Merry Christmas!

 8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

May the knowledge of what this Biblical verse from the book of Luke means, bring you and your family great joy.  Even though we may not all be together with family this year due to the pandemic,  may the knowledge that Christ is born for your salvation, bring you great comfort and joy!

Merry Christmas from our family to your family!  

Black Friday = Beer Friday

Meet the class of 2020. Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout was released today. There was more demand this year at the retailer I go to, but I still got two bottles. One is BCS, Stout aged in Bourbon barrels, and the other a one off named Bourbon County Brand Special #4; Oatmeal Stout aged in Bourbon barrels with coffee and maple syrup. (Sounds similar to Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout.) These are both pushing 14% ABV so will save them for special occaisons.

Happy Thanksgiving 2020

To say this has been a strange year would be an understatement at best. But, on this Thanksgiving Day I want to give thanks for all that has been given to me.  I have been so richly blessed I sometimes take those gifts for granted. I cannot begin to express my thanks for the love shown to me by family and friends. I live in a nation where I am free to worship Almighty God as I wish without fear of reprisal from the government; a nation where I am free to come and go wherever I want and whenever I want. I have a warm roof over my head and a comfortable bed to sleep in each night.  My home is filled with more than I could have ever imagined.  My safety is made possible by the sacrifices of others who put their lives on the line to protect me 24 hours a day. When I open the fridge there is way more food and beverage in it than I have ever done anything to deserve. If I want for anything, I have been given the means to buy it by the jobs that were given to me during my working years. For all of these blessings and all past blessings I say thank you Lord!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my family and friends!

!

Game 6 = 3:28

The 2020 World Series* has come to an end with the average game lasting three hours and 37 minutes.  Game six was won by the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 over the Tampa Bay Rays and clinched the 2020 World Series*.  The Dodgers did not bat in the ninth and still the game,  lasted three hours and 28 minutes.  I missed on my original prediction by 12 minutes per game.  I had initially said the average 2020 World Series Game would last 3:25.

Part of the reason for yet another long boring game was that the Dodgers made six pitching changes.  This is not to criticize Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.  It is unfortunately, the way the game is being played with too many specialists that have ruined the flow of games and removed the sport as America's past time.  Overnight TV ratings for this World Series were down from last year when the Nationals beat the Astros.  In Game 5, less than eight million people watched the Sunday night game aired by Fox TV.  That compares to more than 12 million viewers who watched a mid-season regular season NFL game between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals which aired at the same time on NBC.

Baseball is an exciting game when played with a flow and at a good pace.  But, this bastardization of the game we have seen for the past too many years and this COVID shortened season has left it behind the growing fan base of the other big three professional sports.  Wake up MLB!

Game 5 = 3:30

Image Courtesy MLB

This was another long boring game played at a snail's pace.  Game 5 lasted three and a half hours and featured nine pitchers. The Dodgers beat the Rays 4-2 behind the pitching of Clayton Kershaw, who failed to last six innings. The Rays also hurt themselves with poor base running. The average time of game for the 2020 World Series* is now three hours and 36 minutes per game. Game 6 is scheduled for tomorrow night in Arlington, Texas. For some reason MLB in its infinite wisdom has decided to have another travel day today. This despite the fact all of the 2020 World Series* games are being played in Arlington at the same ballpark.

Game 4 = 4:10

The average length of game jumped to 3 hours and 37 minutes with this exceedingly long game that lasted four hours and ten minutes. Outside of a few seconds of excitement the evening was tedious. It appeared the Los Angeles Dodgers had this game won with their ace Kenley Jansen coming in to close it out. But, poor defense by Chris Taylor in the outfield and catcher Will Smith in the bottom of the ninth allowed the Rays to come back and tie the series at two games each. Game Five is scheduled for Sunday night.

Game Three = 3:14

The average time of game dropped slightly to 3 hours and 26 minutes each. My original prediction was the average length of game for the entire series would total 3:25. The Dodgers won this one 6-2 and both teams used a combined nine pitchers, which is one reason this one was much shorter than game two. The Dodgers now lead the Rays two games to one.

