Kudos to John Kruk on this one. He sums it up perfectly
So the NHL has locked out its players … again.
Lockout, strike — it’s all means the same thing. No games.
And much like when MLB went on strike in ’94, it looks like the same problem: The head of the union vs. the owners.
When the head of the MLBPA, Donald Fehr, went on TV back then and said, “The players voted to strike,” you would think he meant that all the players on all the major league teams cast a ballot and decided that this was the thing to do.
Wrong.
Donald Fehr knows what the players want … at least he thinks he does.
I can’t speak for everyone in the league back then, but I know I never voted. And it wasn’t that I missed the deadline. I was never asked to vote. I went back to West Virginia when the strike started. Our player rep, Darren Daulton, updated me about once a month; and that was it.
And it wasn’t like I was a rookie, either. I’d been in the league for nine years. Anyway, that was the extent of my participation in the strike — the one that I supposedly voted for.
Much like the way things are shaping up in the NHL, it was just a battle between a few people.
You think that if the owners told the majority of major leaguers back then that they couldn’t pay their $9 million salaries anymore — that it would have to be $7 or $8 million — they would have cared?
Hell, no.
But that was never considered. It was all about what Donald Fehr was going to do.
Every year at spring training, he would have a meeting with the teams and say, “This is what I’m going to do about this. This is what I’m going to say to Bud Selig. This is what I’m planning for next year and the year after that.”
Really, Donald? That’s great. But here’s a quick question: Ever bother to ask what the players want? Or if it’s anything close to your master plan?
Now, I’m not here to bash the union. The union does a lot a great things for players, especially some of the retired players. But you have to look at the actions of the union leadership. You have to ask the question: Is all this good for the players?
Look at Alex Rodriguez. He wanted out of Texas and had a deal to go to Boston. They re-worked his contract so he’d get more marketing rights or something like that, and less cash. Done deal.
Uh-oh … here comes the MLBPA.
No trade. A-Rod stays in Texas.
Alex ended up in New York, so good for him — but he didn’t see it that way at the time.
Wouldn’t you say that a union is too powerful when it has the right to reject what one of its members wants to do? Or when the bottom line is more important than anything else?
If it weren’t for the Yankees deep pockets, it would have been a different ending for A-Rod.
I remember when I signed a three-year deal in 1991, and everyone thought I didn’t get enough money. Believe me, they weren’t concerened about my future. They were mad because I was lowering the bar and messing things up for the other first basemen who were up for new contracts.
Well, I was playing where I wanted to play. I didn’t care if I could have gone somewhere else for an extra million over a few years.
Sorry, Mark Grace and Jeff Bagwell. Hope you aren’t starving today because of me.
I’m not saying the owners are right about everything. I’m not saying we should just make minumum wage and be happy. But let’s be honest: The owners aren’t wrong about everything, either.
You really think the owners are making millions and hiding it somewhere? When Fehr goes on about revenue and players salaries and thinks he’s uncovered some shady accounting, do you think the owners would really be that dumb?
Or, is everyone just talking about part of the money pie? Sure, there are players salaries; but there are also front-office salaries, stadium staff, minor league players, coaches, equipment guys, the scouting system. When they house and feed the players at minor league camp, do you think that’s free?
I’m no GM and I’m no owner. I can’t really speak to how all this money flies around. But my point is that everyone has their story, so you need to sit down and compromise. Don’t take pot shots in the press and wait until the 11th hour to sit down and try and hammer out a deal.
And don’t let one guy do all your talking for you.
So when the NHL updates are on TV and you hear the accusations flying back and forth, remember that when someone speaks for “the players,” he’s probably just speaking for himself.
The article can be found here
