should ball players strike

[larrycook]

I know that this post is off of firefighting. But, we often watch sports, sometimes on duty and off duty. How do many of you feel about pro athletes going on strike. Some times i wish that we could just put togeather some teams of players that would play for something like $65,000 or so a year. Tickets for a game would be $5 or 10 dollars. Refreshments would be more affordable. These teams might not be as good as the NL and AL teams, but the players would play there hearts out and some of the games would be really good. A lot more kids would see the games live. What are yall's thoughts?

[SPIPER]

Go and watch a little league game, it's alot more entertaining. I like baseball and am tired of hearing millions of dollars arent enough. Its a shame what they've done to America's past time. I hope they don't strike, I'll miss it.

[SilverCity4]

If you want to see baseball players playing because they like the game, go to a minor league game.

I hope they strike. Then maybe they'll extend the pro football season!:D

[FireExplorer13]

i think that pro athletes are a bunch of cry babies. most people would pay to play baseball for the whole summer yet they're whining because they don't get paid enough...it just doesn't make sense. i definately agree with all the above posters...especially about little league. i've been watching the little league world series and those games are exciting. you see kids diving for balls 20 feet outside of fair territory...most pros wouldn't even make an effort. did anyone see that little third basemen from worcester...that kid was good. mr. cook also had good ideas. i went to a red sox game on the 4th of july. i paid 20 bucks for a seat in the bleachers. it was a 100 degrees in the bright sun with high humidity. they then raised the price of water from $4.00 to 4.50 and they were no free water fountains. if you ran out of money you had two choices...dehydrate or leave. i love the red sox but i'd much rather go watch people play for the love of the game at a more economic price

[Bones42]

Minor league ball rules. $5 a ticket, good games, players that care.

[emsbrando]

As much as I really love baseball, I have to confess that I have not followed the strike threat or the reasons that close.

I believe that if the players want to strike, fine, and once they've resolved whatever they were whining about (this time) then the FANS ought to have a strike of their own and stay away from the stadiums.

Ed:cool:

[DFDRev]

It isn't whether or not they should strike, but do we really care? These guys get paid more in one game than most people make in a few years of work and that isn't enough for them... :mad:

My 4 month old doesn't even whine that much!

[RyanEMVFD]

there ya go, there's an idea. all baseball fans boycott all major league baseball games before and after the strike....

the players think they are hurting the owners by going on strike but they don't realize it's the fans that are getting hurt.

[FireLt1951]

Let them go on strike, who really cares. I haven't been to a pro ballgame since the last strike and this will make sure I never go to another one. It would be a real shame if these individuals actually had to work for a living. Whats that word we're not supposed to use on the forums? Ah, yeah that's the word.

[cfdeng3]

I hope that they go on strike and never come back. They are the most overpaid group of little babies that I have ever heard. There is no player in any sport that should be making 25 million dollars for five years of work. I don't know if two guys ran into each other or what happened last night, I heard the announcer say that two players took themselves out of a game because they had headaches. Are they serious? A hockey players eye could pop out, he would go to the locker room put it back in and be back for his next shift. All at a quarter of what a Baseball player makes.

[larrycook]

I just read where barry bonds team will take in at the gate around 94 million dollars. his salary his 12% of that total. All athletes and enterainers need to take a big pay cut. How many cities are required by sports teams to have taxpayers vote in a bond election for a new stadium or arena? This is in cities where the emergency services are lacking in equipment and manpower. Yet, the taxpayers will vote for these sports palaces.
This is just my opinion Larry

[PuffyNPFD]

If I am getting paid 20 million a year to play a GAME, what the hell do I have to strike about. When the majority of households in this country barely get by how can you justify the greed that this strike represents. However it just isn't the players, owners like Mr. Bronx Bomber who jack up the salaries of even marginal players so that other teams in smaller markets can't come close to competeing, (remember when the KC Royals were one of the best teams in baseball?)
It isn't just baseball it is all sports, there should be a tiered system to salaries, top-end, middle of the road and utility players. To pay a shortstop $252 million dollars over 10 years when he doesn't do anything significant for society or the betterment of mankind is a waste of money, ludacrous actually. If they strike, lock em out. Pure greed!!!:mad:

[mdffemt]

I am going to have to agree with most of the other post. Go watch a minor league game or even the little league games. Those kids are dedicated and play the game for what it is and not how many millions of dollars they could make. Maybe if more people stoped showing up the players would get payed less and become more worried about the game and not their paycheck. I think we should put all that money somewhere else mainly back into the fans wallet since money doesnt grow on trees for us. I have almost stopped watching major league baseball all together because of the whining of the oversized babies whose paychecks are equally big they are trying to ruin a good sport

[Engine101]

I hope baseball players do not walk out on Strike, I have tickets to the Dodgers Braves game this friday

I think the salarys are getting outrageous paying players $100-200 Million dollars
I think owners and players need to sit down and talk maybe there should be a salary cap

[HFDEXP777]

baseball needs to take 2 years off, renegotiate all contracts, impose salary caps, etc. they make the most money out of any major sport and do the least work.