Game Two = 3:40

Image courrtesy MLB.

Game Two of the 2020 World Series lasted three hours and 40 minutes.  For the record it was won by the Tampa Bay Rays over the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4.  With the first two games played this year the average time of the games equals 3:32.  I forecast earlier this week the average length of game for the entire series would average 3:25.

Up next its game three tomorrow night from Arlington, Texas.  Oh, wait, that's where all the games are being played because of the pandemic.  So, MLB why was today a travel day when no one traveled?  My guess is Fox TV had something it thought might be less boring, like say, a presidential debate. 

Game One = 3:24

Image courtesy MLB

The first game of the "World Series" lasted 3:24.  That's for an eight and a half inning game.  And it is just one minute quicker than my prediction of an average game time of 3:25 for this year's games.  For the record it was won by the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-3 over the Tampa Bay Rays.

The 2020 World Series*

Major League Baseball can call whatever this postseason experiment is whatever it wishes.  But this is not the World Series.  Thus, anything associated with the 2020 MLB post season should have an asterisk placed next to it. Perhaps, instead of giving the winner of this series of games a World Series trophy they should receive a COVID - 19 trophy shaped like an image of the virus.

The entire season has been a joke and made a mockery of the game known as "America's Past-time."  The reason MLB is selling this farce as the World Series is so it gets paid hundreds of millions of dollars from its TV partners headed by Fox Sports.

Personally, I don't have a dog in the fight, but am not a fan of the Dodgers so by default I'm pulling just slightly for the Tampa Bay Rays.  And I hope the series ends quickly so this farce leaves the stage of the sports world to more legitimate games and competitions.

I won't have much to say about the games outside of writing about them the same way I have the past two years.  I will be keeping track of the time of the games since they are very long and frequently become incredibly boring.  Based on the last two seasons my guess is the average length of game for this series will be about three hours and 25 minutes.  Time will tell.  Check back here after each game for an update.

Worst Customer Service in the United States: Charter Communications

It's been over two months since I wrote about terrible customer service and cited an experience with Macy's Department store on July 21st.  Waiting on hold for over two and a half hours over two phone calls was bad, but, Macy's did resolve the problem when I finally got through.  There problem was they just don't have enough customer service reps to handle complaints.  The company is in bankruptcy.

But, the worst customer service I have ever experienced was from March of 2019.  That problem is still not resolved and Charter/Spectrum has yet to answer for its actions that day.  One of its representatives made a promise and a Prima Donna clerk decided he would not honor it.  And when I questioned his actions he became increasingly obnoxious and threatening.
  
I ended up cancelling the order because of the clerk's incompetency.  Here is the letter I wrote to the Vice President of Customer Service as listed by Spectrum, Kathleen Mayo.  It's been 19 months since I wrote her.  Obviously, Ms. Mayo and her department could have cared less because she nor anyone else on her staff ever replied.  It's now been 19 months.

Ms. Kathleen Mayo,
Executive Vice President
Spectrum
400 Atlantic Street
Stamford, CT  06901

Dear Ms. Mayo,

I am writing to let you know of the terrible treatment I received from one of your employees on March 26th at the St. Louis Spectrum store on Manchester Road.

I was attempting to help my 91 year old mother, XXXXXXX X. XXXXXXXX, who has been a customer of yours for many years, add DVR service to her account.  After contacting your call center twice and getting two different prices for the same service, I received my mother's approval to add the service to her basic cable account.  I called back and the $4.99 per month was added to her account by your representative.  I was told I could pick up the needed hardware at the Spectrum store.

When I got to the store I was greeted by Gino who started the transaction but then told me he did not have the experience and needed a co-worker to help him.  This is where I met a large middle aged white male (whose name is I believe is Jim).   "Jim" thwarted me at every attempt to get what I needed.   Jim told me the account was very old and he could not add the DVR service for the price quoted to us by your call center.  I told Jim I expected him to honor what we and Spectrum had agreed to earlier and his response in effect was "they don't know what they're doing there.  We have to make this work and do it right".  I was told at that point by Gino maybe I should call the Customer Service department to clarify things and  come back to him after I had spoken to customer service.

