The topic was on people’s minds after a softball game on an artificial turf field in Manhattan near the Hudson River. Last season was better, but crowd capacity limits were still in place in many locations. The 2020 regular season was drastically shortened and played in parks with no fans. Largely thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is not the best of times. It’s unlikely the ticket-buying public will be very sympathetic to public bickering between the owners and players.Įven in the best of times, fans want their baseball and it was clear in the aftermath of the 1994-95 strike that fans were slow to forgive. the players with a notable third party warily watching: the fans.

MLB’s labor showdown pits the league’s owners vs. ”The question is, what’s the middle ground?” ”The players feel like they need a bigger slice of the pie and I don’t blame them. ”I think ownership is entitled to make a profit,” Pupo said. But it’s unclear if that game or any others will be happening this spring now that the sport has entered its first work stoppage in 26 years.īill Pupo – a longtime baseball fan and Diamondbacks season-ticket holder – said he’s hopeful of a quick resolution, but also acknowledges the current labor squabble has the feel of the 1994-95 strike that lasted 7 1/2 months and wiped out the World Series for the first time in 90 years. That’s the day the 2022 MLB season is scheduled to begin and Chase Field’s downtown concourse should be bustling with fans, ready to start the 162-game schedule with a day game against the Milwaukee Brewers. The problem is if it still feels like this on March 31. That’s fine – and even expected – on Dec. Otherwise, the home of Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks was quiet, almost serene. PHOENIX (AP)The only hint of activity outside of Chase Field on Thursday afternoon was the low humming noise from a construction crew, which was busy hanging some signs for an upcoming college football bowl game.

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