Major League Baseball to discontinue non-player pensions

By B. Crawford

There has been reports coming out over the last couple of days that Major League Baseball is planning on cutting out the pensions of anyone that is not in uniform. That is a large group of employees that are covered in that statement; probably every employee from the usher all the way up to the president of the team. People seem very swift to jump all over this and bash Bud Selig for this but the reality is that he is following the model set forth by the majority of private sector jobs. Still, that is a big blow to the employees.

I highly doubt that the commissioner would eliminate the pension program without setting up an optional retirement program, more than likely a very comprehensive program. They will not simply bring to an end the pension plan without offering an alternative. Pension plans are expensive to employers so it seems plausible to offer an alternative if you invest your savings back into employee salaries. If the goal is to line the pockets of Major League Baseball and all thirty owners, that would be bad. Very bad! If I were an employee of Major League Baseball I would be a little worried but not yet in panic mode, I expect that they will be offered a fair alternative.

Like I said earlier, pension plans are progressively becoming extinct in the business world. It's probably only a matter of time before the government takes a close look at the pension program they offer to their employees. Twenty years from now it probably won't be the same as it is today and I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing. Just because employers don't offer a pension plan, or change a pension plan to a secondary retirement plan, doesn't mean they are a crappy employer. It simply means there may be a more functional way that benefits both sides, the employee and the employer.

There is little skepticism that Major League Baseball is a cash cow that prints money around the clock for all team owners. Even the smaller markets such as Tampa are profitable; however, the spread in profits between all clubs is substantial. If the current arrangement is not beneficial to those profits then, like any other business, they have the right to make it better for everyone involved. I'm sure that each individual club will have the opportunity to set their own plan within a certain set of instructions, the downside to that is that subsequently some clubs will be much better employers to work for than others. The cream will rise to the top.

In the end, the right verdict will be made. One that is good for the employees and employer. By default this will put more money into the pockets of the owners and the league itself, but that is not truly a bad thing. As long as that money in reinvested back into the labor force then everyone has done the right thing morally. Whether they like it or not, Major League Baseball has an obligation to make certain that every employee is taken care of properly; how they get there should not that big of an obstacle.

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How Competitive will the New York Yankees be this Season

By B. Crawford

As we all know, the New York Yankees have made a concerted venture to cut their payroll for the upcoming season and beyond to eliminate the dreaded luxury tax. They have been pulling players off of the waiver wire, signing average free agents and avoiding their previous spending habits from seasons past. This is not truly a bad thing, but definately unusual. As a baseball fan it has definately been strange to see and somewhat tough to digest.

The New York Yankees have a problem. That question is quite simple for the near future when you boil it down; quite simply, they have some dreadful contracts that aren't going away any time soon. To get your payroll under $189 Million dollars should not take such extreme measures and really speaks for itself. The only real cure is time, in the mean time mediocre players will be taking field dressed in pinstripes.

The New York Yankees will compete because, well, that is what they do. They are good at winning, much better than any other organization, but a World Series ring is probably not on the horizon. In fact, they stand a really good chance of winning the division with a little bit of luck and a lot of players having better than average seasons. I have never been a huge follower of the New York Yankees but I can't help but pull for the group that they have assembled for the upcoming season.

Brian Cashman and the rest of the front office for the New York Yankees have done a crafty job of assembling a competitive team in light of the spending restraints that have been put into place. Primarily because that is a new territory for them, usually they have been allowed to spend at will. Like I said, I doubt this team, as crafted today, is going to win the World Series, but they will compete and cause the other teams in the American League East to sweat a little bit.

The New York Yankees are a model franchise that many other clubs have tried to clone. Putting aside the payroll, they win at a level that is to be admired. One instruction that they will learn by default from the payroll constraints is that bigger contracts and spending at will are not the only way to fulfill your goal of winning World Series Championships. They have also proven over the years that an endless supply of cash doesn't hurt either. Either way, best of luck to them in 2013!

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PED Use In Baseball Inside The Future

By B. Crawford

This may be the most talked about theme in baseball over the past few seasons. A lot of individuals don't fully grasp that the amount of drugs which are being tested for under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. Players have a lot of information at their disposal to find out whether or otherwise not what they are putting into their health is acceptable. There should be no excuses for failing a test and claiming that they thought whatever they were taking was okay.