After talking with customer service I was quoted another and higher third price for the DVR service.  I then asked to speak with her manager.  The manager (whose name I do not have because I made the call from your store and could not document it there) said the clerk was correct and the service could not be added for the price of $4.99 per month quoted to us earlier in the day and a new plan at a higher price would have to be added.  I asked to speak to his superior and he told me he was the only manager on the floor at that time.  Instead, he referred me to the retention department because of many years my mother has been a customer of Charter.

The retention department representative was pleasant and came up with a plan that for four dollars more per month would provide her with DVR service and give her the same channels.  I received her approval and got back into the queue at your store.  When the individual who had been rude to me earlier, Jim, called my name I told him I would prefer to work with another representative.  He took my name out of the queue all together and when I protested that he told me he was with a customer and if I did not leave him alone he would have me removed from the store.  I got back into the queue and was finally called by another rep who was friendly in greeting me.  At this point Jim came over from his work area and told me the clerk I was working with was a trainee and only he could work with me because of the old account.  I told Jim a new agreement had been reached with the retention department and there should be notes in his system with the new price and services.  Jim looked me in the eye and said "they can promise you a new Ferrari but they're not the ones who have to make this work and the way they have it written up is wrong and won't work".  He told me he needed to call his boss and walked away from me.  When he came back he told me he could not give me a receiver for DVR service and tried to tell me it would cost about $20.00 more per month to add DVR service.  During the conversation I tried to ask questions and each time I was rudely cut off by Jim and he would talk around the issue.  Finally, I asked him if I could finish speaking after he cut me off again and told me he was trying to answer my questions.  I told him he hadn't yet answered a question of mine and was talking in circles.  At this point he started to lecture me on Charter procedure and I told him to stop and not make any changes to the account.  I said not to change any services and leave the price where it was.  My mother still does not have DVR service.

In a related note I want to applaud your customer service staff for telling me about the "Internet Assist" program for my mother.  The customer service rep who did this went above and beyond in explaining it and setting up an appointment for installation the next day and saying there would be no charge for the installation.

But, I must also tell you that Jim, while apparently reading the case notes, told me the customer service department should not have promised free installation and that there would be a charge of $49.99 to do so.  He told me I should install it myself and that he could give me the splitter and cables to make this happen.  By this time I was so frustrated I told him just get me the hardware so I could leave.  He turned it over to the trainee and left the area.  When the trainee returned he apologized to me for the inconvenience.

I took the hardware to my mother's house and installed it,  but it looked terrible with cables and the splitter both visible laying on her carpeting.  I called  your customer service department again and was met with a pleasant attitude and professionalism named Lauren.  I told her what I had to put up with earlier in the day and how a free installation had initially been scheduled.  She apologized for Jim's behavior and set up another free installation.

I have never been treated so rudely and spoken to like this by any other company in my life.  If anyone asks me what I think of Spectrum I will tell them what happened to me.  You have a problem in your St. Louis store with Jim and corporately your "right hand" at times appears to not know what your "left hand" is doing.  While I am pleased with your Internet service and the help my mother received with it, I will shop around for another television provider so she may have the DVR service she wants.  Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

Respectfully,
XXXXXXX X. XXXXXXXX

Now you know why I give Charter/Spectrum the title of Company with the worst customer service.

MLB Completes Its "Regular" Season

The COVID-19 regular season of Major League Baseball has stumbled to the finish line.  Most of the season was less than what we have come to expect in quality.  For starters, the team rosters expanded up and down as needed, a lot of the pitchers on double header days were Triple A players who frankly weren't ready for the show.  And to top it off the doubleheader games were only 7 innings.  Again, not what one would expect from MLB baseball.

The season was only 60 games long for most teams, less for others.  But, with the use of a host of made up as you go tiebreakers, MLB now has 16 teams that qualified for post season play.  And outside of the first round playoffs which are best of three affairs, the division and league championship series will be played at neutral sites.  Why?  Because baseball could have a hard time getting games played on time in cities such as Minneapolis, Buffalo (home of the Toronto Blue Jays this year) and Denver.  So, in its great wisdom MLB will play in "bubble" sites in four warm weather cities.  This way the games will be finished by the end of October and MLB will get a giant paycheck from its television partners.  Which is why MLB has pushed this sham for the past two months.
 

