Say what you will (and I have) about the key protagonist and antagonist in he whole Kris Bryant Saga, at least we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Theo Epstein and Scott Boras are doing their jobs by acting in the best interests of their organization and client respectively. The same cannot be said of Tony Clark and the Major League Baseball Players Association.
After the Cubs made their inevitable announcement that Bryant would indeed be sent down to Triple-A Iowa for more “seasoning,” the MLBPA issued their baffling and ridiculous condemnation:
Today is a bad day for baseball. I think we all know that even if Kris Bryant were a combination of the greatest players to play our game, and perhaps he will be before it’s all said and done, the Cubs still would have made the decision they made today. This decision, and other similar decisions made by clubs will be addressed in litigation, bargaining or both.
The hypocrisy in their idle threat of litigation is manifest the their very next word, “bargaining,” since they themselves collectively bargained for the system they are now calling “bad for baseball.” ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??? Your bullshit self-righteous indignation is rendered moot since you’ve had the chance to address this very issue for the better part of 40 YEARS but have chosen not to. To paraphrase Nice Guy Eddie Cabot at the end of Reservoir Dogs: “…you’re just going to DECIDE, OUT OF THE FUCKING BLUE…” that now it’s a problem for you?? The logic escapes me completely.
Add to this one more small detail the MLBPA may have overlooked: Bryant isn’t even a member of the fucking union yet so what exactly is your point, Tony? Today was indeed a bad day for baseball, but only for its idiotic Players Association.
UPDATE: MLB issued a statement essentially telling the union to shut the fuck up for these same reasons:
In accordance with long established practice under the Basic Agreement, a club has an unfettered right to determine which players are part of its opening-day roster. This issue was discussed extensively in bargaining in 2011, and the principle was not changed. We do not believe that it is appropriate for the players’ association to make the determination that Kris Bryant should be on the Cubs’ 25-man roster while another player, who, unlike Bryant, is a member of its bargaining unit, should be cut or sent to the minor leagues.
Major League A*Holes 