In the latest negative minor league baseball news, the longtime Single-A Yankees affiliate in Staten Island announced Thursday on Twitter that it has ceased operations and will sue both the Yankees and Major League Baseball.
In part of its statement (all of which is available at the link), the Staten Island club said, “The New York Yankees announced on November 7, 2020 that the Staten Island Yankees were no longer part of the Yankees minor league affiliation structure, even though the Yankees had made repeated assurances we would always be a minor league partner.”
Staten Island is under the impression the Yankees want them to become an “unaffiliated” team, which the minors club doesn’t believe would make for “a sustainable business entity.” As such, Staten Island is stopping operations, and the team has “filed a lawsuit against the New York Yankees and Major League Baseball to hold those entities accountable for false promises.”
This continues a brutal year for minor league baseball, which didn’t even have a 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic and is facing a “radical restructuring” that could eliminate a slew of teams. Staten Island, which has been a Yankees affiliate since 1999, appears as if it will fall victim to these unfortunate circumstances.
YANKEES SUCK
Username checks out
For real, the return of bigpapi4ever no doubt
Big pop up?
Good for them! Of all the clubs out there it’s laughable the Yankees cannot take care of their minor league teams.
“cannot” or “don’t want”?
They only care about winning in the MLB so dont want
No, they only care about money.
And what @McGriff – exactly – are the Yankees supposed to do? MLB is shutting down MiLB teams man.
*Not* the Yanks.
I know a lot of fellas hate the Yankees on “principle”, or whatever. But how is *this* something to get your undies in a bunch over lol?
Ok, Yankee Clipper, then MLB should have no trouble giving up their antitrust exemption. And owners who built stadiums with public money should pay it all back. You can’t have a monopoly backed with significant public funding and then whine about “communism”…
Serious eyeroll at your comment.
No. When courts tell businesses when they can and can’t partner with another business, it happens when there are contracts and laws affecting those relationships that one party is refusing to comply with. That’s called the rule of law. We have a contract clause in the constitution. We have antitrust laws. They must be enforced. Government regulation as enforced by courts, to ensure a fair and functioning market is not communism. Communism is when a government bureaucrats tells businesses whom to partner with.
And, that’s not communism either.
Well aren’t you just a classy, mature, homophobic li’l fella, @dubbz.
Strong debate skills too, uh?
Hit a nerve? BK Mets are still around so you making up “fake news” about MLB shutting down MILB is comical.
Is that invitation to insult you open to anyone?
Yeah maaaaaannnn
Dubz, google it. MiLB is shutting down 40+ clubs.
SI Yanks wasn’t one of them. Yanks dumped them to keep Tampa Tarpons. MLB allowed teams to keep 4 affiliates so Trenton,Scranton added Hudson Valley Renegades and kept Tampa Tarpons. ….Mets kept Cyclones but Yanks opted not to keep SI Yanks….. Baseball reduced extra minor league teams but every organization keeps 4 minor league affiliates. MLB didn’t shut down SI Yanks but the Yankees did but some reason people rather use “alternative facts”. Funny how no one can explain how Bk Cyclones are being kept despite playing in the same league that’s been abolished by MLB.
Communism ? No that’s not communism. Courts in our democracy play this role set forth in the Constitution. Yes they decide who you can partner with , ask the gay marriage folks.
Johnny, keep up with the news. yankees dumped Trenton and added Somerset Patriots out of the Atlantic League as their aa affiliate. Mets kept Brooklyn because they own Brooklyn, as well as Syracuse and Binghamton. The Braves started a trend yeara ago .
Own your own minor league teams and keep the profits. It. Just takes expanding your operations.
Americans really need to learn what’s communism and socialism mean and where they are different.
There is Way to much ignorance
Actually, communism is the appropriation of all property and all means of production and distribution of goods. Telling businesses what they can and cannot do is called regulation. Every democracy, no matter how committed to capitalism, regulates businesses to one extent or the other. Remember that a business has no duty to the country where it is located or its customers. It can cheat, lie steal, and intimidate in making money and serving its owners or stockholders. Money has no conscience and follows no law except profit. Regulation attempts to require business to conform to the common good just as other laws regulate the conduct of citizens to keep us from stealing from, injuring, and killing each other
It’s really simple why Brooklyn gets to keep their team and move up to a higher affiliated league.
