Outside The Confines: The lockout groundhog

Call me a pessimist if you want to, but as a Canadian, I rarely put much stock into what the groundhog has to say about early spring. As it stands right now, there are piles of snow outside my door that are as tall as I am, and if the groundhog had said anything other than “six more weeks of winter” back on February 2nd, I’d have called him a furry little liar.

But back on February 2nd, if he’d said the baseball season would start on time, I’d have let myself believe it. Not a single one of us wanted this negotiation to continue into March, and I think that includes both the owners and the players. Yet here we are, with the first two series of the 2022 season already canceled, and the threat of more being lost as a frosty gulf grows between both sides.

For fans in Chicago, there is but one sole positive in this whole thing: the further Opening Day gets moved back, the less likely we are to see snow during the first home series. I suppose that’s something.

And as for me, a little further north? Well, I’m playing a little game with myself: Will the snow outside my back door be gone sooner than we have a scheduled Opening Day?

For once I’m hoping the snow lasts longer than the stalemate,

On to today’s links!

• Ben Clemens offers a look at just how far apart the two sides are at the moment.
• ESPN says the two sides had an informal meeting in New York on Thursday.
• Rob Manfred dodged questions about the timeline of ongoing negotiations, writes Dan Lyons.
• Players are NOT impressed with the way MLB is approaching things. Mike Trout has said the owners aren’t negotiation in good faith, writes Nick Selbe; Madeline Coleman shares that Lance McCullers went on a rant against the owners before deleting his Twitter account; and Ross Stripling has said that MLB is treating the players like they’re “dumb,” reports Selbe.
• In Jeff Passan’s most recent story, one veteran player outright says, “They need to stop treating us like we’re idiots.”
• Meanwhile, Stephanie Apstein is reporting that MLB are completely unaware of their own foolishness as these negotiations progress.
• Dan Rather has zero chill about the ongoing lockout.

• Ben Clemens introduces us to Magnus Effect baseball.
• Can there be any future compromise following what we’ve seen in these negotiations? Andy Martino wonders what accord can be struck between the commissioner, the owners, and the union post-lockout, after it appears that four owners, in particular, stuck their heels in over the most recent offer from the MLBPA.
• Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra, Jonathan Mayo offer 30 prospects poised for a comeback season in 2022.
• Adam McCalvy gives us a spotlight on prospect Joe Gray Jr.
• Some players are tired of the uncertainty of their free agency and have opted to head to Japan and South Korea for the season, writes Kyle Glaser.
• A thread on the youth perspective.

• Our friends at South Side Sox have a spotlight feature on Jerry Reinsdorf, by Leigh Allan.
• Marc Normandin offers some both-sides evidence on reasons why MLB and the MLBPA want the stalemate to continue.
• Larry Brooks brings up the NHL lockout as a source of guidance for MLB players.
• This isn’t just about the owners and the players, the impact of the lockout is hurting those who count on the season for their revenue. Claudia Irizarry Aponte looks at the businesses around Yankee Stadium and how they’re being impacted.
• Marc Topkin gives us a feature on Rays’ pitcher Tyler Zombro’s return to the mound after a brush with death.
• I miss bat flips.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.