A rite of spring, fans on the hunt for autographs from Major League Baseball players at spring training, is on hold this year due to the lockout. Gerald Herbert/Associated Press
I should be in Florida.
For years I have followed the same calendar to get out of snowy New England. Watch the Super Bowl, call the Beanpot, get on a plane and report alongside Red Sox pitchers and catchers.
Not this year. Not yet, anyway.
Major League Baseball owners and players remain far apart as negotiations over a collective bargaining agreement continue at a snail’s pace. The two sides remain tens of millions of dollars apart in most economic areas, a chasm that isn’t going to close quickly.
Meantime, ballparks remain closed. Closed to players, closed to fans, closed to those of us who cover the teams.
Up to now, it’s all been somewhat theoretical. With a lockout in place since early December we’ve watched the two sides exchange ideas at a slow, methodical pace as the days slipped away. Now it gets real. Now we have pitchers and catchers throwing in backyards and neighborhood gyms as they wait for the call that an agreement has been reached.
The players’ association spent the last few days digging into the latest MLB proposal, reportedly 130 pages long. The MLBPA was “unimpressed” by the offer according to numerous reports.
It’s safe to assume that fans were even less impressed.
The problem with the negotiating process here is that one side (the players) thinks the economic structure of the game is broken. The owners disagree. So their proposals are an effort to address some of the players concerns. They have offered an NBA-style draft lottery, an increase in the minimum wage and a reduction of how many times a player can be optioned to the minors.
In normal times, those would seem like significant concessions from a league. The players, looking for a reboot for the system, don’t believe they are dramatic enough.
The early days of spring training are my favorite time of year. Players arrive, talk about the long season ahead and get to work trying to forge a contending club. Fans get to see these workouts up close and personal.
Losing those workouts won’t impact most fans. Losing games will. The first games to be lost will be the games played in Florida and Arizona. The Red Sox should be hosting Northeastern University on Feb. 25 at JetBlue Park. A day later they were scheduled to open up Grapefruit League play against the world champion Atlanta Braves.
More importantly, the Sox are scheduled to play at Fenway Park in just over a month. The March 31 Opening Day is earlier than usual. It’s also becoming less and less likely to happen. The two sides have about two weeks to get something done to save that schedule.
Meantime baseball fans wait to see when – or if – the season will take place. The football season is over. This is usually the time many fans start to pay attention to baseball and the start of spring training.
As we’ve said before, fans will find other things to do if the season doesn’t start on time. We’ve never had more entertainment options. And when the two sides finally figure things out those fans might stick with their newfound pastimes. The game can’t afford to lose those fans.
On Monday morning it was 5 degrees in Boston. It would be the perfect time to warm up with the thought of baseball getting back to work. Instead the game has left us out in the cold.
Tom Caron is a studio host for Red Sox broadcasts on NESN. His column runs on Tuesdays in the Portland Press Herald.
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