In 201`9 Brooklyn average 4,848 fans per game. Staten Island drew 1,848.
The teams that are losing their affiliation are the ones that don’t draw or have outdated facilities.
You need a better understanding of communism
Thank you for contributing your intelligent and insightful comment. I hope we can meet at the next QAnon rally.
+1
Why?
Good, and I hope they win. I hate what is happening with baseball being ripped out of these markets. I’m not sure Staten Island is the “posterboy” for a market that would be harmed by losing a baseball team, being so close to MLB teams anyway (though travel times into NYC do still make it a decent amount of time) but this could be a pretty important precedent for places like Fresno or other cities that are hours away from a big league club.
It’s a cool ballpark, though (probably the only cool thing in Staten Island), right on the water.
baseballpun, you’re right on both counts. It was a fun place to catch a game and had a great view of lower Manhattan. It wasn’t expensive either. The only downside of it was having to hoof it all the way to Staten Island but since its the one of the few things worth visiting there its ok to do it once in a while.
Too bad.
I’ll miss it. Not sure if it could be part of MLB’s Proposed DRAFTleague or not, like Trenton is being talked about
1000% agree. IMO, I could of gotten behind a 150 team plan where a few teams get cut but this chopping block of the minors is horrible
@phantom win what exactly? Do you think the Yankees are obligated to subsidize a minor league team? I get in your mind it’s a rich vs poor, big guy vs little, but there’s no merit here. It’s unfortunate just a bad business model minor league teams make no money.
generally speaking the rich eventually lose all the poor to make money off.
We do not know what the NY Yankees promised the Staten Island Yankees in their contract. The suit is filed against the NY Yankees and MLB jointly.
I’d assume Staten island has 2 prongs to their attempt:
1) there may be an unexpired contract to be an affiliate and have talent, subsidies, etc provided. Usually those affiliation contracts run for a decent chunk of years at low levels.
2) sort of a promissory estoppel argument – you made certain representations to us, we invested anc dollars in reliance upon your promises and representations that with an expectation of xyz return.
As for what they want to get: either a) play out their remaining contract, hoping that after making the initial cut they get to remain a milb affiliate; or b) some combination of NYY/MLB have to pay monetary damages reflecting loss of franchise value and reimbursement for expenses/upgrades made in reliance upon NYY/MLB prior promises.
There is a chance they include tortious interference with contract charges against MLB to the extent it is trying to break up the staten/NYY relationship
I’m pretty sure that MLB agreements with minor league teams are only for two years. So I don’t think it’s an unexpired contract. Your second point is more likely the issue.
@phantomofdb unfortunately some people here don’t care and think MLB shut down Staten Island Yanks meanwhile BK Cyclones are playing next season…..
That’s not a good look
join the Atlantic League
I’m surprised Trenton didn’t. I don’t think they have the attendance to be an Indy team but could of joined the MLB draft league
Trenton is joining a new league MLB is creating.
If they don’t have the attendance to be an Indy team, the sure as hell don’t have the attendance to be in an affiliated league.
Karma
Signed Jacoby Ellsbury
Getting cut last year by the Yankees was literally the best thing to ever happen to Ellsbury
Yeah losing $22 million and never playing again was a great thing!
Uhhh…he still got paid the whole amount….had he not gotten cut, he would have been subject to a pro rata share like those who were active….so he made more $$$ by getting cut
I remember the Yankees tried not to pay him anything, and he filed a grievance with the players union. Not sure how it was resolved.
It hasn’t been resolved yet.
Even the mets and Wilpons made the effort (successfully) to revise cespedes’ contract instead of taking the Yankees fiasco approach…
You’ve got to admit it’s pretty bad when the mets/Wilpons looked less disfunctional than you as an organization…
K, good luck with that one
“k” is only a word if you are a little girl.
Well at least a lot of lawyers will get rich before the suit is tossed.
