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It was a fantastic weekend for these posing as journalists who’re extra enthusiastic about performing like bullhorns for the lizard individuals who need their messages out. I wouldn’t faux to know all of the issues that go into being a reliable journalist, nor do I care a lot, however I do know from imprecise recollections by hangover-hazed lessons in school that it doesn’t have a lot to do with pushing out narratives that brokers and possession need on the market. Guys like Jon Heyman and Adam Schefter, who act extra as sports activities propaganda automobiles than precise reporters, are prime examples and proved it once more.
We’ll begin with Heyman, who couldn’t even let the ink on the brand new CBA dry earlier than being contacted by some buddy of his in possession to complain and try to achieve floor in a PR conflict that possession already misplaced and is now futile. Maybe probably the most spectacular factor is that Heyman can nonetheless use his fingers to faucet out a tweet, contemplating the neck and nerve harm he should’ve sustained ferrying all of the house owners’ water throughout the lockout:
There isn’t a “little man” in baseball. Whereas the Giants are one of many larger market groups, they’re hardly the Yankees or Dodgers, even when they had been in a position to run with the Dodgers for one season. They’ve additionally misplaced Buster Posey’s and Kevin Gausman’s salaries from final 12 months, so even with this apparently “outlandish” deal for Carlos Rodon, in the intervening time they’re nonetheless some $77 million under the primary tax threshold. And it must be famous that the Giants, on account of varied fallout from COVID, solely averaged 20,734 followers per sport final season. This isn’t a group that was rolling in it, comparatively to what they’d been and what different groups are. According to this from FanGraphs, the Giants native TV deal is precisely center of the pack.
Each group in MLB can strategy these modest numbers of a $150 million payroll. That actually ought to have been the minimal group wage flooring that gamers ought to have battled for in negotiations.
That is merely drivel to justify no matter group proprietor is in Heyman’s ear (my guess: Jed Hoyer of the Cubs, undoubtedly a small market group that doesn’t wish to pay to compete) to fuck over their followers and proceed to rake of their income sharing cash together with no matter TV offers they’ve except for the nationwide ones. $22 million per 12 months may appear loads for a pitcher who can’t go greater than an hour or two with out one thing on his physique turning to goo like Rodon. But it surely’s additionally hardly loads for a No. 2 or No. 3 starter, which Rodon is for the comet-like interval he’s truly on the mound. It’s additionally not loads for a group whose ace, Logan Webb, remains to be on a minimal deal.
Typically, offering a quote with none remark or context will not be precisely the job that Heyman is doing, or purported to be doing. He’ll take the “neutrality” excuse/angle I’m certain if he had been ever questioned about it, with out ever sensing that amplifying the house owners’ horseshit is dangerous to the sport. There isn’t a justification or rationalization for any group in MLB to not be going for all of it weapons blazing. Heyman and his fellow latchkeys give them cowl.
Heyman wasn’t achieved:
You’ll be able to’t assist however be reminded of this scene:
Heyman utilizing “winters” as a verb just about completely crystalizes why he’s so enthusiastic about parroting any ownership-talking level he can. They arrive from the identical place.
To offer Heyman a small break, at the very least his deficiencies are solely inside baseball. He’s not actively defending a repeatedly accused assaulter of ladies. However hey, the NFL likes to do issues larger than everybody, so why wouldn’t their main toad Adam Schfter take it one step additional?
Schefter later apologized, however the harm had already been achieved. That is vile. Not solely does Schefter excuse what’s trying to be a reasonably heinously empty and insufficient efficiency from the prosecutor’s workplace (one witness called), he additional tosses obstacles on survivors of assault by casting all of them as simply empty vessels making an attempt to sully the wonderful repute of a NFL participant, whose rep is barely constructed on merely being an NFL participant. This would possibly as nicely have been a press release crafted within the places of work of Watson’s agent, and sure was. Schefter is a software in prepping the bottom for no matter group ultimately trades for Watson and the backlash from that fanbase, nonetheless massive or small that is likely to be. And seeing as how so many followers take Schefter as some kind of oracle, it simply would possibly work.
In fact, Watson remains to be dealing with 22 civil fits, the sheer variety of which remains to be jaw droppingly horrific. How’s Schefter going to dismiss these when the time comes? He’ll discover a manner, as a result of some group will want Schefter to someway humanize Watson for his eventual return to the sector. Watson’s agent certain will. And that’s all Schefter is right here for.
