MLB owners-union standoff further cements grim reality

Gil Hodges to Hall of Fame is 'unbelievable moment' for family

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Can you log negative miles on a treadmill? Can you travel backwards, add calories, while running in place? 

That’s the sensation Major League Baseball created this week. What an absolutely terrible start to such a critical month. 

The MLB Players Association announced Friday that it would not accept the owners’ request for an independent mediator via the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The action reverts the sides to direct bargaining — unless the owners declare an impasse, a possible yet unlikely tactic at this juncture — and further cements the reality that spring training will not start on Feb. 16 as scheduled. 

And really, the two sides’ struggles to generate any semblance of goodwill, to discover more than a sliver of common ground, should create bona fide anxiety right now, even with a few weeks’ room for error, about the regular season starting on March 31. 

“Two months after implementing their lockout, and just two days after committing to Players that a counterproposal would be made, the owners refused to make a counter, and instead requested mediation,” the MLBPA said in a statement. “After consultation with our Executive Board, and taking into account a variety of factors, we have declined this request. The clearest path to a fair and timely agreement is to get back to the table. Players stand ready to negotiate.” 


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