Or so the thinking goes. The union has a host of reasons for not believing this is little more than a cleverly orchestrated bluff, not the least of which is the risk of the anti-trust exemption, which could be yanked by angry politicians in Florida or Minnesota. There are plenty of nagging legal and economic hurdles here, all of which are time consuming. Regardless of the merit of the argument, one wishes both sides would stop trying to prove a point or get an upper hand in the court of public opinion, and start talking about a new collective bargaining agreement which would guarantee no stoppage in play. Now in its fifth year, interleague play clearly needs some tinkering.
Baseball promises some is on the way, but additional changes are necessary.
Next year, Bud Selig said, the matchups will change. For the first time, the cross games won't simply be East vs. East, Central vs. Central, etc. This will give fans a chance to see some fresh faces, which was one of the designs behind interleague play in the first place. But baseball should also look at the timing of the games. Interleague play offers some fascinating pairings, but by scheduling the first round of games for the second weekend in June puts these marquee matchups against the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Finals, the French Open and the Belmont.