Norma Rae was a Bitch

The MLPA (Major League Players Association) is without a doubt the strongest union in business today, but that mere fact has been nothing but trouble for Major League Baseball as a whole. The Union has through its strength been a public relations thorn in the side of MLB.

Their have been strikes in every professional sport, but no more devastating than those perpetrated by the MLPA. The Unions refusal for even a soft salary cap led to sky rocketing salaries and the huge gulf in talent between large and small market teams. The recent steroid truths have also pulled back the curtain on the MLPA preference for the players security over the games integrity.

Now look I understand that the MLPA's number one priority is to the interests of the players, that is why after all they call it a Union, but someway along the line the interests of the players became the interests of Donald Fehr and Gene Orza. Fehr and Orza have laid down the gauntlet many times to Bud Selig and the Commisioners who came before him, but they now have lost the high ground. While there were always whispers about steroids during the late 90s, during a Red Sox home game I chanted along with thirty thousand fans "Steroids!" at Jose Canseco during an AB, the can't see/can't regulate arguement of the MLPA was tenious at best.

Now the MLPA goes out through an Union Arbitrator and gets Kenny Rodgers's suspension reduced from 20 games to 13, literally cutting off Bud Selig's nose right in front of the general public. Can you imagine a decision of Paul Tagliabue's being challenged by the NFL Union? So now even though I might not have agreed totally with the length of the fine, but I don't think that the Commish's decision should be subject for discussion.

The Kenny Rodgers situation is just the entire MLB/MLPA relationship boiled down to one situation. The Commisioner pulls one way while the MLPA just continues to dig its heels into the mud.

- BL