*richer. There are not going to be any previously poor lawyers involved in a suit like this.
Considering the massive legal resources available at MLB, this will probably be an uphill battle whether the law is even on their side or not.
i don’t know if there is a court in staten island but if the suit was filed there, there is a higher chance the junkees lose.
Screw MLB and Manfred
Why does anyone expect to be taken seriously when they say stuff like this and continue to support the product? If you really are that upset with MLB, show them with removing your monetary support for them. It’s literally the only way your voice will ever be heard. Of course, your single voice won’t be listened to, but if enough fans stop buying their product, MAYBE then things will change. Until then, just saying screw them while continuing to give them money is useless.
I have been spending much less on mlb and more in Milb. I only went to one mlb game in 2019 despite living in St. Louis. Instead, I traveled to Indianapolis, Peoria Il., Burlington/Cedar Rapids/Clinton Iowa and the Springfield (Mo)Cardinals. At least two of those teams are going away. This is the final straw for me. When fans are allowed to attend games I do not plan on going to mlb games. I’m tired of being taken for granted. Also, how they are treating these towns they had relationships with is gross. Teams are finding out via Twitter they’ve had their affiliation severed? Mlb gets the gas face. My 12-15 Cardinals and Royals games per year that I attended prior to 2019 may not mean a lot to their bottom line but I’m done with being a walking dollar sign to them.
So, I’ll say it again.
Screw Mlb and Manfred!
You are one of the few that went to Burlington/Cedar Rapids/Clinton. Those teams finished 16th, 13th and 14th in attendance in the 16 team Midwest League.
Hi flew with a poor take, as usual
+1
Yankees literally have always been such a pretentious, snobby ran organization. Not that we haven’t seen how wealthy New York business owners tend to operate.
With that said I always felt there was wayyyy too many minor league affiliations for ballclubs. Could definitely fine tune it drastically.
Due to the amount of players going from A-ball or even the draft to MLB this year, covid proved we dont really need AA -and- AAA, we could merge them easily and the only people losing jobs would be the over-32 players who are probably never going to make it and could do better financially if they went overseas.
If you merge AA and AAA, you’d still only have 30 teams. What happens to those other 30 teams? Don’t say the players merge, I get that, but if you merge AA players into AAA, there are still 30 teams that won’t be apart of it, thus eliminating 30 teams.
You say only 32 and older players will lose their jobs. That’s a lie cause thousands of people who are employed by those teams will also lose their jobs.
And no, this year didn’t prove we don’t need AA and AAA. Those guys went from Single A or the draft to the MLB to get at-bats against big league pitching. Even if they go 0-50, that would benefit them far more than taking at-bats against pitchers in the “minor camp” who probably won’t even make the big leagues.
Obviously that last part is mostly my opinion, and I do not think this year proved anything. This was a fluke year, everyone can agree on that.
Why does there need to be a low a team a regular a team ?
to handle all of the draft choices and international signings to give them all a chance to play. the low A teams are typically made up of high school draft choices and the young international players coming to the States for the first time. Gets kids acclimated to pro ball for a year to make it easier to compete against older players in High A ball.
I like the idea of AA and AAA separated. But there are like four different class-A ball and rookie ball? The actual difference in player ability between rookie and Class A or Class A short season and Class A Advanced is so minuet. There could be far more condensed means of getting younger HS players or teenage international players to head to the same place without their development being eradicated.
4 different Class A teams? There is only Short Season A, which is for players that have never played beyond 30 games in a season, and Advanced A, which is for players that have acclimated to the physical requirements of a full season.
Well I guess we are both wrong. There’s Class A-Advanced. Class A. and Class A-short season. Regardless this is unnecessary.
What players went from the Draft, or Low-A, to Major League rosters? That rarely ever happens. Only about 3 players in the past 20 years have skipped the Minors. In the total history of baseball, it is less than 100 players that have skipped the Minors.
Blame it on the Curve. Either the player can’t hit it, or the pitcher can’t throw it nor control it. And without the metal alloy bats, it takes adjustment. Home runs become “can o corn’s” ( ie lazy fly balls).
the Yankees are also a long running well run organization that wouldnt put themselves at the risk of an actual viable lawsuit.