Baseball happens to be very severe in their punishments for a positive test and probably will grow those punishments as time goes on. A fifty game suspension without pay for a first offense must be enough, but when you can come out of that suspension and still make millions then something should definitely be changed. Players are searching during the potential pot of gold inside the form of a huge contract and seem more than prepared to take their chances. Certainly this doesn't apply to all players but there continue to be a percentage that have never seen the risk as a reason to stop. Again, ignorance is not an excuse.

Baseball players are creatures of habit, maybe more than any other sport, and taking this away can affect them mentally as well as physically. It is widely believed that performance enhancing drugs are as much a mental edge as they are a physical advantage. Baseball is a game of focus and attention to detail, anything that helps your focus is an advantage over someone who is simply using the talents they were given at birth.

Players that are spotless and have nothing to hide are growing more and more frustrated with those that decide to cheat. After all, we have to assume they know they are cheating. With each positive test the game is tarnished a little more and that causes the game of baseball to move in the wrong direction. I don't think there is much doubt that the game is cleaner than it was just a few years ago and that can be nothing but positive; however, there is still a long ways to go. The game will never be completely clean, like any segment of the population there will always be some individuals that try to take shortcuts. With that said, when the punishments increase the number of violators will go down.

Unfortunately there is no one solution that will make this go away. The penalties for an optimistic test in baseball will become much more severe within the near future. If baseball makes the first positive test a ban for a full calendar year and the second offense a lifetime ban, you certainly will see a colossal drop in positive tests. Over the top of this, if baseball allowed teams to include a clause that allowed for a contract to be voided following the first test players would definitely think twice before putting a banned substance in their bodies.

There is a long tips to go in this process and fans will need to be patient. I do think that they game ten years within the future will likely to be much cleaner than it is today, in large part because of increased penalties and player awareness. On the top of that, the culture that has been developed in the past going all the way right down to the twelfth grade level will have to change as well; this is certainly going to take time. Baseball still is a great sport and the rich history is worth preserving. I expect every year will likely to be a little cleaner than the previous year until the the wide range of cheaters becomes something close to zero.

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Youth Baseball Equipment Provides Many Benefits

By Tamera Keith

In a game played on a field, it is imperative that anyone who plays uses defensive kit to defend them from wounds. This is one of the reasons that many moms and dads immediately support their broods with youth baseball equipment all in hope that it will keep them safeguarded. The stuff they get warrants them to make use of supreme effort in all the sports they do without having to care for what might not go their way.

One of the most common sports that require specialized gear is baseball. With a game that involves so much physical activity, it naturally makes sense that certain protective goods should be purchased, in order to keep your child as safe as possible. While some of these goods are probably not mandatory for the game, many work well for their intended purpose.

An example of the most common kit for youngsters' athletic games is a helmet. A helmet used for batting is a typical piece of defensive gear that must be placed on the cranium when a participant is batting. Due to the chinstrap and ocular safeguard, a helmet protects the eyes and the face of the competitor from probable damage.

Catchers often wear helmets, just like batters, but will also use chest protectors, facemasks, shin guards and a supportive cup to prevent any damage to their bodies. As they are in direct sight of the ball, these elements are vital to keep the catcher protected from the impact of the ball. These players usually employ pieces of equipment such as these both during practice and during games.

For those competitors who round the plates as they play the field, plastic cleats permit them to sprint and skate into the plates without hurting the ligaments in their forelegs. Players are ordinarily encouraged to don supportive cups as well, and some even wear mouth protectors to keep their teeth safe. Even their trousers and shirts may make use of protective cushions in the joints to protect against scrapes.

A decent safety standard in this specific sport relates to the bats that are used to strike the ball. Participants should ratify the procedures of their local authority in an attempt to determine the kind of bat to be utilized, including the rule about how hard it may be swung. This is a likely source of damage to participants, which is why it should be constant in all games to ensure that the least damage occurs.

Some players may wear gloves to protect their hands and fingers, though for youth leagues, most go without. Though the potential damage to these appendages is high, most players find that these elements impede their technique. This is the reason they refuse to wear them.

When bearing in mind the subject of youth baseball equipment, it is significant that parents guarantee that their youngsters are correctly armed to engross themselves in this game. Should they not be using the appropriate equipment, or gear that is not of the right quality, mothers and fathers may notice that they spend a lot of money on injuries as well as broken bones. To assure these youngsters relish their playing, it makes practical sense for parents to dress them in suitable gear.

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