Of course we don't need this now, but ....

[Skip]

You know ... after wasting most of a season worrying about the CBA, spending most of this season with steroid-gate hanging in the air is enough to chase me away for a long time. I don't want to spend a lot of time at the NDF or other sites debating such issues, they get in the way of following the game on the field. I realize that's a pie in the sky vision of baseball, but that's the one I prefer, or else I may not care at all. I guess I have no choice in either case ... but I truly think baseball loses more fans through attrition due to things like this that hang on and on and on and on .... than because football is more in-your-face.

[captain_napalm]

No one knows how to promote the game. Only in baseball do you constantly hear about what goes on behind the scenes. It doesn't help that for a while Der Commish was using football and basketball as a model for a way to run the league (wildcards, interleague play, more divisions, etc).

There's also the perception that basketball and football are more "competetively balanced" because of salary caps & whatnot.

I love the game, and if MLB implodes because they keep shooting themselves in the foot, there'll always be baseball at the independent level, and the amateur level :D

[gyb13]

we just need the damn season to start

[Popped Clutch]

Recently, I've been overwhelmed with crap about Bonds, Sheffield & Jiambi, but ya know what I've totally believed that several players have been juiced for several years. Didn't Sosa go into a roid rage on TV when asked if he ever took steroids?

I think that letting it linger in the media is gonna do more harm to the game than the actual use of the drugs. While I wish Selig would force mandatory random drug tests down the union's throat with public ID of the juicers & fines and/or suspensions that's not gonna happen. Fans will still fill the parks as long as this issue doesnt fester & get rancid or force a strike ($25M players in a picket line?!?) the game will go on.

Aside from the steroid issue, I think disparity (yes, disparity) helps baseball. Without dynasties like the yankees, underdog teams like the diamondbacks & marlins wouldnt be as exciting. Baseball is American why not let the owners try to buy the best team they can? And I like interleague play and wildcards.

PS gyb13 I think your Franklin quote may me off slightly. I've always known it as "Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" and yes it fits our (USA) current political situation like a glove.

[Craig S.]

we just need the damn season to start

Very well said!

[satchel]

Skip, I couldn't agree more. It's so tiresome that the principle PR strategy of the current baseball "administration" is to repeatedly cry about how broken the game is, how many problems there are, how unfair it all is. Oh yeah, that approach is sure to put butts in the seats.

[nyy26wc]

PS gyb13 I think your Franklin quote may me off slightly. I've always known it as "Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" and yes it fits our (USA) current political situation like a glove.

Stay away from politics.

[KCBOOMER]

MLB and the MLBPA just suck at public relations.

[Crash Course]

although...........part of me thinks if MLB were to get control over what goes public, or not, in terms of their image, then folks would belly ache about them being control freaks, much like how some do now about the NFL having their hand over everything.