Donald Fehr is an.......(fill in the blank)

[donbarzini]

Any 1st year law students out there? If so, maybe one of you can help me find where in the Bill of Rights it says an EMPLOYER is not allowed to set requirements for your continued employment.

The A$$HOLE just stated that MLB would need "probable cause" before it could institute steroid testing "without cause".

 

[Ken King]

Originally posted by donbarzini
Any 1st year law students out there? If so, maybe one of you can help me find where in the Bill of Rights it says an EMPLOYER is not allowed to set requirements for your continued employment.

The A$$HOLE just stated that MLB would need "probable cause" before it could institute steroid testing "without cause".

Don't think you will find it there. Employers, as well as schools dealing with athletes, have been setting conditions such as that for a while.

 

[Tonio]

...cancer on the sport. Here's Kornheiser on the union: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24321-2004Mar2.html

If you want to see how powerful the baseball players' union is, look no further than third base for the New York Yankees... Rodriguez wanted (to go to Boston) so much, he agreed to take less money than his contract called for to accommodate the trade.

The union nixed it. And A-Rod knuckled under...

 

[donbarzini]

If you can, turn on C-Span 3 and listen to this

"pezzo novante"

 

[Larry Gude]

Fehr...

...is merely and simply the symptom.

The 'problem' is the owners. I say 'problem' because they've chosen to let him set the tone for years. There must be a reason why, even if it's a bad reason.

Baseball has the Expos, Angelos in Baltimore not ALLOWING baseball in the NATIONS CAPITOL, the COMPLETE and perpetual disparity in terms of dollars and talent that makes every season pretty predictable and...boring.

And then stuff like the Diamondbacks and Marlins happen.

Baseball is way screwed up and it is a bad product.

Don Fehr's job is to make sure the people he represents, the players, get as much as he can get them. It's not his fault that the owners gave him and the players a free pass on drugs and steriods.

Fehr represents the players and in a league full of people OBVIOUSLY chemically enhanced, controlling testing is a big issue.

The owners represent baseball and they are killing it. They wanted home runs to get through tough economic times.

Now, the whole crew, including writers, are muddying the waters talking about all the speed that was used in the 70's and once his face, the one idiot player what's his face, was wondering what Babe Ruth got away with. Their making excuses.

The owners have let this get so bad that the integrity of the game is gone and they'll all drag the whole thing down, including the history of the game before any of them will lift a finger to try and fix it.

Maybe Fehr will see how weak the owners are and do their job for them?

People get in trouble all the time in the NFL and even pro basketball for violating substance rules but it is NEVER top stars.

'Baseball' has to give up it's super stars as step one to recovery:
Bonds. Giambi etc.

My guess is we will see the ugliest, most codependent, patronizing sweeping under the rug in the history of mankind and fans will simply assume, all fans not just the 50% who've suspected, 100% of fans will just accept the fact that baseball is drugged.

Can anyone see asterisks going in the record book? Random testing, year round? Bonds being suspended for a year or two?

Starting to make Pete Rose look like baseballs kinda guy aren't they?

 

[donbarzini]

Re: Fehr...

Originally posted by Larry Gude
...is merely and simply the symptom.


Now, the whole crew, including writers, are muddying the waters talking about all the speed that was used in the 70's and once his face, the one idiot player what's his face, was wondering what Babe Ruth got away with. Their making excuses. down, including the history of the game before any of them will lift a finger to try and fix it.

The owners' only fault in this is that they didn't hire this d!ckhead before the MLBPA did.

And the what's-his-face was Jeff Kent. You know, the same guy who hurt himself last year playing basketball and told the Giants it was an accident with his motorcycle; AND got into the fist fight with Bonds.

 

[Tonio]

Larry, you're right that the owners must take most of the blame for what's wrong with baseball. No independent commissioner, a farce of a revenue-sharing plan, acidic relations with the union... I'm not surprised that the owners turn their heads while players pump themselves up on steroids.

 

[donbarzini]

Why should there be a revenue-sharing system?

 

[Tonio]

Originally posted by donbarzini
Why should there be a revenue-sharing system?

Because MLB and the other sports leagues are single business entities, even though they have multiple owners. The financial success of one team in a league affects all other teams. True, there is a free enterprise principle at work within a league, but only to a point.

The NFL recognizes this, that's why each team gets an equal share of the national TV revenue. Baseball teams rely more on local TV revenue which is not shared. MLB's idea of revenue sharing is the asinine "luxury tax", which only penalizes the teams in the larger markets. (That sounds like George Will or William Buckley, doesn't it?)

 

[donbarzini]

I really don't believe that they ARE single entities. As difficult as it would be anyone(with the wherewithal) could start a league of their own(with apologies to Geena Davis ).

And before you start laughing, it CAN be done if it is done properly.

For proof see:

AFL, ABA, WHA and at one time(It's a hint about my age) the AL and NL were separate businesses.

I look at football today and I see the "salary cap" as the main reason for the mediocrity(screw Pete Rozelle's parity ) of the entire league.

Gone are the days of the dynasties of the Steelers/Packers(60's) 49ers and Redskins.

I believe that all sports flourish when there is a dynasty to love or hate(you ever notice that there is no middle ground?) moreso than when there are 16 teams at 8-8 and LOSING TEAMS make the playoffs.

My outlook is: If you can't afford it, don't buy it!!

 

[Larry Gude]

Don...

I look at football today and I see the "salary cap" as the main reason for the mediocrity(screw Pete Rozelle's parity ) of the entire league.

Looking at it as a generic fan though, isn't the NFL the best show, by far?

What I mean is that no matter who your team is (save the Cardinals) you can honestly get excited every fall because your team DOES have a shot.

Baseball, otoh, I mean, the Orioles built all this excitement for awhile but they have been totally trumped. The Birds are in a two team division; Sox and Yanks. Over 1/2 of baseball can look forward to a long summer of seeing if there is any young superstar on their team to sell to the big boys next winter.

Snyder is ####ing people off on the one hand because he is pushing salaries for players and coaches (Steinbrenner) BUT and this is huge, he is also marketing his team and making money in ways the other teams can emulate and at least keep pace.

Nobody in the NFL is sitting in front of congress and crying 'poor'.

There is only one dynasty in all the major pro sports, the Yanks, and baseball is NOT flourishing.

 

[donbarzini]

The mediocrity in the NFL/NHL/NBA panders to what I call the "A.D.D." generation.