Last week, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced the cancellation of Opening Day and the first two series of the 2022 regular season, due to the failed labor negotiations between the league owners and the players' union. This week, Manfred cancelled another slate of games, as both sides remain deadlocked in CBA talks that involve critical economic issues.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Manfred said that the owners offered "good-faith proposals," and also went to "extraordinary lengths" to satisfy the players' demands. To no one's surprise, the players disagreed with Manfred's comments, calling the latest cancellation of games "completely unnecessary" in a statement. The MLB-imposed lockout is approaching its 100th day, and right now, the 2022 campaign won't begin until Apr. 14, at the earliest.
"At this point, I don't even give a damn about what they're negotiating about," JR said during Wednesday's edition of the JR SportBrief show. "Obviously, it all boils down to money. It doesn't matter if it's the international draft, player minimums. It's all about the cash. It's all about the money. I've lost track -- I don't even know what the hell I'm saying anymore. But I'll tell you this much: it's ridiculous. I've lost track and I've lost count...
"There are a lot of folks who aren't happy and thrilled with what's taking place. I love baseball, I've loved it forever. But this is an embarrassment. I don't care if they come to an agreement tomorrow. Will I watch, yes. But the enthusiasm I have for the game has waned over the years. The enthusiasm that the sport, in a general sense, elicits from anybody who's a sports fan, it doesn't exist... All of this nonsense, garbage, public negotiations, it's boring. Who cares?"
JR's complete thoughts on baseball's ongoing lockout can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the JR SportBrief show on Twitter @JRSportBrief and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.