I don't really care who wins the World Series this year, because whoever the team is will be a joke.  Sure, I've been a long time St. Louis Cardinal fan, but this year I just don't care if it wins or not.  Ultimately, every record from this season should have an asterisk placed next to it so future generations know the season was a scam.

MLB Is a Joke

I haven't watched many baseball games since the return of this thing MLB wants to call baseball.  Sure, it is played like baseball but it's still a bastardization of the game we know.

I watched the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs play a "double header" yesterday.  What I saw was only a shadow what it should have been.

For starters both teams had a roster full of minor league players to get them through the two games.  And the games were not full games, but administratively shortened seven inning affairs.  I used to play seven inning games in high school.  The players on the Cards and Cubs yesterday who are not first year players are getting paid millions of dollars to play.  So, why are they too lame to play full games?  They won't play full games because MLB knows it will have to make up a butt load of games every time a team comes down with COVID-19.  As an example, the Cardinals have played three double headers in the last five days due to the many games that have been postponed due to having someone on their team or travel party come down with the virus.

Other observations yesterday that have not existed in the past.  Both clubs used designated hitters in both games.  This is because MLB has rammed the DH down the throats of National League teams.  Both the Cubs and the Cardinals are charter members of the National League and neither has been in favor of the rule.  But, commissioner Rob Manfred, ordained from on high it would happen and it has.  I could write another couple of articles on the DH and how it removes strategy from the game.  But, Manfred is looking for instant offense and he digs the long ball.  This game being played now, results in a strikeout, walk or home run more frequently than you realize.  This is not the game that has been played by Americans for hundreds of years.

Finally, the first game of the doubleheader yesterday lasted three hours.  That's bad enough for nine innings but remember this game was only seven innings long.  Projected out to nine full innings the game would have been three hours and 31 minutes.  That is unacceptable.

But, this joke of a game will continue.  Why you ask?  Because MLB will get millions of dollars from its network broadcast partners once the game gets to the post-season.  And when that happens, the owners will all get their pockets lined with TV money.  The rich get richer and the rest of us will have to do without the real game with all big league players.

Just shut it down now!

Making Up the Rules as It Goes

Major League Baseball continues to shit the bed almost daily.  It continues to make up new rules as new problems arise.

The latest MLB screw-up is saying winning percentage will decide who wins the divisions and who makes it into the post-season.  Both Miami and St. Louis have missed more than half of their season to date and MLB is hinting those games will not be made up in its two month schedule.  What?

For the 60 years I have watched the game, every team has played the same number of games to determine the winner of each division and who qualifies for the playoffs.  The only exception has been when teams who have no mathematical chance of post season play don't play out the full schedule.

But, now Rob Manfred and his cronies, have decided the season must be completed on time.  Why, you ask?  The commissioner's office which just did nothing for four months because of the pandemic, now wishes to finish the season on time?  The real answer is the game's TV partners want the playoffs in October.  So, guess what fool made this decision? (Manfred)

I'll say it again just as I have in my past few posts.  Just, shut it down now!

Another Bush League Move by MLB

ESPN is reporting Major League Baseball will cut the length of doubleheader games from nine innings to seven innings effective immediately.

This is just another bush league move, more closely associated with high school baseball than major league baseball.  There have been very rare occasions in the past where MLB allowed teams to play seven inning doubleheader games, but never a whole season.  This is more proof MLB and its "management" are making the rules up on the fly.  The question that comes to mind is why wasn't this rule implemented prior to the start of the season instead of now, eight days after the 2020 season started?

MLB and its players will tell you this is for the safety of its players.  But, the question then becomes why play the games at all?  As I wrote Tuesday night.  Just cancel the whole season and come back next spring.  Just shut it down now.  Rob Manfred you're still an idiot and should be canned immediately.

