Sullivan
Reds Marge Schott. Selig said that day that Angelos was in general agreement, but wanted to write “his own version of the resolution,” while Schott wanted to bring up minor leaguers to finish the season, an idea that wasn't discussed. Selig's replacement, Rob Manfred, also would be judged harshly if there is no agreement to restart this summer.
If there's no agreement, we'll soon be turning to the NHL playoffs in July, the NFL preseason in August and perhaps the resumption of the NBA season sometime this summer. As the ratings for Sunday's Tiger WoodsPhil Mickelson charity golf match showed, viewers are starving for live sports.
Meanwhile, MLB owners would be dealing with the unpleasant task of refunding money to season ticket holders, sponsors and others. Both sides no doubt would point fingers at each other, but in the end it won't matter because everyone will lose.
Reinsdorf, who also runs the Bulls, is busy planning for two franchises facing uncertain futures.
“We're sort of focusing on unwinding a business rather than running a business,” he told the George Washington students. “We're having to think ahead to what happens next year. The basketball season starts late October. We don't even know if we'll be able to have a training camp. Baseball season starts in February (2021) with spring training. So there are a lot of unknowns we're thinking about instead of pleasant things like winning ballgames.”
The 2020 Sox were one of those “pleasant things” on Reinsdorf 's mind before the pandemic. But they should be in better position than many teams if the 2020 season isn't played. Most of their young nucleus are signed for several years, including Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert. Michael Kopech won't be a free agent until after 2024, and Dylan Cease won't be one until after 2025.
Sure, they all would miss a year of development, but the future looks bright if the game doesn't return until 2021.
Still, Reinsdorf is 84. When he gave general manager Rick Hahn the go-ahead to start the rebuild after the 2016 season, surely he was hoping it would start to jell by 2020, especially after spending on free agents Yasmani Grandal and Dallas Keuchel.
Reinsdorf and I have had some disagreements over the years, but I don't know many baseball executives who love the game as much as him. And like any other Sox fan, he has been anticipating 2020 since last season ended.
“I miss the competition,” Reinsdorf, who earned his bachelor's degree in business from George Washington in 1957 , said in the interview. “Just seeing the games and hopefully winning more than we lose.
“We're very optimistic about this year, and now it's disappointing that we're not able to play.”
There's still a chance to save the season — but only if common sense prevails.