As players and owners continue heavy negotiations that resumed Wednesday morning just hours after a previous marathon of talks ended, Darryl Strawberry warns that further canceled games will forever alter the sport.
“I think it’s the worst time for them to be in the situation they’re in right now,” Strawberry told Tiki and Tierney on Wednesday. “It’s a bad time bad situation on each side…you went through the pandemic and had no fans, and all of a sudden you get your fans back and they’re hungry for baseball…then you come to a place where you have to try to make a new agreement.
“I think it’s really gonna destroy the game if they don’t get back soon enough…people in big cities are OK. New York is gonna be OK. But people in smaller market cities are going to be crushed if baseball doesn’t start on time.”
The sport is now up against the clock, with a week of games already canceled and the original Opening Day supposed to take place in three weeks. But the two sides still remain far apart in certain key aspects of a new CBA, leaving the former Mets and Yankees star wondering why it took so long to start negotiating.
“They should have had that done and in place before they let it get to this point,” Strawberry said. “People are struggling more than ever in society today, and they need different outlets, and baseball is a great outlet for families and people...people need baseball.”
The sport needs baseball as well, but both sides appear to be dug in on their limits for how far they are willing to go in terms of conceding what they want from a new CBA. Strawberry says that while the two sides fight for what they feel is fair, the fans are the ones that suffer.
“They don’t ever think about the big picture or their fans,” Strawberry said. “I know it’s important for the players in the game and everything, but you guys make enough money to be able to make some kind of agreement with the owners and come together to make this thing work for the best.”
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