Just Shut It Down and be Done with It

Major League Baseball continues to make up the rules for 2020 as it goes along.  The latest is arbitrarily postponing ten percent of the Miami Marlins season.  Granted the Marlins are a very ill team.  About half of the players have tested positive for the coronavirus.  But, why the "powers that be" at MLB chose to postpone the team's next six games rather than three or nine, I have no idea.  A person who tests positive for the Covid virus is to be quarantined for 14 days not six.  So, why then does baseball pick to postpone the Marlins next six games through Sunday?  (And keep in mind that is ten percent of the team's scheduled games.  It definitely puts Miami behind the eight ball, and is unfair to the teams that were scheduled to play them this week.  Now all of the teams involved, the Marlins, Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals will have to play make up games in an already tight schedule.  But, given baseball's track record this doesn't come as a surprise.

The last thing I wrote in my previous post is Rob Manfred is an idiot.  As commissioner, Manfred should be looking out for the best interests of the game.  But, he's not.  Manfred is more concerned about making sure his band of billionaire brothers (the owners), make as much money as they possibly can in this pandemic shortened season.  Manfred and his gang of greed have also impacted the season of the Phillies and Yankees.  The Phillies played the Marlins last weekend when the news of the virus hitting the Marlins was released.  Now to be safe MLB has postponed the four games scheduled this week between the Yanks and Phils.  That means those teams will have to make up four games down the stretch on open dates.

 This is crazy.  The schedules are not fair, and the owners are placing their earnings ahead of the players' health.  If the owners won't shut it down, maybe the players will.  This week's postponements are just the tip of the iceberg.  Please, shut it all down now!

Opening Day for MLB...Why Bother?

It's been over 200 days since America last saw Major League Baseball played before the pandemic shut things down.  And the way MLB is going they should have stayed shut down.

Normally, I count down the days to the start of the regular season. But, this year I could care less.  Here are some random thoughts on the state of the game as it opened today.

-MLB and its players approved expanded playoffs this year.  In a money grab to expand the number of games available for ESPN and Fox Sports, both sides approved expanding the playoffs to 16 teams.  That means more than half of the teams in MLB will be in the playoffs. Which raises the question why bother playing a regular season.  Expanded playoffs cheapen the regular season and reduces the talent pool in the playoffs.  What's even worse is once playoffs are expanded they never contract.

-I've been watching baseball for over 60 years and the thought of a designated hitter makes me want to puke.  The addition of a DH to the National League creates an uneven playing field for NL teams that have not cultivated the spot in the lineup as have their junior circuit cousins for the past 40 plus years.  It's been a gimmick since it was implemented and it still is.

-The 60 game season is a joke.  Why is a third of the season being spent playing teams that aren't even in the same league.  Yet, those games will count as much as any division game.  I am a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and agree playing two thirds of the season against its division rivals is a good idea.  But, why the heck are the Cardinals playing the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox?  They are bad baseball teams.  It's another gimmick that MLB has forced on the public.  And MLB hasn't publicized it yet, but all teams will be playing the same other league division they are playing this year again next year.  What does that tell you?  ESPN AND Fox want to match up major market teams on the East coast to inflate ratings.  Hopefully, this will backfire and MLB, ESPN and Fox will lose their ass as the public sees through yet another worthless gimmick.

-One final thought;  if commissioner Rob Manfred is involved, you can be assured he will do the wrong thing and piss off the fans who support the game.  But, what does Manfred and his owner buddies care?  They're making money hand over fist without a single person in any stadium.

I guess I will continue to watch the Big Bang Theory and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives rather than this bastardization of the American past time until the NHL starts its playoffs in a week and a half.

Rob Manfred, you're an idiot.

-

The World's Second Worst Customer Service

Now that you've read the headline you're wondering who has the second worst customer service I have ever experienced.  It's Macy's.com.

I now understand why the company is dying a slow death.  I called the company's customer service number this morning on behalf of my mother who has a hard time hearing voices on the phone.  She ordered some face cream she likes from Macy's on July 1st.  As of today, the package is in never, never land.  It shipped by UPS and as of July 7th there have been no status update in two weeks.  So, I attempted to call UPS and the first thing it says is, if you are having any problems with your package delivery call the shipper.

