southsider2k5

Hmmmm....

And now they are not rushing in to get kicked in the balls again, despite the pressure techniques and media campaign operating against them.

I know I kicked you in the balls before, but I helped you up afterwards, so its now a better deal!

This didn't have to be the plan, but the ownership group quite literally played out the clock to create urgency instead of negotiating with the same urgency months ago. We didn't have to be here, but this was the ownership groups strategy from Day one when they locked out the players and then didn't talk to players for six weeks.

They have gone from 62% of revenue to 47% with the most recent years being the lowest. It has everything to do with these negotiations.

Oh man. If only there was some sort of a way that these parties could have talked seriously before now. It's such a tragedy.

Take a tweet like this. It lists exactly two topics out of all of them and the parties just seemingly coincidentally they happen to be really close on these two things. There is still a whole laundry list of things out there that these parties aren't this close on. These are also no where close to the only things being discussed. Topics such as the international draft, the draft lottery, new game play rules adoption, mimimum wages, and the final level of the CBT are just a few of the things that are ignored here, but dang Bob makes it seem like the players are owners are sooooo close.

If they would fall under the terms that now apply to the international market, they would be able to be eligible for the next available draft I would assume.

Then set the eligibility at 16. The MLB already has different standards for college and high school kids. It wouldn't be any different here.

I don't get why the international players even get their own draft. The NHL and NBA do just fine with an all encompassing draft. Set the eligibility terms of each set of players and then subject everyone to one entry draft.

I think he makes a valid point in that the media manipulation that happens every time an owners office is made is impressive. All of the good details flow out piece by piece until it feels like a tsunami of generosity is being ignored by the players. Negotiations always seem to be going great and a deal is sooo close when the owners make an offer, if only the players drop their opposition to just this ONE little thing. Then the rest of the story quietly drops after the players refute the quality of the offer, and things were never nearly as close as this handpicked media made it seem. I don't believe its any coincidence at all as to who is getting their details first, who is setting this tone, and that they seem to be the same ones who get the best breaking news during the course of a season as well.

I don't get it either, but this is 100% an emotional issue with the Latin players, of which there are a ton of in MLB.

When the owners saved it until the end and said it was vital to get it the way they wanted it to give up other things.

It's almost as if taking 6 weeks off from the negotiation process has had a determental effect on the proceedings.

Another interesting thread on international draft