The MLB Players Association voted this afternoon to reject MLB's 60-game proposal for the 2020 season, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers. Rogers reported that the players voted 33-5 against the proposal.
The 60-game proposal was MLB's latest in a series of offers they made to the union, and the first one to offer full prorated salaries for the players. After the league made the offer last week, the players countered with a 70-game proposal, which the owners thought to be too many. Commissioner Rob Manfred reportedly sent a letter to players union executive Tony Clark offering to get rid of items such as the universal DH and expanded playoffs in 2021 if a full season is not played in 2020. According to Jeff Passan, this offering from Manfred could have been the best chance the two sides had at reaching an agreement, but even that didn't work. ESPN's Buster Olney laid out where things go from here in a tweet this evening. Olney says it's likely now that Manfred and MLB will implement a short season, which most people assume to be in the range of 50-60 games. From there, it's anybody's guess. Players could file a grievance against the league for not trying to play as many games this year as possible. Some players may sit out the season due to COVID-19 health risks. While it seems like we'll have a plan in place for the 2020 season soon, it's hardly one that we had hoped for.
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The Texas Rangers were one strike away from winning a World Series, twice one out away in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. But, as we know, David Freese had a legendary night that included tying that the game in the 9th and the walk-off in the 11th. The Rangers would, of course, go on to lose in Game 7, the Rangers now have dropped back to back world series losing to the Giants in 2010.
However, the 2011 Rangers still made the cut for their best season in franchise history. After making it into the World Series in 2010, the 2011 Texas Rangers bounced back with an even more impressive season, going 95-66 to win the AL West by ten games. In the postseason, the Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Rays in four games in the ALDS. Then they won in six games over the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS to advance to their second straight World Series. As a team, they led the league in batting average with .283, fourth in on-base percentage at .340, second in slugging at .460 and second in home runs with 210. They were led by Michael Young, who finished 8th in the MVP race, hitting .338 with 106 RBIs. Their pitching staff had all five starters hit the double-digit win mark during the season, including CJ Wilson, who went 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA and 206 strikeouts. A team that was the closest you possibly can be from winning the whole thing, the 2011 Rangers are probably one of the most bittersweet seasons in Rangers history. Despite not winning it all, the 2011 Rangers still made a significant impact making its mark as the best season in franchise history. The negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA on how to play the 2020 season have been a long, drawn out process that has resulted in little progress and lots of frustration. As the talks drag on, fans are getting more and more restless waiting for the two sides to figure it out.
The latest news came yesterday when ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that Rob Manfred sent a letter to the players association in which he offered to cancel the expanded playoffs and universal DH for 2021, if a full season is not played in 2020. Passan went on to speculate that this offer could be the "last and best chance" the two sides have to strike a deal. Multiple sources reported that the players had planned to meet Sunday to vote on a proposal, but that meeting was cut short once union chief Tony Clark received the letter from Manfred, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. So, that could be promising, but it's also unclear where the players stand and whether they will take a deal from MLB. Now, on to the less promising news. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported last night that 40 MLB players and staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, and that those cases are causing urgency in the labor negotiations. Reports came out earlier last week that players and staff members with the Phillies had tested positive, but it now seems to be more widespread. Nightengale says that with these cases of the virus, the earliest spring training could begin is June 29 with the season beginning no earlier than July 26, a big difference from the July 1 Opening Day we had all hoped for just a month ago. Who knows where the negotiations will go from here, but if the two sides want to play baseball in 2020, they better figure it out quickly. Happy Father's Day to all the great dads out there! There's nothing like baseball to build the bond between a father and his kids. It's a pastime that can be passed down and enjoyed by generations together. In honor of Father's Day, I want to take a look at the best father-son duos to ever play in Major League Baseball, and there are some good ones. 4. Felipe Alou and Moises AlouThe Alou's never played together like some father-son duos, but Felipe did coach Moises during his MLB career. Felipe finished his career batting .286/.328/.433 with 206 home runs and 852 RBIs. He was a three-time All-Star as a player and won NL Manager of the Year in 1994 when he managed the Montreal Expos, on which Moises was a star player. Moises batted .303/.369/.516 over his 17-year career, hitting 332 home runs and 1,287 RBIs. He was a six-time All-Star and a World Series champion with the Florida Marlins in 1997. 