From the horse’s mouth: The joys of revenue sharing

This week, I’ll talk about why - despite big talk from the owners - we shouldn’t necessarily expect the MLB season to resume in July. Plus, Gabe Kapler is back to share some another helpful tip to getting through the coronavirus crisis.

Baseball in July? Maybe not

If you’re itching to see the Phillies return to action, you’re not alone. Major League Baseball owners also desperately want games to be played, and are pushing to have the 2020 season begin in July. That might not be a good idea considering COVID-19 cases are still going up in many areas of the nation, but it appears as if the owners will make every attempt to salvage the season.

Unfortunately, progress towards that goal may be stalled. The owners recently proposed how player salaries should be handled for the 2020 season, and the initial response from the players’ union was not positive.

In March, both sides agreed that player salaries would be prorated based on the number of games played. At that time, they were working under the assumption that there would be fans in attendance at the games. Now that empty stadiums is a more likely scenario, the owners have tried to revise that agreement, and instead suggested that all revenue for the season be split evenly between the team and players.

Photo by Rob Tringali/SportsChrome/Getty Images

This sounds like a reasonable suggestion on the surface, but the players’ union has some qualms. They seem to think that the owners won’t be 100% honest in their reporting of revenue. They believe the owners will use “creative” accounting to make sure that some of the money they’re pulling in doesn’t count towards the total that is split. Are the players justified in their skepticism? Absolutely. There is zero chance the owners won’t cook the books in some manner in order to keep more money for themselves.

The players have also correctly pointed out that they are the ones assuming all the risk when the season resumes. They will be the ones who have to isolate themselves and potentially undergo daily testing. They are the ones whose health will be in danger if the virus makes its way into a clubhouse. They feel that the added risk entitles them to a greater share of the money.

Will they be able to eventually work something out? Probably. There’s too much money at stake for both sides to not come up with some sort of agreement.

Social distancing tips from Gabe Kapler

Every so often, former Phillies manager Gabe Kapler stops by to share some helpful tips on how to best endure this pandemic. Let’s see what Gabe has to say this time:

*Important note: The tips provided here by “Gabe” are intended as satire, and we at The Good Phight strongly discourage anyone from actually implementing any advice given. In other words, DO NOT ACTUALLY DO THIS!

Hey, guys. Kap here. Lately, there’s been talk about ingesting bleach, and whether or not that would help cure the coronavirus. A lot of people said that was a bad idea, so I thought of a different way to get that vital disease-killing goodness into your body.

I’ve spoken before about the benefits of self-care using coconut oil, and I still adhere to that. But lately, I’ve been mixing bleach with my coconut oil. That way, the body still gets the benefits, without that burning throat sensation that comes when you drink bleach.

Just be sure to be careful with how much bleach you mix in. If you use too much, you might find yourself feeling a little chapped!

Random Phillies thing I found on YouTube

Here’s a message from the Phillies and TEAM: Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management

My favorite part of this video is at the 22-second mark when the fan in the shirt and tie catches a foul ball and is congratulated by his fellow spectators. Look how happy the guy behind him is. Do they know each other? Or did “tie guy” make a particularly impressive catch? I didn’t expect for this video to leave me wanting to know more, and yet here we are.

Honestly, the best thing sports teams have done to limit drunkenness at games is to raise the price of alcohol so high. I’ve never understood how - or more importantly why - people get so drunk at games when they’re paying $8 for a light beer. (Then I remember how I’ve smuggled a flask into the stadium, and it all makes more sense.)

Featured Phillies baseball card

The video above featured Shane Rawley who served as the Phillies’ team ace in the late 80’s.

In 1988, he was featured as one of Donruss’ Diamond Kings. A player on each team would be honored as a “Diamond King” and the accompanying card would feature a painting by renowned artist Dick Perez.

Parting thought

Eventually, the owners and players will come to agreement, and they’ll be able to move forward towards starting the season. If any of the players remain worried about contracting the virus, they could always take Kapler’s advice, and hope that helps keep them healthy.