[Capt1209]

How about us fans go on strike. Then listen to them really whine!

[larrycook]

Capt 1029,
You are right, we should strike and maybe they will realize that we pay their salaries by buying tickets, watching the commercials on tv and buying the products featured. Nike and other sports gear manufactorers pay huge fees to these athletes to advertise their products and as consumers we pay extra for the products. Maybe we should boycott these advertizers. The public needs to win once in a while. It is our money that keeps entertainers, singers and athletes going as well as high paid excectives.
Larry

[shrtct]

I have not read most of thiese posts but the second one caught my eye. hehe yes watch them they will be on tonight,. But ask your self this someone making that kind of monet i would work night and day. never complain about anything hehe
shrtct

[lammyboy]

I was very interested with this section. The equivalent to baseball in England is "soccer" as you call it, we call it football. There is a club who used to play in the top league with Liverpool & Manchester United (heard of them?) but were relegated to the next division down a couple of years ago. The owners of the club want to move the ground some 6o miles away so that they can sell their current area for mega-bucks. They have no concern for the fans. Well they should of done, the average attendance for a match in there division is around the 12-20000. The opening game of the season 3 weeks ago attracted 18 fans from the home side. Thats people power!!! As a great Union leader once said - "If we spit individually they can wipe it off, but if we all spit together we can drown the B***ards"

Incidently has anyone heard that us Brit Firefighters may be taken National strike action in October. Its over pay. We feel that £21500 (approx $32000) after 15 years is not a fair wage for our job.
Anyone care to comment?

[joejoe33]

I think professional atheletes in general are over paid for what they do. I think that this particular strike has to do with benefits rather than pay. But, it is the sports fan who ends up paying the price for the high costs of paying professional atheletes. The increased prices of sporting event ticket prices and the rising costs of registered merchandise are passed right along to the good old American sports fan.

And you'd think that these big American hero role models would be humble enough to take time out to give autographs to our kids. Some of these atheletes need a good old dose of being humble to the fans supporting their high dollar salaries. Take your family to a sporting event and add up what you spent on tickets, parking, food, and souvenirs and you'll see what I mean.

[E229Lt]

Baseball recovered from the last strike because of one man. Cal Ripken finished his assault on Lou Gehrigs consecutive game streak. A lot of baseball fans came back to watch it and stayed after it.

A strike this year may well kill the "National Pastime" I, for one, will not be back. As a New Yorker who bleeds pinstripes, I was devistated when my Yankees were finally making a long absent run for the postseason. The strike killed their chances. Now another strike looms. Imagine how the Twins' fans will feel?

All we can do is walk away. The fans should have stopped going to the games the day they announced the Aug 30 strike date, but NOOOOOOO, I've got paid tickets, I'm going.

By this time next year, the NFL may be the American Pastime.

[HFDEXP777]

Originally posted by E ngine Lt
By this time next year, the NFL may be the American Pastime.

no way, HOCKEY BABY:D

[fireflyer]

The last thing the players need is a strike. Shoot, some of them are so fat now they waddle to first base. If they strike then they will just have more time off from exercise to get fatter and fatter and then come back and demand more money. Not to mention those that are fit are likely jacked up on steroids. Come on now, it baseball that strenuous you need steroids? If I was paid even the lowest salary I would be running my posterior off every day to be the fastest, fittest and most grateful player on the field.

Apparently 9-11 didn't change everyone for the better or cause them to appreciate what is really important. If every player who makes over 10 million a year were to donate even 1/10 of their salary (come on now, who can spend 9 million a year!?) to emergency services, think what a difference it would make in saving the lives of Americans. It would be unprescedented.

I hope the fatties strike so we don't have to watch the spoiled crybabies virtually stand around for 9 innings every night. Shoot...maybe Dateline can fill a TV hour with the rest of our Firehouse episodes.