3. Cecil and Prince FielderThe Fielder's are the only father-son duo in MLB history to each hit 50 home runs in a season, but what's even crazier than that is that they both finished their careers with 319 home runs. Cecil established himself as a power hitter in the 80s and 90s, leading the AL in home runs twice. In 1990, he became the first player since 1977 to hit 50 home runs in a season. When Prince broke into the league with the Brewers in 2005, it didn't take long for him to make a name for himself. Just two years later, he led the NL with 50 home runs as he finished third in MVP voting. Unfortunately, injuries led to the end of his career, but not before he earned his spot as part of one of the best father-son duos in history. 2. Ken Griffey, Sr. and Ken Griffey, Jr.The Griffeys were the first father-son duo in Major League history to play in the league at the same time. Griffey, Jr. came up with the Mariners in 1989 while his father was towards the end of his career with the Cincinnati Reds. A year later, the elder Griffey joined his son in Seattle, and they became the first father-son duo to play as teammates. Junior took the world by storm early in his career as one of the most exciting players in the game. He finished his career as one of the best to ever play, hitting .284/.370/.538 with 630 home runs and 1,836 RBIs. He was the first No. 1 draft pick to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame when he was inducted in 2016. His father finished his career batting .296/.359/.431 with 152 home runs and 859 RBIs. 1. Bobby and Barry BondsBobby Bonds made two All-Star appearances and won three Gold Gloves while playing with the San Francisco Giants in the early 70s. Two decades later, his son became a 12-time All-Star and won five Gold Gloves in San Francisco.
Barry Bonds is regarded by many as the greatest to ever play the game, and his father wasn't too bad either. Bobby finished his career hitting .268/.353/.471 with 332 home runs and 1,024 RBIs. Barry had a career stat line of .298/.444/.607 with 762 home runs and 1,996 RBIs. While the two of them on their own are impressive enough, throw in the fact that Barry's godfather is Willie Mays, and that's quite the trio you've got there. While I believe that these are the four best father-son duos to ever play Major League Baseball, that could change in the coming years. The Toronto Blue Jays have three second-generation MLB players on their roster currently, including Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. The San Diego Padres have Fernando Tatis, Jr., who is an up-and-coming star in his own right. Who knows, with the sons in the league right now, this list could look drastically different a decade from now. My past four summers have been almost completely consumed by baseball, so I don't really know what to do during a summer in which there is no baseball. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the cancellation of numerous summer leagues and MLB still unable to figure out labor negotiations, it looks like there will be drastically less baseball this year than in previous summers.
That has me wondering how I'll be spending a lot of my time this year. If you're in a similar boat, you might find yourself asking "What do I do in a summer with no baseball?" That's what I'm here to help with. After a bit of research I've found that there are actually lots of fun summer activities that don't involve baseball, as weird as that may sound. And most of them are available pretty much anywhere, so this list can be applied no matter where you are in the world. Things to do in a summer without baseball:
Now, if you're really missing baseball and you need some baseball-related activities, you can always watch some baseball movies, pull up some classic games on YouTube, or get a small group of friends together and play a pickup game. I hope this list will help you out during a summer without baseball, but more than that, I hope we can return to normal next summer and have all the baseball we could possibly want. Let out a long sigh, and bear with me here.
In the long saga that is the labor negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA, we have reached yet another hiccup. While it seemed over the last few days like we were making progress towards getting a season in place, now the two sides have come to another impasse. According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, MLB told the players association that it would not counter their 70-game proposal. The league will talk with owners over the weekend to discuss their next steps. To recap the latest proposals: MLB offered a 60-game season at full prorated salary, the players countered with a 70-game season. The owners now think that 70 is too many games and will not move forward in talks regarding that proposal. The MLBPA released a statement tonight, saying "MLB has informed the union that it will not respond to our last proposal and will not play more than 60 games. Our executive board will convene in the near future to determine next steps. Importantly, Players remain committed to getting back to work as soon as possible." So, now we wait and see what the weekend brings us and hopefully we'll have a season soon, but it really seems doubtful. If labor negotiations don't stop MLB from playing in 2020, a global pandemic just might. News came out today that multiple Phillies players and staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 at the team's Clearwater, Fla. facility.
Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia was the first to report the news this morning, with the team confirming the positive cases in a statement this afternoon. The team's statement read: "In response to published reports and the questions that those reports have raised, the Phillies are confirming that 5 players and 3 staff members working at the club’s Clearwater facility have tested positive for Covid-19. The first confirmed case occurred this past Tuesday, June 16. In addition, 8 staff members have tested negative for the virus, while 12 staff members and 20 players (both major league and minor league players) living in the Clearwater area are in the process of being tested and are awaiting the results of those tests." Managing Partner John Middleton said, “The Phillies are committed to the health and welfare of our players, coaches and staff as our highest priority, and as a result of these confirmed tests, all facilities in Clearwater have been closed indefinitely to all players, coaches and staff and will remain closed until medical authorities are confident that the virus is under control and our facilities are disinfected.” In addition to the eight positive cases at the Phillies' facility, ESPN's Jeff Passan is reporting that a Blue Jays player is exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms and the team has shut down its Dunedin, Fla. facility. Passan said the player is a pitcher on the team's 40-man roster and has been tested and is awaiting results. This is obviously not good news as Major League Baseball tries to find a way to get back on the playing field. With players in other sports organizations such as the PGA Tour and the NFL also testing positive, perhaps it's best not to get back to sports at this moment, as tough as that would be. Founded in 1901 as the Philadelphia Athletics, the A’s have enjoyed some success, especially in the beginning of their franchise. They've won nine World Series titles, five of which came before 1930 while the team was in Philly. The team moved to Kansas City in 1955 before moving to Oakland in 1968. But for the team’s best season, we go back to Philadelphia.
The 1930 Philadelphia Athletics are the best team in franchise history. After winning the World Series in 1929, the team followed it up by going 102-52 in the regular season, winning the American League by eight games, then going on to beat the Cardinals in 6 games to claim the team’s 5th championship. A team with six Hall of Famers in Mickey Cochrane, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove, Eddie Collins, Al Simmons and manager Connie Mack, the A’s proved to be one of the most loaded and talented teams in the game’s history. As a group, this team won back to back World Series and won the pennant again in 1931. At the plate, the team was fourth in RBIs with 985 and fifth in home runs with 125. However, the team was built through great pitching, posting a 4.28 ERA, which was third-best and a league-best 672 strikeouts. The staff was led by Grove, who posted a record of 28-5 with a 2.54 ERA, and 209 strikeouts, all best in the league. Grove would have probably won MVP if there wasn’t a financial issue going on that season, so no MVP award was handed out, but he did win it in 1931 when it came back. A team that won 100 games the previous season and a World Series comes back and does it again. Unheard of in the game of baseball. It made the 1930 A’s a legendary team and their best season in franchise history. Things seemed a little more positive around the baseball world after yesterday's news that MLB had offered the MLBPA a 60-game season with full prorated salaries.
But of course, this whole saga can't be resolved with the players just agreeing and starting the season. Today, the MLBPA countered with a 70-game season, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Passan says that the league is unlikely to accept this proposal, but it is a step in the right direction and offers some optimism that there will in fact be a 2020 MLB season. Among the other items in the proposal, according to Passan, are:
This is a big change of opinion from Monday, when commissioner Rob Manfred said he was "not confident" that there would be a 2020 season. It seems now as if both sides have realized the urgency of the situation and are willing to make it work, although it might be a few more days before we actually reach any kind of agreement. By Trey Lyle
You learn a lot when doing research for the Best Season series about different teams and their history. But maybe the most interesting thing I have found so far is that the Los Angeles Angels were owned by Disney, yes Disney, from 1997-2003. It was during that period the team won its only World Series in franchise history. The 2002 Los Angeles Angels, then called the Anaheim Angels, went 99-63, which was at the time the best in franchise history till the 2007 team went 100-62. However, the 2002 team didn’t win the division, they actually got the Wild Card, due the A’s going 103-59 (it was the Moneyball season). It was the team’s first Wild Card berth and they took full advantage of it, beating the Yankees in four games in the ALDS and the Twins in five games in the ALCS to win their first pennant in franchise history. In the 2002 World Series, the Angels went on to win an epic seven-game series over the San Francisco Giants. The highlight, of course, was the team overcoming a five run deficit in the late innings of game 6 to force a game 7 which then went on to win the team's first and only World Series in franchise history. The team was first in hits (1,603), batting average (.282), fifth in stolen bases (117), third in RBIs (857) and sixth in on-base percentage (.341). The team showed its ability to play great small ball baseball which played into the strengths of the team at that time. The team could pitch as well, tied for fourth in ERA with 3.69, led by Jarrod Washburn, who went 18-6 with a 3.15 ERA. A team that was a really good team that nearly won 100 games as a wild card team, plus winning one of the best world series of the 2000s makes the 2002 Angels their best season in franchise history. |
AuthorMatthew Atkins, Journalist and Baseball fan. Archives
March 2023
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