Before you click submit, you should read your comments back and ask yourself, “does this really make any sense”?
They would if they had the backing of MLB, and MLB has to be part of it because the decisions to cut have far more ramifications than just Staten Island. It will be interesting what happens elsewhere where tax payers whose money helped finance the stadium are left to hold the bag based on promises.
It seems to me the lawsuit is akin to “We had an agreement that you would buy your groceries from me. Now that you no longer want to buy from me I will sue you.”
I have to agree. Totally meritless lawsuit
Just wait till Guilliani gets ahold of this one!!!!!
Do they make that shirt for men?
Possibly, possibly not. I believe oral agreements in New York are enforceable contracts. What stipulates an oral agreement is the hard part.
Sadler, you’re wrong. What is described here is not a contract.
Clipper, the problem is this doesn’t recite the complaint. We don’t know *exactly* verbatim what is alleged to have happened.
Your claim that what occurred was not enforceable is no more valid than anyone claiming what happened was. We don’t know the specifics, but you can bet the discovery process will find out.
Wrong about what? That oral agreements in New York are not enforceable contracts?
They can be:
jonathancooperlaw.com/blog/when-an-oral-agreement-…
I make no claim as having first-or-second hand knowledge of any discussion between the Yankees and their affiliate and I will assume that you do not either. Therefore it is impossible for either you or I to come to any conclusion whatsoever about the merits of their suit.
I am simply making the claim there are conditions under which an oral agreement (or to use their words, “false promises”) in New York constitutes a contract; and that is fact.
Staten Island isn’t good enough for a minor league baseball team and they did not deserve one in the first place yes I said it
Just curious. On what basis does Staten Island not “deserve” a minor league baseball team?
For one, they finished 128th in average attendance in 2019.
Marlins were 129
Lol
As bad as their attendance is, the Marlins still outdrew the highest drawing minor league team.
Not the Yankees fault that MLB cut out split season A ball. MLB has a lot to answer for here. Trenton has a better case against the Yankees than SI.
the Yankees are 1/30th of MLB. that this happened means at least half of the teams wanted it meaning the Yankees most likely did. that’s not a fair out.
“Made assurances “??
Hope they have something in writing that proves that!
Verbal contracts are worth the paper they are written on.
Staten Island can suck it.
pretty sure they are owned by the parent club anyway. i think most of the affiliates in the low minors (therefore the ones being cut) are.
They are not. They are independently owned, hence the lawsuit. If the Yankees owned the Stanton Island club, why would they sue themselves? LOL
No they aren’t. Most are independent.
Not a surprise. Cutting 40 or so minor league teams you are bound for a lawsuit, right or wrong. Still say they should have had 150 (5 affiliates per team) rather than 120. But then again it’s not my money.
If you count the GCL and Dominican leagues, most clubs have 7 or 8 affiliates right now. While I hate to see cities, towns lose their teams and more importantly the players and front office staff lose their jobs, there are too many lower level teams right now. Less than 20% of these players ever make it to the majors anyways, so it makes sense they are looking to contract the number of teams they have. Each team should have a AAA, AA & A ball team, along with 1 summer league team somewhere for the young kids. They can still have a developmental program as well and maybe stage some scrimmages against other developmental programs but having 7 or 8 affiliates doesn’t make sense. The quality of minor league baseball will improve too as teams will be forced to only keep their best prospects. Independent baseball will get better too as they will pick up some of the players who end up getting cut from these defunct organizations.
A team or two had 9 affiliates. I am well aware. However, the cut is over a thousand baseball players gone if over 40 teams carry 25-26 man rosters. That is why I felt 5 was a sufficient number.
There ARE going to be 5 affiliates per team. AAA, AA, High A, Low A, Rookie. The Rookie leagues will be at the teams spring training complexes.
We WERENT including the Rookie league teams in this discussion. Thanks for your input.
You included them when you talked about a team having 9 affiliates. That team didn’t have an extra five AAA affiliates.
