Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association are playing with fire. I hope they understand that reality, though I’m not sure they do.
The current collective bargaining agreement expires at 11:59 p.m. (EST) on Dec. 1. Even though the two sides have been negotiating since last spring they remain far apart. The threat of a lockout by the owners beginning in December, or even a strike by the players next spring, looms.
As Ronald Blum, the national baseball writer for The Associated Press, reported last Sunday: “Baseball’s ninth work stoppage and first in 26 years appears almost certain to start Dec.