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Major League Baseball's Players Association leaked its proposal to the owners on Sunday. It is part of an ongoing negotiation to try to bring the sport back in some form.
In these worst of times, we see good people rise and bad people show their colors. Major League Baseball's owners, players and agents have revealed themselves to be the latter. And it should come as no surprise; greed on both sides has been an embarrassment for years.
But with our country reeling from Rona fears, the self-destruction of our own economy and now the horrid actions of a police officer in Minnesota, you can always take comfort in baseball being tone-deaf and making news for all the wrong reasons.
It is easy to point fingers at the players and their agents, because those are the people we identify as the sport itself. But the owners are just as culpable, if not more so. Some owners do not even want to play the season, because they will lose less money than if they actually do play.
Instead of quietly working things out, both side throw public volleys, making noise for their ridiculous greed while our country faces perhaps its greatest challenge of most of our lifetimes. U.S. jobless claims have topped $40 million, and that's just those who filed for unemployment. The number of others not eligible or fortunate enough to have money don't count in that. This in a population of 382 million. It's going to get worse.
And while it does, baseball publicly fights over its billions, throwing it all in America's face.
There is a great line in Bronx Tale that sums it up perfectly.
"Mickey Mantle? That's what you're upset about? Mantle makes $100,000 a year. How much does your father make? If your dad ever can't pay the rent and needs money, go ask Mickey Mantle. See what happens. Mickey Mantle don't care about you. Why should you care about him?"
It's time to stop caring about these idiots and helping them line their pockets. We learned nothing from the 1994 strike, when they basically told us the World Series meant zero. To quote Casino, "always the dollars. Always the dollars."
Contrast that with the MLS, which quietly worked out a viable plan, and the NBA, which has been working together to get things done without constantly leaking things to the media. Even hockey, with the worst commissioner in sports, appears close to an arrangement. There might have been discord within, but you damned sure didn't hear much about it. They get it. People are suffering; we don't want to hear about your internal squabbles right now. We have much bigger problems. People want their lives back. They want leagues to get back to games in whatever form they can and provide some distraction. The leaders of these other leagues understand the world is not what it was.
They just want to play.
Baseball? The same entitled greedy bastards on both sides they have always been. Yes, there are some good people doing good things, but that's not what we are seeing. It's hard to blame desperate baseball journalists for running with stories like this, because their livelihoods are at stake as well. But baseball's leadership should know better. Leaking a proposal on a weekend when the country is in complete turmoil with protests and riots is beyond arrogant.
In the post-Rona world, some teams will not survive. In fact, some sports may not make it, either. Let's see how critical their tone-deaf financial squabbles become when that day comes. Memo to you, baseball: Shut up. Keep your negotiations internal, so the world doesn't see your greed. Get something done and let us know when you are ready to come back for us to worship at your altar. Until then?
We will tweak that quote from Sonny in Bronx Tale.
"Baseball don't care about you. Why should you care about it?"
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After dropping a frustrating series to the Chicago White Sox, the Houston Astros find themselves in a familiar position—searching for answers, but still within striking distance. Despite their inconsistency, Houston sits just three games behind the AL West-leading Mariners, who are currently 7 games over .500 and riding an 8-2 stretch. For as up-and-down as the Astros have been, the division remains tantalizingly close.
That inconsistency was on full display throughout the White Sox series. Jake Meyers and Zach Dezenzo each played the roles of both hero and heartbreaker. Dezenzo launched a massive home run in Game 3, a moment that energized the dugout and briefly shifted momentum. But his costly defensive error later in the game flipped the script. Meyers was a spark plug in Houston’s lone win, delivering a clutch performance at the plate, only to run the team out of a rally in the finale when he was picked off second—right before Jeremy Peña ripped what would have been an RBI single.
Jose Altuve’s struggles are quietly becoming more worrisome. He’s recorded just one multi-hit game since April 19 and has only one homer since April 8. On Sunday, he swung at the first pitch after Lance McCullers had grinded through a 33-pitch inning—a decision that raised questions about his awareness in a veteran moment. Should manager Joe Espada have reminded Altuve of the situation? Or is this on Altuve, who should have known what to do as one of the team leaders?
Signs of life
There are flickers of life from the bats. Last week, Houston's team OPS was an underwhelming .667 (23rd in MLB), with a slugging percentage of .357 (25th). They've nudged those numbers up to .684 (19th) and .370 (21st), respectively. It’s modest progress, but enough to suggest this offense might be trending in the right direction. Still, their 5-5 record over the last 10 games feels emblematic of who they are right now—a .500 team with both talent and flaws.
Looking ahead
The upcoming schedule could be a turning point. Three of the next five opponents have losing records, and none of them are elite. This stretch offers a prime opportunity for Houston to finally build momentum and close the gap in the division—assuming the Mariners cool off from their current tear, which seems inevitable given their unsustainable 8-2 pace.
McCullers is officially back!
Lance McCullers returned for the first time since 2022 and, despite being limited to 3.2 innings due to command issues (three walks and a hit batter), there were encouraging signs. His velocity was there, and the stuff looked sharp. It’s a start, and perhaps a step toward stabilizing a rotation that still needs length.
Steering the ship
Manager Joe Espada, however, continues to draw scrutiny. His decision-making in the finale raised eyebrows again. Giving Isaac Paredes a day off when Yordan Alvarez was already sitting left the lineup depleted. Rather than using promising young infielder/outfielder Cam Smith, he opted for Mauricio Dubón and Brendan Rodgers—a defensive combo that didn't inspire confidence. It feels at times like Espada isn’t prioritizing winning the final game of a series, a pattern that could haunt the team down the stretch.
The plot thickens
Meanwhile, Christian Walker’s slump is dragging on. He went 0-for-5 twice in the last two series and looks out of sync at the plate. The Astros need more from their power hitters if they hope to make a real run. And with Alvarez now heading to the IL with hand inflammation, runs will be even harder to come by.
All told, this team still feels like one hovering just above or below .500. But in a division that remains wide open, the path forward is clear: play better, hope the Mariners come back to earth, and capitalize on a soft schedule. The race is far from over—but it’s time for Houston to start acting like contenders.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
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