Rookie leagues are going away. The Instructional Leagues currently occupy the Spring Training sites.
Rookie leagues going away? This is the first I’m hearing of it.
The Instructional and Rookie Leagues are basically the same level.
Yes, the Rookie leagues are going away. That’s all that MLB is doing. Getting rid of the short season leagues. So those prospects will be at the spring training complex instead of in Batavia, NY or Orem, UT or Kingsport, TN. Which is better for the prospect.
I think this makes sense. Florida and Arizona are perfect places to train and develop the young players. It’s not good for the low minors leagues, but from a development standpoint, it’s better.
I was citing the fact that some teams have as many as 9 as to respond to Dorothy’s comment over 7-8. Again, thank you for your input but you should be more concerned over defending your horribly run Brewers team that’s about to squander another opportunity to be competitive this offseason.
You should worry more about making a clear, concise retort rather than being a jerk. Although I bet that’s REALLY difficult for you. On both counts.
Just to those who try to pick fights or make false presumptions. For a guy who whined higher up in this thread about insults you had no problem resorting to it with me. Hypocrisy on full display. I don’t blame you when you’re looking to swing rather than have thoughtful discussions.
I understand that you were responding to someone else’s comment. I was correcting the error in your comment. So sorry that correcting your mistake would cause you to get your panties in such a twist that you start with the insults.
It’s odd. You should be quite accustomed to having your mistakes corrected by others.
Your comments are too long. None of what you said makes any sense.
Staten Island Yankees, what does your affiliation contract say? I’m a business owner. Verbal “promises” are little more than “pinkie promises” – you’ll need a lawyer and even still you will probably lose. If it isn’t it writing, it doesn’t exist. If I can’t get someone to put it in writing, I 100% assume they’re going to renege, and I plan accordingly.
Jilted fiancee sues former love: “They said we’d together forever.”
This should be an easy case. All the Staten Island lawyers have to do is show the signed lifetime affiliate agreement with the Yankees.
‘60s band Love named their landmark album “Forever Changes” after this exact exchange
The only reason the Yankees had a team in Staten Island was because the Mets and then owners, the Wilpons, wanted a team in Brooklyn (Cyclones).The only way they would “allow” (territorial rights) the team was if they got to put a team on Staten Island. Seemed like a good plan but not sure why Yankees never owned the SIYankees. Brooklyn has always done quite well. I don’t know what level but I think the Cyclones will continue to exist. Too bad for Staten Island.
I worked for the SI Yankees for 2 seasons. The Yankees didn’t care about them one bit.
Regardless of what Staten Island puts out, they refuse to acknowledge that the facility was falling into disarray and there was little done to upkeep (duct tape on wall pads, broken seats throughout the stadium, drainage issues that caused the postponement of back to back games when weather was 90 and sunny, etc). Management butted heads with Yankees coaches numerous times, and support for the team dwindled to nothing, averaging less than 500 fans a game (despite what number may be put out) in 2019. I feel for MiLB teams that had/have support of their community losing their affiliation, but don’t shed a tear for Staten Island when nobody there will care.
“Facility falling into disarray…”. Now this is starting to make sense. I believe that New York City owns the stadium. Something tells me that may be a factor. Just a guess.
NYC does own the stadium, but it was reliant on the FO and owners to maintain upkeep at the minimum, which wasn’t done. There was an agreement for some major projects to be done the final year there (new seating bowl/layout, artificial turf among them), but they wasted too much time (SIY, that is) going through the process trying to find people to do the work. They replaced the outfield in 2018 and the infield in 2019, they should have just used that money and put it towards a turf field then
I thought I read they recently re-did their stadium?
They redid the field after a holiday event destroyed the outfield one year, and the infield needed to be laser graded and resodded because it was horribly kept. A lot of that had to do with the location on the water and minerals that came with it, but changing up groundskeepers every year or two never helped either. They city approved budget for changes, but FO dragged feet in how they wanted to spend that money and never got beyond just renderings for what the ideas looked for regarding a new seating bowl
Good for them because MLB at all of this in the works long before COVID-19.
