Game Day: Wednesday, July 8th

More drama targeted at Zach Wheeler this week.  Wheeler was twice snubbed for the NL All-Star game.  He didn't get selected by the coaches and he wasn't named as a replacment for the pitchers who are turning down their All-Star appearance due to their regular season obligations. 

Wheeler was quoted as saying, "I'm pissed about it..." Wheeler is a man of few words.  He let his game do the talking Tuesday night.  14 K's in a Phillies' win over the Reds.  Wheeler moved his record to (9-1) on the season. He is the Phillies' most valuable player and the starter on my NL All-Snubs team (look out for that post later this week).

I remember being named to the All-Star game in little league.  It was and still is one of the greatest honors of my entire life.  No fooling.  It was far more special than graduating high school or college.  I was over-the-moon about being named to that all-star team.  I remember those two weeks fondly. 

Young MLB players are now passing on the All-Star game like it's a nuisance and the veteran players who still care about the honor and in being part of the team are being passed over in what is, in some way, a blatant affront to the heart and the spirit of the game of baseball.

It is, in many ways, an indicator of a broader dismissal of the game and that is a problem for Major League Baseball.  They really need to address the issue as soon as possible.

I put forth my solution for All-Star Week in yesterday's Game Day post.  A four-team tournament and seven days off for the All-Star break. 

The game itself and All-Star week will likely go off without a hitch but there are seemingly all kinds of rats' nests in the safety net below the highwire act that is Major League Baseball.  

This off-season, there will be a labor contract dispute.  I have read some of the arguments thus far and they completely skirt over the biggest issues.  Owners introduce issues and solutions that serve more as a smokescreen than as productive measures of substantiative change.  It's a very complex situation in many regards but the solutions proposed make the entirety of it all even more complicated.  The introduction of a "Cornerstone" player and borrowing the "Bird" Rights concept from the NBA is a bad idea.  Having anything to do with the NBA is a bad idea.  

My perspective on it, the solution is very simple.  Order the uniforms, field the teams, staff the ballparks, hire the umpires, get rid of the ABS and play ball.  

There will always be replacement players willing to play.  Superstars and big money are distracting from the game some.  Most fans, what they want is a good and fair competition between the professional teams, with the game's best players playing everyday all summer.  

A fair and unencumbered marketplace will always offer a fair shake to both owners and players.  If the tax is great enough and the revenue sharing is structured, let an owner spend his entire fortune if he so chooses.  The franchise value will adjust accordingly to the balance sheet.  There should never be a bankruptcy in MLB with private team ownership unless the entire financial system collapses.  

In regards to competitive balance, reducing the number of rounds in the draft is a bad idea.  Use the draft to penalize teams that are continuously spending over the tax threshold.  Don't take picks away from small market teams.  

The terms of free agency and team control are the most important issues facing players.  There are simple answers to the failures with the current agreement in place.  Bird Rights and Cornerstone Players is not the solution.

I think expansion solves a lot of issues in MLB.  More teams with smaller ball parks.  More stadium jobs.  More players.  More All-Stars.  More umpires.  More revenue sharing.  More free agents. 

More professional leagues around the world and more competition for MLB will be good too.  Players need more options and more opportunities to earn a good living from the game of baseball in the event that MLB isn't working out.

That's it for Game Day today.  I am going to have a pick posted later tonight.  Stay tuned.

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