Two of summer’s ‘old wives’ tales’ proclaim ‘the corn is knee-high by the Fourth of July’ and ‘the MLB teams in first place on the nation’s birthday will be there at the end of the season.’ The corn may make it, but you can forget the other.

After all too many months of haggling, MLB and the Players Union have reluctantly reached an agreement to begin the baseball season at the end of July. About the only metaphor fitting for the disgusting mess that is Major League Baseball is ‘they’ve kicked all the sand out of the sandbox.’ As the calendar flips to July, we are now entering the fifth month since MLB quarantined its game. I know very little about labor negotiations, but what has been playing out in the public view has not been a pretty scene. The greedy players and the wealthy owners have been firing shots across each other’s bow, almost reminiscent of scenes from those old pirate high sea movies — and I’m not talking about the ones in Pittsburgh.

This COVID-19 stuff is bad news, and all reasonable precautions must be taken by all of us — not just for those sports we all wish would be back to entertain us and offer some distraction to the turmoil existing in our everyday lives. If there are those sports which can’t be played because of the health dangers that may be involved — OK, just tell us so. We won’t be happy about it, but at least we would understand. Instead, both sides of this MLB ‘one-ups manship’ certainly looked to me like upset children on a playground who take their ball and go home because they didn’t get their way.

To my knowledge, the court of public opinion has never won a single athletic competition. When the scoreboard lights up, the final score indicates which team, or individual, won the game, not what the public may have wished was going to happen. Many Las Vegas establishments have gotten rich playing against the court of public opinion.

I have nothing against Derek Holland, a non-roster invitee trying to make this year’s Pittsburgh Pirates team. I don’t know the man, and as an 11-year MLB veteran, he definitely knows more about what his peers are feeling about the current labor strife than I do. But I was puzzled when reading a quote Holland recently gave to a Pittsburgh radio station.

“We are strong. We’re a family. We definitely care about each other’s dreams and what we’re doing with the future of baseball. I feel like the fans are on our side. They see what’s going on. We could have already been playing the game of baseball. It’s just that simple.”

Holland’s statement reminds me a bit of those side-by-side photos that are sometimes seen in publications asking the reader to spot the differences between the two photos. Sometimes those differences are obvious; other times, it takes patience and concentration to pick them out. I cast no aspersions towards Holland’s belief in his remarks, but they do give cause to how accurately he paints the picture. It sure seems like the player’s association was unified in their position, but what have they done to the future of baseball? Are the fans on their side? Do the fans see what is going on?

I believe he is right on one thing — they could have already been playing baseball, or long ago reached an agreement to do so if both sides had wanted to. It is that simple, COVID-19 aside. Instead, the continued battle of words was similar to a long, drawn-out extra-inning game lasting well into the evening with no idea as to how the outcome will end.

If you’ve been following this horror story, you’re familiar with the back and forth proceedings. If you haven’t, you probably don’t care, and that is a real problem for MLB. Apathy will make both sides a loser. Statistics show that the average age of today’s true baseball fan is in the middle 50s. If baseball had stuck their head in the sand much longer, taking the risk of cancelling the entire 2020 season, the game would continue to turn away the casual fan.

Like most labor disputes, money was at the crux of the problem. The average salary of today’s MLB player is 4.4 million dollars. The MLB minimum salary is $550,000. The salaries are based upon a 162-game MLB season. Naturally, the players wanted to play a maximum number of games. Yet, playing before empty stadiums with reduced income for the owners’ results in less money, the owners have to pay out. By shortening the season to the 60 games, the players’ salary will be pro-rated accordingly, resulting in them receiving 37% of a full season’s pay. 

On that, I agree with Derek Holland; it is that simple.

Is it possible to play any sport safely? It seems COVID-19 will have the final voice, but as time marches on, it still remains an uncertainty as to how many MLB games may actually be played. 

Regardless of sports, this Fourth of July will be among the most difficult faced by the good old USA in its 224 years of glory. Take the time to honor the holiday and its meaning with respect, understanding, patience, and resolve. Too many have sacrificed too much to keep us free and safe. Do your part to continue those ideals forward.