Monday's a big day for Major League Baseball -- it's the date that the owners set, somewhat arbitrarily, as the deadline to get a deal done. If the lockout can't be solved today, it more than likely means fans won't get a full 162-game season, which in turn could trigger a number of disastrous ripple effects. For most of the offseason, 610's Royals Insider Josh Vernier has stayed optimistic about both sides coming to an agreement, but on Monday's Fescoe In The Morning, Vernier explained why he doesn't quite feel as bullish anymore.
"I've been optimistic for the most part," he said. "I've been optimistic because I didn't think the players union was as strong as it was back in 1994. The finances that Major League Baseball has brought in over the past decade say that the players are correct. But unfortunately as doctors, nurses, and teachers will tell you around the country, the finances, even though they might say you deserve more money, that doesn't mean your boss will give you more money. So unless this union is willing to miss paychecks in April and maybe even in May, I don't see the owners giving the players what they want. In fact, the only reason my optimism has waned somewhat is because the owners are being so flip about this entire thing. Their proposals amount to basically middle fingers. I think they've emboldened this union. Easy to say now -- we'll see what happens when they start missing paychecks. But I'm starting to believe that this union might have the same kind of stones they had in 1994."
You can listen to the entire interview (11:00 mark) in the player below:
