“Short sighted businessmen ah nothing lasts for long…”–Joni Mitchell, 1982.

A lot has changed, although what could very well be true is that my perception of mostly unchanged things is what has changed—again. It seemed to me in my youth that baseball was high on the list of important things to a high percentage of the citizenry. Of course, at that time the citizenry was composed of my immediate household with perhaps some of the rest of the neighborhood as well. The reality that I thought existed then was that business people, including the owners of major league baseball teams, preferred to take a long range view of things and recognized the value of building a successful business by employing folks with a long term interest in growth and success through intelligent planning.

One of the best examples of what I perceive as the decline of empire due to loss of reason is what is called the trade deadline. This issue has been addressed more than once in this venue so I must apologize for repetition but it seems that “buy or sell” has taken on a degree of general acceptance comparable to that of Halloween becoming endured as a three month holiday or Joe Biden being considered a radical leftist. “Stand pat”, by comparison,has been relegated to a position similar to third party candidate status, or not worth consideration.

Life, admittedly, is a gamble. You want Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. but can you have him? You’ve lost interest in Bo Bichette or Wilmer Flores or Chris Taylor but who else wants him? You want to be part of the 27% that go to post season but at what price? All of those contracts to consider!

Why can’t we all calm down and show some faith in our team as it is and try to build some confidence in each other (Rockies and White Sox exempted)? Do the metrics say that that doesn’t work? Take some deep breaths, baseball execs, unless of course you work in New York. It’s demeaning to all concerned when we can’t decide whether or not our decisions have done any good. Does a general manager or whoever is in charge of roster enhancement need to be cold blooded to prove they are both serious and competent to owners/fans/players? Really? Aren’t you then implying that you don’t do so well in the off season?

Many human beings are put through perhaps needless stress about packing up and moving out and whether or not anybody still wants them. Everyone will always say that yes, it’s a business and, of course, it’s hard on the families but at the same time the money is real good yadda yadda. This isn’t life or death, okay? It’s athletic entertainment. Have some faith in your own judgement and your players’ ability. Attitude matters. Let players agents have a vacation in July. The dollars involved are speaking louder than what the game should allow. We used to imagine being ballplayers or perhaps field managers. To imagine being upper management or the corporate money dude is dullsville. Play the game.

We will always be reminded of the Atlanta Braves’ great success in 2021 that was harpooned by desperation mid season trades but, in the aftermath determined to be brilliant additions. The Braves, however, also benefit by the now legendary ability of their management group to make excellent player evaluations and player development. Despite their frequent moves, they appear to be long term thinkers. Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson the second time around may very well work. San Francisco Giants fans were warming to Soler as he appeared to be warming to his task in the cool damp city by the bay. Now we’ll never know how it could have gone and what has been gained? Real baseball fans prefer smart moves or non-moves to fireworks and bobbleheads. Once your loyalty eliminates all but the dollar you are on your way to oblivion.