The shipper is Macy's.  I found an 800 number Macy's has on its website, that the company urges you to call if you don't have the product you have ordered and for which Macy's has already been paid.

I called the customer service department at 12:10 p.m. this afternoon.  At 1:50 I hung up because after one hour and 40 minutes no one had picked up my call.  All I heard repeatedly was to please stay on the line and the next available customer service rep would be with me.  Apparently, Macy's has so few customer service reps it can't keep up with the calls its getting.  I understand waiting my turn for 10 or even 15 minutes.  But, an hour and 40 minutes?  Macy's that is an EPIC FAIL.

I thought, I would give the retailer the benefit of a doubt and called back again just before 4 p.m. and was greeted with the message from Macy's the wait time would be at least 60 minutes.  My response was to hang up as fast as I could.

Macy's I will never do business with you and encourage my family, friends and readers to never do business with you either.  Hopefully, you will just go out of business and stop wasting people's time and money.

And now that you know who the second worst company is you probably want to know who the worst is.  It's an easy answer because there is no one close to them.  The worst company for customer service is Charter / Spectrum.  I'll have more on that screwed up organization in the coming days.

Happy Independence Day

Happy 232nd birthday to the greatest nation ever...the United States of America.  And more importantly, thank you to all of the brave troops stationed around the world defending the American way of life. I realize we're not the most beloved of countries, but why is that when some other nation gets in trouble or needs help, the US is always the first one it asks?  And the United States never says no to someone in need.

244 years old and going strong. God Bless America!!!

Gibberish

I received a new legal agreement today from one of the retail banks with which I do business.  All, I can say about the document is...it's gibberish.

Keep in mind that retail banks are some of the tightest retailers there are.  They will hang onto every single penny they can squeeze out of their customers.

The "Terms and Conditions of Your Account" is from a company named Busey Bank.  The statement is 16 pages of legalese and while it is readable to someone with a bit of a legal background, most of its customers are probably scratching their heads at what it is trying to tell them.  As a reporter, I covered the legal beat for years so I have a bit of a legal background and am able to read legal documents.  But, Busey Bank's document is so dry I finally gave up after reading three of the 16 pages of legalese written in about a 6 point type face.

Busey, you could have made this much easier by following examples from other financial corporations and written the document in much easier to read language.  But, instead you chose to send it out to your customers in boilerplate.  And to top it off Busey doesn't even highlight the major changes from its last account document.  So, the bottom line is, you have to read both documents closely and interpret the boiler plate legal language to know what if anything has changed.

The sad thing about this is Busey isn't the only retail bank to do this.  Most of its competitors in the industry are doing the same thing.  It is a complete disservice to their customers.

Are You Kidding Me?

Image from the Mooresville Tribune

This is a bit late but I have to express my feelings on the "agreement" reached between Major League Baseball owners and  players.  The season will begin in roughly three and a half weeks and unless both sides wake up and get their heads out of their butts I don't think I will be watching much professional baseball.  MLB can promote this half baked idea as baseball but it doesn't mean we have to watch it or spend our money on their crap.

I am a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals so this is how I see things I would be forced to watch.

First off, MLB could screw up a one car funeral.  Playing two thirds of the game against division rivals makes good sense.  But, playing one third of all games against the American League is a dumb idea.  And speaking of dumb ideas, how does using a designated hitter make the game safer?  If anything it exposes more players to risk by adding a player to each lineup.  The National League has continued to play the game as it was intended.  For 44 years since the DH was implemented by the American League the NL has not fallen to this gimmick that removes strategy from the game .  My guess is most National League fans don't like and don't want to have to watch it.  And the joke of it all is putting a runner on second base at the start of each extra inning.  It cheapens the game and it makes a mockery of runs scored statistics and ERAs.

And since there will be no fans allowed to attend the games they will all be shown on TV.  Watching baseball on television is boring.  I don't plan on spending too much time watching batters stepping out of the box after each pitch or pitchers wandering around the back of the mound whenever the mood strikes them.

