Posted By:
Todd (nolemmings)Sorry Ed, I refuse to lay this all (or even most of it) at the feet of the players. I too stopped collecting current sets about 10 years ago, mostly because of cost but also because of the proliferation of cards on the market and the gimmicks (parallel sets, etc). Don't forget MLB makes big licensing bucks in the sale of cards, if it's the price that's bothering you.
If your point is that the game doesn't mean as much to you because of the players, fine. But frankly, I get tired of that. Seems to me anyone in this country should be allowed to make whatever someone else is willing to pay them, and the owners' repeated wailing that they need to be saved from themselves impresses me not at all.
Mark my words, four years will pass, and you will see little noticeable improvement in so-called competitive balance. The A's and Twins may still be at or near the top, but that will be due to good management and not any luxury tax. The Cubs and Rangers will still suck, and the Yankees will continue to spend. The players (and fans)will then see little return for all the ground given by the union in this negotiation, the players will balk (no pun intended) at the next cries for further payroll cuts in the name of balance, the players will have to strike as their only means of protecting their position, the public will perceive the players as greedy, the owners will continue to refuse opening their books to show how they're losing money (if they won't open 'em for Congrees, they damn sure won't let the union see them), the game will suffer, and we'll be back to where we were a month ago.
Sorry for the gloom and doom, I just think that whatever you think of the players, you should study the arrogance and stupidity of the owners before shooting all of your arrows.
Regards...........Todd