So what? Who cares when it took place? If it’s their prerogative, they can do it.
Yankee homerism is famous so your responses here are bang on with the expectations. Keep up the great work!
Exactly! Yankees guy is like, ‘screw all those towns and fans losing their teams. Yankees rule bro!’
One problem with that part of Richmond Terrace is most people on the island don’t tend to go there except to take the ferry on weekdays to Manhattan. It’s built up a bit since I went to HS (McKee) there but it always took a while to get there. In the past, and I’m not sure this has improved, but because the projects are there crime was high (for SI standards) so people avoided it.
Has the Staten island affiliate lost their minds? Filing a lawsuit due to “false promises“ LMAO! What that means then if someone goes into a working relationship with another company and tells them “we see no reason to ever terminate the relationship“ and then five years later terminate the relationship that company should be sued? LMFAO! This happens all the time in business.
Well, not in the socialist state of NY
NY is NOT a socialist state. It’s a poorly run welfare state with a bloated bureaucracy that fosters and relies on industry, especially the financial sector, for most of its revenue.
You don’t know what “socialism” means.
I certainly do and NY is not it. It may resemble it in some ways but it’s not socialist. I think you need to hit the books.
“Hit the books” Yeah, good luck with that. Maybe if it has lots of pictures.
You know when you have to bring the buzzwords “socialism” or “communism” into a baseball conversation, you’ve already lost.
I was talking to Yankee Clipper. Sorry.
1. Thats not really an apples to apples comparison.
2. Doing some brief research, the Yankees were 50% owners with Mandalay and are just, with no notice… announcing through the media that they are ditching the team.
The teams argument is that they have relied on their ownership, have used the Yankees name to promote their product, and are being ditched without fair warning. It also says that this is a “hold you accountable” move and that all proceeds, should they win, will go to Long Island charities. I’m not a lawyer, but I don’t know that this is as “slam dunk” as you think.
No- you better do your research.
ALL of MLB agreed to reduce their minor league footprint. BUT- the Skankees CHOSE to leave and make their affiliation with the Hudson Valley team.
Hudson Valley was a Tampa affiliate- the Rays should have saved them.
The Spankeez also stuck it to Trenton and moved their affiliation to an unaffiliated franchise in Sommerset AFTER making assurance to the team owner. Then the Hankeez said they made an attempt to contact him, on the Sabbath- knowing full well he wouldn’t see the call. The Punkeez are gutless wonders.. So don’t even try to make it sound like the Bronx Bums are righteous.
Make no mistake – both Trenton and Staten Island communities stupidly put PUBLIC money into these ballparks and got burned.. The Shankeez made a choice to screw those teams then didn’t have the guts to tell them until too late.
As much as it burns me- it is all legal- but shows the Pankeez are not good corp citizens… But this should serve as a notice to all governments local and state, next time a sports team want a park or money- tell them to f$%k off. Don’t mix business with public funds. The Skunkeez ask for a new parking garage or train station- F%$k off.
MLB and Manfred continue their assault on the structure of baseball as it has existed for many years. Rearranging the minor leagues is just a trial balloon for the changes they have in mind. What better test case could there be than to “unaffiliate” a minor league team linked to the holiest of holy New York Yankees and see if they can pull it off?
I am not a Yankee fan. Far from it but if MLB gets away with this move, they will consider it tacit agreement that they can continue to eviscerate the rest of the minor league affiliated system. Say goodbye to many of your local teams that you have loved for many years.
MLB is indeed a business but it is also much more. The ephemeral and indescribable essence of baseball transcends dollars and cents. Any owner or commissioner that doesn’t understand that fact should not be in any position to affect the future of our game.
America’s game.
Not yours to buy and sell like pork bellies
The problem, toasty, is that the Commissioner of Baseball is the Commissioner of Baseball Team Owners. Like any good employee, he looks after the best interests of the ones who pay him. The Institution of Baseball needs someone to look after the best interests of the game itself – its fans, the players whether in MLB, MiLB, college, high school, or youth baseball, and yes, the owners too.
Agreed. This game unfortunately requires owners too. It would sure be great if more of them had an actual feeling for and understanding of the tradition over which they have so much influence.