I miss seeing baseball a lot, but I'm not sure I will watch much of this bastardization of the game.

Just Get the Deal Done! No One Cares Who is Right!

The government has told Major League Baseball it is an essential business in the recovery of the United States economy in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and helping to keep the American public entertained until we return to the status quo.  But, both MLB and the Players Association have shown just how greedy they can be.  Personally, I could care less who thinks they're on the higher moral ground.  I just want the two sides to reach an agreement before things go farther down the crapper and result in long term damage to delicate labor balance.  There may be a 50 game season yet this year, but then what happens next year if this doesn't get resolved.

Yesterday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's baseball writer Derrick Goold wrote a Sunday column critical of both sides of the dispute.  I have copied it below and it is courtesy of the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch.

"A week that would have swelled with Major League Baseball welcoming waves of players for its future via the draft and ended with the Cardinals making history in the first National League games across the pond instead finds America’s pastime in a precarious present, the owners and players drowning in caustic exchanges. Proposals and counter-proposals, points and counterpoints, punches and counterpunches have all been leveled in the past week as the commissioner’s office and players’ union negotiate a return from an indefinite stoppage of operations due to the pandemic. At issue remains the players’ insistence of being paid their full, prorated salary by game, and the owners’ rejoinder that to do so would require a season of around 50 games, a length the commissioner can unilaterally impose.

The staring contest persisted — until the players soundly rejected a proposal Saturday and dispensed with any subtlety. In a response to the owners, the union asked to be notified by Monday if a severely shortened season would be forced on them.

“Players want to play,” the union said in a statement. “It unfortunately appears that further dialogue with the league would be futile. It’s time to get back to work. Tell us when and where.”

With the abbreviated draft completed, the Cardinals front office and executives with 29 other teams will get back to work — and for the first time there isn’t a lodestar event to aim for.

Baseball is adrift for another day.

“I have noticed and felt it myself that there’s a preparation fatigue setting in,” said John Mozeliak, Cardinals president of baseball operations. “Every day you try to plan for a start date that keeps moving. It’s important to keep everyone motivated, to keep everybody ready, but there are times when it feels like you’re rolling that rock back up the hill. Every one of us has been touched in some way by COVID-19, and our country has been by Black Lives Matter. It may have felt like a moment, but now it’s an important movement.

“And then in our industry,” Mozeliak concluded, “we’re still discussing and trying to agree on when and how will we play baseball, and what will it look like.”

As of 8 a.m. St. Louis time on Sunday, teams could begin signing eligible amateurs who went undrafted. There is a $20,000 cap on bonuses. With that novel free-agent frenzy as a backdrop, Mozeliak said he’ll return to Busch Stadium on Monday to continue the preparation slog, hoping to understand better what the next “three to four months will look like.”

More big-league players are expected to gravitate toward St. Louis in the coming week and join staggered, scheduled workouts at Busch. When Major League Baseball clears teams to begin official preseason camp, the Cardinals will hold theirs and home games at the downtown ballpark. A handful of players intend to be already nearby.

As part of the weekend’s blunt volleys, the union requested a time and place for players to report. The Cardinals have been in communication with the mayor’s office to adhere to local social distancing practices at Busch.

All clubs have been instructed to find a facility within a 100-mile radius of their ballpark for players on an expanded roster or taxi squad to use. The Cardinals have received permission to expand that distance so they can contemplate using Class AA Springfield, an affiliate the Cardinals own, and its ballpark for the eligible players.

And then there are minor-league prospects, with no place yet to play, no plan either.

All of that is the fine print beneath the headlines of seething acrimony and sharp letters between the Major League Baseball Players’ Association and the owners that seems headed for a 2020 season that will be forced, not agreed upon.

