MLB to Small Town America: Drop Dead

It would truly suck to see the NW League go away - not only that, the West Coast League is a very healthy wood-bat collegiate league.

 

The MLB-MiLB agreement ends on Wednesday, so I think more details will become clearer after that.

 

The farm system is a good loss leader. It draws families and younger kids in smaller towns to the games, and you groom them to follow Joey Shoelaces when he makes it to the bigs. There is something to be said for that.

 

Short-sighted stupidity is baseball's brand. It was when I was first old enough to get baseball in 1960 and it hasn't changed in 60 years. MLB is the ultimate abusive partner.

 

I jumped off after the 1994 cluster and subsequent erosion of my Expos. I’ve tried to get back into it, but it really seems charmless. Minor league ball was always part of the lore and the fabric of the game. Gutting it seems like a fundamental breach of the social contract.

 

It's worse than that. Minor league ball makes money. Not much, but some. So it has to be erased because MLB owners are both greedy and stupid. If I'm advising Joe Biden, his first play on Tuesday is, "if your town loses its minor league franchise, Rob Manuel dies in prison."

 

Since we are on the topic, Eckersley winning the ‘92 MVP over Frank Thomas is a joke. Heck, could have handled Puckett over Eck; however, Big Hurt deserved it.

 

They also don’t pay the player even close to a living wage.

 

And now they won't have to pay college kids anything! What a scam.

 

Roger Goodell is consulting MLB on the realignment of the farm system.

 

That's the long-term strategy, I believe. The NFL and NBA use the colleges as glorified farm systems for free. Baseball owners are jealous and cheap.

 

And if anyone does get paid, the NCAA will get mad and put the Toledo Mud Hens on probation.