The guy who saves for a month to take his family to see a game from the skyscraping seats has no such opportunity to influence how things unfold.
All they have is hope and (probably misplaced) faith.
This case SCREAMS for My Cousin Vinny to deal with da utes…..
Man NFL and NBA have it right. From college or other independent leagues right the pros. No ridiculous expenses of franchises and prospect misses. MLB must change in order to provide a better product at lower cost.
Love love college hockey, football and basketball. Bring on college baseball and get rid of all those minor league crap already.
I do not agree. MLB is a completely different sport then the NFL, NHL and NBA. Why? 1: College football and to a lesser extent basketball are highly profitable so they can train the kids to be ready for the pros. In Hockey the Canadian Juniors and certain colleges do he same. 2. In the NBA teenagers go straight into the pros ( in the NHL the elites like a Conor McDavid do the same). 3: You get more money upfront playing in any of the other sports then MLB. Look at Kyie Murray. He was able to go 1-1 with the Arizona Cardinals instead of being in the minors with the Oakland A’s. None of these are MLB’s fault
The league Staten Island played in was disbanded.
Sad. This is the best thing Staten Island had going for itself
Its a shame. I did enjoy going to their Game of Thrones night. It was cheesy but awesome. The low budget version of the Game Of Thrones opening sequence with NYC as a stand in. The god awful Stark vs Lannister uniforms. Do yourself a favor and google them. Hideous. The Shame with ringing bell chant after every strikeout of the opposing team. Freaking hilarious.
It’s business. It’s a lousy business if you are the weaker party in a world that values strength, but it’s still a business. I wish this didn’t happen–I’d never been to the park and wanted to go this season. But it’s still business, and it doesn’t matter which team does it. The Yankees have no moral obligation–they may have a legal one, and that’s what litigation is for.
Personally, I think what MLB is doing to the minors is bad, and how they exploit minor league players is a disgrace, but few businesses chose to leave money on the table just because.
Can’t wait for all the juicy lay opinions on exactly how this lawsuit will go.
Depends on the defenses raised…
Should there be any financial component, Yankees and MLB will NOT want to open their books.
The more I hear about things my *guess* is that, beyond hurt feelings, at some point heres what happened:
* the team asked the NYY if their affiliation would remain intact after news of the retraction;
* NYY said yes, you are not a team projected to be cut;
* team expended funds even if just on planning stages to continue required renovation and upkeep to stadium, renewed staff contracts;
* TB dropped HV who NYY viewed as better attendance, better ‘footprint’ for fan base, and needing less repair/redevelopment funds
* NYY elected to shift it’s election from SI to HV.
I’m not going to wade into the maelstrom of misinformation about political systems in this passionate comments thread. I’m just going to quote this from USA Today from an article entitled: “Minor league baseball teams are in jeopardy. Here’s how Congress can save them”:
‘Major League Baseball has proposed a plan that would strip 42 minor league clubs of their affiliation with a major league franchise. While MLB claims this fundamental overhaul of the minor leagues is necessary because of concerns over facilities and travel, it is really about money. And who is paying the price to boost the bottom line of MLB clubs? Minor league players and fans in 42 rural, suburban and urban communities across the country.’
You can Google the article for the rest.
I would point this out, though. Major League Baseball is the owners. That’s why they pick the Commissioner.
40 minor league teams are losing affiliation with MLB. There will be hurt feelings, anger, and inevitably some lawsuits. We have our first. The owner is likely hoping MLB and the Yankees throw some money his way to go away.
Hey… Covid and Democrats not in same order killed people and businesses including sports. It sucks that they are done.. but thousands of mom and pop businesses are out too. 2020
If Pumpkinhead and his moron cult worshipers had taken this serious from the start, we wouldn’t be in nearly as bad a shape as we are right now. So you can put that blood on the hands of them, along with being the cause of all the closed businesses, not on the Democrats.
When COVID finally goes away I hope it takes internet commenter doctors of virology with it
Before COVID finally goes away, hopefully it takes all the dumbasses with it.