Castle Fires Back, Claims Union Politics

[Board of the PEBA]

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Castle Fires Back, Claims Union Politics
Ray D. Enzé, NLN baseball blogger

November 7, 2032: Ashville, North Carolina – PEBA Commissioner ‘Harry’ Castle responded harshly in response to comments made by the ‘still carrying the new car smell’, ‘newly minted’ PEBA Players Union president, Brandon Johnson.

Johnson, a long-time minor leaguer in the Crystal Lake system, who played in 539 games – mostly for Canton and Aurora (a key fixture in Aurora’s 2030 PEC appearance), was an unanimous selection to succeed the gentlemanly Jim Klein. Upon his election, Johnson instantly went on the attack against ‘the establishment’ – especially against the Commissioner, saying, "PEBA's owners, its Commissioner and his henchmen on the board are flush with cash. They need to pay up if they expect us to continue to play. We haven't had a raise in over a decade."

“We have tried to get the Union to come to the table with a fair-bargaining stance,” Castle said in a prepared statement from PEBA HQ. “We recognize that it’s been a longer than desired period between financial agreements, but if the Union continues to play hardball, the PEBA and it’s players will never have a solid plan. We will move ahead with our own plans and hold unilateral discussions with the major media outlets.” He went on to suggest that in the end, if the players were not happy, they need look no further than their own leadership. The bottom line is the Union has mischaracterized our stance, as described in Howard Heskin’s piece from last night.

When asked in the post-speech press conference if he feared the players striking, he replied, “Before the demise of Major League Baseball, once the players had unionized, they barely went more than 10-years without a strike. PEBA will be entering their 27th season come April. We have avoided walk-outs because of good faith on both sides – and not one side resorting to political ploys.”

That last comment seems a flat out dig at Johnson and the political aspirations of his infamously more famous father – Duane ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who hopes to be elected to the Presidency on Election Day (this Tuesday). Amongst his platform points, ‘President Rock’ has made it a point to improve ‘work conditions and pay for union-based entertainment workers’. By definition, that includes ballplayers. Johnson the Elder also called out the Commissioner, tweeting , “Where are you? Where is our leader? Where is our leader at this time when our beloved baseball players are down on their knees, begging, pleading, hurt, angry, frustrated, in pain with its arms out, just wanting to be heard... and paid fairly?” Castle’s response was that the Presidential hopeful was ‘grandstanding for political gain.”

“The Union has a big ask. They want it now. We have a more modest, what we feel is a more sustainable, plan – one that rolls out over a few years – starting in 2034 – allowing our new expansion brothers Tempe and Niihama to prepare their rosters further without added, unexpected, expenditures, and similarly, with any future expansion – definitely no sooner than 2035. The players are all about ‘Show me the money’, while we are about League sustainability.”

[KenH]

Good old Harry Castle, sticking up for the common man against the unruly asks of a power hungry horde of overpaid bloviating has-beens! Johnson's obviously just jealous he wasn't able to find a job. Sounds like a "him" problem... Jim Klein was able to find a job without issue!

[Sandgnats]

Klein was a shill for the man!

[KenH]

Klein was a shill for the man!

Klein is a good ball player! It's pretty telling that the best the players' union could do is a 36 year-old, 2.9 career WAR never-was! What a joke. If I were a betting man (I am), I'd take the under on even a nominal 10% raise!

I'm all for having a worth-while discussion about the PEBA labor situation, but this can't be their best. Do the players have some ulterior motive? Maybe when Johnson gets taken to the cleaners they can cry to the press?

[Borealis]

Klein was a shill for the man!

It's pretty telling that the best the players' union could do is a 36 year-old, 2.9 career WAR never-was! What a joke. If I were a betting man (I am), I'd take the under on even a nominal 10% raise!

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm...

[Sandgnats]

"If I were a betting man (I am)"

Spoken like a Streets company man.