football commissioner Paul Tagliabue. The NFL was
transformed under his watch to the most lucrative, exciting, sports
entertainment juggernaut that it is. And now Tagliabue has his hand in shaping
baseball’s future.
So,
what are the details behind this proposal?
Well,
the regular season will run from April until September as it does today, but
there is one major twist that will knock you off your feet: Teams will play just
one game each week.
Yes,
the 162-game season will be reduced to a 26-game season with a continued
Midsummer Classic All-Star game in July. Like Sundays during the NFL season,
Saturdays will be the days we are glued to the TV to catch our baseball. The
hoopla surrounding Saturdays will be as intense as it is in the NFL. And you
better believe that the excitement will build each week as teams prepare, and
yes actually practice, throughout the week.
Selig
states that the television stations are already competing for the big money
contracts to host Saturday baseball, which is expected to generate more revenue
than the current baseball contracts do. It's a guaranteed weekly audience, and
it's a guaranteed advertising gold mine. Baseball will be on TV, radio, and the
Internet Saturdays throughout the season from 12pm
ET
until approximately 12am
ET
when those West Coast night games come to a close.
And
to add to the revenue and give you more baseball to watch, you better believe
that Saturdays won't just be the only days that games will be scheduled. Some teams each week will play on alternate
days in lieu of Saturday, just like the NFL does with their Thursday games and
Monday Night Football. Plans currently include keeping the ESPN Sunday Night
Baseball schedule and introducing Thursday Night Baseball and Friday Night
Baseball (networks to be determined). That being said, baseball will be
televised each night of the week except Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday.
Team
rosters will be cut to 20 players. This is likely to be the source of the
biggest hurdle in getting this proposal approved. With MLBPA executive director
Donald Fehr involved and a co-author of the proposal, one might think getting
the players to approve the deal should be a slam-dunk. But this plan means pay
cuts and lost jobs for many. That won't be an easy pill to swallow.
There
are already discussions of a possible coup within the Players Association,
including a split between position players and pitchers. After all, the
pitchers, particularly the starting variety, stand to lose the most. With this
format, teams will carry only one monster-contract starting pitcher, just like
NFL teams do quarterbacks.
The
backups might get a decent contract, but those guys who are barely making it in
the league as number three, four, or five rotation men will be done - unless
they can somehow find a way to be a reliable source as a bullpen man. And
remember, those bullpen pitchers won't need to be able to pitch every day or
every other day any more. They'll now be expected to last maybe an inning or two
a week.
Current
player contracts will be the trickiest dealing. Owners will be forced to honor
those longer-term contracts until they run out. This means they’ll have to pay
out a good chunk of change to the guys that won’t make it in the new league. But
that’s a cost that Fehr and Selig claim will pay for itself inside of five
years.
Details
concerning how to handle rainouts and the like are still up in the air, but
early indications are that postponed games will be played the very next day,
typically Sunday afternoon.
As
for ticket prices, well, you guessed it. Prices will undoubtedly increase.
Estimated percentages are not clear, but 100+% increases aren't out of the
question. It is expected that the new television and advertising contracts
coupled with lower team salaries will help reduce the burden placed on fans
through ticket prices. But it is expected that all MLB stadiums will adopt the
Personal Seat License (PSL) structure, where season ticket holders will have a
one-time cost to purchase their seats in addition to their tickets each
year.
The
same number of teams will make the playoffs each season as they do now, but
there won't be "series" anymore. It's one game for the Wild Card, Division, and
League Championships. Each team's best on the field showcasing their talents in
a one-game playoff for each round. The World Series will be no more. It'll be
called the World Championship, and it could very well be as big a single
extravaganza as the Super Bowl.
If
the plan is approved, this new format will start in 2009. The baseball records
we now know, including whatever Bonds career home run record ends up being, will
become a thing of the past. Just a part of baseball history. And from April 1,
2009 going forward, new records will be set each day, each year, for generations
to come.
The
concept is hard to grasp, but if the television contracts come through, the
corporate advertising dollars stack up, the owners determine the economic models
work, and a majority of the players find it in themselves to follow Don Fehr's
leadership, this plan might just give baseball a rebirth and make it America's
most popular sport once again.
More
details will follow in the weeks and months ahead. The discussion that ensues
will lead to enhancements to the format as the powers that be re-write the
rulebooks.
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