“There is no doubt right now there is an enormous amount of distrust on both sides, and when we get back to playing baseball it must be everybody’s goal to rebuild that,” Mozeliak said. “If you look on Twitter, you’re going to find that it’s 50/50 as to who is at fault, and regardless of that answer that resentment or annoyance is not great for the game. There’s definitely a group of fans that aren’t active (on social media) and enjoy the game and are hopeful it will return — to have something else to watch other than Netflix. It’s the fact there are a number of fans on each of these sides that if we can’t get this right, there could be reason for concern.”On Friday, the owners presented a proposal to the union for a 72-game schedule, though players’ salaries would be trimmed to 70 percent of their prorated salary. In other words, a player making $10 million in 2020 would make $3.02 million under this proposal. Various reports said players could earn up to 80 percent with the windfall from a completed postseason. That proposal was rejected Saturday. Players have steadfastly insisted that a March agreement assures a full per-game salary. A $10-million player in a 72-game schedule would make $4.32 million.

Each proposal from the owners has been a different way to arrive at the same amount of spending, like cutting one apple pie into eight slices instead of into fourths and calling it larger because eight is bigger than four. Potential salaries have inched upward based mostly on revenue from an expanded playoff field.

The owners do not want the season to leak into November for two driving reasons: They argue disease experts are saying it’s best to “get in, get out” of a season before a possible second wave of the coronavirus. And, perhaps chiefly, the real profits this year are in the postseason and baseball’s broadcast partners don’t want rescheduled playoff games for November. Why compete with a presidential election for ratings? Commissioner Rob Manfred said during televised draft coverage on MLB Network that he would prefer a “negotiated” schedule, but he has the right and power to force one on the players under the auspices of the health of the game. It is expected to be around 48 games to meet the players’ demand of full prorated salaries.  If Manfred does, the union’s statement Saturday implies the players, who have little recourse at that point, will report.

There have been five formal proposals exchanged between the two sides. At first, the sides appeared to be circling at the extremes and defining where they would meet in the middle. Instead of creeping closer, this weekend’s exchange revealed fortified encampments, not movement. Verbal mud pies ensued. The Athletic quoted a letter from the union’s lead negotiator that said, “We assume these negotiations are at an end.”

In recent weeks several owners, including Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. and Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts, made public comments about a billion-dollar industry’s financial problems that drew ire for the timing — and social-media sarcasm from players. Former MVP Andrew McCutchen posted a video where he likened the owners approach to a parent offering juice to a potty-training child and then switching the reward to water, but in a bigger cup. The Athletic and ESPN both quoted from a letter leaked to them that was sent originally from MLB to the union. In it the deputy commissioner writes the union’s “failure to act in good faith has caused enormous damage to the sport.” Meanwhile, the New York Post reported Saturday that baseball has a new billion-dollar rights deal with TBS for playoff games. Delightful timing.

And to think the Cardinals expected to be hosting the Cubs this weekend in jolly old England.

Blimey.

Jack Flaherty, the Cardinals’ opening day starter (whenever that is), is one of the players who has increased the volume of his criticism on social media, and he greeted Friday’s proposal on Twitter with a video clip of someone taking out the garbage. On Saturday evening, he posted a video of a player pantomiming pointing to his watch. Other players’ commentary has been just as pointed. Both sides have left bruises, and it’s unclear what a forced season will do to labor relations. Part of that perpetual preparation now becomes how to salve the bitterness.

“There is going to be some lingering effects, and when the game is open or I’m able to be back around players more often, I’m going to have to be cognizant of what the past two months have been like from a player standpoint,” Mozeliak said. “I do hope that 25 years and time spent with this organization helps me, but we do have to move forward and realize we have to do that together. … Whether we play 48 games or 72 games, you just hope we play a game, because playing games will help a lot of people.”

The “preparation fatigue” he mentioned seeping through baseball offices has a similar, riskier relative that can disillusion even the most ardent fanbase the longer these public squabbles persist. It’s when anticipation is replaced by frustration and then apathy.

Fans are tired of hearing how the sausage is made.  They just want to enjoy a hot dog — with a game on."

Happy Memorial Day 2020

This was taken in the early evening of a warm summer
evening in September 2016 at Arlington National Cemetery.

Thank you to the courageous soldiers who have paid the ultimate price to keep the United States of America free. I also want to say thank you to the brave men and women of our armed forces who put their lives on the line each and every day to keep the rest of us safe. Happy Memorial Day!  May God bless the United States of America!