Remarkable Alan Schwarz column on Lidle

The MLB owners control a billion dollar cartel and would gladly pay players in peanuts if they could get away it. They can't, because the MLBPA is the strongest and smartest union in pro sports.

As for the weird communism reference, players have never asked for anything but a free-market system. It's the owners who want "communism."

As for the "scab" angle, I also wonder if that's being overplayed. There were a lot of replacement players who overcame the stigma without too many problems.

 

Covered a team that had a former replacement guy and he was one of the guys, in with the in crowd. They understood why he did it, and no one seemed to care. The organization put significant pressure on him to show up. His age and status made him pretty disposable, so he reported. About the only time it was a factor was when Don Fehr would come by for the spring training meeting and the guy would leave the clubhouse.

Along those lines, ESPN said last night that Lidle's widow was entitled to his full baseball pension for the rest of her life. But I was under the impression the replacement guys were not in the pension plan.

 

The pension is part of the package of benefits negotiated under CBA and the scabs, even though they are not union members, receive all of the benefits negotiated in the CBA. A number of the scabs have been represented by the union in salary arbitrations and grievances, too.

 

But as of a few years ago, they didn't get the licensing money.

 

They still don't.

So who's left now? Mahay, Millar - who else?

 

Brendan Donnelly, I believe.

 

Licensing money isn't part of the CBA. The players' collective licensing agreement is with the union. They essentially turn over their group (not individual) marketing rights over to the PA.

 

Is Menechino still on somebody's roster? He was a handy utility guy for the Jays....

 

Yes... we sure as hell do.

 

Is Rick Reed still in the league?

Brendan Donnelly is. He was a replacement player.

 

And now I'm convinced I just don't get it.

This column did nothing for me. Seemed overwrought and reaching for connections where there were none. I mean, I don't think he's the only guy Lidle ever said 'Come fly with me' to. The weird quoting of conversations he has no record of. The whole 'Wow, how freaky is this?' vibe.

This, plus the fact I don't feel anything from 'Death of a Racehorse' tells me I should work at a 7-11 somewhere.